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Epiphone Les Paul Special
Ibanez GRX70QA
VS
Playability
73
Sound
65
Build
54
Value
79
Score
64
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Playability
70
Sound
64
Build
52
Value
77
Score
62
FIND IT ON:
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Epiphone Les Paul Special vs Ibanez GRX70QA

Reasons to Get
Epiphone Les Paul Special over Ibanez GRX70QA

Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Neck Profile
Vintage 50s vs GRX
Great if you like to hang your thumb over the fretboard
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Resistant, good tuning stability and rich tone
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
P90P90 vs HSH
Vintage tone with decent versatility
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.88'' (22.4mm) vs 0.77'' (19.6mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.96'' (24.4mm) vs 0.85'' (21.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
79 vs 77
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Ibanez GRX70QA over Epiphone Les Paul Special

Decorative Top
Quilted Maple Art Grain vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Neck Profile
GRX vs Vintage 50s
Thin neck for playing fast
Neck Joint
Bolt-On vs Set
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Pickups
HSH vs P90P90
High output, round sound with a single-coil for cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.77'' (19.6mm) vs 0.88'' (22.4mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.85'' (21.6mm) vs 0.96'' (24.4mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Other Key Differences
Epiphone Les Paul Special vs Ibanez GRX70QA

Bridge Pickup
P-90 PRO Soap Bar vs Infinity R
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
P-90 PRO Soap Bar vs Infinity R
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Mahogany vs Poplar
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Maple
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Laurel vs Jatoba
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3 vs 6
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Epiphone Les Paul Special vs Ibanez GRX70QA

Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Epiphone Les Paul Special is probably the better product overall with its final score of 64 compared to the Ibanez GRX70QA's 62 score, although not by a lot.

The Epiphone Les Paul Special wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Ibanez GRX70QA in every aspect.

However, there's still a reason to choose the Ibanez GRX70QA instead. If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Ibanez GRX70QA is easier to play.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Ibanez GRX70QA is the better choice.

The Ibanez GRX70QA meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Epiphone Les Paul Special meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Epiphone Les Paul Special
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez GRX70QA
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Epiphone Les Paul Special Overview

  • From Epiphone's 2020 Original Collection series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Mahogany body
  • Mahogany single neck
  • Indian Laurel fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: P-90 PRO Soap Bar (P90/Passive)
  • 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Lightning Bar Wrap Around bridge
  • Vintage 50s Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Vintage style Deluxe Tuners with Ivory Buttons tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Ibanez GRX70QA Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2020 RG series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Quilted Maple Art Grain top
  • Poplar body
  • Maple neck
  • Jatoba fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Infinity R (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: Infinity RS (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Infinity R (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • T106 bridge
  • GRX Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium frets
  • Ibanez tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in the Epiphone Les Paul Special

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Laurel wood pattern used for guitar building
Laurel

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.

Woods Used in the Ibanez GRX70QA

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Jatoba wood pattern used for guitar building
Jatoba
Poplar wood pattern used for guitar building
Poplar

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Jatoba is a hard and dense wood that emphasizes the mid-lows, giving a fuller, more round sound than, for example, Mahogany. However, it also has a lot of clarity in the top end. Find out more about Jatoba.

Poplar is a cheaper and heavier alternative to Alder wood. It terms of tone, it emphasizes the low-end and has cutting mids. It's relatively soft compared to most body woods. Find out more about Poplar.

Winner: Epiphone Les Paul Special.

Pickup Configuration

The Epiphone Les Paul Special has an P90P90 configuration while the Ibanez GRX70QA has HSH pickups.

P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.

On the other hand, HSH is a versatile pickup configuration that will give you the high output, full tone, and quiet sound of humbucker pickups, but with the possibility of using a single coil for cleaner tones. The disadvantage is that the middle single-coil pickup will have a noticeable lower volume, so you might want to adjust the height of the pickups. Another problem is that if you set the middle pickup too high, it might interfere with your picking hand.

