Gibson / Epiphone?

[tumbling_dice]

Hi guys. I'm new to these forums so I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

Basically I'm looking for a new guitar - I really want a Gibson Les Paul, just love the tone on them. The problem is money - having looked around a bit, these are the ball-park prices that I've found:

gibson les paul studio = £750
gibson les paul standard = £1800
epiphone les paul classic = £400

There is absolutely no way I can afford £1800 for a guitar. In fact £750 would be a push.

So... my question is... What is the difference between all of these guitars and which would suit me best? Are the epiphone versions crap? If they are, and I push it and go for the classic, why is it so much cheaper than a les paul standard?

I would class myself as an "intermediate" player (been playing on and off for about 10 years) - but I'm no wizard, hence me considering an epiphone.

Any advice you guys can offer will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance :D

[Fender89]

this is really general but, the pickups, the wood, the basiclly everything is up graded and just overall has a better tone and you will get what you pay for.

[Yppolitia]

Epiphone aren't crap at all. I have played on a Gibson SG standard and an Epiphone SG standard. Now I know you're asking about Les Paul's but my point is is that I could obviously tell the difference by the Epiphone was still lovely and a delight to play.

I would recommend starting off with the Epiphone. Its not like Epiphon's are crap copies at all. I would highly recommend going to a music shop and trying one out yourself.

[Pom-Bear]

i tried a les paul and i dont like them in my opinion

i dont like the feel and the tone isnt that much to do with ur pickups its mostly to do with ur amp ur amp probably deals 80% of ur tone while ur pickups deal about 20%

Also epiphones r supposed to be really good just the Pickups arnt as good as gibsons

also apparently the carving of an epiphone is supposed to be better than a gibson and ive heard gibson guitars have been carved in Very poorly etc and bad worksmanship

i would buy an ibanez but only if ur familiar with floating bridges... i got an ibanez when i wasnt familiar and compeltly messed my guitar up.. which i just recently fixed today after not playing it for 6 months but anyways i managed to get my ibanez to sound like a Jem 7v (EVO) on For the love of god anyways and my guitar uses INF pickups


also tumbling dice where abouts r u from in the UK i might beable to direct u to some shops that might be able to get them cheaper

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/products.php?b=Les+Paul+Guitars&c=Electric+Guitars&m=EPIPHONE

epiphone les paul classic £289

gibson les paul studio £689

gibson les paul Standards for under £1500 unless ur left handed u pay £1899 which is completly stupid

That store is in brighton and those prices include VAT ashame i live no where near that shop.. id be living in there with a tent

[tumbling_dice]

I'm from Manchester pombear - the prices I quoted were from Dawsons, a local chain of music shops. Having looked a bit more into the epiphone side of things, I can get one for £239 (thanks for the link btw). This seems to be the going rate - I found another on Reidys (http://www.reidys.com/) website and several more on ebay. So my prices were a bit off there!

The fact that they are even cheaper than I originally thought makes me wonder even more about whether I should be aiming for a Gibson. So a gibson les paul studio costs around £700 - what exactly do you get for the extra £450?

If the answer is "the workmanship is better", or "its made of better wood", then I'll go for an epiphone. I'm not buying a piece of furniture. But if there is a fundamental difference between the two that I'm missing, what is it? Does a gibson sound £450 better?

[Pom-Bear]

ahhhhh haha i live near manchester

did u go to see steve vai live on monday? i did :D got all my stuff signed

but anyways

Have u tried Academy of Sound on Oxford road (I think)

Jonny rhoadhouse on oxford road (I think)

or Sound Control i think its called

dawsons is over priced in my opinion


Theres also a shop called Rimmers in blackburn that sells stuff VERY cheap i think i saw gibsons for under £1500 there the last time i went


For the extra £450 on a gibson u probably get better pickups Lighter wood and probably better hardware im not too sure since im not a big fan of epiphones or gibsons because they r so highly popular and overpriced like hell

also if ur going to practice and play one... make sure u play it on THE AMP U HAVE or r going to play it on

[Evil Peavey]

There's no way I'd buy a modern Gibson sight unseen. They have become too hit and miss for my taste. Same goes for Epiphone but on a greater level.

Be warned, Epiphones are known for cheap/faulty electronics (wiring, pots, input jack etc). My experience with Epiphone is very limited but I've heard countless horror stories about toggle switches failing, pots dieing etc.

Please do not allow this to sway you from getting an Epiphone if you want one. Consider it a heads up. You can replace those items with higher quality pieces for very little. I would recommend doing so and do away with any worry.

