epiphone vs. gibson

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gitrokr

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ive played lots of epiphones and gibsons and ive noticed that gibsons are ALOT heavier, and im not really diggin' that. with this in mind im leaning towards epiphones and will probably change out the pickups. why are the gibsons so heavy? also, IS there an advantage to getting a gibson except saying you have a gibson not an epiphone or are you really just paying for the name?
 
My understanding is that epis are factory-made and gibs are hand-built. Gibs are all American made, too, I think - not sure about epis.

Daf (happy owner of an epi dot 335)
 
on the epis is the wood factory or all the electric components and pickups factory made....and do you mean by like a machine or an assembly line of people
 
i believe it's all factory.i would think that it is partially people and partially taiwan(or wherever they're made) labor.

I believe gibson is similar (minus the sweatshop labor) unless you get 100% custon shop gibson. the gibson should have more sustian, better looking and sounding wood, and should stay set up after the first time.

the epi will have all around cheaper parts....the wood will be cheaper and wont sound as good. it will have to be set up more often. it wont hold its tuning as well....... and when you buy an epiphone you will be supporting another countries economy.....whereas with a gibson it's all american.

you're a wimp if you can't handle 8 Ibs of guitar. i don't own a gibson yet, but will eventually......i was on the verge of buying a custom shop gibson for 3400 recently, but decided that at this point i really can't afford it.
 
Aren't some bodies of the Epiphone Les Pauls made out of Alder or something? I'm thinking about piicking one up and set it up as a slide guitar but the thought of a Paul without a mahogany body kills me.
 
Hand made vs. Machine made is a bit deceiving because only machines can do 90% of the real cutting and shaping on any modern guitar. The difference is in the final setup, finish and quality control over the components and assembly.

Lately Gibson has been getting a bad rep for QC but I picked up a LP Studio at GC and it's fine. You will probably notice a big difference in the sound and feel on a Gibson vs. new Epi. Some of the older Epi's (80's and older) aren't bad.

The reason the Gibson is so heavy is because it is a solid chunk of Mahogany. I don't know what the Epi is using. Good wood is the key to rich tone and long sustain but you do pay for it with your back. If you get a LP make sure to get a wide padded strap. The SG's are a little lighter or you could always get a Strat with humbuckers.

I prefer to get the real thing over knock offs but it's usually your budget that will be the deciding factor. Don't fool yourself into thinking an Epi is 'just as good'. It is a cheap copy but that may be good enough for you.
 
I currently have a '99 Gibson The Paul and a '00 Epiphone viola bass. Both are excellent instruments, although quite different from the typical instrument for both makes. The Paul doesn't have a curved top, and is thus quite a bit thinner than a standard Les Paul. It's also lighter. Gibson makes a similar instrument now but the name is different and the electronics are a bit simpler.

The Viola bass is a really cool bass, basically a Hohner-like Beatle bass with a short scale. It really has excellent sustain and a cool buzz tone if you really whack it.

On the other hand, I one owned a limited edition Les Paul Custom that had crappy fretwork, and I've played a few uninspiring Epis. My advice would be to treat each instrument as different. There are some cool-looking Epis and Gibsons in the MF catalog I just got, but you gotta play 'em to tell.

Definitely if you find an Epi you like it's a good value. The semihollows are very tempting to me.

Either one is a better choice than a Fender, heh . . .
 
...also, different Gibson Les Pauls weigh sometimes dramatically different...I played a guys on stage one night as a guest musician and I was amazed at how light it was...I asked him about it later and he told me that guitar was the result of a life-long search for him(he owns a guitar store, so he's had a chance to try out plenty)...it wasn't much heavier than my SG!!..no shit!...perhaps the wood was allowed to dry more thoroughly with that run or something, I don't know...but you noticed it right away...it sounded sweet, too...
 
Gibson Les Paul's have great sustain, and that is a result of the weight.

I wouldn't change anything. Great guitar!
 
