Rabs Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil OKeefe Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Actually there were multiple new Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom models released today—electrics and acoustics. https://gazette.gibson.com/news/epiphone-inspired-by-gibson-custom/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 29 minutes ago, Phil OKeefe said: Actually there were multiple new Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom models released today—electrics and acoustics. https://gazette.gibson.com/news/epiphone-inspired-by-gibson-custom/ They do an interesting side by side tone test with an older Epi, one of these new ones and an actual Gibson at 16:40 in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 (edited) The thing I dont get about this (well I do from a certain point of view) is why not just make Epiphone pickups better and make the whole line better without having to charge so much.... Its a bit weird. But I get they are trying to move Epi up in the market.. It will just be a shame if they totally abandon the lower end... Not that long ago I picked up a brand new Epi Wilshire for my niece for like £350... Its solid mahogany neck and body, set neck, nice finish and plays really nice too.. It could do with some better pickups but thats it.. Its a fine guitar... I get the feeling decent Epi's at a decent price like that will be a thing of the past soon. I know these are meant to be customs and I am not even bashing them really.. I just dont really like the direct Gibson or Epiphone are moving in... Its all about the premium market and normalising these sorts of prices for the lower end brand.. (like Gibson trying to normalise 50k for a guitar). Edited April 2 by Rabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 I'd think any move away from low price options for Epiphone would be a bit of a killer to that brand Rabs - Epi would be seen as an introduction to the Gibson brand primarily by the company I'd think - assuming these top line Epi's are priced like say a Gibson LP Studio then that would become an interesting buying choice between Epi features versus Gibson name and perceived inherent quality, that would then depend on individual buyer motivation and preference rather than price...but yeah, I agree it is nice to have the cheaper Epi options available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil OKeefe Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 38 minutes ago, Rabs said: The thing I dont get about this (well I do from a certain point of view) is why not just make Epiphone pickups better and make the whole line better without having to charge so much.... This is all personal opinion, and not in any official capacity as a Gibson employee. I have a 2022 Epiphone 60s SG with Maestro that has a ProBucker 2 in the neck, and a ProBucker 3 in the bridge. I was just playing it the other day, and once again I noticed just how good I thought the pickups in that guitar sound. I could replace them with something else (like Gibson pickups), but they sound so good that I have no desire to do so. And that is a guitar that lists for $599, the last I checked. If you haven't tried a guitar with ProBuckers in it, give one a try sometime. No, they're not Custombuckers, but you may still be pleasantly surprised. If they put a set of Custombuckers into that guitar, it might sound better, but the price would increase quite a bit. Quote Its a bit weird. But I get they are trying to move Epi up in the market.. It will just be a shame if they totally abandon the lower end... As far as I know, there are no plans to do that. This is just a new, premium tier of Epiphone models that are Inspired by Gibson Custom and built in collaboration with Gibson Custom. The rest of the Epiphone lines are still being made, and again, as far as I know, will be continuing. Quote Not that long ago I picked up a brand new Epi Wilshire for my niece for like £350... Its solid mahogany neck and body, set neck, nice finish and plays really nice too.. It could do with some better pickups but thats it.. Its a fine guitar... I get the feeling decent Epi's at a decent price like that will be a thing of the past soon. I know these are meant to be customs and I am not even bashing them really.. I just dont really like the direct Gibson or Epiphone are moving in... Its all about the premium market and normalising these sorts of prices for the lower end brand.. (like Gibson trying to normalise 50k for a guitar). The most expensive of these (the Firebird V) is ~$1,700 list. That is the outlier, and I suspect their higher price is due to the challenges in making a neck-through-body guitar. IIRC, most of the Inspired by Gibson Custom models are in the $1,300 list price range, so while they're the premium Epiphone price tier, compared to the equivalent Gibson Custom models, they're quite a bit more affordable. And as I said, the rest of the Epiphone lineup isn't going anywhere. They're still available, and Epiphone is going to continue making guitars at various price points for every stage - from beginners looking for an affordable, reliable, and well-built guitar to learn on, all the way up to pros who want to have something to record and gig with that is reminiscent of their more expensive and/or vintage guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 At some point Epiphone will become Gibson's biggest competitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 They charge a lot of money for Guitars today. There’s no reason why Epiphone shouldn’t build excellent Guitars. There’s no reason why Gibson shouldn’t always be the step up.. Competition is good.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil OKeefe Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 3 hours ago, IanHenry said: At some point Epiphone will become Gibson's biggest competitor. In the 1920s-1940s, they already were each other's biggest competitors. 🙂 12 hours ago, ghost_of_fl said: "Epiphone Inspired by Gibson" Epiphone founded in 1873 Orville Gibson started making instruments 21 years later in 1894 and founded Gibson in 1902. Then as some point, Gibson acquired Epiphone. I think if anything, Gibson was inspired by Epiphone. 🤔 Epiphone just celebrated 150 years, while Gibson is currently celebrating its 130th anniversary. Gibson purchased Epiphone in 1957. While Epiphone is the older company of the two, the guitars in the Inspired by Gibson Custom Collection were all Gibson models first; thus, the Inspired by Gibson instead of Inspired by Epiphone moniker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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