Hey all:
So I owned an Epiphone dot around 2006-7, I liked it, stayed in tune, decent electronics, but when I got better at guitar and played plugged in more, I didn't like the pickups, I found them weak and muddy when overdriven, so I got a different guitar.
Fast forward to today, I was reading about how Epiphone has really jumped up in quality, and saw nothing but outstanding reviews of the new "inspired by Gibson" line and the Sheraton 2 Pro with probuckers. I listened to them online quite a bit, and went in to guitar center to try them out, excited to come out with a great guitar. What I found, to my disappointment, was the 3 Epiphones I tried were all unplayable. I liked the tone, but they legitimately couldn't stay in tune. One I would tune, play a chord, and then the next chord would be out of tune, the other I would play one lead, and then out of tune, the 3rd, I couldn't even get to tune once, by the time I finished tuning all the strings, another would be out of tune.
I was a little shocked and disappointed because of all the good reviews, and even my old dot would stay in tune alright. Is this a common Epiphone issue that isn't discussed? I know it isn't a Gibson, but the Sheraton is $750 without a case, and expecting a playable guitar isn't too much to ask for at even that price point.
