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lazarusvt84

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I'm an unreasonable Gibson fan but have experimented and have tried to grow my small collection, where I have been able (as a lefty with limited options), with some less expensive reputable Asian brands (even a couple of Heritage and recently tested a few American-made CMG models) and have been consistently disappointed with tonal qualities. Build quality and playability of these lesser brands is quite good, especially for the price, but they all seem to lack that beautiful tonality, chime, balance and articulation of my Gibsons (especially my SG) - even with pickup swaps. I have never played an EPI but recent acquired one (arrives on Thurs) via Reverb. It's a 2014 Epi LP Custom Pro.

 

Will it be 'good enough' to replace my 2014 Signature T? I hope so. For $235 plus shipping (yeah, a steal!) I'd settle for 95% as good. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The pro-bucker pickups (which are in the Custom Pro) are quite a bit improved from earlier build year pickups, and if you can check out the the LP tribute plus models, those have USA made Classic 57 pups which IMHO cant do much better than that

 

Let us know how you make out!

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2014 Epi LP Custom Pro.

 

Will it be 'good enough' to replace my 2014 Signature T? I hope so. For $235 plus shipping (yeah, a steal!) I'd settle for 95% as good. ;-)

 

Only you can answer that question. I'm hoping for your sake it rocks!

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The Probuckers are definitely good. Where you may feel a difference is in the fretwork and nut. The finishes have been top notch on the newer Epi LPs I've setup, but I have seen one with a totally misaligned nut that never should have passed QC and one that could not be setup with less than 10ga strings due to poor fretwork. For the price you paid, you could get a fret job if you had to and still have gotten a good deal.

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As Deeman said above; only you can answer this - it's one of the most subjective aspects of the whole thing; one person will say something completely different to the next based on how they feel about any guitar.

 

Hope that this works out well for you; the Epi you're looking at seems a fine guitar for sure.

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Yeeap ! For the price ..

 

I prefer a Gibson Les Paul Studio, awesome instrument .

 

Agree! Had a couple of Studios (son has one also) ...but as a lefty I don't get many opportunities to wander off the Gibson reservation to try new things.

 

 

 

 

I appreciate the comment about the potential need of a fret job...and if so...I'd still be making out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I had a Gibson Les Paul Studio with an Epiphone Les Paul Standard as a backup (a 2005 model).

 

First off the Epi pickups had to go (replaced with a seymour duncan 59 and a JB).

 

I also had to replace the switch fairly early on too.

 

Anyway, from there the Epiphone played as well as the Gibson, in fact the playing enviroment was probably a little better due the the binding....

 

But the Gibson always sounds a lot 'clearer' than the upgraded Epi, more natural sounding and classier and cleaner, whereas the Epi was always a little rough around the edges. For me I but that down to the woods, the Gibson just seemed an all round more 'Woody', solid instrument whereas the Epi more plastiky. The Epi seemed more compressed sounding too, but hat may have been down to pickup choice.

 

In recent years though. Epi have really upped there game, so much so that my main guitar is now an Epi 335 PRO.

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SG Player: we get it. You think Epiphones suck, and have the need to tell everyone on the Epi sub-forum on a regular basis.

 

I've played a few Epiphones that were nowhere near Gibsons in my day - not saying you don't, or couldn't, have a point. But my Epi LP, and I've been playing for almost thirty years, sounds BETTER than EVERY LP Studio I've ever played. I know tone, believe me.

 

Does that mean I should post all over the Gibson forum about how much better my guitar is than people's Studios? Or for that matter, should I point out repeatedly when I see your nick how I've never liked SGs - even though I've never heard yours? See where I'm going with this?

 

We get it. You love Gibsons. I love Gibsons too. I've had several, and played loads. This Epi has a better tone than any of them. And yes, that surprised me. But it does. No matter how many times you post how much Epiphones suck on here.

 

I'm fairly seasoned. It doesn't really get to me. But think of it this way. A young guy or girl has just bought an Epi, joins the forum, and there you are telling him or her that it's a piece of ****. Could be a deterrant. I'm not the nicest guy in the world (well, actually I am, but that would lessen the poetic impact of this post), but when it comes to guitars and guitar playing, we should stick together. And a lot of kids start out on Epiphones.

 

Let's encourage them to take pride in their first guitar, shall we? And unless you've A/B-tested a bunch of CURRENT Epiphone guitars with their Gibson counterparts, then I think you should.

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SG Player: we get it. You think Epiphones suck, and have the need to tell everyone on the Epi sub-forum on a regular basis.

