Do you regret buying an Epiphone?

[PTChristopher]

Hi Brad,

100% agreed that this is how the business with FMIC/Gretsch is typically described.

This is only part of the unfortunate above speculation, hearsay, and propagation of web-twaddle regarding Gibson's various product line actions.

Great thread regarding Epiphone and player's results with their guitars - particularly when it involves first-hand experience regarding playing the guitars themselves, vs. how one feels about the ethos of the Gibson brand name.

Chris

[AlohaJoe]

I've been enjoying reading this thread (mostly). I'm far more interested in the experience of players and their honest evaluations than brand love/hate. Every guitar is different, even when they're mass produced. The brand (by itself) means little.

[mangotango]

The brand (by itself) means little.

Except in terms of its effect upon the Price Tag (ka-ching, ka-ching)

[Pierrot]

I've been enjoying reading this thread (mostly). I'm far more interested in the experience of players and their honest evaluations than brand love/hate. Every guitar is different, even when they're mass produced. The brand (by itself) means little.

Yes Sir! I think you are completely right. There are so many parameters that will determine if an instrument works for you...the brand is possibly the last one.

[gpmedium]

I've only ever owned one Epiphone guitar, and that's my Cherry Red Epiphone Casino, so I can only speak about it. Mine is one of the later Chinese made models.

I like the neck and the feel. I like the sound. The P90s on it seem to be a good pickup for jazz and the other types of music I play on it. It has great access to higher frets on the neck and it sounds and plays very smooth.

It does have some fit and finish issues. Nothing that affects playability and or sound in any way, but they are there none-the-less.

I traded for this guitar, so I got it second hand. The previous owner chipped the nut was on the low side on the guitar somehow. And this particular guitar has a noisy pick selector switch, when moving to the bridge position. I think that is mostly because I don't use the bridge pickup that much. That means it could use a new nut and a new switch, but it isn't necessary either.

I may do that at some point, but I'm not sure. So to answer the OP's question, I don't regret getting it, but I'm not sure I want put more money into it either.

[Russ Kapp]

I Had a 1972 ( bought new ) Gibson LP standard I parted with back in the dark ages that I regret parting with to this day. Also had a 2004 Gibson LP faded series budget jobs with the HB PU's. I let that one go with no regrets this time. The PU's I think were the only items worth saving, the R490/ T498, I think??

In the Epiphone arena....no regrets so far with my 335 style Riviera with P94's ....great tone monster for jazz chord-melody fingerstyle playing

[willtheguitardude]

I am a total Sheraton II nut. One of the best not-as-expensive 335 copies. I have had mine for almost a year and I am still impressed. It looks great, it sounds great, it's great! I am not, however, a fan of the full-hollow guitars from Epiphone. They don't sound that great, and you can get a great Eastman for the same price as a Joe Pass or a Broadway. But for a semi, the Sheraton is one of the best in the business!

[Jazzchief1]

I replaced a higher end guitar with an Epiphone Sheraton II. I chose it because the quality of workmanship. I replaced the pickups with a set of Dimarzio DP-211 & DP 212. After those slight changes and some DR Blues strings. I would put it up against any othe Semi-solid body guitar on the market. Great Blues guitar.

[cargoshorts]

Cargo,

This is just one person's opinion: Can you please not add to the thankfully limited brand-name love/hate posts here?

Really, everyone in guitardom understands that there is a fringe who love the Gibson name and a fringe who hate it. This is not news. This does not add anything whatsoever to a fun and interesting discussion.

There are web forums where this sort of thing (ping pong with a brand name) is the standard. Surely you and a few others may notice that here the emphasis is most often on the actual merits of and experiences with the guitars themselves.

Any chance?

I understand that this thread is peppered with brand-oriented commentary by design, and more that a few pointless (in my opinion) comments on the Gibson love/hate 'road to nowhere'. But can we nonetheless steer away from the unfortunate trend?

