Epiphone vs Gibson

generally speaking Epiphone is Gibson's "entry level" guitar.
the lines are blurred as there are a number of Epiphone models that approach if not surpass Gibson, as well as a few Gibson models that altho are priced near "top of the line Epis" are actually inferior IMO.

I own a Gibson Les Paul Studio and Faded SG, and just recently purchased an Epiphone Casino. As far as quality, I believe the Epiphone is everybit as well made as my Gibsons. In fact, I think the Casino is much better quality-wise than the SG (this is a low-level Gibson). The Casino is beautiful, absolutely flawless.

I do think the higher priced Gibsons are made with better woods and better pickups, but construction wise the Epiphones are excellent. So I don't think an Epiphone Les Paul would sound quite as good as a Gibson. Actually, I should really say it won't sound exactly the same. Better or worse tone is in the ear of the beholder. But if you were to do a blind sound test, I doubt anyone could tell when you were playing a Gibson or Epiphone.

If you cannot afford a high price Gibson, go with the Epiphone, it is as close as you can get.

While we're on the subject - I'm about to swap out the pick-ups in my Epi LP with a set of 490R/490T pick-ups from a Gibson LP and replace the tuners with locking tuners with a better gear ratio (too much play in the stock ones for me...). Has anybody else made similar changes, especially the pick-ups? Curious what the difference will be.

Thanks!

Jim

I've never swapped-out pickups in a guitar myself, but the 490R/490T pickups are the exact pickups in my Faded SG, and personally I think they are some of the best pickups I have ever heard. I prefer the tone of my SG over the Les Paul. The SG is not quite as dark sounding as the LP and has a little more bite and edge. Of course, I am sure body wood and density has a lot to do with the difference in tone as well. They sound fantastic clean, and get a good, well defined distortion.

And welcome to GuitarNoise. :D

+1 to Epiphone's quality. I'm sure in some ways Gibson is "better", but that doesn't mean Epis aren't good guitars. The first electric I bought was an Epi Special II, which is a copy of the Les Paul Studio, and it is still my favorite guitar. It's great looking, stays in tune, sounds great and plays great.

Gibsons are better guitars. But not as much as the price would justify.

I have a 1970 Gibson ES-330 and a 2001 Epiphone Casino, basically the same guitar:

They are both built very well but there are some differences.

Unplugged (the 330 and Casino are acoustic/electric guitars) the Gibson sounds better.

Plugged in they sound very close to each other.

I would say that if you want your guitar to be worth more if you ever intend to sell it, the Gibson is a better buy, they hold their value well.

The Gibson headstock and logo might impress your guitar friends more (personally, I don't care about that).

If you want a working guitar, you can get two, three, or more Epis for the price of the same model Gibson.

I know a lot of Epi owners replace the pickups, pots, and switch with Gibson parts and end up with something about 95% as good as a Gibson for less than half the price.

Note: The previous owner of my Casino definitely did replace the tuners (not a necessity IMHO), pots, switch and I suspect the pickups.

Since I double on sax, wind synthesizer, guitar, flute, and vocals (and that is a guitar ding waiting to happen), I bring the Epi on stage and play the Gibby at home (the ES-330 is now a collectors item and worth about $5,000).

Note: This applies to the Casino, which I understand is one of Epi's better guitars -- I don't know if this holds true for LPs and SGs.

Insights and incites by Notes

Thanks for all of the replies so far guys, I have enjoyed them.

I have an Epi LP and it has some quality defects, for example, the spring in the bridge is not correctly fixed and also one of the pots wasn't in the correct position, it was turned so the knob didn't operate (I had to open the cover and fixed).

I guess the quality control also takes part in the difference of prices.

Anyway I'm very happy with it and it sounds well to me (and also to some of my friends with years of experience with guitars). I'm sure Gibsons has better wood but I like very much the vein in the top of my guitar.

And I prefer the classic Epi LP to the new GIbson LP such as the BFG, I was playing one of those new models that are hollowed out and I didn't like the feeling.