 

I've played a few Epiphones that were nowhere near Gibsons in my day - not saying you don't, or couldn't, have a point. But my Epi LP, and I've been playing for almost thirty years, sounds BETTER than EVERY LP Studio I've ever played. I know tone, believe me.

 

Does that mean I should post all over the Gibson forum about how much better my guitar is than people's Studios? Or for that matter, should I point out repeatedly when I see your nick how I've never liked SGs - even though I've never heard yours? See where I'm going with this?

 

We get it. You love Gibsons. I love Gibsons too. I've had several, and played loads. This Epi has a better tone than any of them. And yes, that surprised me. But it does. No matter how many times you post how much Epiphones suck on here.

 

I'm fairly seasoned. It doesn't really get to me. But think of it this way. A young guy or girl has just bought an Epi, joins the forum, and there you are telling him or her that it's a piece of ****. Could be a deterrant. I'm not the nicest guy in the world (well, actually I am, but that would lessen the poetic impact of this post), but when it comes to guitars and guitar playing, we should stick together. And a lot of kids start out on Epiphones.

 

Let's encourage them to take pride in their first guitar, shall we? And unless you've A/B-tested a bunch of CURRENT Epiphone guitars with their Gibson counterparts, then I think you should.

 

Here here. As I starter guitar, Epiphones represent phenomenal value for money, particularly these days.

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here`s my take on epiphone. the toggle switch have to go, it is wobbly and on my epiphones over the years,they would crap out all the time,even when i played a gig..no sound !! switchcraft upgrade !!

the fretwork on epis are not satisfactory . uneven frets,that means high and low frets..dead spots..and this was on their more expensive models. surprising, i played a few lp specials, and they had flawless fretwork..

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marius

 

IMHO, I would think your opinions are dated. The newer epiphones are vastly better than past build years. I have several examples (both old and new) to state this on. new models are pretty solid guitars in respect to hardware and electronics.

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SG Player: we get it. You think Epiphones suck, and have the need to tell everyone on the Epi sub-forum on a regular basis.

 

I've played a few Epiphones that were nowhere near Gibsons in my day - not saying you don't, or couldn't, have a point. But my Epi LP, and I've been playing for almost thirty years, sounds BETTER than EVERY LP Studio I've ever played. I know tone, believe me.

 

Does that mean I should post all over the Gibson forum about how much better my guitar is than people's Studios? Or for that matter, should I point out repeatedly when I see your nick how I've never liked SGs - even though I've never heard yours? See where I'm going with this?

 

We get it. You love Gibsons. I love Gibsons too. I've had several, and played loads. This Epi has a better tone than any of them. And yes, that surprised me. But it does. No matter how many times you post how much Epiphones suck on here.

 

I'm fairly seasoned. It doesn't really get to me. But think of it this way. A young guy or girl has just bought an Epi, joins the forum, and there you are telling him or her that it's a piece of ****. Could be a deterrant. I'm not the nicest guy in the world (well, actually I am, but that would lessen the poetic impact of this post), but when it comes to guitars and guitar playing, we should stick together. And a lot of kids start out on Epiphones.

 

Let's encourage them to take pride in their first guitar, shall we? And unless you've A/B-tested a bunch of CURRENT Epiphone guitars with their Gibson counterparts, then I think you should.

truth

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I'm an unreasonable Gibson fan but have experimented and have tried to grow my small collection, where I have been able (as a lefty with limited options), with some less expensive reputable Asian brands (even a couple of Heritage and recently tested a few American-made CMG models) and have been consistently disappointed with tonal qualities. Build quality and playability of these lesser brands is quite good, especially for the price, but they all seem to lack that beautiful tonality, chime, balance and articulation of my Gibsons (especially my SG) - even with pickup swaps. I have never played an EPI but recent acquired one (arrives on Thurs) via Reverb. It's a 2014 Epi LP Custom Pro.

 

Will it be 'good enough' to replace my 2014 Signature T? I hope so. For $235 plus shipping (yeah, a steal!) I'd settle for 95% as good. ;-)

 

************************

 

Here she is...an epic Epi. The rumors were true. With a little Brasso, Virtuoso, elbow grease, fresh 10's with set up...it plays and sounds fantastic! The packaging was horrible so Fed Ex gets major kudos.

 

Anyone interested in a nice lefty Signature T in wine? ;-)

 

 

 

 

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marius

 

IMHO, I would think your opinions are dated. The newer epiphones are vastly better than past build years. I have several examples (both old and new) to state this on. new models are pretty solid guitars in respect to hardware and electronics.

