Epiphones arent so bad........

[V-Type]

Cool forum Sandman.
Anyways Epiphones arent the cheap bastards like they used too produce. But my God thier stock pickups are Shite.
People dont realise if you drop a quality pair of EMG's or Gibsons,Duncans,etcc your Epi can sound a lot more like that $2000 Gibson LP Standard or that $3500 LPC.
Sure the Epi Wont exactly Feel like the Gibs but for a small fraction of the price can you can easily reach a very happy middle ground.
I have a MIK Epi LPC and the Duncan Sh-11/AP II set installed and this upgrade has turned my under $400 Epi into A excellent every day player and too a high degree satisfies my Gibson gas.
The new Slash model features the long neck tenon and dual Duncan AP II's. Sounds very promising and priced between $700 -$800.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5698/dscn6447gm3.th.jpg (http://img252.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn6447gm3.jpg)

[MrSandMan]

Hey welcome to the boards!

I like Epiphone Les Paul Classic or custom. They are good and heavy guitars. My axe of choice now is Agile AL-3000 series. Grade A quaiity.

I Dig LP style guitars :sweet:

[V-Type]

Thanks and You have always been a class guy at HC even when we dont agree. So this board of yours should be just as cool.
Heres too seeing things grow around here.

And yeah those Agiles are silly good guitars as well.
:w:

[MrSandMan]

I would like to try one of these too
http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaviereguitars.html

[V-Type]

I would like to try one of these too
http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaviereguitars.html

Yep those are a great deal and what a price.
I like the Flame on this one.
http://www.guitarfetish.com/500B.jpg

[MrSandMan]

have you had the opportunity to play one? I'd like to compare it to the Agile-

[V-Type]

No I havent but at that price and if they remotely resemble the GFS pics and spec's then they should be the new Agile on the block.
Im gonna do a bit more reading from some guys that own them on the HCEG but for two of those for $400 seems like a No brainer.
Obviously Chinese but these days thats not really a bad thing.

[jackal]

My buddy at work, all he buys is epiphone's, he changes the pickups to gibson pickup matching the model and he loves them...

Personally im not much of a gibson fan, so i don't play many... acctually i don't think i've ever played an epiphone.

[Monster]

these are good guitars.. infact price of a guitar does not always mean it sucks. you can take some really cheap guitars upgrade the pups and tuners and have a great sounding guitar..... i am not one of them kind of players that feels and thinks only brand names and the more you spend makes a guitar better... i have no issues with folks have knock of brands or lower costing guitars lower costs guitar have gotten way better over time..

and great price on these guitars in that link... and nice colors.... makes me want one....lol

[floydmoline]

i have an epiphone les paul standard, i got it from ^mr sandman^ :jumpgrin: i has been "upgraded" somebody took out the epiphone neck pup and stuck a ducan designed 103 in it, the bridge pup is stock, i like the stock pup in mine, they are different pups the duncan and the stocker, the duncan is a little hotter, and a lot more bassy, abnormally bassy for a epiphone pup, or even a gibson pup, and it don't play with the tone knob as well as a stock epi pup does, but it's clearer sounding which is a plus, now the bridge pup is a low output stock epi pup, and it's not special with the knobs dimed, but start rolling the the tone knob back and i start to remember why it is i love les pauls so much...... the so called woman tone, what i a call ZZ top heaven, the tone that makes you "money for nothing" :-D the duncan can not do it, i don't know if it because it's too hot a pup, but there is a negligible difference between 10 and 0 on the tone with the duncan, there is a difference, but not like with the stock pup. the only beef i have with the epiphone is cheap assed maple PLYWOOD top...... a word to the wise if you want to refinish an epiphone CHEMICAL STRIPPER do not sand it....... or a black guitar is going to be your only option heh...... i did all the research i could on my guitar everything i read said it had a solid maple top, well my and gibson's deffinition of solid maple top appearantly differ :tongue: to me solid maple means 1 2 or 3 pieces of joined maple, not 7-11 plys of venered maple :tongue: if i had it to do all over again i'd get another epiphone, but i'd not sand it down, sound and playability are great, construction is where epiphones wane

