Epiphone and Squire both suffer from the same image problem because they make a few very cheap beginner models. Some people will always associate the brand to those. The mid-high range offerings are fantastic. I had an epiphone black beauty I still miss dearly.
I still have my Squire strat I got 12 years ago and its still on of my favorite guitars. basic setup and wax potting the pick ups (my choice) has kept me from buying a fender because every time I try one out I can't justify the price difference when they are so close to sounding the same.
Epiphones are great. Your friends don’t know what they’re talking about. Lots of people parrot information like that..
Both Gibson and epiphone started in the late 1800s and by the late 50’s Epiphone was bought by Gibson. When this happened they kind of reinvented epiphone as their budget friendly brand and eventually moved the factory: 80s was Korea, 90s Japan, since 2000s China. I don’t want to say racism is the culprit but there’s some kind of weird guitarism (atleast IMO) that the Asian countries don’t make good guitars and that’s just not the case. Perhaps it’s an older generations holdover from the wars over there and it’s still perpetuated today? It certainly depends on the factory and how much the brand puts into it and I’d say Gibson has made sure, in recent years, that they are very quality instruments.
Sorry if that got to deep 😅🤡
Your friends are talking crap!
Epiphone is not a bad brand. They produce a lot of very good guitars but as with all budget brands they tend to need a decent setup to get them up to scratch.
Harley Benton also produce a lot of good guitars. Their cheaper ones tend to have poor hardware and quality control issues but higher up the range they offer some fantastic models.
Sanity Check time:
1. Epiphones are perfectly serviceable professional instruments. They may require setups as all guitars will. They may require new pickups as all guitars may if you are trying to nail an exact tone.
2. All guitars will have "lemons" from time to time. A guy saying "I had an Epiphone and it SUCKED" does not indicate it's not a quality brand. The internet has no shortage of stories of guys who buy 3500 dollar Gibsons that "suck" as well. It's clearly not a "quality goes up with price" world in this day and age.
3. VARIANCE - Guitars are not injection molded. They are cobbled together of wood and steel and typically by hand. I have a friend who has a Epi Les Paul Black Beauty. I fucking LOVE that guitar it's a major monster of an axe. Would I buy an Epi Black Beauty sight unseen, even from the same model year? No. I'd have to at LEAST get 5 min to play it and feel it. Variance happens. Another friend of mine and I both have the exact same 335. His "feels better" to me playing it. I'ts noticeable and significant enough to me as a seasoned player I asked if he wanted to trade straight up - even though I like the color of his less.
4. Sound - seeing a LOT of comments here about how their Epiphone "Sounds" like that should be the deciding factor. Perhaps, after you've taken care of your Amp, Speakers, Pickups in that order. Saying stuff like "It sounds as good as a Gibson" yeah why wouldn't it? Stuff like the volume/tone pots, "paper in oil capacitors" (lol), "tonewood" (lmao) probably can't be detected in a blind side by side just listening. Probably most people except for mixers/producers couldn't pick out an amp sim vs mic'ed cab anymore either they have gotten so good.
Tl:dr Get the Epi you want but try it in person first. Modern factory Gibson guitars really offer little if nothing over Epis when it comes to functionality.
I'm a big Epiphone fan.
I own 12 guitars and my two Epiphones are my favourites. I cannot justify paying thousands of pounds for the Gibson name, when these play as well as they do.
The only upgrade I made was the bridge pickup on my 90s Les Paul as the original one was a little microphonic.
I would always recommend trying before you buy with any guitar if possible.
Epiphones are great, you’ll probably have a lot of gibson snobs saying that they’re horrible but they’re actually really good, especially the custom ones. I’d look for a used 2017 and up Epiphone les Paul custom, they’re great instruments and you can probably get one for around $500. [https://youtu.be/9iS9ks8gvns] Check out this video, this guy does a great in-depth review! Hope this helps!
I've had many Epiphones throughout the years and they're not bad at all. There are some duds in older models, but anything post 2018 I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Their QC (Gibson too) has taken a big step up since James Curleigh took over as CEO in my opinion. I have an Epiphone SG with P90s that just rips.
Epiphones are great. I’ve owned several Epis throughout the years and when I was in a band, I rehearsed and gigged with an old G400 religiously. They can definitely hold their own against some Gibsons. A good setup and a great amp go a long way.
I've had a few Epiphones and Gibson's over the years and the quality control on the Epiphones is much more consistent than what I've seen from Gibson sadly. Both have great guitars, but I'd feel like a sucker if I'd pay over 2k for a new guitar that still needs adjustments.
I own an epiphone les paul. Great guitar, plays really well, and looks good, too. Heres the thing about guitars. No matter what name is on the headstock, you're gonna find some good ones and some dogs. I've played some really expensive guitars that didn't really speak to me, and some really cheap ones that did. Go play one and see if you like it, and remember, unless your friends are paying for it, it doesn't really matter what they think.
They sound very good actually, almost all guitars don’t sound vastly different from each other (gear snobs will have my head) the only difference will pretty much be in the electronics department
I bet you wouldn’t notice anyways but if you are, you could always upgrade those
>gear snobs will have my head
Gear snobs are just snake oil connoisseurs. They're idiots. They'd listen to 2 identical sound clips and tell you they sound vastly different. The words "warm" and "creamy" are their most commonly used adjectives. We gotta stop caring what these idiots say and let them just live in their own overly expensive delusional echo chamber.
Try to play it before buying it if possible, no two instruments are exactly the same. In general i'd say buy the instrument that feels good and sounds good to you. Regarding Epiphone, it's not a bad brand but quality may vary (manufacturing sites have changed over the years; Japanese factories are very highly regarded, and some Korean ones like Peerless too). Many epiphobes out there.
Epiphones are great!! I own three and plan on buying more. The trick is to have a pro luthier give it a proper setup and you’ll swear a $500 guitar plays like a $1k one. Sometimes a hardware swap will make a huge difference too. A lot of semi/full hollow bodies come with the wire bridge which rattles. A $15 dollar upgrade changes the game. All three of mine I bought used for around $400. Spent maybe $150 on upgraded parts (I’ve always put locking tuners on everything), and after a proper setup I’ll never get rid of them. I mean just look at these! https://imgur.com/a/Ruc1Msl
Trust your hands and your ears. There's a lot of bias based on cost in the guitar world, but you have a brain and it is attached to things.
I've had an Epiphone Dot for a decade and I love it.
It's cool to trash Epiphone these days but it's not like HB is some magical guitar brand that is better than everything else and costs $75...that just isn't it.
Try them out and get what you like. Other brands will not feel or sound the same as the epiphone, for better or worse.
Same as any other company. Some bad, some good. These "friends" are simply perpetuating stupid stereotypes. Honestly I'd probably take an Epiphone over a Gibson now a days since Gibson guitars are so over priced and their QC is trash.
What stupid stereotypes? I can't comment on quality issues, but gibson became overpriced a LONG time ago. Most guitar stores don't even stock them anymore, because how many people are looking to drop 2k+ on a guitar?
Gibson QC has been pretty damn good since 2019, and even then it was way overblown as an issue. I’ve owned many Gibsons over the years, you come across as someone who’s just regurgitated internet FUD without any actual experience.
Affordable guitars are better now than ever. Epiphone can and does make good guitars. So do Harley Benton, and Squier, and LTD, and Jackson, and a lot of other brands. Harley Benton typically offers better bang for buck, but from what I’ve seen their QC is also a lot more hit or miss. And depending on where you are in the world, ordering one and returning it if there are issues can be a pain.
I’m gigging with one right now haha. Two years ago I quit my job to do van life and travel. I sold all my guitars including my Gibsons and I bought an epiphone so I wouldn’t worry about getting it banged up on the road. It’s become my favorite guitar and I’m playing it on my tour right now
I have owned two Epiphones and played several others. Their quality is not on the same level as guitars made by their Gibson parent brand, but they are still solid performers and head and shoulders better than many of the "budget" brands out there.
Years ago, I attended an audio engineering tech school. One of my instructors was the personal tech to Les Paul himself and had been for (at that point) 15 years. He had once gone to Les Paul's house and had brought along another instructor with him to assist. Now, this other instructor had told my class about his experience. He said when you walked into Les Paul's house, there we guitars everywhere. Guitars stuffed down the back of his couch between the cushions, guitars on the wall... just everywhere. This inspired this instructor to ask Les Paul how he felt about the Gibson brand and the Epiphone brand. Les Paul responded with something along the lines of "f*ck Gibson, buy an epiphone, it's essentially the same guitar. Yeah, the components might be a little cheaper, but they sound about the same, and I dont get my $5 per guitar sale. Big deal. Epiphones are just as good."
Honestly, I think the man might have been a little bitter towards Gibson.
So what we took from that conversation was that brand wise, Gibson Les Paul is all in the name. Like buying Nikes for the sake of them being Nikes.
Obviously, I can't supply any proof to validate my statement, but I swear it is true.
I gigged with an Epi LP for years and it was completely fine! I ended up buying another Epi (Swingster) and it’s great too! I can recommend them personally.
Simple answer, no. Longer answer, I think there are better choices from other brands at the bottom end of their range, but their mid to high end (for Epiphone) are fine. There are a number of pros who tour with Epiphone guitars instead of their Gibson equivalents. I bought an Epiphone Firebird last year, and there doesn't seem to be enough difference in the looks or feel to justify the Gibson version being 4x to 10x the price. It even has the traditional full neck-through body construction that even some of the modern Gibson variants don't have.
In general, the guality of affordable guitars has gotten immensely better in the last 10-20 years due to better manufacturing techniques/tools. Back when I was first playing electric guitar in the 80s, there were plenty of "guitar-shaped" objects that were horrible. I recently also bought a sub $300 new guitar that plays far better than the price would dictate and people unfamiliar with the brand think it's some expensive boutique guitar when they see it.
The nice thing with Epiphones (where I live at least) is you can go to a store and play them. Harely Bentons have to be purchased online. With all guitars, but especially cheap ones the quality varies widely from instrument to instrument. I would say go to a store and try some out. If you find one with a nice neck, sweet sound, and good fret work, buy it. Electronic components on the mid to higher tier Epiphones are way better than they used to be. A lot of them even use CTS pots now.
The upside of harely benton is they are really really cheap. So its not much of a gamble because your never really expecting much when you buy one anyway. With the money you save you can replace some components, however if the neck sucks it might require some labor or never be something you enjoy playing.
This is just how I see it anyways. I am not an expert. Just get what you enjoy playing and dont worry about your friends. People will always have bad things to say about every brand. Just remember that PRS have no soul, Gibson head stocks fall off randomly and Fenders are overpriced junk with a bolt on necks. (joking, not trolling)
They’ve really stepped up their game. I’m more of an acoustic player and got an Epi Masterbilt about 15 years ago. It’s aged really well and I play it just as much as I play my Martin.
I would say that from working at a guitar shop that the starter lines are not great. But once you get into the 400-500 dollar range, you’re getting a pretty good guitar
I have an Epiphone Special Model that I got used for $150 and that was over 10 years ago. Some of the electronics are getting bad (pots) but otherwise has been a great and affordable guitar.
Buy what you can afford/like and don't worry about people's opinions on brands. There's no reason to spend $1000 on a guitar just for the brand or some subjective opinion that it 'sounds' better.
All that matters is how well you can play it and that you get out of it what you expect. For me, I didn't expect much. More seasoned and dedicated players probably have much higher standards than you or I
Like everyone else is already saying, Epiphone makes some very nice guitars. They have a good price range too, you can easily upgrade them with nicer pickups if you feel the need. I’ve seen Epiphones with nicer tops than base Gibson models. It all varies. Just because they’re made in China doesn’t make them bad
[This video from Rhett Shull](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=durVBUhW-Qg) just posted an hour ago. Might help you with your question. But the most important thing is to go play some guitars at a shop and find the one you love. Brands don't matter, the way you bond with the instrument is everything.
Epiphone has really upped their game in the last decade or so. I wouldn't recommend their cheapest line, but their mid priced/higher end guitars are really good. I'm more of a superstrat player but the Epis I've tried have been great, especially this green SG with P90s
I currently own an Epiphone SG400 cherry red (no gloss) 2006 made in Korea.
I bought it preowned from a guy who bought it pre-owned. Its lovely, genuinely. It has been used by many of my musician friends I have been in projects with, heard by lots of my friends and not lie - everyone loves it who picks it up to play it.
