I've owned dozens of Epi's over the years and think the Chinese are better. Epiphone's factory, new machinery and tooling, they control the whole process. Now they're turning out the guitars they've always wanted to. The workmanship is very good, and they're much more consistent overall. 1990's Koreans varied a lot, the quality of some just wasn't as good. The grover tuners that Epi's been using lately are excellent, tough and reliable, never had a problem with them. In comparison the 1990's Koreans usually had cheap generic tuners. There's no comparison between the upgraded humbuckers Epi's had the last couple years, to the cheap ones in Koreans. The electronics are better now too (many Koreans had mini-pots).
What concerns me about 1990's Koreans, besides the inconsistency and spotty quality, is that 1) a lot of them have serious fret wear; the fret metal isn't made to last decades, and refret jobs are expensive, 2) many have scratches, dents, dings, gouges, chips of finish missing, etc, and 3) the claims of Koreans being better are pretty much the realm of sellers as an excuse to jack up their prices. I've seen some flagrant examples of this on eBay, for guitars that aren't half as good as the current production Chinese models. As more players find out about the high quality and reasonable prices of the new models, they'll wise up and Korean prices will fall. I think just prior to the switch to Chinese production in 2003, the Koreans improved, for whatever reason, but they're still not any better than the Chinese ones. Another plus for 2000+ production (Chinese and Korean) is that there's been so many great limited editions, far beyond the 1990's.
I see Epiphone as continually improving their products, and that hasn't stopped.
I think which factory the guitar was built in is the X-factor in the workmanship and end product of those '90's and 2000's Korean made Epiphones. But yes I totally agree that the current build technique improvements implemented in current China made instruments is a major factor in them being able to be made more cost effectively with higher and consistent quality. Seems they're using better fretboard material and stock pickups on those. I've been wanting to get one one of their semi-hollow body ones.
I think the ones made by Peerless and Unsung will always be sought. A lot of that has to do with the word of mouth and reputation they made for themselves over the past 30 years. I have two Korean Unsung made guitars (a '98 SG and an '08 Sheraton). The Sheraton is a flawless instrument in every way possible. The only thing I'd ever change would be new pickups. But the ones in it aren't horrible (like the ones that came in the SG). I've also had Samick made Epiphones too. I have a '98 Samick made Dot. In my opinion the Unsungs are clearly higher quality and better playing/sounding. My '98 SG-G400 was an entry level model when new and has replacement pickups. It's 24 years old now and probably only worth about $300 even with the vintage Seymour Duncan pickups that are in it. I've been gigging on that guitar for almost 20 years, many weeks playing 3-4 days/nights, for an average of 4 hours a night. Original frets in her too.
And I agree... with someone else's comment on here... I wish the Korean made Sheraton's were more true in shape, bouts, size etc. to their original USA made counterparts. The newer "inspired" models are almost exact.
It's my experience that when it comes to future value... guitars, players and collectors are always looking for vintage guitars. Even not so good ones. I mean look at how many are now collecting those piece of junk Tiesco models made in Japan in the 60's that were sold at K-Mart? Those things are almost unplayable.
Korean Epiphones - A Theory
in Epiphone Electrics
Posted
I think which factory the guitar was built in is the X-factor in the workmanship and end product of those '90's and 2000's Korean made Epiphones. But yes I totally agree that the current build technique improvements implemented in current China made instruments is a major factor in them being able to be made more cost effectively with higher and consistent quality. Seems they're using better fretboard material and stock pickups on those. I've been wanting to get one one of their semi-hollow body ones.
I think the ones made by Peerless and Unsung will always be sought. A lot of that has to do with the word of mouth and reputation they made for themselves over the past 30 years. I have two Korean Unsung made guitars (a '98 SG and an '08 Sheraton). The Sheraton is a flawless instrument in every way possible. The only thing I'd ever change would be new pickups. But the ones in it aren't horrible (like the ones that came in the SG). I've also had Samick made Epiphones too. I have a '98 Samick made Dot. In my opinion the Unsungs are clearly higher quality and better playing/sounding. My '98 SG-G400 was an entry level model when new and has replacement pickups. It's 24 years old now and probably only worth about $300 even with the vintage Seymour Duncan pickups that are in it. I've been gigging on that guitar for almost 20 years, many weeks playing 3-4 days/nights, for an average of 4 hours a night. Original frets in her too.
And I agree... with someone else's comment on here... I wish the Korean made Sheraton's were more true in shape, bouts, size etc. to their original USA made counterparts. The newer "inspired" models are almost exact.
It's my experience that when it comes to future value... guitars, players and collectors are always looking for vintage guitars. Even not so good ones. I mean look at how many are now collecting those piece of junk Tiesco models made in Japan in the 60's that were sold at K-Mart? Those things are almost unplayable.