[V-Type]

i have an epiphone les paul standard, i got it from ^mr sandman^ :jumpgrin: i has been "upgraded" somebody took out the epiphone neck pup and stuck a ducan designed 103 in it, the bridge pup is stock, i like the stock pup in mine, they are different pups the duncan and the stocker, the duncan is a little hotter, and a lot more bassy, abnormally bassy for a epiphone pup, or even a gibson pup, and it don't play with the tone knob as well as a stock epi pup does, but it's clearer sounding which is a plus, now the bridge pup is a low output stock epi pup, and it's not special with the knobs dimed, but start rolling the the tone knob back and i start to remember why it is i love les pauls so much...... the so called woman tone, what i a call ZZ top heaven, the tone that makes you "money for nothing" :-D the duncan can not do it, i don't know if it because it's too hot a pup, but there is a negligible difference between 10 and 0 on the tone with the duncan, there is a difference, but not like with the stock pup. the only beef i have with the epiphone is cheap assed maple PLYWOOD top...... a word to the wise if you want to refinish an epiphone CHEMICAL STRIPPER do not sand it....... or a black guitar is going to be your only option heh...... i did all the research i could on my guitar everything i read said it had a solid maple top, well my and gibson's deffinition of solid maple top appearantly differ :tongue: to me solid maple means 1 2 or 3 pieces of joined maple, not 7-11 plys of venered maple :tongue: if i had it to do all over again i'd get another epiphone, but i'd not sand it down, sound and playability are great, construction is where epiphones wane

Damn sorry too hear that.
I think a lot of guitars have maple plywood tops or veneers though. And archtop LP's are not something I think I could pull off refinishing my self either.
My Epiphone LP custom has a 1/4 inch top that appears to be on Mahogany. Mines black though. It weighs a tad shy of 10lbs as well. I took a good look at the inners when I swapped P'ups and rewire her.

[indytruckboy]

I paid my dues on Epis. I am older and have a high paying job now. I only play high end.

You can say what you want. but.........

Sometimes I go hang out at the house we practice at and I play my singers Epis because I didn't bring a guitar. And I can definitly tell where my money goes. Night and day. We have the same stuff, too. Only mine is Gibson and his is Epi. LP loaded with the same EMGs. Night and day. But you guys think what you want.


He is doing better now as he went over to LTD.

[V-Type]

I paid my dues on Epis. I am older and have a high paying job now. I only play high end.

You can say what you want. but.........

Sometimes I go hang out at the house we practice at and I play my singers Epis because I didn't bring a guitar. And I can definitly tell where my money goes. Night and day. We have the same stuff, too. Only mine is Gibson and his is Epi. LP loaded with the same EMGs. Night and day. But you guys think what you want.


He is doing better now as he went over to LTD.

I do agree with you for the most part. The Epiphone does Not feel like the Standard/Custom Gibsons LP I owned and Wish I still owned. But you can get a very close Gibson sactioned/designed Copy that for the most part resembles the Beloved and Very High $$$$ Gibsons Most cannot really afford.
I bought my Gibsons in the early 80's New and paid a whopping $1100 for New Gibson LPC 2 pickup Black Beauty with Stock Dimarzio Super D's and a LP Standard Honey Burst for for $800 new.
At todays prices I need $7000 to have them again. Sadly.
The Epi's for Me are a happy low buck medium. I just add Better pickups and hardware and I have a $500 ballpark sounding Gibson Copy.
All IMO of course and I have a few buds who also own multiple USA Gibsons,Fenders,Jacksons,Suhrs,etc.. and truly Wish I could justify spending the $$$$.
I know they are worth it though but kids and billls suck up a lot of $$$.
But one day........If that lotto hits.
:2thumbups:

[floydmoline]

well archtop LP is not all the complex to refinish, a little more work to sand them down to retain the contours than say a strat, but the over all process is much the same, problem arises when you sand them, on a ply top if you sand to far and blow through the top ply you can't sunburst, or trans finish them, since the second ply the gain goes the opposite way you do notice the hole it's flat and smooth but you can see the grain abruptly changes direction lol, black or solid finishes aren't a big deal no one will ever see the top, but sunbursts you do.