Also, I find Epiphone pickups to be horrible. No worse than any other stock pickups but for just a bit more you could get some Duncan's (or whatever) and have a superior guitar to a stock Epiphone.

Good Luck with our choice.

[The Elf]

i used to have an epiphone SG, and for the price i got it, it was great. mostly cheap guitars feel rattley and rubbish, but this was really solid and felt good. sounded good too. I would go for an Epiphone, and if u like it, try a gibson and compare the two, and if u then want a gibson you can always go and buy one

[Scoot]

The lower end models are trash.

The higher end models are good (via Elitist).

[tumbling_dice]

Please do not allow this to sway you from getting an Epiphone if you want one. Consider it a heads up.

The problem is, I don't actually want an Epiphone. I want a Gibson. But I can't afford a decent one.

The question is, what exactly is the trade off for choosing the cheaper alternative? Does an Epiphone actually play or sound anything like a Gibson?

Basically, I'm trying to find out what the extra £450 buys you. If its better quality, hand crafted wood etc. I'll save my money. But if the tone and quality between epiphone and gibson are worlds apart, that's a different story.

[The Elf]

if you want a gibson get a gibson. But if you want something as close to the gibson as poss becuase you cant afford it, buy the epiphone.

go down to the guitar shop and try out both.

[Pom-Bear]

The lower end models are trash.

The higher end models are good (via Elitist).

Thats Complete crap u kno...


I have an Ibanez RG350 and it plays better than my RG1620

the only down is RG350 bridge is crap and 1620 is good and has piezo and has better pickups..

1620 Does not have a single coil

and RG350 Tone is Really versitile


If u ask me its all about how well u can play the instruments for starters since u wont beable to change or modify that

Sound comes last Since u can easily change pickups or amps etc

Hardware should come second because u need to check it and see its all working

[prone07]

Gibsons and Epi's are touchy as far as quality. You could find a Epi LP that plays and sounds better than a Gibson LP. The quality control is so random that you really can't count on Gibson serving up consistant quality anymore. I actually wrote a long letter to them stating this fact and my disgust with them involving the PRS lawsuit. Knowing I was right, they sent me a reply, saying that they "always strive to build the best guitars"....blah blah blah.
And then they told me it was confidential!!...WTF! They must be getting a lot of complaints lately cuz they don't want more people to be warned of their poor quality... Anyway, the point is: Get a Gibson if you want, just make sure you TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!!

[Ibanman]

Epiphone is just the 'sister' company to Gibson, like squir is to fender but better. The difference between les pauls apart from price is that the gibson les paul has a full mahogany body were as the epiphone is half mahogany, half alder i think. Hope i helped.

[jake plays guitar]

save up for the gibson studio but make sure you try before you buy... and dont get the epiphone

[sleepyjohn]

For the most part, an Epi will sound like a Gibson. Maybe you should look into an Epi LP Standard or a used LP Custom.

The best thing you could do is actually go to a guitar shop, play an Epi, then play a Gibson, and see if you can tell any great difference. Be sure to use the same amp too.

Also, the Epi LP Custom has a full mahogany body, the Standard has the alder/mahogany body.

[Scoot]

Thats Complete crap u kno...




I don't listen to statements from people who can't spell know.

[Pom-Bear]

Yeh well learn to understand the meaning of "Internet Slang."

[tumbling_dice]

Thanks guys, this has been a great help. Much appreciated.

Also, the Epi LP Custom has a full mahogany body, the Standard has the alder/mahogany body.

This might be a dumbass "noob" question, but what difference does this make? If the sound doesn't suffer too much I don't care. Its not a piece of furniture...

[Pom-Bear]

Ive never known how the wood affects the sound unless its a hollow body like an accoustic since the tones coming from the Pickups but anyways

id say its more to do with the weight of the wood

[mcmurray]

i'd agree with that. the main thing i hear from people about their epiphones is that they are dissatisfied with their pickups. i got me an epi g400 and i wouldnt trade it for anything, im more then satisfied with it as it came.

the higher up epis are fairly comparible with mid-range gibsons i'd say

[sleepyjohn]

http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/options/options_bodywoods.cfm

Wood has almost everything to do with tone, it doesn't mater if its electric or acoustic....

I'm not exactly sure how they make the bodies of both alder and mahogany, but there should be some noticeable difference in tone. Not a whole lot though. Atleast that's my assumption.

[wksnare1]

ya epiphones are nice guitars but nothin is better than a gibson go for the gibson
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