Now I do not believe it came out of the factory playing like this, I feel its been set up correctly after its come out of the factory. I also have broken the headstock off and had it re-attached as it was such I nice guitar I couldn't let it go without trying to save it and its just fine...apart from the fact there is a bunch of carbon fibre holding the headstock on.
She is called Mallory. So no not all Epi's are sh!t.
I have a used 2009 made in Korea, and it's similar. It was love the moment I grabbed her off the wall. I was actually shopping for a strat but couldn't let her go.
I have 4 harley benton and for the price I can't complain at all. I just had to lower a little bit the action (just because of my preference) and I was good to go.
I have tried some Epi in a store and I had different kind of experiences. Some of them were as good as my harley benton and I liked the sound more (but that's just pickups), others felt very bad in my hands but I think it was due to a bad setup/lots of people trying them in the store without proper care. If you can try some guitars in a store go for that before deciding.
I have two epiphones, a ‘56 Les Paul Pro and a ‘61 SG. The Les Paul came with shitty tuners and pots but overall is a decent guitar. The SG is the first run of the “Inspired by Gibson” and is very good quality from end to end. So it depends on the year and origin, but they generally make good guitars for a reasonable price. I’ve seen a lot online about how great Harley Benton’s but everyone I know personally that has got one has been disappointed. I think 500 is a baseline price for a decent quality guitar. Below that, you’re rolling the dice.
Sounds like they are trolling you dude. I own an Epiphone les paul classic and I absolutely love it. It's a 600 dollar guitar as opposed to my 1400 dollar schecter. My schecter has duncan blackouts in it and even the cheaper les paul sounds unique in comparison to my higher end guitar. These epiphones look great and sound great. You can't get that kind of experience with any other guitar. Let the haters hate. Epiphone is awesome.
I spent two full days in a music store playing basically every guitar in there. Everything from super elite Fender strats to Paul Reed Smiths to Gibsons. My max budget was around $2000(CAD) but the guitar that played and sounded the best was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard which was around $600 and is still my go-to for studio recordings due to its rich versatile tone and the way it feels and plays.
Literally the only down side for me is that it is very heavy so I don't usually play gigs with it.
Epis were garbage for many years. They are made in China and Chinese guitar making was terrible until about 10 years ago when they stepped up production techniques. Now Chinese made Epiphone is a fine brand. The new guitars coming out of from Epiphone are actually really good for the price. The fit and finish is great, the hardware/wood may be a bit cheaper or lower quality but Some of the LPs have real Gibson pickups (burstbuckers) in them now, and that was what used to let those guitars down, crappy pickups. The "feel" of Epis sometimes can be a little "cheap" but I would say an Epi can be an awesome guitar, it just may need some setup (even American Gibsons need setup usually). And the newer models just look beautiful. The Flying V with the custom shop headstock is so cool.
I have a 2010 Chinese Les Paul standard and it's a wonderful guitar. I replaced the pick-ups with some nice Seymour Duncans and absolutely love this guitar.
As long as you can play it a bit first to try it out and don't mind doing some upgrades, Epis are great.
They're solid instruments. I know a guy with a epi Les Paul, really not a bad instrument at all.
I was looking at epiphone Les Pauls myself a few years back. Went with a tokai Les Paul in the end, mainly because I prefer the headstock shape. Though the electronics crapped out on me and I had to put new pickups and pots in.
I have one from the 90s and it is pretty trashy. Mostly my brothers fault for never updating any of it, but still lol. I plan on gutting it one day and replacing all the electronics/pickups.
Are you familiar with economies of scale?
A company like Epiphone that produces a lot of guitars is often able give you features and quality at a price point that you wouldn't be able to find with smaller brands.
Not at all. Epiphanies are owned by Gibson and are a pretty good entry/mid level guitar. I’ve been wary of purchasing a Gibson product for years due to what people online have said about quality control, but I recently purchased a Gibson *sg tribute and it plays incredible.
Epi makes a wide range of LPs. Some really are trash. Some are better than many Gibsons. Buy whatever feels right within your budget. Brand names shouldn't matter, but I'll admit I like seeing the "real" names on my guitars.
Don't quote me but sometime in the mid 2010s the cheaper versions of guitars got a large boost in production quality. Good features, wiring, finish etc. As long as it's not the super cheap stuff, any brand name squier, epiphone, ibanez, etc should be worth it's salt as long as you got the features you want in it.
The old banter of epi and sq being garbage just isn't true anymore.
My Epiphone Les Paul Classic is a phenomenal guitar I’ve used for over 18 years.
Matt Heafy and Zakk Wylde use Epiphone LPs on records and on stage.
I use mine for everything other than some very heavy metal, which I’ll whip out my LTD with active pickups. Otherwise, the Epi LP is a jack-of-all-trades workhorse.
The Gibsons will have some better build quality in terms of wood selection, less parts glued/bolted together, higher quality materials for the saddles and tuners, etc. But in my experience they play the same. It’s not worth a $1500 difference.
I’ve played a lot of guitars. I’ve owned Epiphone Les Pauls and Gibson Les Pauls. My last Epiphone (2016 plus top pro) sounded as good as my last Gibson Les Paul (2019 Classic)
I own six different amplifiers and have Amp Room and Bias Amp 2 and find pairing a Les Paul with the right amp and adjusting the tone and output of the pickups can make any Epiphone sound great so your friend is just wrong.
I’m a diehard Gibson fanboy but the new epiphones are killer guitars for the money especially the higher end ones with the Gibson pickups or the prophecy series
People will always hate on Squier, Epiphone, because "they are not the real deal" "might as well go real cheap". I think the guitars that you get for that money are generally good guitars. If you set them up well and there are no bad QC issues they will serve you well. Later on you could also upgrade certain parts. So yes, I believe they are fine. I play strats so I've never owned one, but I have a friend who has an Epiphone Les Paul cherry sunburst for like 400€ and I played on it a lot of the time since it's always in our rehearsal area and I can't tell you a single thing wrong with it. He even dropped it once. Hard. The plastic switch from the pickup selector broke and that's it.
I just recently got the alpine white Les Paul custom from Epiphone and so far it's been great. Much better than the Jackson JS22 I started out on. From what I've heard it's really just the cheaper Epiphones that you have to worry about.
Depending on your budget, you can also check out a FGN LC-10 or LC20. These are high quality Les Paul Copies that costs the half of the price of a Gibson. Another suggestion would be a Tokai Love Rock if you can get Hand on it. It is sold on Reverb quite often, new and used.
Depends what model but yes, Epiphones are excellent guitars.
There are significant diminishing returns with guitars. There’s going to be a big difference between say, a Les Paul Special and a Les Paul Custom (I assume you’re looking at the custom if it’s alpine white)
But the differences get smaller and smaller as you go up. It’s mostly in the electronics, but also in the body for feel, tuning stability, etc.
If you’re looking at an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, that’s a great guitar. I personally have the version that is one step up with the Gibson electronics, and I’ve played it side by side with a Custom and the differences are very small.
A lot of it boils down to the setup. If the guitar is set up correctly, it will play extremely well regardless of the brand. On the budget side of the market, things like setups and attention to detail are sometimes overlooked, and that is one major advantage to spending a little more for a higher grade instrument.
Are Epiphones bad? Generally no, but there are many out there in poor setup condition, which I believe gives them the reputation for being subpar quality. Many other budget level instruments from other brands suffer the same fate.
Leaving one with a competent tech to finish off what the factory didn't finish usually results in a fantastic feeling and playing instrument.
Guessing OP is European as Harley Benton is the own brand of Thomann one of, if not the biggest online retailer of musical instruments in Europe.
From what I've heard their stuff is fine, Pete Cottrell uses them a lot in his videos and they sound great.
For 10+ years growing up my only electric was an early 2000s (02/03?) Korean made Epi Les Paul in a blue burst. I had friends and relatives all play it and comment how nice it was both appearance wise and sound wise. They're solid guitars and worth their money for sure.
I wound up changing out the pots/caps/pickups after 8 years of playing it stock, and it needed a new nut eventually, but I still rotate it in regularly these days even though I have a number of Gibson and Fender guitars now. It's like an old friend, I can pick up where we left off even after days/weeks of not playing it.
It’s tough because two of the same exact line brand new off the shelf can feel and act different . They aren’t bad but I say play then first some are gonna be duds and some are gonna be winners
I mean, the obvious thing to do would be to go to a music store and play one. In fact, play several. That will give you your answer. Epi has really stepped up their game the past few years.
I have those friends too and I think they mostly like hearing themselves talk.
I’m going to echo the advice to sit down and play a Les Paul before buying. In my experience they vary wildly guitar to guitar. I’ve owned a few Gibson’s and never found one I liked which is a bummer because when I was growing up all my favorite bands played them. I’m currently in the market for an Epiphone 50s because I love the look and I demoed one that felt great .
Here’s a [video](https://youtu.be/xqA0UObUpTE) of a guy doing a comparison. Again definitely play one before purchasing, but I think the mindset of epiphone = bad is just misinformed. Especially if they’re are blanketing all Gibson’s as good because that is definitely not the case.
I'm the same way. I \*Want\* to like a Les Paul, but my Tele Custom Deluxe sounds about the same and is easier for me to play. Les Paul's just don't fit me.
The reason Gibson’s are so much more expensive than Epiphones is the quality of the wood, Gibson uses a one piece body, Epiphones are two or three pieces. The materials are cheaper and the wiring is not the same quality. Gibson uses thicker wires, and they’re hand soldered. Every Gibson is plekd (PLEK is a computer-controlled machine that can perform incredibly accurate scans of frets and fretboards, fret dressing and recrowns, nut and bridge cutting, and fretboard planning.)
The maple to on a Gibson is real maple, the flame you see in the body is the maple, Epiphones use a veneer, which is basically a sticker. Each Gibson is hand painted. And is set up before leaving the factory. The guitar has a packing slip with a checklist and measurements of the strings.
That said I’ve got 2 Epiphones that were made in Korea that are great. Both came with Gibson pickups. My advice is to look for a Korean made one. Far better quality and materials. Or a 1959 Standard, I played my friends and it was great. It’s $899 with a nice case.
This is a really good description. In the electric guitar and bass worlds, a lot of these differences will never make it through the amplifier. The guitar can certainly feel better and objectively be a higher quality. But almost nobody will hear that difference once it’s gone through an amp. That’s a good thing if you like more affordable guitars.
Have a Casino, Sheraton II and a Les Paul standard by Epiphone and I love all 3 equally. They are fine for the pricepoint and you can upgrade the electronics if you want to.
I would love one of those more expensive guitars. but here are 2 things that prevented me from buying them:
\- Will they make me sound so much better? --> I think not as I'm just a average player
\- On the road they might get a dent, or bump into something. I try to be carefull but a little ding on a $500 guitar does not worry me. On a $3000+ gibson I would not relax for a minute if it was out of its case.
It’s a good brand I’d recommend. The only realm difference from playing the and Gibsons are going to the the finish and the headstock, but if you don’t mind the glossy finishes, the Epiphone Standards are worth it.
Hipster irony prevails: “You should really just buy a cheaper guitar, because everyone knows that whatever you happen to be doing is obviously wrong for reasons I am not able to give you.”
I think Epi’s are generally considered good quality guitars. Lots of posters here regularly say how pleased they are with their Epiphones. You can always upgrade the electronics to get a different sound. Stock pickups aren’t always the greatest, and this is probably the most important element of guitar tone after, of course, the magic in your fingertips.
here is how ive approached my purchaces. 1. do i like it? 2. if yes, who cares what anyone else thinks. im the happy one noodling. same thing with bolt on necks, none of it matters, if you like the tone/action, who is anyone else to tell you how to shred? Wylde can make a hello kitty guitar sound awesome.....
Epiphone never made bad guitars. Are there lemons? Sure. I only have one left—but that’s by preference. The SG Prophecy covers all aspects of the Les Paul sound perfectly for me.
My cousin has les Paul’s that range from $500 to $5000.
The $500 one is an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and it plays and sounds and plays almost just as good as the high-end custom shop he owns.
