Honestly, what the difference between Gibson and Epiphone?

[darrellm]

Whether something is worth it is different from whether or not its better. I love Paul Gilbert but the fact that he played and shredded on a Squier doen't make the Squier a better guitar than a USA Strat! Sorry to burst the non-believer's bubble but a Gibson Les Paul IS a better guitar than an Epi. Doesn't matter if its a pre 70 Les Paul or current issue.

There was a time (1983-ish) when the Japanese Squier Strats were almost as good (dare I say better?) than the ones coming out of the US at the time. If you look at some of the Maiden photos around that time, there are some of Dave Murray playing and recording with a Squier Strat.

But as for Gibson vs Epiphone, I'm a long-term Gibson LP player, I've played the Epi's (guy in my band has one, upgraded with SD pickups) and they're good, but don't sound/feel the same as a real LP. All IMHO of course...

[roodyrocker]

Even at the supposed height of the Squier Strat's quality in the early 80's, I still don't think they approached the USA Strat's quality. I bought a Strat Elite back in those days, still have it to this day. Have also played other early 80's Strats and generally speaking there was no comparison IMHO. This is true of just about every manufacturer whether its Les Paul vs. Epi, Strat vs. Squier, or even Jackson USA vs. DK2. I have a couple DK2s and I like them just fine but would never try to convince anyone they are as good as a USA Soloist or DK1

[Racerx2k]

Whether something is worth it is different from whether or not its better. I love Paul Gilbert but the fact that he played and shredded on a Squier doen't make the Squier a better guitar than a USA Strat! Sorry to burst the non-believer's bubble but a Gibson Les Paul IS a better guitar than an Epi. Doesn't matter if its a pre 70 Les Paul or current issue.

My point I was making is that if you are a good guitarist, you can still make a cheaper guitar work. Conversely, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at your gear if you suck donkey balls.
Additionally, in my old band, both of the other guitarists had actual Gibson Les Pauls: One was a Les Paul Standard, one was a Studio. And at the time, I had just picked up an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, with a flame top. All three of us admitted that that Epi played way nicer than both their Gibsons. They were simply stunned, as was I. Now, does setup make a difference? Hell yeah! But to give all three of these guitars the same setup, the difference in the playability would've been negligable. But, hey, if you are so sold on your higher-priced instruments, and want to turn your nose up to the "cheaper, inferior" guitars, be my guest. More for me, and I'll be smiling with the additional money left over, cause higher price does NOT equate higher quality.

[john.w.lawson]

My point I was making is that if you are a good guitarist, you can still make a cheaper guitar work. Conversely, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at your gear if you suck donkey balls.
Additionally, in my old band, both of the other guitarists had actual Gibson Les Pauls: One was a Les Paul Standard, one was a Studio. And at the time, I had just picked up an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, with a flame top. All three of us admitted that that Epi played way nicer than both their Gibsons. They were simply stunned, as was I. Now, does setup make a difference? Hell yeah! But to give all three of these guitars the same setup, the difference in the playability would've been negligable. But, hey, if you are so sold on your higher-priced instruments, and want to turn your nose up to the "cheaper, inferior" guitars, be my guest. More for me, and I'll be smiling with the additional money left over, cause higher price does NOT equate higher quality.

You must have bought the epi special, Designed just for a band that needs three guitar players

[Flatpicker]

There was a time (1983-ish) when the Japanese Squier Strats were almost as good (dare I say better?) than the ones coming out of the US at the time. If you look at some of the Maiden photos around that time, there are some of Dave Murray playing and recording with a Squier Strat.

But as for Gibson vs Epiphone, I'm a long-term Gibson LP player, I've played the Epi's (guy in my band has one, upgraded with SD pickups) and they're good, but don't sound/feel the same as a real LP. All IMHO of course...

That may have been because the Fender MIA line restarted in 85. They retooled from the CBS fiasco prior to that.