I've not owned a Gibson. I hear from others on this board that the Gibson holds the sustain a bit better than the comparable Epi. I don't know myself, though. I do know that I test drove both when I bought the Epi LP Custom and could not justify the 1200-1400 difference at the time. Probably still couldn't, but maybe one day......

The Gibson pricing premium over many other brands far exceeds the increased quality of materials, and certainly does not correlate to a significantly higher level of quality of workmanship as compared to the rest of the guitar making industry and products. Because of the prices of Gibsons and the company's recent period (20+ years) of less than consistent quality, I would never consider buying a pricier Gibson on-line. I would only buy one after an in-person examination/audition, and then only from a store that will make sure everything about the guitar is as it should be, or is corrected for me at no additional charge. Also consider that at Gibson prices (and less), one should check similar models from PRS (e.g., the Singlecut models, nearly flawless), Hamer's Monaco line (several, in many of the LP variations), Taylor's new solid electrics and Guild's Bluesbird (probably used). The Epi Elitist line is a pretty good bet, as well. Most of these guitars will not sound exactly like a Gibby Les Paul; all sound good, but at least somewhat different, and in some cases may even be preferred to LP.

<...snip...> I would never consider buying a pricier Gibson on-line. I would only buy one after an in-person examination/audition, and then only from a store that will make sure everything about the guitar is as it should be, or is corrected for me at no additional charge. <...>

I would do that for ANY guitar, Gibson or otherwise.

The only way I would buy a guitar from an on-line dealer is if I had a reasonable inspection/rejection period and that the seller would pay shipping both ways if I didn't like the guitar.

It may cost a little more at a local music store (although they do compete with on-line merchants fairly well), but what you get in service is more than worth the price. Consider, any guitar that is shipped to you will probably need proper set-up by a guitar technician. This will cost you money, but is usually a free service from the local music store.

And then, no two guitars are really alike, until you hold it in your hands, and plug it in, you really don't know if it is the one for you anyway.

Insights and incites by Notes

That may be true, but I'm not going to let it go that easily.

Gibson delivers many sub-par guitars for the prices charged. Those of us who know better can and will find a good one -- except maybe the ES-137, every one with quality problems. But why should it take so much effort and so many played to find a good Gibson -- not "the one for me," but a good quality Gibson instrument? PRS does not have this issue. One might not like the specific tonal palette or design/feel of a PRS, but the construction and workmanship on every speciman is brilliant, as well as consistent. This is not just my opinion, but a common view found in industry reviews of PRS. It is actually possible to order a PRS on-line and -- save damage during warehouse or transit handling -- be reasonably assured of getting a well assembled, adjusted, quality instrument. With Gibson, there is invariably going to be some "settling" in one or more of: finish quality, botched binding, fill-in around inlays, set-up, loose hardware ... all these being aspects of design, build and workmanship already mastered by other, newer companies. It's really a shame that one has to know so much about a guitar, and try out so many to pick a good Gibson. It's not as if building a lot of good ones at a high success rate is some magical skill.

Fortunately, my local store -- not even a superchain -- sells at below web prices, so I rarely resort to the web except for unusual guitars or deals.

gnease, what about the "cheap" models, like the $600-ish single-cuts LP types that PRS has?

That may be true, but I'm not going to let it go that easily.

Gibson delivers many sub-par guitars for the prices charged. Those of us who know better can and will find a good one -- except maybe the ES-137, every one with quality problems. But why should it take so much effort and so many played to find a good Gibson -- not "the one for me," but a good quality Gibson instrument? PRS does not have this issue. One might not like the specific tonal palette or design/feel of a PRS, but the construction and workmanship on every speciman is brilliant, as well as consistent. This is not just my opinion, but a common view found in industry reviews of PRS. It is actually possible to order a PRS on-line and -- save damage during warehouse or transit handling -- be reasonably assured of getting a well assembled, adjusted, quality instrument. ......
It's not as if building a lot of good ones at a high success rate is some magical skill.

.
Why is a cheap house built in 1930 and in need of a total "Extreme Makeover: Home Edtion" rebuild and next door to the local Crips crack house in South Los Angeles cost $300,000? Because that is what someone is willing to pay for it. Gibson's cost what they do because that is what people are willing to pay for them