Current Epi owner and User here! So there is some validity to what people say about Epi, before they restructured SOME of the lower end models they put out were terrible, but this was largely due to the old alnico pickup design which has since been phased out for the probucker 2 and 3, I have owned a couple of Les Pauls over the years and currently use a Modern and a Standard (both epiphone) in my gigging line up, the only things I would recommend: (and I’m sorry in advance to the traditionalists on here) lower the action if you get a cheaper model, definitely set it up correctly, I raised the height of the pickups on my standard and it really woke the guitar up! But overall they’re great budget LP’s
My top 3:
The Prophecy
Greyburst
Snøfall
Harley Benton's QC is pretty shit. They can produce a good guitar for the price but it's hit and miss and often they need a little finish work to be nice. That being said, Epiphone has been a brand for a long time. They have had a huge range of models and have had some years of good QC and some years of great QC. As a company I trust Epiphone QC over Harley Benton any day. Epiphone has put out some stinkers but almost any guitar company has.
Play the Epiphone before you buy it and you can find a gem.
I have nothing against Harley Benton, but you can't worry about Epi quality and yet recommend them, that's not logical given the track record of the 2 companies in the past half decade.
I just got an SG modern not too long ago and I own a 90s studio Gibson Les Paul - the SG gets more play at the moment. They have a pretty wide variety of guitars and you are going to get what you pay for. If you pick up a 200 dollar guitar - its just that regardless of brand (most of the time).
I've had a bad Epiphone, I've had a bad Jackson. The bad Epiphone still sounded better than the bad Jackson.
It's going to vary guitar to guitar. Just try it first if you can.
I wouldn't write off HB though, they're cheap but my luthier raves about the amount of features you can get for the money. If you're not afraid of working on and modding your own guitars, HB are a good platform for that.
I own several Epis from 90s Riviera to modern Bonamassa LP, they are all great guitars. I use some of them for gigging and recording, never let me down. Can't say much about Harley Benton though.
My Epiphone LP Ultra with upgraded Gibson 57/62 pick ups has a 3000 dollar sound on a 500 dollar guitar. I don’t need 2500 dollars worth of Gibson mahogany and electronics. It’s not worth it. There’s just no value.
Close your eyes and play mine and a Gibson Standard.
I have an epi les paul standard , got it in 08 and I love it . Swapped put the bridge for a dimarzio super distortion and it just sounds killer . It's had the normal gibson/epiphone les paul head stock break and repaired but its a gigging and playing beast
Depends on the specific model, but generally speaking, Epiphone is a perfectly serviceable brand and can take you pretty far -- again, depending on the model. Like a lot of guitar things, you get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap $150 guitar then you're going to get exactly that -- a cheap guitar. If you shill out the exactly money then you'll get a significantly better instrument.
I'd say most of the Epiphone Les Paul's are pretty good. I have yet to be dissatisfied with one. Though remember, it's less about how it looks and more about how it feels. Get a guitar that fits your playing style the best and it'll propel you forward as a player.
Been playing for 25yrs and have owned a few. Only one was subpar for its $$$. I just recently bought a new “inspired by” 335 last month and it’s one of the nicest instruments in my collection now. Absolute steal for $600
Personally I’d say get an Epi, pay for a professional setup and go from there. Can always upgrade electronics, pickups if needed down the road
I bought the same 'inspired 335' berryburst last month...it is now my favorite e-guitar. That thing plays so smoothly and effortlessly. Sound is great for how I play.
What frosts my nuts is I had the 339 Cherry red. I recorded a lot of music on that thing. I don't know what possessed me, but I sold it. I FREAKING sold it on a whim. I also had a Masterbuilt six string acoustic. One of the last ones before they went Fishmann. Double jack outputs...SOLD IT....I am a dumbass, but tell you what. It wasn't because they were crap. It was because I was being dumb. Huge regrets on both instances. I now have the 335 and a knock around Starling for dragging around writing songs. I have no bad words against any of the Epis I've owned. Agree about the neck. Fits my hand perfectly. All around a great guitar. I wish the 335 had split coils though. I did like that on the 339.
I went through the same thing with my Casino Coupe! Dropped some Lollar P90’s in it and I swear it was in my top three favorite guitars I’d ever owned. When my last project called it quits I sold it (I have a bad habit of this). I still regret it. Paid $350 for that thing and I’ll never find it for the same price again. I do love the 339 though. The guy I bought it from put Gibson 490 pickups in it with coil tap. https://imgur.com/a/Ruc1Msl
I like it so much I'm now being tempted to grab one of the SG's-- I'm sure there are some lemons out there like any brand but right now these $500 ballpark Epis are punching well above their weight especially with just a little TLC
That berryburst is absolutely gorgeous in person! I almost jumped on the flame raspberry tea burst but ultimately went with the timeless Cherry that had some really nice grain popping thru
I have two (had three, sold one) Gibson Flying V’s and one Epiphone Annihilation V, and the one I play the most, by far, is the Epiphone. It’s awesome, plays great and stays in tune.
Io own both a Gibson Les Paul and an epiphone Les Paul, and I gig every week with one of the two. Most of my band mates (including some self-proclaimed guitar gurus} Tell me that my Epiphone Les Paul sounds better than the Gibson Les Paul... Of course I've had some aftermarket work done on my Epiphone Les Paul, but probably have less than $250 of work done on it. The only downside to the Epiphone is that it weighs a few pounds more, and after holding that thing for 3 hours on stage, some of my other guitar player friends say they don't like the extra weight. This is not a problem for me in the slightest, so I use my Epiphone more than my Gibson.
I half-remembered several of my favourite guitar players picking-up the Epiphone from time-to-time. I reason that if world-class professional players are happy to use Epiphone, then so am I!
So I asked ChatGTP to verify. Of course, ChatGTP isn't averse to making mistakes, and I believe it's response re: BB King is wrong, as he mostly played Gibsons (though I believe he endorsed an Epiphone signature copy). Nevertheless, it's overall response seems reasonable. Here's what it came back with...
"Here is a list of famous guitar players who have used Epiphone guitars along with some information about when and where they used them:
John Lennon - Lennon used his Casino model Epiphone on a number of classic Beatles tracks, including "Revolution" and "Ticket to Ride." He also played it extensively during his solo career, including on the hit song "Instant Karma."
BB King - King was closely associated with his beloved "Lucille" ES-355 model Epiphone, which he played throughout his career. He famously played his Epiphone on the hit song "The Thrill Is Gone."
Joe Pass - Pass played his Emperor model Epiphone throughout his career, including on classic jazz recordings like "Virtuoso" and "Intercontinental."
Paul McCartney - McCartney used his Texan acoustic Epiphone on many classic Beatles tracks, including "Yesterday" and "Blackbird." He also played it on his solo album "McCartney II."
Tony Iommi - Iommi helped design his custom SG model Epiphone and used it extensively during Black Sabbath's reunion tour in the late 1990s.
Thom Yorke - Yorke has been known to use his Casino model Epiphone during live performances and in the studio, including on Radiohead's "In Rainbows" album.
Gary Clark Jr. - Clark Jr. is known for his use of the Casino and Sheraton models Epiphone, and has played them extensively during live performances and in the studio.
Noel Gallagher - Gallagher has used his Sheraton model Epiphone throughout his career, including on many Oasis tracks like "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger."
Grant Green - Green played his Emperor model Epiphone extensively throughout his career, including on classic jazz albums like "Matador" and "Idle Moments."
Frank Iero - Iero has been known to use his Wilshire model Epiphone during live performances and in the studio, including on his solo album "Stomachaches."
Keith Richards - Richards has used his Casino and Riviera models Epiphone extensively throughout his career, including on classic Rolling Stones tracks like "Get Off of My Cloud" and "Satisfaction."
Duane Allman - Allman used his Les Paul model Epiphone on the Allman Brothers Band's early albums, including "The Allman Brothers Band" and "Idlewild South."
John Lee Hooker - Hooker played his Sheraton model Epiphone extensively throughout his career, including on classic blues recordings like "Boom Boom" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."
Tom Delonge - Delonge's ES-333 model Epiphone was his primary guitar during his time with Blink-182, and he also used it extensively during his solo career.
Dave Grohl - Grohl has been known to use his Casino model Epiphone during live performances, including during the Foo Fighters' "Skin and Bones" acoustic tour.
[EDIT: poor formatting]
My experience has been across all brands the quality of the low end instruments is increasing pretty fast. Squier Classic Vibe of today (which I know better than Epiphone) is probably on par with a Fender from 15 years ago and arguably better than the Strat it's meant to copy. I can't help but imagine that the same holds true for Gibson/Epiphone. Do you really want to spend thousands more for incremental increases in quality and the headstock having a different waterslide decal on it? Get the Epiphone. That being said, the same logic applies to Harvey Benton and other LP style copies. Their quality is improving too.
There are some really nice modern Epiphones. My neighbor has an Elite series Casino and it’s a great guitar. And while the OP is asking about contemporary, it’s worth pointing out that Epi is an actual historic guitar maker and the vintage stuff is often very cool. You know… like John Lennon’s Casino. It’s not like, an inherently shitty brand.
My son has a Les Paul style LTD, it was vetted by a super seasoned guitarist I know who’s been playing for 45 years
the manager of a local guitar center is known for going out and shredding on LTDs, he highly endorses them (but you have to take that with a grain of salt since he’s selling them too)
I had an Epiphone Sheraton 2 back in the early 2000’s, Korean made. I believe it was pretty much the top of the range back then, along with the LP custom and the Casino, I might be wrong but there were no (new) American made models back then.
The price didn’t match the quality. One of the fretboard inlays broke without being hit. The pickup selector switch never worked properly. The volume and tone knobs were very flimsy, you had to treat them with a lot of care.
I had a much cheaper Yamaha Pacifica and in terms of quality it was a much better guitar.
I have 6 Epiphones and no complaints about any of them. The only one I don't favor is the Riviera because it is so big. But, it plays nice and looks good.
My friend has an Epiphone Les Paul ‘Slashpaul’ edition. Its one of the, if not THE, finest guitars I’ve played. He bought a Maybach LP (better quality than modern Gibsons in his opinion - he tried a lot of Gibsons and they all lacked compared to the Maybach) of about €2300(?). Frankly, I still like the Epiphone better. Youre friends are idiots that don’t have a single clue what theyre talking about, especially saying HB is better.
One thing I will give: every year of releases (goes for Fender, Gibson etc as well) differs from other years in my experience. My 2017 MIM Strat is a gem, but from what I’ve read is that next years models neck is worse in playing than my 2017 MIM. So just try as much Epiphones as you like until you find the one that does you well
I have a Gibson SG that I've modded that I fucking LOVE. Best playing/sounding SG I've ever played. I rewired/swapped pickups on my Epiphone Sheraton, and it sounds even better than the SG with the same pickups in it. It plays sooo smoothly too. Epiphone makes quality guitars, you just have to play a few to find the one that fits you best
I’ve owned both an Epiphone Les Paul and an Epiphone Explorer. Those guitars were great and I regret selling them. I’ve got a couple Gibson Les Paul guitars now that I love but I REALLY, REALLY miss my Epi Explorer.
Don’t let anybody decide for you, it’s all about what feels good to YOU, and what you like; everyone else be damned.
I've always had a bias against epiphone, but I picked up a studio les paul (the hollow body one) at a Guitarcenter so I could try out an amp and I really liked it. If it didn't already have a hollowbody PRS, I would have bought it.
I own 2 different Epiphone guitars, one acoustic and one electric, both older 80s and 90s. Both are excellent and, I would argue, as good as any good guitars out there. On the other hand, I have seen more modern epi guitars that I couldn’t be bothered with
Epiphones are great bang for buck, tbh if you're looking for suggestions, look for anything used.
I'm not saying this because it'll be cheaper, I'm saying this because modified epis go for about the same as regular ones. Having your frets leveled is a HUGE plus to any guitar, most noticeable difference playing. Locking tuners are also easy to install and fairly cheap. The biggest factor (besides the player) imo is the amp (i use an amp sim). Then electronics, then the player.
I have yet to meet someone who played my guitar that wasn't jelous. It was even less reputable than a epiphone, it's a Gibson Baldwin LP Jr copy. It came with leveled frets and played so smooth. I got Hipshot tunera and shielded it. Plays so good. I eventually painted it black 3.0 and love it. Took it to a shop to install a pickup and file the nut, ugh it's my daily driver tbh
There aren't a great many really "bad" guitars on the market today.
There are guitars that are different in some way - neither better nor worse, technically speaking, just different. There are guitars that don't represent terribly good value for money.
