The best new Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Guitars for every player and every genre

New for 2026, here are the best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson electric guitars for metal, punk, indie, and blues rock

We recently refreshed the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Collection, which brings legendary Gibson-inspired designs and pro-level tones to every player with a host of new colors, updated premium appointments like rosewood fingerboards, and some new designs into the mix. These are some of the best Epiphone electric guitars for metal, punk, indie, and blues rock, and are ideal whether you are starting your first band, a complete beginner guitarist, or a seasoned gigging musician in need of a hard-working instrument that won’t let you down. 

The all-new Inspired by Gibson Collection brings premium feel, refined performance, and iconic design within reach—no matter where you’re starting or where you’re headed. From reimagined icons like the 1950s Les Paul™ Standard to exciting new platforms like the Les Paul Special Double Cut Figured and “if you know, you know” models like the Explorer™ 80s EMG, there’s something here for every stage.

This new collection of incredibly versatile guitars offers much more than just a few new models and finishes. You have a huge range of upgraded specs usually reserved for guitars at much higher price-points, with premium appointments found throughout the lineup such as LockTone™ hardware, CTS® pots, and ProBucker™, P-90 PRO™, and even EMG™ pickups. Each model is ready for live shows, studio sessions, and everything in between.

With that in mind, the following buyer’s guide splits the Inspire by Gibson Collection into the best models for specific genres. Obviously, this is not absolutely iron-clad—if you want to play an Explorer with EMGs at a blues jam on a Thursday night in your local dive bar, go right ahead. But for most players, this guide to the best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson electrics by genre will help you choose the right guitar for your style.

What are the best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson guitars for indie and punk?

The best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson guitars for indie and punk players are the Les Paul Special Double Cut, Les Paul Junior, SG Special P-90, and Firebird™. These models feature P-90 PRO and ProBucker™ FB720 Firebird pickups, which deliver punchy mids, articulate clean tones, and dynamic overdriven sounds ideal for both indie jangle and aggressive chord progressions.

As punk and indie guitarists, we need some combination of punchy mids, bright clean tones that offer ear candy in a band mix, and the ability for our guitars to scream with raucous overdrive when needed. This is where the P-90 pickup comes in handy as they deliver characterful cleans while retaining that P-90 punch. The Firebird, meanwhile, delivers even more bite at the bridge, while the neck position is a killer secret weapon for grungier tones—just ask PJ Harvey.

Epiphone Les Paul Special Double Cut

Also available in an exclusive Antique Silver Fox finish only available via Epiphone.com and the Gibson Garage, the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut offers the ultimate in upper-fret access in a compact package that’s easy to throw around on stage. The SlimTaper neck is comfortable to play and partnered with a bound rosewood fretboard, while two Epiphone P-90 PRO Soapbar pickups offer up all the tonal options you need, with that unmistakable P-90 bite that cuts through the mix, along with plenty of depth in the neck position.

It’s the perfect guitar for those high-end lead lines and octave parts that travel up and down the fretboard—as used by every indie band ever, mine included. This guitar is also played by Nate Punty of Spiritual Cramp in the Inspired by Gibson launch video. You can check out their tour dates here and experience the tonal goodness of a killer Les Paul Special first hand.  

Epiphone Les Paul Junior

Is the Epiphone Les Paul Junior the ultimate punk-rock guitar? Billie Joe Armstrong would probably say so. Stripped down, accessible, and iconic, the original student solidbody became the class rebel thanks to its simplicity and deceptively versatile range of tones. The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Junior gets the job done and features a mahogany body, 50s Vintage neck profile, rosewood fretboard, and a single P-90 PRO Dogear pickup at the bridge. No fuss, just plug in and play—work the volume knob to enjoy jangly cleans and crank it up for beautifully dynamic drive sounds.

Epiphone Firebird

Although it is equally well loved by blues-rockers (more on this later), the Firebird’s radical reverse body and neck-through design fits the punk and indie aesthetic beautifully. Let’s face it, we want to make an impact onstage, and the Firebird is a natural fit for players looking for a head-turning guitar with a unique sound.

The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Firebird features a nine-ply mahogany and walnut neck-through construction, delivering exceptional sustain. When partnered with the ProBucker FB720 Firebird pickups, your notes ring out longer and clearer. The bound rosewood fingerboard and SlimTaper C neck profile make it super-comfortable to play, and it’s perfect in a twin-guitar band when you need solos and lead lines to slice through a wall of overdriven rhythm chords.

Epiphone SG Special P-90

The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson SG™ Special P-90 is one of the best guitars we offer for indie, alternative, and punk players. Dual P-90 PRO Soapbars offer a blend of bright articulation and punchy mids, and it won’t flinch when you step on the overdrive or fuzz pedal for riffs and solos. Like the Les Paul Junior, the SG Special is another no-nonsense, hard-working gigging guitar. Yes, this shape is often associated with hard rock and metal, but if you want a lesson in the extraordinary tonal range of these instruments, check out footage of The Who at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970. There’s very little the SG Special can’t do.

What are the best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson guitars for metal?

​​The best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson guitars for metal and heavy rock players are the Explorer 80s EMG, Flying V™ 70s, and SG Standard. These guitars feature higher-output pickups, fast-playing necks, and iconic designs that suit the look, suit your fast downpicking, and deliver those heavy tones essential for metal performance. As metal players, we want plenty of output from our pickups, comfortable slim neck profiles, and bold and aggressive looks with the finish to match.

The metal scene would look and sound very different if it weren’t for the Explorer, the Flying V, and the SG Standard, and these Epiphone Inspired by Gibson versions are perfect, whether you’re writing your first metal riffs or looking for an accessible way to get the uncompromising metal tones you’ve heard on arena stages and in stadiums all over the world. 