I have 2 Les Pauls, one is a Gib Jr Sp and the other is an Epi Standard. They both have good sustain, but the finish on the Gib is pretty bad. It's very sticky, almost like it's not dry yet and I've had it for over 2 years.

I can't really compare the tone because they have different pups (the Gib has P-100 stacked humbuckers), but both sound good.
 
64Firebird said:
I have 2 Les Pauls, one is a Gib Jr Sp and the other is an Epi Standard. They both have good sustain, but the finish on the Gib is pretty bad. It's very sticky, almost like it's not dry yet and I've had it for over 2 years.

I can't really compare the tone because they have different pups (the Gib has P-100 stacked humbuckers), but both sound good.
Click to expand...

hey Firebird can you tell me if your EPI Std has a mahogany body?
 
therage! said:
hey Firebird can you tell me if your EPI Std has a mahogany body?
Click to expand...

I really don't know. I swapped it for a tattoo a few months back. But, it is a little lighter than the Gib. But, the Gib doesn't have a carver maple top.
 
Gibson have higher quality everything. Gibsons also use first rate mahogany and maple. The fingerboards are kind of bad these days as really good rosewood is hard to come by. The fingerboards on Les Pauls are usually dyed to a darker color.
Epis use wood that is rejected (second quality) because of density/holes/asthetic qualities. Epi hides this with solid colored finishes. Epi also used up to five piece glued boards whereas gibson may use two. All of the hardware is much cheaper on the Epi as well as the really cheap pickups. Upgrading the Epi can get a good guitar, but there is no comparison to a Gibson. I would definately find an older Les Paul if I were you. They are made with better wood and much better fingerboards/ hardware.

I have a Les Paul I never use because the SG is a far better guitar. A good SG has all the playability of a Les Paul and 1/2 the weight. SGs are really great in my opinion.
 
acorec said:
I have a Les Paul I never use because the SG is a far better guitar. A good SG has all the playability of a Les Paul and 1/2 the weight. SGs are really great in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Are SG's good for slide?
 
Mine wasn't. I ended up selling my SG Standard because the thing wouldn't stay in tune. IMO, Gibson now has its eyes on the 'investment' types who think that the Gibson name alone will guarantee no depreciation. I've played quite a few crappy LPs in the last few years too.

I was kinda bummed about this guitar, you know, because a couple of the best guitars I ever played were early 60's SGs. This thing was a piece of crap in comparison. I will wait until I see a decent older model at a decent price, and then I'll pounce!

As for the Epis, I've played a couple of decent ones, including a 12 string LP. That was actually quite nice, and easily could've given a Ricky a run for its money. Passed on it, and now they don't make 'em anymore.

:rolleyes:


In any case, check out as many Epis as you can (or Gibsons if you can wait to save up more dineri) before choosing. I've seen a couple of them with their binding falling off...
 
The Epi Pauls are good guitars and sound good, play well.

I own a 80's model Gibson LP Custom, and...uh, the Epi feels and plays like a toy in comparison.

You do get what you pay for, but the Gibsons are WAY over priced. The Epi's play like the $500 guitars that they are. The Gibsons play like the $1200-ish guitars that they are, but they are charging a bit more than that...

I'd look for a used Gibson (Custom or Standard), personally, but the Epi's are great guitars for their price range. The extra weight really affects the way the guitar sounds and plays- better wood, better sustain, better feel (for me): the thing is just a LOT more solid. You get used to the weight pretty quickly.

Take care,
Chris
 
I have a Epiphone Sheraton II that I bought back in 1985. The headstock has the Mother of Pearl inlays stating "Epiphone by Gibson". I have never owned a Gibson but I have played them since I purchased this guitar and by far the newer Gibsons seem to have less attention to detail in fabrication than the Epi I bought in '85. I would guess that the new Epi's quality compares to the Fender non-American made models; shitty. I could be wrong but in today's manufacturing standards across the board the motto seems to be that less is more and the less being quality.
 
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