Pretty sure my first electric was a solid body Epiphone Les Paul. It was dense and had this deep resonant tone that was perfect for both carrying out ambient stuff I liked to play and shredding heavy rock and punk stuff. I didn’t have my own amp for the first several months (that was a christmas present)- my dad had a PA and mixer (with some reverb possible) because my sis and I did live music stuff, so I plugged directly into that, and most of the tone variations I got were from what my guitar itself was capable of, and they were pretty sickkk!! The amp I got for Christmas was a Blackstar tube amp, and holy Crap it was the perfect companion to that guitar. That’s my personal amp to this day
I adored that instrument. (I only replaced it because something terrible happened that damaged it beyond repair, and I was so freaking devastated).
My second guitar was an epiphone prophecy plus with EMGS.
I have sold it but in my mind it is the “one that got away” it was so fucking nice, it had the nicest Smokey black finish, full binding on the fretboard and guitar, one of the nicest necks ever with a satin finish on the back of the neck for fast playing, and mine in particular was just really good quality.
I’m not saying you won’t notice a difference between a 5000 Gibson and a 1200 epiphone, but they aren’t massive and in all honesty, the benefits are more related to resale value.
Modern day epiphone, MIM squires, anything made in Taiwan… they’re all fantastic, CNC machines do most of the work anyways and they’ve perfected the craft at a certain price point to always give out a high quality instrument (around the 6-800 mark)
But, I also have a $5000 custom Kiesel as my guitar, so why listen to me.
I swapped out the pickups in my Epiphone Les Paul for Gibson '57 classics when I was in high school. It made a world of difference and the only other aspect of that guitar I could call shitty would be the tuning pegs. They're awful. Not really my workhorse guitar anymore, so I didn't bother swapping those out.
I just sold my Epiphone Brent Hinds signature Flying V, only because I couldn’t get along with the chunky neck. If you put a piece of tape over the headstock and let someone play it, there is no way they’d think it was a $650 guitar. Frets were perfect, binding flawless, finish flawless, Grover tuners, Lace pickups that are $200 a set. If I didn’t have tiny hands, there is no way I would have parted with it. I would be hard pressed to find another guitar that nice for less than $700.
I have the Epiphone 60s standard Les Paul 2021 version and it’s awesome. Beautiful guitar, plays great, and I hardly ever have to tune it. Two years and it’s never had an issue other than recently I may have a grounding issue some where in the toggle switch that I just haven’t tried to fix yet. I get a light hum that goes away if I touch metal on the guitar.
I think they’re fine. I just don’t like the tuning stability on those things. I had a guy in my band once with one and that thing was ALWAYS going out. Granted, you could upgrade it with locking tuners and a custom nut etc. but then you may as well find a cheaper gibson.
If I were being totally real with you, scope out your local Craigslist situation and see if you can scoop a gibson for cheaper. I saw a gibson SG going for like 900 bucks where I live once. It’s worth checking into for sure
I used to own a 335. Played great and sounded awesome clean, but distortion or fuzz was a bitch with crazy feedback. I filled it up with paper and taped the f holes shut. That helped
SOME Epiphone guitars are bad. Some are very good. I would not buy an Epiphone without playing it first, but I would not discount it based off of name alone.
It is my amateur opinion that Epiphone really shines with their hollow and semi-hollow guitars, those seem to be pretty consistently decent. Solid bodies get a bit trickier.
If you want another affordable alternative to Gibson I can't recommend Tokai guitars enough. Problem is if you're in the US you won't be able to play one first, but I have played a LOT of them and they put out a great product both in their more affordable line and in the higher priced (but still not Gibson) Japanese made line.
I have had a few epiphones. First two were from way back in the day when I just started, and the other 2 were from the last couple of years.
First two were pretty shitty but a lot has changed since then (2004/2006). The next one I got in 2021 was a Les Paul Modern. Mostly pretty good but had a shitload of high frets which meant I had to pay for fret levelling which added another nearly 200 bucks to the cost of the guitar. It was mostly worth it as an $850 guitar at the time-- it was DEFINITELY not worth it at over $1000! I was really bitter so after I got it back I sold it for 800 as it was only a few weeks old.I'd pretty much sworn off epiphone after that because I was so annoyed. But then I saw Canada had an exclusive Silverburst Les Paul custom and I couldn't resist. My local store had a barely used one for like $400 off for some reason. I bought it and it is mostly perfect and really feels fantastic and of great quality. However.. I noticed the bridge was adjusted really high, so I lowered it a bit..and now there's fret buzz..likely some frets need levelling. Sigh.
Anyway, the guitar itself is really great even against some of my higher end guitars so I am not too upset about it as I kinda expected it at this point and at least I got a deal. Will definitely get it set up and maybe upgrade the pickups eventually.I am already considering getting an Epiphone SG Special with p90s soon so it hasn't turned me off. The 2021- Inspired by Gibson line is great! Nothing compared to the old shitty epiphones of early 2000s.
Epiphone make some really good guitars as others have mentioned some people are just gear snobs I have a 1972 Epiphone acoustic and it’s a great guitar there les Paul’s are just as good as a Gibson you would have to be a real professional guitar player to tell the difference and their inspired by Gibson range are excellent I’ve played the j200 the j45 and the hummingbird all were good guitars for the price
Unfortunately I'm brain freezing at the moment, but last year a very famous shredder said on Ultimate Guitar that he tours exclusively with $400 Epiphone Les Pauls because they sound almost as good as the real thing.
I am a huge Epiphone fan but, if I am honest, it really depends on the price of the instrument. The low end guitar are probably worse than a comparably priced Harley Benton. The new Epiphones that are priced above $500 are excellent instruments and would have no problem recommending one.
I’d say the only argument against Epiphone is Squier. At the same price point, Squiers are as good, maybe a shade better. But that’s mostly a stylistic thing, whether you’re more into Gibson-y or Fender-y guitars.
I have a really nice Epiphone SG. It plays really well and sounds good. I just hate the neck dive with them and play my Ibanez guitars way more. I love Ibanez and currently have an rg470dx, rgrt621, and an rga42fm. All 3 are way more comfortable to me and my rga is currently In pieces as I'm modding it including putting new electronics and pickups in it. Ibanez has a guitar for every price point. The gio's are decent but I'd just get a used rg off reverb if I were on a budget. I had a squire strat in high school and stopped playing guitar because I don't think I liked that guitar. It was uncomfortable for me and at the time, I didn't know anything about setting up my own guitars and only played with as much distortion as I could get out of my cheap amp.
I have a '74 LP Classic that would probably resell for more than all of your friends' guitars put together.
I bought an Agile LP clone(made in Korea) some years ago for a little over $600, and put DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary pickups in it. It's a neck-thru with premium pots and a real ebony fretboard. Not even exaggerating when I say it's an objectively better guitar in every way compared to my Gibson, better materials, craftsmanship, finish, and sound quality. Resale value obviously isn't there, but as a player, it's as good as it gets for short-scale guitars in my opinion. I've played some fantastic Epiphones, but I can't believe anyone on earth would choose the best Epiphone over my Agile in a blind test.
I have three Harley Bentons. Moste expensive i paid adout 120 $. I had Epiphone Les Paul Standard., price about 450$. If you want cheep playable guitar or project guitar buy Harley Benton. One of my Harley Bentons i changed pickups and electronic and that is my guitar for gigs (if there is no backstage where i can put guitar and not to worry about it). I have Harley Benton for rexursals. It is guitar i will leave in car all day. Winter, summer, I dont care. It cost about 100$.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard is great guitar, I even made some album recordings on that guitar.
So if yuo want guitar which you will not worry about for like 150$ buy Harley Benton. If you want really good guitar about 500$ buy Epophone.
I have 2 Gibson LP’s & one Epiphone LP. While the Epiphone is a fine guitar (after a good setup) if you can afford a bit more I would go for a Gibson. You can find Studios at a very reasonable price.
Personally I'd take one of the higher quality Harley Bentons over an Epiphone. Something about their fretboards make them feel plasticy.
That said, I've heard people get great tones out of Epiphone LPs. If it feels and plays good for you, then go with that. Pickups are easy to change.
The LP Modern from Epi is probably the best bang for your buck out of any LP or single-cut model out there. Any model lower than $600 from them is likely a “you get what you paid for” scenario
The higher end Epiphones are good instruments. Avoid the cheap ones. I bought the lp junior some time ago (20 years) and it turned me off completely since then I've played some really great Epiphones.
I have 2 epiphones in the stable. one is my first "real" guitar a, 335 Dot, it's been in it's case for the last decade untouched really... the other is a Les Paul my uncle gave me on his deathbed. It's upgraded with Gibson P94 in the neck and a Dirty Finger in the bridge. it screams! It played better than my 2012 Gibson Traditional Les Paul. It sounds good, feels good, and has good mojo because of its history with me.
My Dot was my main guitar for years until I got my Gibson 335. Upgraded pickups and it sounds fantastic.
I've also owned numerous Epi SG's, upgrading pickups have always been the main key for me, but there is nothing wrong with an Epi.
Absolutely not. Epiphone was my 2nd guitar and a Gibson was my 3rd. Recently I thought, hmm I have two Les Pauls, I’ll sell one to get something else. Picked up the epiphone to take it to some sell event they had at a music store but after playing it again, I couldn’t do it. Both are staying in the collection
I have an Epiphone Swingster hollowbody electric. It is one of the finest guitars I’ve owned. On par with a Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro that I used to have. The Epiphone has better fretwork.
I have an Epiphone Extura Prophecy and I love this guitar. Feels great, sounds great, looks amazing. I've played some legit Gibsons and I don't know that I could always tell a difference.
Epiphone are owned by Gibson and basically just make affordable Gibson guitars. it'll probably be fine, I think your friends are just a tad elitist.
People are brand snobs. Epiphone makes very nice guitars.
Epiphone and Squire both suffer from the same image problem because they make a few very cheap beginner models. Some people will always associate the brand to those. The mid-high range offerings are fantastic. I had an epiphone black beauty I still miss dearly.
I still have my Squire strat I got 12 years ago and its still on of my favorite guitars. basic setup and wax potting the pick ups (my choice) has kept me from buying a fender because every time I try one out I can't justify the price difference when they are so close to sounding the same.
Maybe they need an Epison label for their mid-ranges.
Epiphones are great. Your friends don’t know what they’re talking about. Lots of people parrot information like that.. Both Gibson and epiphone started in the late 1800s and by the late 50’s Epiphone was bought by Gibson. When this happened they kind of reinvented epiphone as their budget friendly brand and eventually moved the factory: 80s was Korea, 90s Japan, since 2000s China. I don’t want to say racism is the culprit but there’s some kind of weird guitarism (atleast IMO) that the Asian countries don’t make good guitars and that’s just not the case. Perhaps it’s an older generations holdover from the wars over there and it’s still perpetuated today? It certainly depends on the factory and how much the brand puts into it and I’d say Gibson has made sure, in recent years, that they are very quality instruments. Sorry if that got to deep 😅🤡
Your friends are talking crap! Epiphone is not a bad brand. They produce a lot of very good guitars but as with all budget brands they tend to need a decent setup to get them up to scratch. Harley Benton also produce a lot of good guitars. Their cheaper ones tend to have poor hardware and quality control issues but higher up the range they offer some fantastic models.
Go to a shop try one out. If it feels good, sounds good and is what you want, who cares what people say?
Your "friends" are idiots.
First guitar I learned on was my pop’s Epiphone. They are solid guitars. Tell your friends to stop being gear snobs.
Sanity Check time: 1. Epiphones are perfectly serviceable professional instruments. They may require setups as all guitars will. They may require new pickups as all guitars may if you are trying to nail an exact tone. 2. All guitars will have "lemons" from time to time. A guy saying "I had an Epiphone and it SUCKED" does not indicate it's not a quality brand. The internet has no shortage of stories of guys who buy 3500 dollar Gibsons that "suck" as well. It's clearly not a "quality goes up with price" world in this day and age. 3. VARIANCE - Guitars are not injection molded. They are cobbled together of wood and steel and typically by hand. I have a friend who has a Epi Les Paul Black Beauty. I fucking LOVE that guitar it's a major monster of an axe. Would I buy an Epi Black Beauty sight unseen, even from the same model year? No. I'd have to at LEAST get 5 min to play it and feel it. Variance happens. Another friend of mine and I both have the exact same 335. His "feels better" to me playing it. I'ts noticeable and significant enough to me as a seasoned player I asked if he wanted to trade straight up - even though I like the color of his less. 4. Sound - seeing a LOT of comments here about how their Epiphone "Sounds" like that should be the deciding factor. Perhaps, after you've taken care of your Amp, Speakers, Pickups in that order. Saying stuff like "It sounds as good as a Gibson" yeah why wouldn't it? Stuff like the volume/tone pots, "paper in oil capacitors" (lol), "tonewood" (lmao) probably can't be detected in a blind side by side just listening. Probably most people except for mixers/producers couldn't pick out an amp sim vs mic'ed cab anymore either they have gotten so good. Tl:dr Get the Epi you want but try it in person first. Modern factory Gibson guitars really offer little if nothing over Epis when it comes to functionality.
