Following Peter Green Collectors Edition and Custom Shop tribute models from Gibson (priced in the tens of thousands), Epiphone recently jumped into the segment with its version, the Kirk Hammett “Greeny” 1959 Les Paul Standard.

Half the cost of the standard-production Gibson, it’s still one of the most-expensive instruments ever offered by Epi. And with its price come certain expectations.

With a solid mahogany body, one-piece mahogany neck, bookmatched flame-maple cap, satin finish on a soft-C neck, and Grover Rotomatic tuners, the Greeny has the makings of a stellar playing experience. Furthering the vibe, it gets the same Greenybucker pickups as the Gibson versions, along with the mismatched Tone and Volume knobs. Out of the box, the fit, finish, action, and intonation (verified with a strobe tuner) on our tester were immaculate.

Plugged into a low-watt tube amp with mild boost between, the low-output Greenybuckers brought a clarity that would beguile a single-coil/P-90 enthusiast. The neck pickup with no boost delivers the sonorous tones of Green’s “Albatross.” Add a touch of boost and you’ll recognize the sound of Moore’s intro to “Still Got the Blues.”

The out-of-phase tone with the selector in the middle can be modulated with each pickup’s Volume knob, starting with a Strat-like quack and going down to a subtle, plaintive moan.

The Greeny’s secret weapon is its neck pickup. Positioned with the pole pieces closer to the bridge, it offers a touch more brightness and note definition.

With the selector the middle position with no boost, the tone is pleasantly woody; add boost and it becomes snarky. To hear something akin to Green on “World Keep on Turning,” select the bridge pickup and keep the boost out of it. Tap the boost, and it snarls.

The Epiphone Greeny’s playability, tonal variety, and appearance put the essentials of a legendary instrument within reach of many more players.

This article originally appeared in VG’s March 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.