Chris

I've owned 4 Gibsons: A '64 ES-345 TDC, a 1989 Firebird V, a 1986 Les Paul
Standard, and a 2007 SG Classic. They were all fine instruments which I'd buy again - the Les Paul is the only one I've kept due to a foreclosure and bankruptcy (tools). However if You think that the "street price" of 3600 dollars for a new 175 is proper then I think you're all absolutely crazy.
The quality issues from neck joint to the nut are well enough documented without my having to go into it. The 175 Quality Control is simply too hit or miss to be charging that kind of money when Peerless charges roughly 1/3 the price - though IMHO that tailpiece may be extremely functional I find it rather hideous and wish it came with a trapeze.
It has nothing to do with "brand loyalty" but everything to do with Quality and IMHO their piece to piece Quality in what most of us consider "the de facto Electric Jazz Guitar" for the money being charged is abysmal.

[helios]

I like the short scale of the Epi Byrdland. There are not a lot of games out there in this arena, and unless you're willing to pony-up the extra $4000-5000 for the Gibson version. The Epi Byrdland is the only way to go for an affordable (by my standards) short scale jazz guitar! I did change the pickups and put on a Faber bridge, thought I didn't really need to. It's a fine guitar as is!

[loudnoises]

I have a 90s Epiphone Les Paul that I love - lovely neck and frets. The stock pups were nothing to write home about, but my tech managed to fit Fralin P90s to it and it is an absolute dream to play/hear now.
But from my other Epi experiences, I feel that my LP may be the exception rather than the rule. It doesn't have the plastic-y feel of some Epis. My friends Epi LP from 2005 is not even close to mine in terms of quality.

[Anandbhat]

Here's my early forties Zenith. Loads of Vintage Vibe!

[Roosto]

1998 Broadway

[AlohaJoe]

I love the Devon Anandbhat... here's my '48 Triumph, and no, I've never been sorry.

[Anandbhat]

Those are really nice looking guitars, Roosto and Aloha Joe ! Mine is a Zenith considered more of a base model back then.I don't think the resonator tailpiece is original on mine.

[AlohaJoe]

Those are really nice looking guitars, Roosto and Aloha Joe ! Mine is a Zenith considered more of a base model back then.I don't think the resonator tailpiece is original on mine.

Thank you! I believe you are correct that the original tailpiece would have been a trapeze. The frequensator is likely a reasonable replacement... the originals often didn't hold up well. The long scale on a 16 1/2" guitar and the fact that the Zenith was carved (usually walnut B&S) makes them truly fine instruments with plenty of punch and a great, rich tone.

Yours looks to be in great condition! Hang on to that beauty... yesterdays mid-level model (base was Byron and/or Olympic) is today's unobtanium.

[ruger9]

A little late to this party, but...

Love my Peerless Epi Broadway, got it used for $475... altho if I had bought it new at $1000 I'd still be happy with it. With the exception of the crappy pickups (which I changed), the thing plays and sound great, very good craftsmanship, it's every bit the guitar my Gretsch Setzer Hot Rod is (with the new pups anyway.)

Tho I will admit, I DO like it EVEN more at $475 than $1000

[barrymclark]

I wouldn't have an issue getting an Epiphone. Surely, they are a bit more expensive than maybe comparable models from other brands but not by much.

I am more of a fan of Ibanez for bigger named budget hollows. One day I will get my hands on one... but I am good with the Heritage, Gretsch and Gibson (flat top). I figured I might end up with one of the newer AFJ9X models but with the LBG30 looming... I am really hoping to get a glimpse of it. It seems like it might be a 16" body (which is what I like for comfort) and still uses the warmer sounding Super 58 Customs like the newer Ibanez hollows whereas the old ones had the brighter Custom 58's. Just never warmed to those. Now... I thought I saw somewhere that the LBG30 came with the actual Super 58's but I am skeptical of that. I haven't seen those come on guitars in this price range.

[Nabil B]

I never owned an archtop epiphone, but I bought an epi les paul once (the slash AFD limited model), and I was very disappointed. Couldn't get a nice action without buzzing, the body was made of multiple pieces of wood (and by multiple I don't mean 2 or 3, it was like a freaking mosaic hid by the maple cap and by a veneer on the back, but you could see the misery by looking at the sides), and in general you could tell that there was next to zero attention to details. This wouldn't be a problem at all if what I bought was a cheapo 200-300 euros guitar, but this guitar cost me 800 euros, and you can easily find a guitar with a much higher level of quality for that price. Bottom line, I sold the guitar after a few weeks. I don't know if archtops and solid bodies are made at the same factory, after all most people seem pleased with their epi archtop, but my experience did not encourage me to buy another epi guitar.