Epiphone Explorer 80s EMG

Played by iconic metal guitarists and thrash pioneers, the Explorer is one of the best guitars for metal thanks to its menacing looks and huge tones. The Inspired by Gibson Explorer 80s EMG winds back the clock to the golden era of thrash metal and the highly sought-after 1984 Gibson Explorer model. It comes loaded with active EMG 60/81 pickups, delivering the uncompromising, aggressive distortion sounds you demand. A SlimTaper™ profile and rosewood fretboard get you up and down the neck fast, so you’re as free to shred as you are to downpick brutal rhythm parts.

Epiphone Flying V 70s

Although it originated in the late 1950s, long before heavy metal was born, thanks to players like Michael Schenker and Kirk Hammett, the Flying V played a pivotal part in the evolution of hard rock and metal in the 1970s and 80s. Today, the Flying V 70s is one of the best Epiphone guitars for metal players looking to stand out and tip their hat to the originators. You get a comfortable Rounded C neck profile and an ebony fretboard build for speed, while the newly designed T-Type PRO™ humbuckers offer fat, articulate high-gain tones reminiscent of the heavy metal heroes who kickstarted the genre.

Epiphone SG Standard

It is impossible to write about the best guitars for metal and heavy rock without bringing the SG Standard into the conversation. One of the most recognizable guitar silhouettes in rock, in the hands of Tony Iommi and Angus Young, the SG was used to define the sound of heavy music, and the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson SG upholds that tradition beautifully.

The SlimTaper C-profile neck and 22-fret bound rosewood board make it easy to riff or solo, while few guitars can boast the kind of upper-fret access offered by the SG when the time comes to shred. A pair of powerful Epiphone ProBucker pickups can go from smooth cleans to bone-shattering crunch when you crank up the gain. This is easily one of the best Epiphone guitars for metal guitarists in their first band or for the player who wants a reliable, high-performance guitar with which to learn, write, and record. An icon for a reason.

What are the best Epiphone guitars for blues rock?

The best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson guitars for blues rock are the Les Paul Standard 50s, Les Paul Standard 60s, the Firebird, and the all-new Les Paul Special Double Cut Figured. Given how central it is to the electric blues genre, most players looking for a do-it-all blues-rock guitar won’t look much further than the Les Paul Standard, but all of these models offer the dynamic touch-response and articulate tones required expressive blues rock playing. Whether you are playing Slowhand-inspired 1960s blues or harder rock-infused styles inspired by Joe Bonamassa or Gary Moore, these are the best Epiphone Inspired by Gibson guitars for blues rock, and they’ll deliver the tones and performance you need.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s

The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s is a tribute to one of the most iconic guitar designs of all time. Can you even imagine the blues rock genre without a Les Paul? No way. Comfortably one of the best Epiphone guitars for blues rock, the Les Paul Standard 50s features a mahogany body with a maple cap, delivering rich lows and clear highs for the quintessential Les Paul tone.

A 1959 Rounded Medium C neck profile offers comfort and sustain, while ProBucker pickups and CTS pots with 50s-style wiring let you make subtle tonal adjustments on the fly. Also featuring a rosewood fretboard, LockTone bridge, and vintage-style tuners, it’s a beautiful instrument available in Sunburst and Goldtop flavors inspired by the guitars used by endless blues-rock legends.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s

For those who want a slightly faster feel for blues-rock playing, the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s delivers just that, with a SlimTaper C neck profile and a matched set of ProBucker pickups: a ProBucker 2 in the neck and a hotter ProBucker 3 in the bridge. The time-honored mahogany body and maple cap combination provides the blend of warmth and definition you want, while Grover® Rotomatic® tuners, CTS pots, and LockTone hardware make sure this guitar can withstand decades of gigging. It’s a classic blues-rock machine that no guide to the best guitars for blues could be without.

Les Paul Special Double Cut Figured

The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut Figured is an accessible version of a cool take on the Les Paul Special which originated in the Gibson Custom Shop, blending the DNA of the Les Paul Standard and Special. The SlimTaper neck and bound rosewood fretboard make it super-comfortable to play, while a pair of ProBucker humbucking pickups offer beautiful, expressive cleans while handling any level of gain you throw at it. If a full-fat Les Paul Standard is too large and heavy for your hands or frame but you crave the iconic blues-rock flavors offered by the combination of mahogany, flame maple, and humbuckers, this is the guitar for you.

Epiphone Firebird

Making its second appearance in our buyer’s guide, this guitar transcends genres beautifully. The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Firebird excels in the blues-rock genre and its bright, articulate humbucking tones that cut through without the harshness of single-coils are especially beloved by bottleneck slide players. After all, a Firebird was Johnny Winter’s guitar of choice for a reason. And when it comes to making riffs stand out, a Firebird certainly gave Keith Richards plenty of Satisfaction back in the 1960s.

What’s the best Epiphone electric guitar for my favorite genre?

Always remember, when it comes to playing guitar, genres are just convenient pigeonholes and the most important players of all time have been those who ripped up the rulebook, blending influences rather than sticking rigidly to one lane. While these Epiphone Inspired by Gibson models work beautifully in specific musical genres as described, they are designed to cover a lot of ground and the only limit really is your imagination. Whether you need the best Epiphone for blues, metal, indie, punk, blues-rock, or something else entirely, the guitar that feels best in your hands and sounds best to your ears is the one that you should buy. Any of the instruments here would make an inspiring companion on your musical journey.

Shop the new-for-2026 Epiphone inspired by Gibson Collection today.