Epiphone Jerry Cantrell Signature Les Paul
Verdict and Review Summary
This is a very smooth-sounding guitar, outpacing its price tag, in typical Epiphone fashion. It produces a heavy sound at higher gain levels, especially with that 98T Pro humbucker at the bridge, which I know nothing about, other than it's really aggressive.
I've had a lot of electric guitars in and out of my care over the past few months, including a PRS SE McCarty 594. For all of them, I've used the same setup - an Amptweaker TightMetal distortion pedal and Boss Katana 50. I've also thrown in some reverb for testing clean tones. But nothing has been quite as heavy, or sounded as good as this Les Paul. I was very surprised at how good heavy distortion sounded and how little noise issues I had. Aside from my 2005 CE 24 PRS (which has Fishman Fluence humbuckers), this is the best-sounding guitar in my arsenal.
Let's kick things off with some Tool.
Read more: Best electric guitars overall
My Full Review of the Epiphone Jerry Cantrell Les Paul
BEST FOR: High gain levels (distortion), sustain, percussive power chords and palm muting, versatile music genres (classic rock, modern rock, metal, grunge).
TONE
95
VERSATILITY
95
CONTROL
85
COST/VALUE
92
- Dark red, gold, and black somehow work really well together
- The bridge pickup is hot, but sounds great
- Very smooth at high gain levels with a lot of percussive chunk
- Grover tuners
- Maple top piece (cap)
- I'm not crazy about Les Paul neck heels, especially a set neck
- Strap connection on the upper bout is precarious (kept letting the strap go)
Humbuckers and tone
The neck humbucker is very smooth sounding, while the bridge humbucker is a lot hotter. This combination plays really nicely with both clean and high gain settings.
Neck heel and playability
I've never been a huge fan of Les Paul neck heels, just because the shape of my hands make it harder to get to the higher frets. This model wasn't too bad and felt thinner (for whatever reason). Although it's probably similar to other models. The feel on the lower register was better for me.
Headstock and hardware
Grover tuners are a nice little upgrade, and I'm a big fan of gold hardware. The headstock design is like the Les Paul Custom. Nut width is 1.693, which is just a little more than the Ibanez Wizard necks. It plays fast, with a feel similar to the PRS neck shape.
Hardshell case included
The included hardshell case is a really nice bonus. This shot also gives you a better look at all the gold hardware, including the neck humbucker. It looks great.
Pickup selector and preferred sound
For the most part I kept the pickup selector in the middle position, since the combination of crunch and warmth just sounded so good.
Aesthetics and colors
The aesthetics of this guitar are a major selling point. And even though I'm not crazy about the wino look, I can't deny that the combination gold, black, and dark red somehow mixes together very well.
Pickup positioning and string height
There's not much distance between the bridge pickup and the strings, which is part of the reason it's so hot, even on my Katana's clean channel. You could easily settle this down by physically lowering the pickup. In this picture you can see more space above the neck humbucker.
Broad appeal and musical style
The tweaks that Epiphone made here (I assume with direction from Cantrell himself), have really made a difference. It's unique compared to a lot of the other electrics I've tested lately, and very capable for modern rock or even metal, not just the Alice in Chains/grunge era.
Summary of my Epiphone Jerry Cantrell Les Paul Review
This guitar can absolutely handle the heavy stuff, and bridges a gap between early '90s grunge and the modern, percussive rock style. The punchy palm mutes and smooth sustain power chords are just a lot more than what you get from a Kurt Cobain sound, or even Soundgarden. If you play any of these styles and you want a solid intermediate electric guitar, that can last and be useful long term, this is a very high-value option. Epiphone rarely fails with this type of instrument.
If you have questions about my review or experience with this guitar, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
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Live Price
Price updated Fri, August 21st, 2026.
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