epiphone vs. gibson

  • Thread starter Thread starter gitrokr
  • Start date Start date
64Firebird said:
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.
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It's a new kind of finish Gibson started using on LP's 2 or 3 years ago. Nitro-celluose, I believe? Supposedly it allows the wood to resonate better than the old style finish.
 
hixmix said:
It's a new kind of finish Gibson started using on LP's 2 or 3 years ago. Nitro-celluose, I believe? Supposedly it allows the wood to resonate better than the old style finish.
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If it is then they should go back to the old stuff. This junk even holds fingerprints.
 
Jblount said:
Forget both of those and get a dean!
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Man you had to say that didn't you.

I had an 80's Elite get away from me years ago and I deeply regret it. That was a fine instrument! It was pearl white and I'd like to find one just like it.
 
I have a Epi DOT also, want to second that it's a great guitar. Plays nice smooth jazz style well, switch in the front pickup and rock the place... nice..

I think the SG's tuning issue is due to the light weight. You warm up the neck, and it moves a little. Neck is very thin on those..

I have a 71' SG-2 - kind of a rare bird. It will drift a little in tuning because of the weight, but what a tone beast! I will never sell it.
BTW, I bought it new in 1972..

To the guy who mentioned Dean. I bought a Dean acoustic electric last year, and was shocked how nice it is. Sounds beautiful recorded too. Real quality guitar for the money.
 
TomD said:
I have a Epi DOT also, want to second that it's a great guitar. Plays nice smooth jazz style well, switch in the front pickup and rock the place... nice..

I think the SG's tuning issue is due to the light weight. You warm up the neck, and it moves a little. Neck is very thin on those..

I have a 71' SG-2 - kind of a rare bird. It will drift a little in tuning because of the weight, but what a tone beast! I will never sell it.
BTW, I bought it new in 1972..

To the guy who mentioned Dean. I bought a Dean acoustic electric last year, and was shocked how nice it is. Sounds beautiful recorded too. Real quality guitar for the money.
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Both my SGs stay in tune perfectly. The tuning keys/nut are the culprit. I cut my own nuts and polish them. The stock ones are not finished well. Some of the old tuners are great, but the newer ones slip and have too much slop in them.
 
I think the difference is solid wood (Gibson) vs plywood (Epi).

Mahogany/Alder sounds like there's some laminating going on there. Alder is commonly used in Strats.

Queue
 
I think that the differance is that people in Korea will work for $1.00 a day.
 
Queue said:
I think the difference is solid wood (Gibson) vs plywood (Epi).

Mahogany/Alder sounds like there's some laminating going on there. Alder is commonly used in Strats.

Queue
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Not all of the Epis are plywood (I don't know of any that are, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist). I know for a fact that the G400 I own is mahogany.

I think 64Firebird hit the nail on the head with his last post, though I believe the figure is closer to $.21 per day...
 
AcidRain said:
Not all of the Epis are plywood (I don't know of any that are, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist). I know for a fact that the G400 I own is mahogany.

I think 64Firebird hit the nail on the head with his last post, though I believe the figure is closer to $.21 per day...
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People go on and on about wood and electronics and craftsmanship, but I think that the factory worker's paycheck is the biggest difference.

If you ask someone who knows about pianos, they'll tell you that some of the best are made in Korea.
 
My Epi Flying V is plywood. Perhaps plywood has too much of a derogatory connotation to it. It is a laminated alder body.

I didn't mean to imply that they're all that way, just offering that as a possibility why an Epi "Mahogany/Alder" body LP would be lighter than a Gibson "Mahogany" LP.

The Epi LP is probably such:

Mahogany
Alder
Mahogany

(maybe a few more iterations)

Queue
 
wouldn't plywood be heavier? considering all the glue.
 
not necessarily,

solid mahogany is pretty dense. if you throw in alternating layers of alder, which is much lighter, i think it more than makes up for the glue.

Q
 
Queue said:
not necessarily,

solid mahogany is pretty dense. if you throw in alternating layers of alder, which is much lighter, i think it more than makes up for the glue.

Q
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That, in addition to air pockets that are prone to formation in the plywood.

And Queue, I realize that some are, I just wanted to clarify that not all of them are plywood.
 
It's a new kind of finish Gibson started using on LP's 2 or 3 years ago. Nitro-celluose, I believe? Supposedly it allows the wood to resonate better than the old style finish.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, but I think that the only Gibsons using a nitro finish are the Historic models.

Nitro-cellulose is not a new kind of finish; in fact, it is the type of finish originally used on Fenders and Gibsons in the 50's. Many people do believe it allows the wood to resonate more, and most of the "historic" (custom-shop, etc.) reissues use this type of finish.

If a nitro finish is applied correctly, there is NO WAY it should still be soft two years later. (It dries to "usable" hardness within a month, though it is still technically drying for about a year or a little more. It shouldn't be soft though.)
 
AFAIK the alder in Epi LPs is used for replacing the maple cap and there's a thin maple veneer on top of the alder cap.

The real problem with Epis is Gibson. I mean as long as there's Gibson calling the shots Epiphone will never be allowed to produce guitars of as high quality as they're capable to to compete with US made Gibsons.
 
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