now had i known the top was ply i would have used a paint stripper and saved the ply wood from burn through but alas hind-sight is always 20/20, so now it's going to eventually get refinished black, what it originally was, i was just hoping to take a black LP and make it a cherry burst LP.... and so goes life

[indytruckboy]

well archtop LP is not all the complex to refinish, a little more work to sand them down to retain the contours than say a strat, but the over all process is much the same, problem arises when you sand them, on a ply top if you sand to far and blow through the top ply you can't sunburst, or trans finish them, since the second ply the gain goes the opposite way you do notice the hole it's flat and smooth but you can see the grain abruptly changes direction lol, black or solid finishes aren't a big deal no one will ever see the top, but sunbursts you do.

now had i known the top was ply i would have used a paint stripper and saved the ply wood from burn through but alas hind-sight is always 20/20, so now it's going to eventually get refinished black, what it originally was, i was just hoping to take a black LP and make it a cherry burst LP.... and so goes life
Just a word to the wise, the Gibson/Epiphone company only makes black guitars for one reason. To hide defunct wood.

[indytruckboy]

I paid my dues on Epis. I am older and have a high paying job now. I only play high end.

You can say what you want. but.........

Sometimes I go hang out at the house we practice at and I play my singers Epis because I didn't bring a guitar. And I can definitly tell where my money goes. Night and day. We have the same stuff, too. Only mine is Gibson and his is Epi. LP loaded with the same EMGs. Night and day. But you guys think what you want.


He is doing better now as he went over to LTD.

I do agree with you for the most part. The Epiphone does Not feel like the Standard/Custom Gibsons LP I owned and Wish I still owned. But you can get a very close Gibson sactioned/designed Copy that for the most part resembles the Beloved and Very High $$$$ Gibsons Most cannot really afford.
I bought my Gibsons in the early 80's New and paid a whopping $1100 for New Gibson LPC 2 pickup Black Beauty with Stock Dimarzio Super D's and a LP Standard Honey Burst for for $800 new.
At todays prices I need $7000 to have them again. Sadly.
The Epi's for Me are a happy low buck medium. I just add Better pickups and hardware and I have a $500 ballpark sounding Gibson Copy.
All IMO of course and I have a few buds who also own multiple USA Gibsons,Fenders,Jacksons,Suhrs,etc.. and truly Wish I could justify spending the $$$$.
I know they are worth it though but kids and billls suck up a lot of $$$.
But one day........If that lotto hits.
:2thumbups:



No see it doesnt. You buy a new Epi LP Standard. Plain. First off, its missing a key ingredient. A maple top. It has a maple veneer. DEFINITELY not the same.
Anyway, $450 there. No case. Add $100. Shatty pickups. Another $200. Pots and stuff are crap. $100 for a RS kit.
So now you are at $850. First off. For $850 you could have bought a superior LTD in the 400 to 500 series, w/case and been MUCH better off. But that's another story. So you do all that and you got something that may touch the soul of a Gibson LP. But it still doesn't play the same. It doesn't have that schmooz a Gibson does.
So you go get a setup. Dress the frets. New nut to replace the plastic hunk of sh.t.
Intonate after fixing the saddles.
Now you are getting there. Getting close but still a little out there. And your bill proabably went up about $150 for a pro setup, new nut, etc.....
Now you are at a grand. You have just about as money in trying to fix up a hunk then what the hunk is worth. That's like buying a new Ford Focus(example) for 17k and then putting 17k in parts on it to try to make it a Porsche. It's still gonna be a crappy Focus.
So you got a G in the guitar. YOu can buy a new, NEW, Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded for $1500.
And its pretty much set.
And when you go to sell it. You will get more than the $300 bucks you would get for your $1000 Epiphone.
It's basicly like an investment.