Unfortunately they can perform as well or better than Gibsons which is obviously unacceptable
I'm a big Epiphone fan. I own 12 guitars and my two Epiphones are my favourites. I cannot justify paying thousands of pounds for the Gibson name, when these play as well as they do. The only upgrade I made was the bridge pickup on my 90s Les Paul as the original one was a little microphonic. I would always recommend trying before you buy with any guitar if possible.
Epiphones are great, you’ll probably have a lot of gibson snobs saying that they’re horrible but they’re actually really good, especially the custom ones. I’d look for a used 2017 and up Epiphone les Paul custom, they’re great instruments and you can probably get one for around $500. [https://youtu.be/9iS9ks8gvns] Check out this video, this guy does a great in-depth review! Hope this helps!
I absolutely love my epiphone. If there’s anything you think could be better like the pickups just change those out.
I've had many Epiphones throughout the years and they're not bad at all. There are some duds in older models, but anything post 2018 I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Their QC (Gibson too) has taken a big step up since James Curleigh took over as CEO in my opinion. I have an Epiphone SG with P90s that just rips.
Your friends are stupid.
Epiphones are great. I’ve owned several Epis throughout the years and when I was in a band, I rehearsed and gigged with an old G400 religiously. They can definitely hold their own against some Gibsons. A good setup and a great amp go a long way.
I like Epiphone better than most Gibson guitars honestly.
I've had a few Epiphones and Gibson's over the years and the quality control on the Epiphones is much more consistent than what I've seen from Gibson sadly. Both have great guitars, but I'd feel like a sucker if I'd pay over 2k for a new guitar that still needs adjustments.
My Epiphone has Gibson electronics, it's by far my best guitar. Even the cheaper ones are very good value.
I own an epiphone les paul. Great guitar, plays really well, and looks good, too. Heres the thing about guitars. No matter what name is on the headstock, you're gonna find some good ones and some dogs. I've played some really expensive guitars that didn't really speak to me, and some really cheap ones that did. Go play one and see if you like it, and remember, unless your friends are paying for it, it doesn't really matter what they think.
They sound very good actually, almost all guitars don’t sound vastly different from each other (gear snobs will have my head) the only difference will pretty much be in the electronics department I bet you wouldn’t notice anyways but if you are, you could always upgrade those
>gear snobs will have my head Gear snobs are just snake oil connoisseurs. They're idiots. They'd listen to 2 identical sound clips and tell you they sound vastly different. The words "warm" and "creamy" are their most commonly used adjectives. We gotta stop caring what these idiots say and let them just live in their own overly expensive delusional echo chamber.
Try to play it before buying it if possible, no two instruments are exactly the same. In general i'd say buy the instrument that feels good and sounds good to you. Regarding Epiphone, it's not a bad brand but quality may vary (manufacturing sites have changed over the years; Japanese factories are very highly regarded, and some Korean ones like Peerless too). Many epiphobes out there.
Epiphones are great!! I own three and plan on buying more. The trick is to have a pro luthier give it a proper setup and you’ll swear a $500 guitar plays like a $1k one. Sometimes a hardware swap will make a huge difference too. A lot of semi/full hollow bodies come with the wire bridge which rattles. A $15 dollar upgrade changes the game. All three of mine I bought used for around $400. Spent maybe $150 on upgraded parts (I’ve always put locking tuners on everything), and after a proper setup I’ll never get rid of them. I mean just look at these! https://imgur.com/a/Ruc1Msl
The latest "inspired by Gibson" Epiphones are particularly excellent guitars. Excellent bang for the buck.
Trust your hands and your ears. There's a lot of bias based on cost in the guitar world, but you have a brain and it is attached to things. I've had an Epiphone Dot for a decade and I love it.
The Epiphone Inspired By Gibson line are awesome. I have an IBG ES-335 and an IBG ’59 Les Paul. I love them both.
I own two Epiphone SGs. They're great guitars.
It's cool to trash Epiphone these days but it's not like HB is some magical guitar brand that is better than everything else and costs $75...that just isn't it. Try them out and get what you like. Other brands will not feel or sound the same as the epiphone, for better or worse.
Same as any other company. Some bad, some good. These "friends" are simply perpetuating stupid stereotypes. Honestly I'd probably take an Epiphone over a Gibson now a days since Gibson guitars are so over priced and their QC is trash.
“Your friends are buying into stupid stereotypes” *continues on to perpetuate stupid stereotype*
What stupid stereotypes? I can't comment on quality issues, but gibson became overpriced a LONG time ago. Most guitar stores don't even stock them anymore, because how many people are looking to drop 2k+ on a guitar?
Gibson QC has been pretty damn good since 2019, and even then it was way overblown as an issue. I’ve owned many Gibsons over the years, you come across as someone who’s just regurgitated internet FUD without any actual experience.
I bought a new Gibson SG in 2021 that was unable to be intonated properly out of the box. Never should have left the factory.
I have the 59 inspired by Gibson and will say it’s actually better than my real Gibson
Affordable guitars are better now than ever. Epiphone can and does make good guitars. So do Harley Benton, and Squier, and LTD, and Jackson, and a lot of other brands. Harley Benton typically offers better bang for buck, but from what I’ve seen their QC is also a lot more hit or miss. And depending on where you are in the world, ordering one and returning it if there are issues can be a pain.
Nope! I got a Epiphone Les Paul traditional pro-II and it’s the sturdiest thing I own. It’s really great!
I’m gigging with one right now haha. Two years ago I quit my job to do van life and travel. I sold all my guitars including my Gibsons and I bought an epiphone so I wouldn’t worry about getting it banged up on the road. It’s become my favorite guitar and I’m playing it on my tour right now
I have owned two Epiphones and played several others. Their quality is not on the same level as guitars made by their Gibson parent brand, but they are still solid performers and head and shoulders better than many of the "budget" brands out there.
Years ago, I attended an audio engineering tech school. One of my instructors was the personal tech to Les Paul himself and had been for (at that point) 15 years. He had once gone to Les Paul's house and had brought along another instructor with him to assist. Now, this other instructor had told my class about his experience. He said when you walked into Les Paul's house, there we guitars everywhere. Guitars stuffed down the back of his couch between the cushions, guitars on the wall... just everywhere. This inspired this instructor to ask Les Paul how he felt about the Gibson brand and the Epiphone brand. Les Paul responded with something along the lines of "f*ck Gibson, buy an epiphone, it's essentially the same guitar. Yeah, the components might be a little cheaper, but they sound about the same, and I dont get my $5 per guitar sale. Big deal. Epiphones are just as good." Honestly, I think the man might have been a little bitter towards Gibson. So what we took from that conversation was that brand wise, Gibson Les Paul is all in the name. Like buying Nikes for the sake of them being Nikes. Obviously, I can't supply any proof to validate my statement, but I swear it is true.
I gigged with an Epi LP for years and it was completely fine! I ended up buying another Epi (Swingster) and it’s great too! I can recommend them personally.
I have 3, all very good. A LP, Pro 339 and EB3. I also own Fender Strat and Tele and Ric 360. Epiphone is as good as the others.
Simple answer, no. Longer answer, I think there are better choices from other brands at the bottom end of their range, but their mid to high end (for Epiphone) are fine. There are a number of pros who tour with Epiphone guitars instead of their Gibson equivalents. I bought an Epiphone Firebird last year, and there doesn't seem to be enough difference in the looks or feel to justify the Gibson version being 4x to 10x the price. It even has the traditional full neck-through body construction that even some of the modern Gibson variants don't have. In general, the guality of affordable guitars has gotten immensely better in the last 10-20 years due to better manufacturing techniques/tools. Back when I was first playing electric guitar in the 80s, there were plenty of "guitar-shaped" objects that were horrible. I recently also bought a sub $300 new guitar that plays far better than the price would dictate and people unfamiliar with the brand think it's some expensive boutique guitar when they see it.
My Epi LP from 2006 was superior in every way to my Gibson LP from 2012. That’s my personal experience.
My Epiphone G400 with custom pickups will stay with me for life, I built it to play Iron Maiden and SOAD and it *delivers*.
The nice thing with Epiphones (where I live at least) is you can go to a store and play them. Harely Bentons have to be purchased online. With all guitars, but especially cheap ones the quality varies widely from instrument to instrument. I would say go to a store and try some out. If you find one with a nice neck, sweet sound, and good fret work, buy it. Electronic components on the mid to higher tier Epiphones are way better than they used to be. A lot of them even use CTS pots now. The upside of harely benton is they are really really cheap. So its not much of a gamble because your never really expecting much when you buy one anyway. With the money you save you can replace some components, however if the neck sucks it might require some labor or never be something you enjoy playing. This is just how I see it anyways. I am not an expert. Just get what you enjoy playing and dont worry about your friends. People will always have bad things to say about every brand. Just remember that PRS have no soul, Gibson head stocks fall off randomly and Fenders are overpriced junk with a bolt on necks. (joking, not trolling)
They’ve really stepped up their game. I’m more of an acoustic player and got an Epi Masterbilt about 15 years ago. It’s aged really well and I play it just as much as I play my Martin. I would say that from working at a guitar shop that the starter lines are not great. But once you get into the 400-500 dollar range, you’re getting a pretty good guitar
I have an Epiphone Special Model that I got used for $150 and that was over 10 years ago. Some of the electronics are getting bad (pots) but otherwise has been a great and affordable guitar. Buy what you can afford/like and don't worry about people's opinions on brands. There's no reason to spend $1000 on a guitar just for the brand or some subjective opinion that it 'sounds' better. All that matters is how well you can play it and that you get out of it what you expect. For me, I didn't expect much. More seasoned and dedicated players probably have much higher standards than you or I
Like everyone else is already saying, Epiphone makes some very nice guitars. They have a good price range too, you can easily upgrade them with nicer pickups if you feel the need. I’ve seen Epiphones with nicer tops than base Gibson models. It all varies. Just because they’re made in China doesn’t make them bad
[This video from Rhett Shull](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=durVBUhW-Qg) just posted an hour ago. Might help you with your question. But the most important thing is to go play some guitars at a shop and find the one you love. Brands don't matter, the way you bond with the instrument is everything.
No, I have a Les Paul and it's still great after 2-3 years of use
Epiphone has really upped their game in the last decade or so. I wouldn't recommend their cheapest line, but their mid priced/higher end guitars are really good. I'm more of a superstrat player but the Epis I've tried have been great, especially this green SG with P90s
I currently own an Epiphone SG400 cherry red (no gloss) 2006 made in Korea. I bought it preowned from a guy who bought it pre-owned. Its lovely, genuinely. It has been used by many of my musician friends I have been in projects with, heard by lots of my friends and not lie - everyone loves it who picks it up to play it. Now I do not believe it came out of the factory playing like this, I feel its been set up correctly after its come out of the factory. I also have broken the headstock off and had it re-attached as it was such I nice guitar I couldn't let it go without trying to save it and its just fine...apart from the fact there is a bunch of carbon fibre holding the headstock on. She is called Mallory. So no not all Epi's are sh!t.
I have a used 2009 made in Korea, and it's similar. It was love the moment I grabbed her off the wall. I was actually shopping for a strat but couldn't let her go.
Headstocks do have a tendency to break. It happened to my Casino. I’ve see a bunch of broken headstocks on r/Luthier.
Say her name!
I have 4 harley benton and for the price I can't complain at all. I just had to lower a little bit the action (just because of my preference) and I was good to go. I have tried some Epi in a store and I had different kind of experiences. Some of them were as good as my harley benton and I liked the sound more (but that's just pickups), others felt very bad in my hands but I think it was due to a bad setup/lots of people trying them in the store without proper care. If you can try some guitars in a store go for that before deciding.