Pickups Quality

The Epiphone Les Paul Special has pickups from a more specialized brand than the Ibanez GRX70QA. Its pickups should simply give you a better, fuller sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Blues and similar genres.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Epiphone Les Paul Special.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Ibanez GRX70QA gives you 5 switch options while the Epiphone Les Paul Special gives you 3. This means that the Ibanez GRX70QA gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.

Epiphone Les Paul Special pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Epiphone Les Paul Special's switch options
Ibanez GRX70QA pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Ibanez GRX70QA's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Ibanez GRX70QA.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Epiphone Les Paul Special
Pickups 70
Sustain 65
Versatility 53
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 65
Ibanez GRX70QA
Pickups 60
Sustain 65
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 60
Sound 64

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Epiphone Les Paul Special compares to the Ibanez GRX70QA.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Epiphone Les Paul Special has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

On the other hand, the Ibanez GRX70QA comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Winner: Epiphone Les Paul Special.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The Epiphone Les Paul Special's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the Ibanez GRX70QA's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Epiphone Les Paul Special's are Vintage style Deluxe Tuners with Ivory Buttons while the Ibanez GRX70QA's are Ibanez

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

The Epiphone Les Paul Special has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

On the other hand, the Ibanez GRX70QA comes with Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Ibanez GRX70QA.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Epiphone Les Paul Special
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez GRX70QA
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Epiphone Les Paul Special
Quality of materials 56
Features 50
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 54
Ibanez GRX70QA
Quality of materials 45
Features 55
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 52

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Epiphone Les Paul Special Nut Width
Epiphone Les Paul Special Nut Width
Ibanez GRX70QA Nut Width
Ibanez GRX70QA Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Epiphone Les Paul Special has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Epiphone Les Paul Special, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Epiphone Les Paul Special's Scale Length
Epiphone Les Paul Special's Scale Length
Ibanez GRX70QA's Scale Length
Ibanez GRX70QA's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Ibanez GRX70QA has the longest scale: 25.5". The Epiphone Les Paul Special is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Epiphone Les Paul Special Neck Profile
Epiphone Les Paul Special's neck profile
Ibanez GRX70QA Neck Profile
Ibanez GRX70QA's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Epiphone Les Paul Special has a V type of neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.

The Ibanez GRX70QA, on the other hand, has a GRGR neck. This neck is used in Ibanez's mass production guitars, and it's very similar to the Wizard profile in terms of shape and thickness.

Fretboard Radius

Epiphone Les Paul Special Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Epiphone Les Paul Special and the Ibanez GRX70QA have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Epiphone Les Paul Special favors large hands more than the Ibanez GRX70QA.

Epiphone Les Paul Special:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Ibanez GRX70QA:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Epiphone Les Paul Special Frets Size
Epiphone Les Paul Special's Frets Size
Ibanez GRX70QA Frets Size
Ibanez GRX70QA's Frets Size

The Epiphone Les Paul Special has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Ibanez GRX70QA's Medium frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Epiphone Les Paul Special
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 60
Playability 73
Ibanez GRX70QA
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70

Specs Side-by-Side

Epiphone Les Paul Special vs Ibanez GRX70QA
General Epiphone Les Paul Special Ibanez GRX70QA
Brand: Epiphone Ibanez
Year: 2020 2020
Configuration: P90P90 HSH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China China
Series: Original Collection RG
Colors: Yellow Black Burst Patterns, Blue Burst Patterns, Red Burst Patterns, Sunburst Patterns
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Mahogany Poplar
Bridge: Lightning Bar Wrap Around T106
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage style Deluxe Tuners with Ivory Buttons Ibanez
Fretboard: Indian Laurel Jatoba
Neck Material: Mahogany single Maple
Decoration: Pearloid Dot White Dot
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.5"
Shape: Vintage 50s GRX
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.88'' (22.4mm) - 12th Fret: 0.96'' (24.4mm) 1st Fret: 0.77'' (19.6mm) - 12th Fret: 0.85'' (21.6mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Ivory Tusq Plastic
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: P-90 PRO Soap Bar (P90 / Passive) Infinity R (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Infinity RS (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: P-90 PRO Soap Bar (P90 / Passive) Infinity R (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None None
Volume Controls: 2 1
Tone Controls: 2 1