[floydmoline]

yeah prolly the reason now :-D originally the les paul only came in gold or black because that's what les paul wanted, his reasoning gold and black looked classy, or upper classed, while sunburst guitars looked mid-town, and like working man's guitars..... or so it has been said in various places

[floydmoline]

yeah prolly the reason now :-D originally the les paul only came in gold or black because that's what les paul wanted, his reasoning gold and black looked classy, or upper classed, while sunburst guitars looked mid-town, and like working man's guitars..... or so it has been said in various places

[Servant]

Well, as an owner of both, I can't justify the money for the Gibby. That's just me though. Keep in mind that I own a Matsumoko Vantage Vs600 that will tear the doors off of just about any LP out there and I paid a hundred bucks for it. Just saying.....you do NOT always get what you pay for. IMO, Gibson is currently a joke and should be relegated to the people with money to play them and not a highly sought after guitar for the working players of the world. I also do all of my own work so I can replace electronics for about $10 or so and decent used pickup in the $100 range, guitar $300, case $75 used, and yeah - I'd like to see someone do that with a Gibson. Nice Klusons btw - couldn't stay in tune if they tried. And this coming from an owner.

[characterzero]

Epis are really just alright in my book. If I wanted a guitar in that pricerange I'd look elsewhere. The problem with Gibsons is that most of them are really overpriced. I don't want to be paying that much just to have the Gibson name. I think the best way to go is to buy a used LP Studio. They can be had for only $500-600.

[Brian Krashpad]

Hmm.

OK, here we go.

I have 2 Gibbies currently (LP Classic and LP Studio Doublecut). At the outset, I will not judge these by new prices, because that's not what I paid for them. I got the Studio DC w/an Epi hsc for $525 USD, and the LP Classic w/ohsc for $725.

I've also owned two Epi's. A G400 SG, and a Flying V. Both these Epi's had factors that made them less desirable than the Gibbies. With the SG it was muddy pickups, with the Flying V it was an iffy pickup selector switch. But, I only paid $175 for the Epi SG (pawn shop), and $250 for the Flying V (w/ohsc, private sale).

ALL 4 guitars were giggable stock, and indeed I gigged them all stock. With the Epi SG, I sold it after I got a P-90 SG knockoff (Agile Valkyrie II P-90), and with the Flying V, I ditched it when I got a ludicrous deal on a straight trade for a Ric 620 (w/ohsc).

Epi's are often perfectrly giggable stock. Both of mine were. Though I don't own them anymore, mine were both quite passable guitars. It just so happened that I was able to replace them with even better ones.

[characterzero]

I'm sure Epiphones are quite giggable stock, but I've heard a lot of things about them having kind of crappy quality control. In fact one local guitar store was so fed up with that combined with their service that they stopped carrying Epiphones altogether. Again, it varies from guitar to guitar and Epiphones are definitely decent, very playable instruments.

[Brian Krashpad]

I'm sure Epiphones are quite giggable stock, but I've heard a lot of things about them having kind of crappy quality control. In fact one local guitar store was so fed up with that combined with their service that they stopped carrying Epiphones altogether. Again, it varies from guitar to guitar and Epiphones are definitely decent, very playable instruments.


Like a lot of factory-produced guitars (INCLUDING Gibbies and Fender USA, both of which I also own), it may come down to playing individual guitars before buying. I know a lot of fellers, whose opinions I value, who LOVE their Squier '51's. There were 3 at my local mom-&-pop, and they ALL had potentially fatally-sharp fret ends on them. To the point where I was not even interested in plugging any of them in for a test-run. Yet I bet one with a proper fret-finish might be really cool.

[Servant]

My only complaint witih Epi's are the electronics. .Perhaps they have gotten better in the past couple of years, but every single one I've ever owned failed electronically in the first year. If I get a new one, I immediately go for the electronics and swap them out. Often, I do it before ever really playing it. 4 pots w/caps, 3-way, and jack = little dollars for a lot of insurance.

[Redline68]

I've owned a few Epi's and have generally been very happy with them. I agree that some of the elctronics have been weak spots, but I think they've improved much in the last couple years. I think the EE series SG are fantastic for the $ even with the stock electronics.

[Brian Krashpad]

I've owned a few Epi's and have generally been very happy with them. I agree that some of the elctronics have been weak spots, but I think they've improved much in the last couple years. I think the EE series SG are fantastic for the $ even with the stock electronics.


EE series?

Wazzat?