main differences between epiphone and gibsons?

[oh_the_blood]

i want a flying v, but im not sure if i should spend 350 for an epiphone, or 650 for a gibson.

is there that muchof a difference? like a 300 dollar sound difference? haha
thanks a lot.

[Outlaws]

Originally Posted by oh_the_blood

i want a flying v, but im not sure if i should spend 350 for an epiphone, or 650 for a gibson.

is there that muchof a difference? like a 300 dollar sound difference? haha
thanks a lot.

Go play them both. I am sure you will feel a difference somehow.

[astoebe]

pick what plays better to you....the biggest difference may just be quality control?

[Dani Pace]

Wood, electronics, finish, tuners, frets... slight differences but differences none the less. Although both are made to the same specs there will be a noticable difference if the feel, go for the one that feels right to you. Compare the two, play them both, the decision will become obvious, one will feel right...the other will not.

[79_Les_Paul]

If the possibility exist for reselling... buy the Gibson... it's value will increase. never owned an Epiphone so I can't comment. but if the money is not a big deal... there is a difference.

seems things change once you get over that 500 dollar mark. but my brother has a les paul copy guitar he bought for nothing that plays almost as well as my 79 custom....so... don't listen to me

[Outlaws]

Originally Posted by 79_Les_Paul

If the possibility exist for reselling... buy the Gibson... it's value will increase.

Not a $650 'special' or 'faded' Gibson. That'll be a cold day in hell.

[KKM1]

my yellow "faded" LP Jr DC is my favorite and best sounding out of all my guitars. I have a small fleet of pretty nice guitars. I think it looks cool as hell. If they stopped making them and I neede one again I would definitely pay more than the $599 that i paid for it.

I do believe if you consider resale value the Gibson name will definitely help.

[Bahrain_Phill]

I own a Epiphone Les Paul....I'm more of a Strat guy, but my Epiphone is much better than I was expecting for the money (300$). Oh yeah, look for online reviews. I know Harmony-Central has reviews for products listed by manufacturers. See what others have to say about it. I have never played a 'real' Gibson. I have a hard time spending more than a few hundred bucks on a guitar I havn't played. Hope something in there helps.

[CatCat]

Get the Gibson man. Take the time to save the extra $300 and you will get a much better guitar. The quality of timber is higher grade than the epiphones. The pickups are wired much better, and the overall fit and finish on any gibson will beat an epiphone hands down any day of the week. Honestly get the gibson you will thank yourself later,

Cat

[thevirgin]

Of those two choices, I say get a Gibson if you can swing it.

I have not heard the best things about the durability of some Epis.

If you are not 100% married to the Gibson family sound but like the V look....and

If you can stand the headstock, I would also try playing a Dean V. They have a bunch of V models - start at $200 and go up into the thousands. if one suits you, they can give a lot of bang for the buck.

Their cheaper models are bolt necks and the woods vary a lot so each model will likely have their own distinctive sound.

Yes, I know it is heresy and I still prefer the Gibson (or an old lawsuit Ibanez) but hey it never hurts to try different things out.

Peace

[riantide]

Gibson.

And if it comes with those - in my opinion - nasty and nasal 490 stock pickups, you should check out Gibson 57 Classics. I love em.

[Codmate]

Try both and then decide.

I'm betting you'll want the Gibson after playing it (as long as it's been set up right).

[mishagolin]

the biggest difference i've found between the epiphones and gibsons is durability. i've played a lot of epi's that felt alright brand new, they even sounded good. however, given a few years they seem to fall apart. i'm 6 years strong on my LP studio. it still feels great. however, i have friends with epi's less than 4 yrs old and they feel rough and awkward.

[chadsxe]

crap and bigger crap

[Wide Awake]

Originally Posted by chadsxe

I just took a big crap in your thread

[noodles2k5]

I'd recommend the Epiphone, just because I don't think teenagers should be flailing about with an expensive instrument. You can and will probably damage it. That's just from my experience though.

You'll notice a difference, but I don't think it's worth $300 more.

[WERNER 1]

All thought initial feel and playability have a big part in your selection, keep in mind that almost all new guitars will require some sort of break in period, and then after that a good set up. (35-75 bucks)....( Even my 50th anniversary Strat needed to be set up a bit, and it was $1300.00.)