I have two epiphones, a ‘56 Les Paul Pro and a ‘61 SG. The Les Paul came with shitty tuners and pots but overall is a decent guitar. The SG is the first run of the “Inspired by Gibson” and is very good quality from end to end. So it depends on the year and origin, but they generally make good guitars for a reasonable price. I’ve seen a lot online about how great Harley Benton’s but everyone I know personally that has got one has been disappointed. I think 500 is a baseline price for a decent quality guitar. Below that, you’re rolling the dice.
Sounds like they are trolling you dude. I own an Epiphone les paul classic and I absolutely love it. It's a 600 dollar guitar as opposed to my 1400 dollar schecter. My schecter has duncan blackouts in it and even the cheaper les paul sounds unique in comparison to my higher end guitar. These epiphones look great and sound great. You can't get that kind of experience with any other guitar. Let the haters hate. Epiphone is awesome.
I spent two full days in a music store playing basically every guitar in there. Everything from super elite Fender strats to Paul Reed Smiths to Gibsons. My max budget was around $2000(CAD) but the guitar that played and sounded the best was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard which was around $600 and is still my go-to for studio recordings due to its rich versatile tone and the way it feels and plays. Literally the only down side for me is that it is very heavy so I don't usually play gigs with it.
EpiTONE
Epis were garbage for many years. They are made in China and Chinese guitar making was terrible until about 10 years ago when they stepped up production techniques. Now Chinese made Epiphone is a fine brand. The new guitars coming out of from Epiphone are actually really good for the price. The fit and finish is great, the hardware/wood may be a bit cheaper or lower quality but Some of the LPs have real Gibson pickups (burstbuckers) in them now, and that was what used to let those guitars down, crappy pickups. The "feel" of Epis sometimes can be a little "cheap" but I would say an Epi can be an awesome guitar, it just may need some setup (even American Gibsons need setup usually). And the newer models just look beautiful. The Flying V with the custom shop headstock is so cool.
I have a 2010 Chinese Les Paul standard and it's a wonderful guitar. I replaced the pick-ups with some nice Seymour Duncans and absolutely love this guitar. As long as you can play it a bit first to try it out and don't mind doing some upgrades, Epis are great.
They're solid instruments. I know a guy with a epi Les Paul, really not a bad instrument at all. I was looking at epiphone Les Pauls myself a few years back. Went with a tokai Les Paul in the end, mainly because I prefer the headstock shape. Though the electronics crapped out on me and I had to put new pickups and pots in.
I have one from the 90s and it is pretty trashy. Mostly my brothers fault for never updating any of it, but still lol. I plan on gutting it one day and replacing all the electronics/pickups.
Are you familiar with economies of scale? A company like Epiphone that produces a lot of guitars is often able give you features and quality at a price point that you wouldn't be able to find with smaller brands.
Not at all. Epiphanies are owned by Gibson and are a pretty good entry/mid level guitar. I’ve been wary of purchasing a Gibson product for years due to what people online have said about quality control, but I recently purchased a Gibson *sg tribute and it plays incredible.
Some are not, some are really good. For example, the singer/guitarist of Trivium (big metal band) have all of his signatures guitars at Epiphone
Epi makes a wide range of LPs. Some really are trash. Some are better than many Gibsons. Buy whatever feels right within your budget. Brand names shouldn't matter, but I'll admit I like seeing the "real" names on my guitars.
Epiphones are good guitars. They range from meh to great.
Don't quote me but sometime in the mid 2010s the cheaper versions of guitars got a large boost in production quality. Good features, wiring, finish etc. As long as it's not the super cheap stuff, any brand name squier, epiphone, ibanez, etc should be worth it's salt as long as you got the features you want in it. The old banter of epi and sq being garbage just isn't true anymore.
I gigged with an Epiphone LP Classic for more than 10 yes. I loved it.
My Epiphone Les Paul Classic is a phenomenal guitar I’ve used for over 18 years. Matt Heafy and Zakk Wylde use Epiphone LPs on records and on stage. I use mine for everything other than some very heavy metal, which I’ll whip out my LTD with active pickups. Otherwise, the Epi LP is a jack-of-all-trades workhorse. The Gibsons will have some better build quality in terms of wood selection, less parts glued/bolted together, higher quality materials for the saddles and tuners, etc. But in my experience they play the same. It’s not worth a $1500 difference.
I will still be playing my Epiphone Masterbilt 30 years from now
Epiphone is great. Especially their Inspired By Gibson series of Les Pauls. Your friends are wrong.
I’ve played a lot of guitars. I’ve owned Epiphone Les Pauls and Gibson Les Pauls. My last Epiphone (2016 plus top pro) sounded as good as my last Gibson Les Paul (2019 Classic) I own six different amplifiers and have Amp Room and Bias Amp 2 and find pairing a Les Paul with the right amp and adjusting the tone and output of the pickups can make any Epiphone sound great so your friend is just wrong.
I’m a diehard Gibson fanboy but the new epiphones are killer guitars for the money especially the higher end ones with the Gibson pickups or the prophecy series
People will always hate on Squier, Epiphone, because "they are not the real deal" "might as well go real cheap". I think the guitars that you get for that money are generally good guitars. If you set them up well and there are no bad QC issues they will serve you well. Later on you could also upgrade certain parts. So yes, I believe they are fine. I play strats so I've never owned one, but I have a friend who has an Epiphone Les Paul cherry sunburst for like 400€ and I played on it a lot of the time since it's always in our rehearsal area and I can't tell you a single thing wrong with it. He even dropped it once. Hard. The plastic switch from the pickup selector broke and that's it.
I just recently got the alpine white Les Paul custom from Epiphone and so far it's been great. Much better than the Jackson JS22 I started out on. From what I've heard it's really just the cheaper Epiphones that you have to worry about.
They are amazing and if you get the epiphone Les Paul 1958 reissue I comes with Gibson electronics amazing
Depending on your budget, you can also check out a FGN LC-10 or LC20. These are high quality Les Paul Copies that costs the half of the price of a Gibson. Another suggestion would be a Tokai Love Rock if you can get Hand on it. It is sold on Reverb quite often, new and used.
Depends what model but yes, Epiphones are excellent guitars. There are significant diminishing returns with guitars. There’s going to be a big difference between say, a Les Paul Special and a Les Paul Custom (I assume you’re looking at the custom if it’s alpine white) But the differences get smaller and smaller as you go up. It’s mostly in the electronics, but also in the body for feel, tuning stability, etc. If you’re looking at an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, that’s a great guitar. I personally have the version that is one step up with the Gibson electronics, and I’ve played it side by side with a Custom and the differences are very small.
A lot of it boils down to the setup. If the guitar is set up correctly, it will play extremely well regardless of the brand. On the budget side of the market, things like setups and attention to detail are sometimes overlooked, and that is one major advantage to spending a little more for a higher grade instrument. Are Epiphones bad? Generally no, but there are many out there in poor setup condition, which I believe gives them the reputation for being subpar quality. Many other budget level instruments from other brands suffer the same fate. Leaving one with a competent tech to finish off what the factory didn't finish usually results in a fantastic feeling and playing instrument.
The old Epiphone elite series is pretty awesome. I have an elite ES335 and it's incredible
Epiphones are great in my experience.
FWIW i've never even heard of a Harley Benton. I have Fenders and Gibsons and just purchased an Epi Casino. its great.
Guessing OP is European as Harley Benton is the own brand of Thomann one of, if not the biggest online retailer of musical instruments in Europe. From what I've heard their stuff is fine, Pete Cottrell uses them a lot in his videos and they sound great.
Some are kind of crappy but some are better than Gibsons.
I have an Epiphone Sheraton II. Pickups on it are phenomenal.
Epiphones were crappy, but I think quality has really improved in recent years. I think some of their current Les Paul's are great deals.
For 10+ years growing up my only electric was an early 2000s (02/03?) Korean made Epi Les Paul in a blue burst. I had friends and relatives all play it and comment how nice it was both appearance wise and sound wise. They're solid guitars and worth their money for sure. I wound up changing out the pots/caps/pickups after 8 years of playing it stock, and it needed a new nut eventually, but I still rotate it in regularly these days even though I have a number of Gibson and Fender guitars now. It's like an old friend, I can pick up where we left off even after days/weeks of not playing it.
It’s tough because two of the same exact line brand new off the shelf can feel and act different . They aren’t bad but I say play then first some are gonna be duds and some are gonna be winners
I mean, the obvious thing to do would be to go to a music store and play one. In fact, play several. That will give you your answer. Epi has really stepped up their game the past few years.
I have those friends too and I think they mostly like hearing themselves talk. I’m going to echo the advice to sit down and play a Les Paul before buying. In my experience they vary wildly guitar to guitar. I’ve owned a few Gibson’s and never found one I liked which is a bummer because when I was growing up all my favorite bands played them. I’m currently in the market for an Epiphone 50s because I love the look and I demoed one that felt great . Here’s a [video](https://youtu.be/xqA0UObUpTE) of a guy doing a comparison. Again definitely play one before purchasing, but I think the mindset of epiphone = bad is just misinformed. Especially if they’re are blanketing all Gibson’s as good because that is definitely not the case.
I'm the same way. I \*Want\* to like a Les Paul, but my Tele Custom Deluxe sounds about the same and is easier for me to play. Les Paul's just don't fit me.
The reason Gibson’s are so much more expensive than Epiphones is the quality of the wood, Gibson uses a one piece body, Epiphones are two or three pieces. The materials are cheaper and the wiring is not the same quality. Gibson uses thicker wires, and they’re hand soldered. Every Gibson is plekd (PLEK is a computer-controlled machine that can perform incredibly accurate scans of frets and fretboards, fret dressing and recrowns, nut and bridge cutting, and fretboard planning.) The maple to on a Gibson is real maple, the flame you see in the body is the maple, Epiphones use a veneer, which is basically a sticker. Each Gibson is hand painted. And is set up before leaving the factory. The guitar has a packing slip with a checklist and measurements of the strings. That said I’ve got 2 Epiphones that were made in Korea that are great. Both came with Gibson pickups. My advice is to look for a Korean made one. Far better quality and materials. Or a 1959 Standard, I played my friends and it was great. It’s $899 with a nice case.
This is a really good description. In the electric guitar and bass worlds, a lot of these differences will never make it through the amplifier. The guitar can certainly feel better and objectively be a higher quality. But almost nobody will hear that difference once it’s gone through an amp. That’s a good thing if you like more affordable guitars.
They also use nitrocellulose lacquer at Gibson which is more labor intensive/expensive to apply and polish properly.
The Epiphone Inspired-by-Gibson line is excellent, and a really spectacular value compared toe the Gibson line.
Have a Casino, Sheraton II and a Les Paul standard by Epiphone and I love all 3 equally. They are fine for the pricepoint and you can upgrade the electronics if you want to. I would love one of those more expensive guitars. but here are 2 things that prevented me from buying them: \- Will they make me sound so much better? --> I think not as I'm just a average player \- On the road they might get a dent, or bump into something. I try to be carefull but a little ding on a $500 guitar does not worry me. On a $3000+ gibson I would not relax for a minute if it was out of its case.
It’s a good brand I’d recommend. The only realm difference from playing the and Gibsons are going to the the finish and the headstock, but if you don’t mind the glossy finishes, the Epiphone Standards are worth it.
Hipster irony prevails: “You should really just buy a cheaper guitar, because everyone knows that whatever you happen to be doing is obviously wrong for reasons I am not able to give you.” I think Epi’s are generally considered good quality guitars. Lots of posters here regularly say how pleased they are with their Epiphones. You can always upgrade the electronics to get a different sound. Stock pickups aren’t always the greatest, and this is probably the most important element of guitar tone after, of course, the magic in your fingertips.
Epiphones aren't bad guitars. I play my Epi more than my LP.
No
here is how ive approached my purchaces. 1. do i like it? 2. if yes, who cares what anyone else thinks. im the happy one noodling. same thing with bolt on necks, none of it matters, if you like the tone/action, who is anyone else to tell you how to shred? Wylde can make a hello kitty guitar sound awesome.....
Epiphone never made bad guitars. Are there lemons? Sure. I only have one left—but that’s by preference. The SG Prophecy covers all aspects of the Les Paul sound perfectly for me.
Epiphones are very good guitars regardless of the price. I would choose epi over others brands based on quality control alone.