[GNAPPI]

Hey folks, wondering, have any of you been disappointed with your Epiphone purchase? I have NEVER been a fan of Epiphone because I believe you do not get what you pay for when you buy a Gibson. As such, I have avoided Epiphone thinking if I was not impressed with Gibson it could only go downhill with the Epiphone. Thoughts anyone?

Not getting what you pay for in a Gibson can mean (to my way of thinking) that you believe Chinese made Gibson copies give you more of what you pay for? And in some cases I would agree.

Gibson has a set of little "uplifts" in price like extra body / neck binding, inlays, finish and hardware appointments that come standard on imports, so from that standpoint a "standard" Gibson would give you "more bang for the buck" so to speak :-)

On the other hand Gibsons for many do not require pup or hardware upgrades and generally won't lose value if kept long enough. I think this is generally not so for knock offs.

As far as Epiphones goes, I can speak to what I have as compared to my many Gibson guitars.

In my experience the Epi's I have are genuinely very good to excellent guitars. My early Joe Pass has tone out the wazoo and plays like a guitar worth 10x more, my Epi S600 strat copy is more strat than many "real" stratocasters I have or had, my Epi Genesis equals any Gibson LP that I have and my Casino while not as good sounding as my ES-330 is easily upgraded to seriously good P90's.

So in I haven't been sorry that I bought any Epiphone, on the contrary, select models (already mentioned in this thread) are a great alternative to a Gibson if you like Gibson guitars in the first place :-)

[LtKojak]

I've just acquired an used Epi ES-339, and it's not without its faults.

However, the instrument you get for the price you pay is simply unbelievable. It even sounds quite decent for being completely stock. It only needed a basic setup.

The fretwork is NOT stellar, but not as bad you actually need a pro to make it playable. And the grain on the Rosewood fingerboard is nice above average.

I've had it for only a couple of days, but so far, nothing about this instrument suggest cheap junk.

Plus, it's got such a resonant but neutral unplugged basic tone footprint, that will make any set of good p'ups shine through.

So far, considering that I've paid next-to.nothing-flat for it, I'm basically a happy camper.

So no, I haven't yet regretted to buy an Epi instrument, and this is my third one. The other ones were replaced after being played almost to death. LOL!

[Doctor Jeff]

I recently played an Ibanez GB10 (retails over $3300) and was struck at how much it felt and played like my Epiphone Joe Pass...

The inlays and appointments on the GB10 are much nicer, in fact, the tailpiece is to die for. And it has a different sound with floating pickups. But, the size and neck and "playability" were very similar to my Epi. I like the Epi rosewood bridge better. With a few upgrades, including tuners and pickups, the Epi, when properly set up, will hold its own against a lot of more expensive guitars.

[Nabil B]

Jeff : that's good news and I'm not really surprised, in my experience the price gap is much greater than the quality (sound, playability) gap when you compare an archtop in the 500-1000 $ price range with a guitar costing more than 3000 $.

[Pukka-J]

I recently bought an Epi ES-175. I believe they are not being made anymore, but they are quite plentiful on the second hand market.

I bought it as a throw about archtop that I could take with me on my holidays.

I also have a 1974 Gibson ES-175 and, while the Epi does sound a little different, it is real nice! Then again: every 175 I ever played or heard sounds different, so the Epi is just another 175 in that respect. I does have that nice classic 175 tone for sure!
The finish and fretwork are outstanding and the pickups, while a little harsh at times, are also quite good if you roll back the volume and tone a little. I did change the TOM bridge out for a ebony bridge. That took most of the harshness away and made the sound much more like my Gibsons.
Oh yes, and I took the Epiphone 'E' logo off the pickguard

The rest is (and will probably remain) stock. Since it is a 'Limited Edition' (only 100.000 ever made? ) Custom Shop (?) guitar it has Grover tuners installed. Nice touch, although I don't know if these may be the same grovers you buy aftermarket. They are stamped 'Grovers' and keep tune well, so what's not to like

Since the Epi more or less lives on a stand in the living room it gets a lot of playtime. It really is an outstanding guitar for the money!

So no, I have no regrets whatsoever buying an Epiphone! I love playing it!

Before the Bridge swap:



Together with the Gibson:




After the swap:

[WilliamScott]

I haven't seen the Epi 175 historic mentioned here. Sounds and plays just like a Gbson 175 for about $500. At least mine does. I'm happy with it.