Thanks Paul. Iām surprised myself. Just goes to show how amazing Justinās teaching methodology is along with all the helpful tools heās provided on this site (songbook, play along videos, and most of all the customizable practice assistant).
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Still got my old Affinity that my wife bought me for my 40th over a quarter of a century ago !
Itās been upgraded a little but is still part of my stable. It will serve you well sir !
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wow thats good going!! That guitar could tell some stories
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@MrPB Paul, thank you so much for starting this thread, it fueled my urge to start looking at a better guitar to continue my learning journey with (specifically a Les Paul style guitar which Iāve always wanted).
@TheMadman_tobyjenner Toby, thank you for your reverse logic advice. I was still reluctant and thought I was just looking for excuses to buy a better guitar, but your advice is sound and itās paid off for sure.
I stopped by one of only two music stores in Kuwait today (Gibson & Epiphone dealer). I was in luck, because they only stock one of each model of guitar (itās a really small store) and they had the Epiphone Les Paul Modern in the two colors I was interested in: Graphite Black and Faded Pelham Blue. I ended up going with the Graphite Black as the blue one changes colors with the light and ends up looking green, and the Graphite Black has a bit of a subtle sparkle pattern and not just a standard glossy black which looks better in real life than in the pictures/videos Iāve seen.
Aesthetics aside, having checked a few āhow to buy a new guitarā videos on YouTube plus with the few weeks of play time with my Squier Affinity HSS (starter pack model), I knew what to look for this time. First thing, the fretboard is smooth and the frets nicely rounded (can barely feel them) which made playing the few riffs I knew a pleasure as opposed to torturous (my Squier actually shredded the side of my left index finger). Tried all the various volume, tone, and phase knobs and the tone options are astounding and while they were all very unique, they all sounded great unlike on my Squier. Once I got home and plugged it into my starter practice amp (Fender Frontman 15G) it was much louder and clearer than my Squier, and when I turned on the overdrive the riffs I played sounded like actual rock music (my Squier just sounded noisy). I guess I just prefer humbuckers in general which is what I mostly played with on my Squier. Finally, the neck dive that drove me crazy on my Squier Strat is non-existent on the Epiphone LP Modern. I can actually play it sitting down without a strap which I struggled to do before. I was also relieved that the weight difference is not an issue for me, while slightly heavier, itās not that noticeable which is probably a feature of the weight relief on the Modern version.
Overall, Iām ecstatic with my purchase! The fit and finish is a huge upgrade from my starter guitar, it feels beautiful to play and the tone options are limitless. Thank you both again for your support and advice. Oh and sorry for hijacking your thread Paul, but your experience was the catalyst for mine so I though Iād share mine here as well for others that might be in the same boat 
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Now that I have a second guitar which I prefer, Iāll be experimenting with the Squier Affinity Strat to learn how to setup my own guitars once my MusicNomad kits arrive without the fear of breaking it and having no guitar to practice on. In the future, I might try some upgrades as well to the tuners and pickups. So itāll be my project guitar
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Congrats on the Epi LP, look forward to some pics but the colour sounds great.
As to upgrading the Affinity, go for it !! My old boy now wears Iron Gear Pups, SSS to HSH with new pots and caps - a project I did a few years back - so it now snarls and is the equivalent to one of those āsleeperā hot rods, looks like a Strat sounds an LP on steroids !!
Hereās a link to my very long Roadcase/Learning Log when I documented the upgrade
SSS to HSH
If you start tweaking the Affinity, thereās plenty of folk here to offer advice and guidance.
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Be careful using jargon with beginners. I canāt tell you how many times I read posts referring to pups before I realized they were talking about pickups.
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You live and learn.
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āProject Affinity and Beyondā! I love it 
Will have to read through it once I start thinking of tinkering with mine.
Hereās my new Epiphone LP along with my Squier Affinity Strat. The hoarding has begunā¦ 
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Be careful, be very careful 
Sunburst Affinity looks great, as you no doubt saw mine was a bog standard black n white until the revamp. Black Epi looks really cool, enjoy !
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HNGD!
Congratulations on the new purchase
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Iām late to this discussion, but I love that Les Paul. It looks great. I really like the Epiphones with the black front with the main body in stained wood. Looks fantastic and I bet it sounds great too.
But that sunburst Squier looks really nice too. Hang onto it!
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@Prof_Thunder Hey Ian! Thanks, the Epi LP does look and sound great (Iāve recorded a few AVOYPs with it which are linked in My Guitar Journal). The fit and finish on it are really top notch for itās price. Iām really happy with that purchase. It inspired me to upgrade my Squier Affinity Strat to see if I could get it closer in sound quality and playability which led to my Project Supercharge Sunburst Squier. Of course being a Strat it has a much different tone and feel to it, but after all the upgrades Iām much happier with how it sounds and plays now that Iāve been doing all my practice and song learning on it for the past couple of weeks. I now have two guitars that I love playing and practicing with 
Of course, being the hoarder that I am, the plans for a 3rd guitar purchase are already in the works
Iāve been eyeballing on Epi LP myself, specifically the Std 60ās smokehouse burst, just gorgeous to meā¦ mgmt will probably balk at it and wont understand, but better to ask forgiveness than permission right??
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I kind of like the colour of the blueberry LP gibson brought out in their custom colour range
I wonder whether the Epiphone range will be updated to include a flux of new colour options.
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I always loved the quilted black LP and that would be my first choice but that doesnāt seem to be an option anymore
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I think that if you need permission to buy something thatās not entirely essential then a good strategy is to show a much more expensive model (like a real Gibson Les Paul) first and say its a pity itās soooo expensive. Then miraculously 1 day later you find a bargain ācopyā of a real les Paul made by Epiphone which is excellent value for a fraction of the price of the Gibson. Just makes sense to buy it right!
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LOL necessary to me, not necessary to her
@Prof_Thunder Thatās some serious wisdom and sneaky tactics there at the same time. Looks like you have a lot of experience with that Iāll have to give it a try
@snoxracr Smokehouse Burst is aā¦ well, smoking hot finish 
Love it
@Socio That Blueberry color looks like it should be a Baskin Robbins ice cream flavor, delicious looking 
If they bring those to Epiphone LPs Iāll be in trouble, wonāt be able to resist
Seriously, I hope youāre enjoying your LP as much as I do mine. I donāt know how I missed this thread as we both got our LPās in the same month last year lol
Liking the black gloss
R.
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