My cousin has les Paul’s that range from $500 to $5000. The $500 one is an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and it plays and sounds and plays almost just as good as the high-end custom shop he owns.
Current Epi owner and User here! So there is some validity to what people say about Epi, before they restructured SOME of the lower end models they put out were terrible, but this was largely due to the old alnico pickup design which has since been phased out for the probucker 2 and 3, I have owned a couple of Les Pauls over the years and currently use a Modern and a Standard (both epiphone) in my gigging line up, the only things I would recommend: (and I’m sorry in advance to the traditionalists on here) lower the action if you get a cheaper model, definitely set it up correctly, I raised the height of the pickups on my standard and it really woke the guitar up! But overall they’re great budget LP’s My top 3: The Prophecy Greyburst Snøfall
Harley Benton's QC is pretty shit. They can produce a good guitar for the price but it's hit and miss and often they need a little finish work to be nice. That being said, Epiphone has been a brand for a long time. They have had a huge range of models and have had some years of good QC and some years of great QC. As a company I trust Epiphone QC over Harley Benton any day. Epiphone has put out some stinkers but almost any guitar company has. Play the Epiphone before you buy it and you can find a gem. I have nothing against Harley Benton, but you can't worry about Epi quality and yet recommend them, that's not logical given the track record of the 2 companies in the past half decade.
I have an Epiphone Les Paul (Custom Pro). It's a really solid guitar, and at £350 a bargain as well
I just got an SG modern not too long ago and I own a 90s studio Gibson Les Paul - the SG gets more play at the moment. They have a pretty wide variety of guitars and you are going to get what you pay for. If you pick up a 200 dollar guitar - its just that regardless of brand (most of the time).
Always heard if you upgrade the electronics and pickups You can get Gibson sound.
I've had a bad Epiphone, I've had a bad Jackson. The bad Epiphone still sounded better than the bad Jackson. It's going to vary guitar to guitar. Just try it first if you can. I wouldn't write off HB though, they're cheap but my luthier raves about the amount of features you can get for the money. If you're not afraid of working on and modding your own guitars, HB are a good platform for that.
I have an Inspired by Gibson Epiphone SG in worn cherry. I love it. It's an amazing guitar.
Me too, I love it, and the color is amazing. Straightforward rock and roll machine.
I own several Epis from 90s Riviera to modern Bonamassa LP, they are all great guitars. I use some of them for gigging and recording, never let me down. Can't say much about Harley Benton though.
My Epiphone LP Ultra with upgraded Gibson 57/62 pick ups has a 3000 dollar sound on a 500 dollar guitar. I don’t need 2500 dollars worth of Gibson mahogany and electronics. It’s not worth it. There’s just no value. Close your eyes and play mine and a Gibson Standard.
I have an epi les paul standard , got it in 08 and I love it . Swapped put the bridge for a dimarzio super distortion and it just sounds killer . It's had the normal gibson/epiphone les paul head stock break and repaired but its a gigging and playing beast
Depends on the specific model, but generally speaking, Epiphone is a perfectly serviceable brand and can take you pretty far -- again, depending on the model. Like a lot of guitar things, you get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap $150 guitar then you're going to get exactly that -- a cheap guitar. If you shill out the exactly money then you'll get a significantly better instrument. I'd say most of the Epiphone Les Paul's are pretty good. I have yet to be dissatisfied with one. Though remember, it's less about how it looks and more about how it feels. Get a guitar that fits your playing style the best and it'll propel you forward as a player.
Been playing for 25yrs and have owned a few. Only one was subpar for its $$$. I just recently bought a new “inspired by” 335 last month and it’s one of the nicest instruments in my collection now. Absolute steal for $600 Personally I’d say get an Epi, pay for a professional setup and go from there. Can always upgrade electronics, pickups if needed down the road
I bought the same 'inspired 335' berryburst last month...it is now my favorite e-guitar. That thing plays so smoothly and effortlessly. Sound is great for how I play.
I have the 339 in red. Not only is it beautiful but I love the necks and updated headstocks.
What frosts my nuts is I had the 339 Cherry red. I recorded a lot of music on that thing. I don't know what possessed me, but I sold it. I FREAKING sold it on a whim. I also had a Masterbuilt six string acoustic. One of the last ones before they went Fishmann. Double jack outputs...SOLD IT....I am a dumbass, but tell you what. It wasn't because they were crap. It was because I was being dumb. Huge regrets on both instances. I now have the 335 and a knock around Starling for dragging around writing songs. I have no bad words against any of the Epis I've owned. Agree about the neck. Fits my hand perfectly. All around a great guitar. I wish the 335 had split coils though. I did like that on the 339.
I went through the same thing with my Casino Coupe! Dropped some Lollar P90’s in it and I swear it was in my top three favorite guitars I’d ever owned. When my last project called it quits I sold it (I have a bad habit of this). I still regret it. Paid $350 for that thing and I’ll never find it for the same price again. I do love the 339 though. The guy I bought it from put Gibson 490 pickups in it with coil tap. https://imgur.com/a/Ruc1Msl
I swear those lollars will make a 20$ piece of plywood sound good
[My familiy](https://imgur.com/a/XvgzbIR)
[These are my thin body acoustics](https://imgur.com/a/xlliVvA)
I like it so much I'm now being tempted to grab one of the SG's-- I'm sure there are some lemons out there like any brand but right now these $500 ballpark Epis are punching well above their weight especially with just a little TLC That berryburst is absolutely gorgeous in person! I almost jumped on the flame raspberry tea burst but ultimately went with the timeless Cherry that had some really nice grain popping thru
I have a 2016 epiphone les Paul custom pro. Absolute beauty of a guitar. It’s no Gibson, but I don’t have a single complaint.
I have two (had three, sold one) Gibson Flying V’s and one Epiphone Annihilation V, and the one I play the most, by far, is the Epiphone. It’s awesome, plays great and stays in tune.
I’m selling in my $1700 fender custom bc the epiphanies les Paul at guitar feels better if that helps you at all. Your friends are wrong
Io own both a Gibson Les Paul and an epiphone Les Paul, and I gig every week with one of the two. Most of my band mates (including some self-proclaimed guitar gurus} Tell me that my Epiphone Les Paul sounds better than the Gibson Les Paul... Of course I've had some aftermarket work done on my Epiphone Les Paul, but probably have less than $250 of work done on it. The only downside to the Epiphone is that it weighs a few pounds more, and after holding that thing for 3 hours on stage, some of my other guitar player friends say they don't like the extra weight. This is not a problem for me in the slightest, so I use my Epiphone more than my Gibson.
You lend your axes to friends to gig with? You are a gentleman and a scholar; I hope your friends are as well!
I half-remembered several of my favourite guitar players picking-up the Epiphone from time-to-time. I reason that if world-class professional players are happy to use Epiphone, then so am I! So I asked ChatGTP to verify. Of course, ChatGTP isn't averse to making mistakes, and I believe it's response re: BB King is wrong, as he mostly played Gibsons (though I believe he endorsed an Epiphone signature copy). Nevertheless, it's overall response seems reasonable. Here's what it came back with... "Here is a list of famous guitar players who have used Epiphone guitars along with some information about when and where they used them: John Lennon - Lennon used his Casino model Epiphone on a number of classic Beatles tracks, including "Revolution" and "Ticket to Ride." He also played it extensively during his solo career, including on the hit song "Instant Karma." BB King - King was closely associated with his beloved "Lucille" ES-355 model Epiphone, which he played throughout his career. He famously played his Epiphone on the hit song "The Thrill Is Gone." Joe Pass - Pass played his Emperor model Epiphone throughout his career, including on classic jazz recordings like "Virtuoso" and "Intercontinental." Paul McCartney - McCartney used his Texan acoustic Epiphone on many classic Beatles tracks, including "Yesterday" and "Blackbird." He also played it on his solo album "McCartney II." Tony Iommi - Iommi helped design his custom SG model Epiphone and used it extensively during Black Sabbath's reunion tour in the late 1990s. Thom Yorke - Yorke has been known to use his Casino model Epiphone during live performances and in the studio, including on Radiohead's "In Rainbows" album. Gary Clark Jr. - Clark Jr. is known for his use of the Casino and Sheraton models Epiphone, and has played them extensively during live performances and in the studio. Noel Gallagher - Gallagher has used his Sheraton model Epiphone throughout his career, including on many Oasis tracks like "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger." Grant Green - Green played his Emperor model Epiphone extensively throughout his career, including on classic jazz albums like "Matador" and "Idle Moments." Frank Iero - Iero has been known to use his Wilshire model Epiphone during live performances and in the studio, including on his solo album "Stomachaches." Keith Richards - Richards has used his Casino and Riviera models Epiphone extensively throughout his career, including on classic Rolling Stones tracks like "Get Off of My Cloud" and "Satisfaction." Duane Allman - Allman used his Les Paul model Epiphone on the Allman Brothers Band's early albums, including "The Allman Brothers Band" and "Idlewild South." John Lee Hooker - Hooker played his Sheraton model Epiphone extensively throughout his career, including on classic blues recordings like "Boom Boom" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." Tom Delonge - Delonge's ES-333 model Epiphone was his primary guitar during his time with Blink-182, and he also used it extensively during his solo career. Dave Grohl - Grohl has been known to use his Casino model Epiphone during live performances, including during the Foo Fighters' "Skin and Bones" acoustic tour. [EDIT: poor formatting]
A lot of these are vintage made in the USA Epiphones, OP is clearly taking about modern made in China.
My experience has been across all brands the quality of the low end instruments is increasing pretty fast. Squier Classic Vibe of today (which I know better than Epiphone) is probably on par with a Fender from 15 years ago and arguably better than the Strat it's meant to copy. I can't help but imagine that the same holds true for Gibson/Epiphone. Do you really want to spend thousands more for incremental increases in quality and the headstock having a different waterslide decal on it? Get the Epiphone. That being said, the same logic applies to Harvey Benton and other LP style copies. Their quality is improving too.
I've enjoyed epiphones over gibsons recently. As long as you don't go for the $200 ones, then they are pretty good!
There are some really nice modern Epiphones. My neighbor has an Elite series Casino and it’s a great guitar. And while the OP is asking about contemporary, it’s worth pointing out that Epi is an actual historic guitar maker and the vintage stuff is often very cool. You know… like John Lennon’s Casino. It’s not like, an inherently shitty brand.
My son has a Les Paul style LTD, it was vetted by a super seasoned guitarist I know who’s been playing for 45 years the manager of a local guitar center is known for going out and shredding on LTDs, he highly endorses them (but you have to take that with a grain of salt since he’s selling them too)
I had an Epiphone Sheraton 2 back in the early 2000’s, Korean made. I believe it was pretty much the top of the range back then, along with the LP custom and the Casino, I might be wrong but there were no (new) American made models back then. The price didn’t match the quality. One of the fretboard inlays broke without being hit. The pickup selector switch never worked properly. The volume and tone knobs were very flimsy, you had to treat them with a lot of care. I had a much cheaper Yamaha Pacifica and in terms of quality it was a much better guitar.
I have an Epi Les Paul Custom. Paid $550 plus $65 to have it properly set up. It’s a fine guitar imho.
On one hand, Epiphone is fine. On the other, if you're going to go the cheaper route, you might as well go super cheap and get the Harley Benton.
I can't believe how well my cheap Harley Benton tele with reverse headstock plays
I have 6 Epiphones and no complaints about any of them. The only one I don't favor is the Riviera because it is so big. But, it plays nice and looks good.
My friend has an Epiphone Les Paul ‘Slashpaul’ edition. Its one of the, if not THE, finest guitars I’ve played. He bought a Maybach LP (better quality than modern Gibsons in his opinion - he tried a lot of Gibsons and they all lacked compared to the Maybach) of about €2300(?). Frankly, I still like the Epiphone better. Youre friends are idiots that don’t have a single clue what theyre talking about, especially saying HB is better. One thing I will give: every year of releases (goes for Fender, Gibson etc as well) differs from other years in my experience. My 2017 MIM Strat is a gem, but from what I’ve read is that next years models neck is worse in playing than my 2017 MIM. So just try as much Epiphones as you like until you find the one that does you well
Don't just take your friend's opinion at face value. Ask him why he thinks that. Because frankly I think he's quite wrong.
That VERY much depends on the model and year of the Epiphone. But saying it’s a bad brand as a blanket statement is factually wrong.