Any guitar can be made to play well, so if you get the Epi, and then play it for a month or so, get it set up (even if you need a level and re-crown - 65 - 100 bucks), then you've got a very nice playing guitar, and you've saved your self some cash.......about 300 bucks....that you could spend on different pickups, a case, ...what ever..

Just my opinion,

Rick

[capnkid]

I would say if you have the money to get a gibson, get a heritage instead.
and if you are going to get an epiphone, get a samick, they are made in the same place by the same people, but even less expensive than an epi.

[ibanezrocks]

Epiphones aren't bad guitars, but saying that theres not that much of a difference is just insane. Whether the difference is worth the amount of money is subjective, because it entirely depends on how much money you have and how much you like playing guitar. Anyone with no money that doesnt play guitar that much will say an epiphone is as good as a gibson, but if you get serious about playing guitar later and don't want to have to trade up again, or want a decent resale price, get the gibson.
My advice, go to a store and play as many guitars as you possibly can, it doesnt have to be a gibson or an epiphone, just play every single guitar there, in every price range, and you should figure out the differences.
Quality control isnt that different from what I have seen, both Gibson and epiphone sell some inconsistent guitars, but the pickups, finish, wood, electronics, tuners, hardware, and the way the different pieces of the guitar fit together is generally much better in gibsons.

[IronFlippy]

I've played both an epi V and a gibson V and quite honestly, they sounded almost identical. My uncle is a pro guitarist and plays the epi V as his main guitar, over his gibson.

Arthur Neilson

There you go, you can hear clips. Some of them might not be the V, but a lot are. He's been in the business for nearly 40 years, I'd trust his opinion over a salesperson from nearly any guitar store.

I'd say only get the gibson if it's the name you want, but that's definately not the way to buy a guitar. If you get the epi, then you can do a little bit of research and fix it up to be pretty damn nice. Use the extra $300 for your other guitar needs.

[ibanezrocks]

Originally Posted by IronFlippy

I'd say only get the gibson if it's the name you want, but that's definately not the way to buy a guitar. If you get the epi, then you can do a little bit of research and fix it up to be pretty damn nice. Use the extra $300 for your other guitar needs.

so I shouldn't defend the gibson name, but you should be able to defend the epiphone name? if your point was that he should choose the guitar that he likes more, then why not say that instead.
the fact is if you find a nice epiphone, its a nice guitar, if you find a crappy gibson , its a crappy guitar, but it seems to me that he hasn't played enough of them to tell whether he found a crappy gibson and a normal epiphone or a normal gibson and a nice epiphone. just play more guitars.

[Markaholic]

USA made VS overseas's made...simple enough?
correct me if im wrong

[ibanezrocks]

Originally Posted by Markaholic

USA made VS overseas's made...simple enough?
correct me if im wrong

wrong! they are completely different price ranges, if they were the same guitars in every way built in different countries, then that would be the issue, in this case there are other factors, like the Gibson being a better guitar, not because of where its built, but just because everything about it is better.

[Markaholic]

alls i know (rather read somewhere)is that epiphone was moved overseas late 60's early 70's

[thevirgin]

"USA made VS overseas's made...simple enough?
correct me if im wrong"

I do not think it is so clearcut as that. I'm pretty sure there is plenty of overseas content in many models of guitar that carry the Gibson logo - both individual parts and likely also some sub-assemblies in the cheaper models.

While I think Gibson does a larger portion of their build and finish in the USA than some others that make that claim, I am willing to bet that no regular production guitar from any major company is truly completely American built.

It is no different than "American" automobiles that are loaded with parts and major sub-assemblies from Asia, South America and Mexico. Guitar builders will take advantage of cheap labor, resources etc.

This also reminds me of all the companies who claim that their guitars are hand built when their bodies and necks were shaped by CNC machines. I wish companies would just list exactly what goes into their product and what techniques they use so we could make a valid comparison.

I have nothing against overseas made gear as long as things are disclosed so people know what they are getting. I have been very happy with several Squire brand instruments that I own but by the nature of their construction, basic Fender designs, it has been hard for them not to be bullet proof and/or easily repaired.

Peace
ST