What to buy: mid-range Epiphone or low end Gibson?

[Kenan]

What about ESP brand of guitars? How do they compare to Epiphone and Gibson (sorry if a noob question)?

[dbrian66]

What about ESP brand of guitars? How do they compare to Epiphone and Gibson (sorry if a noob question)?

ESP make great guitars. As do Inanez and Schector. If you have a budget of $500 or so, there are a lot of really nice guitars out there. Like everybody keeps saying, play as many guitars as you can. When you play the right one you'll know it. And a side note, don't discount any guitar because your buddy had one and didn't like it. I've played Gibson LP's before that I didn't like, but my go to guitar is a Les Paul. Every guitar is different.

[sbpark]

I personally wouldn't make my decision based on price and what's on the headstock. Play all the guitars that fit within your proposed budget. To be honest, a "mid-range" epiphone still isn't going to be similar in cost to any "low-end" Gibson.

 

I am pretty much a Fender guy, owning 3 fenders, but also have 2 Gibsons and now 1 Epiphone. All my guitars range in price and "perceived" quality. I say perceived, because just because a guitar has a certain name on the headstock doesn't means it's automatically a winner, or a good example of that brand. My "cheap" Gibson Melody Maker probably gets more play time than my '13 Gibson SG Standard, but my Epi Casino is probably my second favorite guitar next to my Fender 52AVRI.

 

These days I don't base how good an instrument is based on what it says on the headstock. It's based more on whether or mot it meets my needs and feels good playing it.

 

Now, with all that said, there can sometimes be valid reasons why some guitars cost more. Perceived (I used that word again!) quality of "tone woods" (whatever that means) and quality of components, country of origin and demand in the market. Some people, like myself buy a guitar and keep it stock for the most part. Unless theres something glaring wrong and it's an easy fix, I don't go messing with stuff like changing out pickups, etc. Well, I will play the guitar for a long time and if I decide to change them down the line I might. ( I recently switched out the Fender OV pickups in my Tele with Nocasters just to try something different after owning the guitar for 3 years, and replaced a intermittent/crackling switch that was going bad) But I never understood why guys will buy a guitar, and then once they get it home guy it, swap out the pickups, pots, tuners, wiring harness, bridge, etc. If you're going to do all that, why don't you just take that money you spent on parts and instead buy the guitar you really wanted in the first place. Seems like so many guys have a bunch of money sunk into their Epiphones in upgrades, that they could have actually bought a nice Gibson! Plus, all those upgrades doesn't equal a higher resale value, and sometime can lower the value if it's not original. Others are straight forward cork-sniffers, and think if it doesn't say a certain name on the headstock, then it's inferior.

 

So I say instead of basing your decision on which mid level, low end, etc. guitar to buy, instead figure out a budget first of all. Then figure out what sound your looking for and then start searching out models that seem to fit that sound. Next, read as much as you can about them, but most importantly, go and play as many of them as you can in your budget range. Also try some similar guitar in a higher price range. You might find that those more expensive guitars don't seem that different, or different enough to warrant the higher price tag, or you may be blown away an something about it just speaks to you, and you'll save up more to have that guitar. I just think basing which guitar you're going to get on what the headstock says will leave you unhappy and disappointed in the along run. And on the flip side, if the headstock absolutely has to say a certain name on it for whatever reason that is to you, that/s also important and don't sell yourself short for anything else.

 

Keep in mind, even higher end, more expensive guitars usually need, or will at least greatly benefit from a good set up. I am new to Epiphones, but in my quest for my Casino I played several, and noticed the set ups were all over the place. All were at different Guitar Center locations, so there are many variables that can cause this. Uneducated staff who just unpack a guitar that's been shipped across the world in a container and through various climate changes, etc., without even doing a basic setup. Don't be shy about asking the repair guy (if the shop has one) to change the action for you, add/take away some relief on the neck, etc. If you're going to plunk down your hard-earned cash you want to know if the guitar will be able to be set up to your specs. What I have found consistent with the Casinos I looked at was the inconsistently cut nuts and frets that needed some attention. Again, an easy, but somewhat annoying fix, and feel like if a little more attention was paid to it at the factory, the guitar would have been more playable and stayed in tune and probably would sell more as a result. So expect to spend an additional $60-$80-$100 on a pro set up on pretty much ANY new guitar, regardless of manufacturer. It can turn an ok guitar (like a lot of Epiphones off the rack) into an incredible guitar that will play as good, or better than most Gibsons out there.

[LPS1976]

Also, with a Stratocaster, unlike most Les Paul or Electro-Spanish style electric guitars, you'll get a whang bar vibrato/tremolo apparatus to add more dynamics to your guitar's performance capabilities.

 

I dig that blue strat you have.

[Jeffery Smith]

I think a high end Epiphone or Ibanez might be more satisfying than a low end Gibson. An Elitist is a great guitar if you find a nice used one, and a new Elitist Casino is a wonderful guitar. I was disappointed that the Elitist Riviera was recently only offered to Japan, but they are showing up new on ebay (from Japan).