[petez0r]

My point I was making is that if you are a good guitarist, you can still make a cheaper guitar work. Conversely, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at your gear if you suck donkey balls.
Additionally, in my old band, both of the other guitarists had actual Gibson Les Pauls: One was a Les Paul Standard, one was a Studio. And at the time, I had just picked up an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, with a flame top. All three of us admitted that that Epi played way nicer than both their Gibsons. They were simply stunned, as was I. Now, does setup make a difference? Hell yeah! But to give all three of these guitars the same setup, the difference in the playability would've been negligable. But, hey, if you are so sold on your higher-priced instruments, and want to turn your nose up to the "cheaper, inferior" guitars, be my guest. More for me, and I'll be smiling with the additional money left over, cause higher price does NOT equate higher quality.

dude you can justify spending less on your inferior guitar all you want, but you wont be changing anyones mind who actually owns and plays a gibson. i for one will be playing my standard buit by someone who takes pride in the 20+ years that he has been building superior gibsons, over someone who was trained last week in some starving country from across the world. and by the way you might think that your epi plays better and sounds better, but when you save up and secretly buy your gibby, you will realise that you fooled noone with all your histrionics.

[Spivonious]

dude you can justify spending less on your inferior guitar all you want, but you wont be changing anyones mind who actually owns and plays a gibson. i for one will be playing my standard buit by someone who takes pride in the 20+ years that he has been building superior gibsons, over someone who was trained last week in some starving country from across the world. and by the way you might think that your epi plays better and sounds better, but when you save up and secretly buy your gibby, you will realise that you fooled noone with all your histrionics.

What does training have to do with hitting the "Go" button on the CNC machine?

I have a feeling that if the Gibsonophiles on this thread were given a Gibson and Epiphone while blindfolded, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[Flatpicker]

i for one will be playing my standard buit by someone who takes pride in the 20+ years that he has been building superior gibsons, over someone who was trained last week in some starving country from across the world.

Now I know you must have never seen the avg American line worker.
Pride and commitment to quality aren't their top thoughts.

Getting through to Friday is.

[john.w.lawson]

What does training have to do with hitting the "Go" button on the CNC machine?

I have a feeling that if the Gibsonophiles on this thread were given a Gibson and Epiphone while blindfolded, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I'll take that "bet" and furthermore will not even need to touch them!
I have a highly sensitive nose and can smell shit from a good distance

[SEEGERMANY]

I have a feeling that if the Gibsonophiles on this thread were given a Gibson and Epiphone while blindfolded, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

How much money can you stand to lose?

[john.w.lawson]

You know, one time I had a JS30 and I was in a band with five guitar players. They all had Jacksons and Charvel Custom shop guitars. They played my JS30 and said that they wished they hadn't spent all that money, cuz their was virtually no difference. Well, besides the way it played and how it sounded. Who cares, though, when you are in a band with five guitar players, you can't hear anything, anyway.

[Grandturk]

I have a feeling that if the Gibsonophiles on this thread were given a Gibson and Epiphone while blindfolded, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Am I allowed to touch the headstock?

[zeegler]

dude you can justify spending less on your inferior guitar all you want, but you wont be changing anyones mind who actually owns and plays a gibson. i for one will be playing my standard buit by someone who takes pride in the 20+ years that he has been building superior gibsons, over someone who was trained last week in some starving country from across the world. and by the way you might think that your epi plays better and sounds better, but when you save up and secretly buy your gibby, you will realise that you fooled noone with all your histrionics.

It's great that you like your Gibson, but the absolute truth is, there are plenty of guitars out there that play and sound just as nice as a Gibson for a quarter of the price. I have played dozens of various Gibson Les Pauls in my life, and while some of them are fantastic, some of them are real dogs. I've also played a shitload of clones, or LP style guitars, and many of them were on par with Gibson stuff. In fact a few of them were far superior. I have yet to find a Gibson that comes even halfway close to playing as well as my Yamaha Weddington. Call me crazy, but my Xaviere XV-500 cost me $350, and I wouldn't trade it for a Gibson (unless maybe you threw in a hooker and some coke ). I don't think the nationality of the guy building the guitar means shit when it comes to pride in workmanship. I've seen plenty of new Gibsons with quality control issues that IMO shouldn't have left the factory. That's certainly not what I call pride in workmanship. What you really get with Gibson, is a good warranty, the resale value and prestige, bragging rights, and an empty wallet. Having said that, I love my Les Paul, but I play the Xaviere more than any of my other guitars right now.

[SEEGERMANY]

I have a Xaviere and even though it's nice, it feels like a toy compared to the Customs, Standards, and Classics that I've owned. Sorry, that dawg don't hunt.

[john.w.lawson]

Aw, come on, guys. Really! Not going to hold riding a camel to work against someone, are ya?