Witmer Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 If you play a guitar that inspires you to play then that's the guitar for you. Well said! One piece of advice though' date=' I'm not a fan of the 490/498 pickups. I have experimented with most of the pickups out on the market. I can tell you that the Dimarzio PAF 36th Anniversary pickups are incredible. I think they'll make your LP Studio sound even better.[/quote'] I completely disagree. I'm not saying anything negative about the Dimarzios, but I LOVE my 490/498s so much I'm not even curious about replacing them with anything. I wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't called it "advice"...but if the guitar inspires him with the current pickups, maybe he should leave well enough alone? Maybe not. Tinkering can be fun. But I didn't want him to automatically feel like there's something wrong with it. No offense, I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimeJ Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Always interesting to read this same debate, over and over again. Whether its an economic debate, a peer pressure debate, a one-upmanship debate or whatever, it still boils down, as someone has already said, (paraphrasing), "If it grabs you, grab it"! Actually, why do we 'really care' if its Gibson or Epiphone. I'm sure most clear minded folks here, would rather walk on a stage or record with a guitar that they felt comfortable with, than one that had a brand that might seem to make them more cool. That being said, Gibson's are generally the choice for all the obvious reasons, but there are clearly outstanding Epis as well. Unfortunately, those special Epis are harder to come by. Keep in mind that a modded Epi will certainly run neck to neck with a Gibby at a very substantial less draw on the wallet even with the best mods one would make with the Epi. Then it simply comes down to the name doesn't it? At the beginning of the merger, or when Gibson bought Epiphone, they were both made in Kalamazoo right? Isn't that where Gibson made the choice to put more into the Gibson named guitars and less into the Epis? At any rate, I have both and appreciate both the same. Just my opinion, but just one bit of info.... I've sold, dumped, traded many Gibbys, but once I got hold of a good Epi, I never let it go...................J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynadude Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I own both Gibson and Epi, and they are both good brands. The Gibsons are unquestioned quality, while the Epi is well worth double what I paid for it new, as far as quality and playability. Is the Epi as good as a Gibson? Nope, but at a tenth of the cost, you can't expect it to be. Some positives for the Epis, is that the low initial cost of the guitar makes upgrades well worth the money, and there's no taboo in making changes, like you would have with an expensive new Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indur Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 When I originally posted, I never intended for this to turn into that full debate. I was simply sharing the road that lead me to a Gibson. I was completely settled on the Epiphone--just never really had even considered a Gibson because I didn't realize that the Studio wasn't completely the stretch I thought it might be. Would you rather debate the merits of Mexican Strats instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 USA vs God knows where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar232007 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Yea but this is the Gibson Forum.... Beware Epiphone lovers.... Hey! I have a Gibson Too!...just not an LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr986 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Congratulations. I too gave the Epiphones a run for the money but in the end I stuck with Gibson. I just bought a gorgeous Gibson Les Paul Standard in heritage cherry sunburst tonight for $1900 during the Presidents day sale. Man it's a good thing you didn't sit around playing the standards because you would not be satisfied with anything else until you get one. There are so many people who make budget their main purchasing variable. They usually buy and are rarely 100% satisfied until they get exactly what they want. I know it's tough to fork it out' date=' times are tough as hell right now, and Gibson doesn't help anyone out by raising prices in these tough economic times, but man the whole reason for playing guitar is pure enjoyment and inspiration. If you play a guitar that inspires you to play then that's the guitar for you. I hope your LP Studio does that for you. They really are great guitars. One piece of advice though, I'm not a fan of the 490/498 pickups. I have experimented with most of the pickups out on the market. I can tell you that the Dimarzio PAF 36th Anniversary pickups are incredible. I think they'll make your LP Studio sound even better.[/quote'] amen sixstrings! I just started playing again after a 40+ year lay off. Didn't want to spring for a "real" Gibson until I figured I would stick with it. So I bought something else. But now I'm looking at used LP's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcelo Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Congrats Indur, you got a great guitar at a decent price, you are the man! Well done! I was here too late on this, but if I had known you were shopping for Epiphones before you purchased a guitar, I would have suggested that you looked at the Korean-made Epiphones, the older the guitar the better. Epiphones don't appreciate like Gibsons do, so you can get a kick-*** older Epi at depreciated prices. Generally, the older stuff was built better and to better specs, and the time that has gone by has made the finish on them look nice and vintage-y (is that a real word?). So, then all you would have to do is change the pickups and you are rocking.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 You know, posting an "Epiphone compared to Gibson" thread here is a little like playing Stairway to Heaven in a guitar shop. It's just not on, mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I thought we were all one happy family (?) Epis are like those ugly redneck cousins you just want to run away from... Just kidding, I have one too... and it is a nice guitar (not even close to a gibson tho...) at the end no one can tell you which one is better, you have to decide which one you like more and fits more your style and your taste. I have yet to read a good, credible, logic opinion about why one guitar is better than the other as a model (and Im not talking epi vs gibson here... Im talking any guitar for example the 50 annyversary 59 compared to a traditional or a fender telecaster 60 anyversary compared to a mex tele). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deilegacy3 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 The first good electric i bought was an Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt-Top. But since that was the first, I really didn't know how it sounded against a Gibson. I just traded it in for an Epiphone LP Custom Silverburst. I honestly like the Epi's, although i did pick up a Gibson SG Robot three months ago, and I totally hear the difference now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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