 

sorry,my latest epi, the lee malia has poor fretwork,and need to go in to get a fretlevel.last year I ordered(have to,no music stores here)online,and one of them were just rubbish,back it went. the other one was better,but still it was hard to play.you know, my first epi is an flying v 67 ,and the fretwork on that one is just great,it is from 1994. i still have it.I have in just about bought new epiphones each year since 1999,and in my experience there are hit and miss in the fretwork, and the toggle switches are still crap to this day.thats my story and i am sticking to it.

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Marius: sounds like quite a few Epis I've played. Sounds nothing like the one I got in Feb. Were your lemons recent?

 

yes,a few last year,and the latest one, the lee malia lp artisan in february or so. i have played and purchased many epis over the years,and yes,fretwork aint too good. the surprising thing is that it is on the more expensive models,but i have played plenty of the cheap bolt-on lp specials II with great fretwork.true story

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i have played plenty of the cheap bolt-on lp specials II with great fretwork.true story

 

yep I'll give ya that. That's usually the thing, consistency is always the rub, (and it sort of doesn't matter the brand, as they all have their dogs)

 

I've got a crap load of axes (20+) USA Fender and Gibbys mostly, but I've got 5 epi's, one is an elitist, which is a little bit of a different league than some of the other imports. however, the others, I am pretty happy with them, but I did need to dress down frets on most of them to get them "right"... I don't see any unusual fret wear, and the hardware in general is solid.

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A lot of players over think everything instrument/ tone wise IMO. I have an Epi LP 100 from the mid 90's that was my first guitar and I still own. It still sounds fantastic to my ears (and I have never swapped pickups or anything on it) and it has a nice feel to it too.

 

A guitar can only sound as good as the player. I've never personally bought into the idea of swapping out the pickups on any guitar. You can get a great sound from a Squier Strat or Epi LP Special with STOCK pickups.

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Just to chime in myself here, I too was a Gibson snob and thought what is the point of an Epiphone when the Gibson Studio fadeds are such good value. Well I had to rethink my position when I got my first Gibson and the nitro coating caused me to have a massive migraine (and before anyone jumps to it's defence, it was the coating on the guitar I did elimination tests), so I was on the look out for a second hand Gibson and saw that Andertons (UK) are doing the 2014 Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro for £279.99. As money is very tight I took the plunge (Wine Red) and I'm very glad I did. I now have a Les Paul at a fraction of the price of a Gibson and it looks and sounds fantastic and it isn't poisoning me! The ProBucker is a great pickup and I am very happy with it's vintagey voice. I will use the coil splits at some point, but it's nice to know that I have the option.

 

I know there are people out there who think that Epis can't possible hold their own against a Gibson, and I was one of them, but I have to formally state that I was wrong. Epiphones are a contender and I will be buying more (when they add a Firebird V to the roster!). Also they out sustain even a Gibson LP Standard, for proof go to 12:00 in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzM9dvV-VJU

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Just to chime in myself here, I too was a Gibson snob and thought what is the point of an Epiphone when the Gibson Studio fadeds are such good value. Well I had to rethink my position when I got my first Gibson and the nitro coating caused me to have a massive migraine (and before anyone jumps to it's defence, it was the coating on the guitar I did elimination tests), so I was on the look out for a second hand Gibson and saw that Andertons (UK) are doing the 2014 Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro for £279.99. As money is very tight I took the plunge (Wine Red) and I'm very glad I did. I now have a Les Paul at a fraction of the price of a Gibson and it looks and sounds fantastic and it isn't poisoning me! The ProBucker is a great pickup and I am very happy with it's vintagey voice. I will use the coil splits at some point, but it's nice to know that I have the option.

 

I know there are people out there who think that Epis can't possible hold their own against a Gibson, and I was one of them, but I have to formally state that I was wrong. Epiphones are a contender and I will be buying more (when they add a Firebird V to the roster!). Also they out sustain even a Gibson LP Standard, for proof go to 12:00 in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzM9dvV-VJU

 

For me, the nitro coating was the death of my Gibson LP Studio. a bit of moisture got under it and it was game over from there. The finish bubbled in a NOT very eye-catching way so I had to sand it off. I refinished it with a few coats of danish oil and although it looked fantastic it gradually fell apart from there, IMHO it didn't sound as good either.

 

Moving over to an Epiphone ES-335 pro, the 'liveliness' of the 'sealed' Gibbo returned, but I much prefer the harder-wearing finish on the Epi.

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