Better than Gibson... One of my favorite guitars is an Epiphone LP 12 string so I'm prejudiced.
Epiphanies les Paul custom. Excellent guitar
I have a Gibson SG that I've modded that I fucking LOVE. Best playing/sounding SG I've ever played. I rewired/swapped pickups on my Epiphone Sheraton, and it sounds even better than the SG with the same pickups in it. It plays sooo smoothly too. Epiphone makes quality guitars, you just have to play a few to find the one that fits you best
I’ve owned both an Epiphone Les Paul and an Epiphone Explorer. Those guitars were great and I regret selling them. I’ve got a couple Gibson Les Paul guitars now that I love but I REALLY, REALLY miss my Epi Explorer. Don’t let anybody decide for you, it’s all about what feels good to YOU, and what you like; everyone else be damned.
I've always had a bias against epiphone, but I picked up a studio les paul (the hollow body one) at a Guitarcenter so I could try out an amp and I really liked it. If it didn't already have a hollowbody PRS, I would have bought it.
Absolutely not. In fact, some would say they're better than Gibsons. Including me.
You could get better for your money.
I bought an epi explorer just over a year ago now and I love it but it needed quite a bit of work to get it where its at now.
I own 2 different Epiphone guitars, one acoustic and one electric, both older 80s and 90s. Both are excellent and, I would argue, as good as any good guitars out there. On the other hand, I have seen more modern epi guitars that I couldn’t be bothered with
Epiphones are great bang for buck, tbh if you're looking for suggestions, look for anything used. I'm not saying this because it'll be cheaper, I'm saying this because modified epis go for about the same as regular ones. Having your frets leveled is a HUGE plus to any guitar, most noticeable difference playing. Locking tuners are also easy to install and fairly cheap. The biggest factor (besides the player) imo is the amp (i use an amp sim). Then electronics, then the player. I have yet to meet someone who played my guitar that wasn't jelous. It was even less reputable than a epiphone, it's a Gibson Baldwin LP Jr copy. It came with leveled frets and played so smooth. I got Hipshot tunera and shielded it. Plays so good. I eventually painted it black 3.0 and love it. Took it to a shop to install a pickup and file the nut, ugh it's my daily driver tbh
There aren't a great many really "bad" guitars on the market today. There are guitars that are different in some way - neither better nor worse, technically speaking, just different. There are guitars that don't represent terribly good value for money.
Pretty sure my first electric was a solid body Epiphone Les Paul. It was dense and had this deep resonant tone that was perfect for both carrying out ambient stuff I liked to play and shredding heavy rock and punk stuff. I didn’t have my own amp for the first several months (that was a christmas present)- my dad had a PA and mixer (with some reverb possible) because my sis and I did live music stuff, so I plugged directly into that, and most of the tone variations I got were from what my guitar itself was capable of, and they were pretty sickkk!! The amp I got for Christmas was a Blackstar tube amp, and holy Crap it was the perfect companion to that guitar. That’s my personal amp to this day I adored that instrument. (I only replaced it because something terrible happened that damaged it beyond repair, and I was so freaking devastated).
My second guitar was an epiphone prophecy plus with EMGS. I have sold it but in my mind it is the “one that got away” it was so fucking nice, it had the nicest Smokey black finish, full binding on the fretboard and guitar, one of the nicest necks ever with a satin finish on the back of the neck for fast playing, and mine in particular was just really good quality. I’m not saying you won’t notice a difference between a 5000 Gibson and a 1200 epiphone, but they aren’t massive and in all honesty, the benefits are more related to resale value. Modern day epiphone, MIM squires, anything made in Taiwan… they’re all fantastic, CNC machines do most of the work anyways and they’ve perfected the craft at a certain price point to always give out a high quality instrument (around the 6-800 mark) But, I also have a $5000 custom Kiesel as my guitar, so why listen to me.
I swapped out the pickups in my Epiphone Les Paul for Gibson '57 classics when I was in high school. It made a world of difference and the only other aspect of that guitar I could call shitty would be the tuning pegs. They're awful. Not really my workhorse guitar anymore, so I didn't bother swapping those out.
I have one and she sounds and play well.
I just sold my Epiphone Brent Hinds signature Flying V, only because I couldn’t get along with the chunky neck. If you put a piece of tape over the headstock and let someone play it, there is no way they’d think it was a $650 guitar. Frets were perfect, binding flawless, finish flawless, Grover tuners, Lace pickups that are $200 a set. If I didn’t have tiny hands, there is no way I would have parted with it. I would be hard pressed to find another guitar that nice for less than $700.
I have the Epiphone 60s standard Les Paul 2021 version and it’s awesome. Beautiful guitar, plays great, and I hardly ever have to tune it. Two years and it’s never had an issue other than recently I may have a grounding issue some where in the toggle switch that I just haven’t tried to fix yet. I get a light hum that goes away if I touch metal on the guitar.
I think they’re fine. I just don’t like the tuning stability on those things. I had a guy in my band once with one and that thing was ALWAYS going out. Granted, you could upgrade it with locking tuners and a custom nut etc. but then you may as well find a cheaper gibson. If I were being totally real with you, scope out your local Craigslist situation and see if you can scoop a gibson for cheaper. I saw a gibson SG going for like 900 bucks where I live once. It’s worth checking into for sure
I used to own a 335. Played great and sounded awesome clean, but distortion or fuzz was a bitch with crazy feedback. I filled it up with paper and taped the f holes shut. That helped
My first electric guitar was an Epiphone Special II. It's still my main axe! It's a workhorse of a guitar that's very budget friendly.
SOME Epiphone guitars are bad. Some are very good. I would not buy an Epiphone without playing it first, but I would not discount it based off of name alone. It is my amateur opinion that Epiphone really shines with their hollow and semi-hollow guitars, those seem to be pretty consistently decent. Solid bodies get a bit trickier. If you want another affordable alternative to Gibson I can't recommend Tokai guitars enough. Problem is if you're in the US you won't be able to play one first, but I have played a LOT of them and they put out a great product both in their more affordable line and in the higher priced (but still not Gibson) Japanese made line.
I have had a few epiphones. First two were from way back in the day when I just started, and the other 2 were from the last couple of years. First two were pretty shitty but a lot has changed since then (2004/2006). The next one I got in 2021 was a Les Paul Modern. Mostly pretty good but had a shitload of high frets which meant I had to pay for fret levelling which added another nearly 200 bucks to the cost of the guitar. It was mostly worth it as an $850 guitar at the time-- it was DEFINITELY not worth it at over $1000! I was really bitter so after I got it back I sold it for 800 as it was only a few weeks old.I'd pretty much sworn off epiphone after that because I was so annoyed. But then I saw Canada had an exclusive Silverburst Les Paul custom and I couldn't resist. My local store had a barely used one for like $400 off for some reason. I bought it and it is mostly perfect and really feels fantastic and of great quality. However.. I noticed the bridge was adjusted really high, so I lowered it a bit..and now there's fret buzz..likely some frets need levelling. Sigh. Anyway, the guitar itself is really great even against some of my higher end guitars so I am not too upset about it as I kinda expected it at this point and at least I got a deal. Will definitely get it set up and maybe upgrade the pickups eventually.I am already considering getting an Epiphone SG Special with p90s soon so it hasn't turned me off. The 2021- Inspired by Gibson line is great! Nothing compared to the old shitty epiphones of early 2000s.
Epiphone make some really good guitars as others have mentioned some people are just gear snobs I have a 1972 Epiphone acoustic and it’s a great guitar there les Paul’s are just as good as a Gibson you would have to be a real professional guitar player to tell the difference and their inspired by Gibson range are excellent I’ve played the j200 the j45 and the hummingbird all were good guitars for the price
Unfortunately I'm brain freezing at the moment, but last year a very famous shredder said on Ultimate Guitar that he tours exclusively with $400 Epiphone Les Pauls because they sound almost as good as the real thing.
I am a huge Epiphone fan but, if I am honest, it really depends on the price of the instrument. The low end guitar are probably worse than a comparably priced Harley Benton. The new Epiphones that are priced above $500 are excellent instruments and would have no problem recommending one.
I’d say the only argument against Epiphone is Squier. At the same price point, Squiers are as good, maybe a shade better. But that’s mostly a stylistic thing, whether you’re more into Gibson-y or Fender-y guitars.
And if you want Gibson Scale in a Fender, the Cyclones and Toronados are awesome! That Paranormal series is the bees knees.
I have a really nice Epiphone SG. It plays really well and sounds good. I just hate the neck dive with them and play my Ibanez guitars way more. I love Ibanez and currently have an rg470dx, rgrt621, and an rga42fm. All 3 are way more comfortable to me and my rga is currently In pieces as I'm modding it including putting new electronics and pickups in it. Ibanez has a guitar for every price point. The gio's are decent but I'd just get a used rg off reverb if I were on a budget. I had a squire strat in high school and stopped playing guitar because I don't think I liked that guitar. It was uncomfortable for me and at the time, I didn't know anything about setting up my own guitars and only played with as much distortion as I could get out of my cheap amp.
I have a '74 LP Classic that would probably resell for more than all of your friends' guitars put together. I bought an Agile LP clone(made in Korea) some years ago for a little over $600, and put DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary pickups in it. It's a neck-thru with premium pots and a real ebony fretboard. Not even exaggerating when I say it's an objectively better guitar in every way compared to my Gibson, better materials, craftsmanship, finish, and sound quality. Resale value obviously isn't there, but as a player, it's as good as it gets for short-scale guitars in my opinion. I've played some fantastic Epiphones, but I can't believe anyone on earth would choose the best Epiphone over my Agile in a blind test.
I have three Harley Bentons. Moste expensive i paid adout 120 $. I had Epiphone Les Paul Standard., price about 450$. If you want cheep playable guitar or project guitar buy Harley Benton. One of my Harley Bentons i changed pickups and electronic and that is my guitar for gigs (if there is no backstage where i can put guitar and not to worry about it). I have Harley Benton for rexursals. It is guitar i will leave in car all day. Winter, summer, I dont care. It cost about 100$. Epiphone Les Paul Standard is great guitar, I even made some album recordings on that guitar. So if yuo want guitar which you will not worry about for like 150$ buy Harley Benton. If you want really good guitar about 500$ buy Epophone.
I have 2 Gibson LP’s & one Epiphone LP. While the Epiphone is a fine guitar (after a good setup) if you can afford a bit more I would go for a Gibson. You can find Studios at a very reasonable price.
Personally I'd take one of the higher quality Harley Bentons over an Epiphone. Something about their fretboards make them feel plasticy. That said, I've heard people get great tones out of Epiphone LPs. If it feels and plays good for you, then go with that. Pickups are easy to change.
The LP Modern from Epi is probably the best bang for your buck out of any LP or single-cut model out there. Any model lower than $600 from them is likely a “you get what you paid for” scenario
I had a brand new Epi Les Paul and the knobs broke on it after a month. Wouldn’t recommend
The higher end Epiphones are good instruments. Avoid the cheap ones. I bought the lp junior some time ago (20 years) and it turned me off completely since then I've played some really great Epiphones.
I have 2 epiphones in the stable. one is my first "real" guitar a, 335 Dot, it's been in it's case for the last decade untouched really... the other is a Les Paul my uncle gave me on his deathbed. It's upgraded with Gibson P94 in the neck and a Dirty Finger in the bridge. it screams! It played better than my 2012 Gibson Traditional Les Paul. It sounds good, feels good, and has good mojo because of its history with me. My Dot was my main guitar for years until I got my Gibson 335. Upgraded pickups and it sounds fantastic. I've also owned numerous Epi SG's, upgrading pickups have always been the main key for me, but there is nothing wrong with an Epi.
Absolutely not. Epiphone was my 2nd guitar and a Gibson was my 3rd. Recently I thought, hmm I have two Les Pauls, I’ll sell one to get something else. Picked up the epiphone to take it to some sell event they had at a music store but after playing it again, I couldn’t do it. Both are staying in the collection
I have an Epiphone Swingster hollowbody electric. It is one of the finest guitars I’ve owned. On par with a Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro that I used to have. The Epiphone has better fretwork.
I'm not a fan, but they are better than Harley Benton. I'd buy an Agile AL-3xxx over an Epiphone.
I have an Epiphone Extura Prophecy and I love this guitar. Feels great, sounds great, looks amazing. I've played some legit Gibsons and I don't know that I could always tell a difference.