Bob,

My pal Tim Lee gets a great sound out of his Epi Firebird. I've played the
V's myself and they offer great bang for the buck, plus they look so cool.
I'm not a big fan of Epiphone Les Pauls. They just don't remotely come close
to the real thing. If you're in the market for a nice Les Paul and just
can't swing the big bucks they cost I'd suggest checking on Ebay for a
Burny, Greco, Tokai or Orville. They're all Japanese made (as opposed to the
Korean Epiphones) and are quite affordable. Plus, they're much more accurate
replicas of the real thing that the Epiphones.

A zero fret is a bit of a cost cutting move. It removes the need for a nut
and the time and expense of slotting the nut. Hence, zero frets are mostly
found on cheap guitars.

Bobby Sutliff

>
>
> 1. Do any of you play either Epiphone Les Paul, Epiphone Flying V or
> Epiphone Firebird ??  Am thinking of purchasing a new guitar but trying to
> garner positive/negative comments before I splash the cash.  I really
fancy
> a Flying V, but not sure of their durability/comfort of playing.  I play
> loud rock rhythm guitar if that is any help.  I don't wanna end up trying
> something out in a shop, thinking it's fine, then wishing a couple of
> months later that I hadn't bothered!
>
> 2. Had a discussion with a mate about why some guitars have a '0' fret
just
> next to the nut.  Does anyone know if there are benefits to this, or is it
> just cosmetic?
>
> Reply to Q1 off-line if you prefer.
>
> Cheers
> Bob
>