Headstock shapes

[lostindesert]

I like the Epiphone headstock shape on their own models.

But when i'm buying a Gibson replica i want the real deal.

I know the woods, hardware, pickups etc. are of lesser quality but i want it to

look like a gibson. Epiphone would sell more Gibson replicas if they used the proper

headstock shape imho.

 

Peter

[rented]

Epiphone would sell more Gibson replicas if they used the proper

headstock shape imho.

 

Peter

 

So only a Gibson style shaped headstock is "proper"?

 

Epi has their headstock style. Gibby's has theirs. 2 very different guitars.

 

If you mean an Epiphone LP or SG etc., should look exactly like a Gibson in every way, then your best bet would be to buy a Gibson or a Japanese Epiphone. No sarcasm intended, I am being sincere.

[TheX]

I for one am very thankful that they have their own shape.

[rented]

I for one am very thankful that they have their own shape.

 

I agree 100%...even if it's not "proper"

[lostindesert]

 

So only a Gibson style shaped headstock is "proper"?

 

Epi has their headstock style. Gibby's has theirs. 2 very different guitars.

 

If you mean an Epiphone LP or SG etc.' date=' should look exactly like a Gibson in every way, then your best best would be to buy a Gibson or a Japanese Epiphone. No sarcasm intended, I am being sincere.[/quote']

 

I have two Mexican Fenders with the ''right headstocks'' so why not on a Gibson replica ?

My Wildkat has it's own design headstock and i like it .

Only a Gibson style shaped headstock is proper on a Gibson replica .....yes imo.

 

Peter

[rented]

 

I have two Mexican Fenders with the ''right headstocks'' so why not on a Gibson replica ?

My Wildkat has it's own design headstock and i like it .

Only a Gibson style shaped headstock is proper on a Gibson replica .....yes imo.

 

Peter

 

DAMN! I knew I was a sinner by playing these.

 

 

I think this is what you want my Dutch friend...cheers brother.

 

[JEPI]

My Samick late 80's?? LP has a similar headstock as the '59 Gibby reissue shown here. Suplex, where, when and what is the model you posted?.......J

 

 

[lostindesert]

Thanks Suplex, that's what i would like to see.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this case mine.

But it's just only my opinion, could be right ....could be wrong.

 

Peter

[rented]

Thanks Suplex' date=' thats what i like to see.

Beaty is in the eye of the beholder, in this case mine.

But it's just only my opinion, could be right ....could be wrong.

 

Peter[/quote']

 

I hear you man & I do understand what you mean, but again it's good they have their own differences IMHO. Best way to solve the problem if you enjoy both? Get both. That's my plan anyway.

 

I sincerely love both guitars equally.

 

JEPI they sell them on Ebay all the time from Japan, thats where I spotted the recent pic.

[TheX]

 

I have two Mexican Fenders with the ''right headstocks''

 

Peter

 

The Mexican Fenders are still Fenders, Epiphones are not Gibsons.

 

YAY, do I get a prize for answering right?

[lostindesert]

 

The Mexican Fenders are still Fenders' date=' Epiphones are not Gibsons.

 

YAY, do I get a prize for answering right?[/quote']

 

Squier isn't Fender but is owned by Fender, Epiphone is owned by Gibson.

[Nickblues1]

The Gibson headstock shape was the main concern during the "Lawsuit Era". When all the Japanese knockoffs were selling like hotcakes and American sales were way down.

[JEPI]

 

I hear you man & I do understand what you mean' date=' but again it's good they have their own differences IMHO. Best way to solve the problem if you enjoy both? Get both. That's my plan anyway.

 

I sincerely love both guitars equally.

 

JEPI they sell them on Ebay all the time from Japan, thats where I spotted the recent pic.[/quote']

 

Duh My bad, ............J

[PJ]

I agree, if you're gonna have an Epiphone SG Reissue of a Gibson SG, then the shapes of everything should look like the model being replicated. If not, change all the shapes so it's

something different entirely.

[PJ]

If the company wants to have a clear distinction between the brands, then why put the word

"Gibson" on the truss rod cover? Why not go back to the "E" that was there in the old days, and

still is for some models. Curious.

[matiac]

Well, and not to stir up a bees nest, but I think all the models Epiphone offers are TAKES on the Gibson counterparts they imitate, as for "Gibson" on the trusscover, could be an indication it's a copy, could be "in-yer-face-it-aint-a-Gibson", could be nothing at all. If I'm correct, Epiphone has/had their own styles of guitar before Gibson took them over (Casino, etc.). But I think he's right, if you want an accurate copy, get an Orville, or a Japanese Epiphone, they even got nitro finishes, real nice guitars from what I've seen.

[Nickblues1]

 

Squier isn't Fender but is owned by Fender' date=' Epiphone is owned by Gibson.[/quote']

 

I beg to differ.

 

Fender, under the ownership of CBS, acquired the Squier brand name in the mid to late 1960s when it bought a USA based string making firm, but it lay dormant for many years. Before the Fender Squier series were introduced in 1982, Fender were making lower priced guitars such as the Fender Lead series at their Fullerton California plant. Until the introduction of the Fender Squier series, Fender had never produced lower priced guitars based on their main Stratocaster and Telecaster designs and had always used different model designs for their lower priced guitars.

 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Fender was facing competition from lower priced Japanese made guitars. The lower priced Fender guitars were made in America and could not compete with the Japanese made Fender copies lower prices. In the early 1980s, Japanese labor and production costs were much lower than in America and to compete with the Japanese made guitars, Fender decided to move the lower priced Fender guitar production from America to Japan.

 

Fender were also losing sales in Japan to Japanese guitar brands such as Tokai and Greco, so the establishment of Fender Japan would benefit Fender in Japan as well as overseas. Fender began negotiations with several Japanese musical instrument distributors and reached an agreement with Yamano Gakki and Kanda Shokai to establish Fender Japan. Yamano Gakki are also known for once being part of Epiphone Japan. Kanda Shokai own the Greco brand name and one of the conditions of the Fender Japan agreement was that Kanda Shokai cease production of its own Greco Fender copies.

 

This arrangement benefited Fender because it removed the Greco Fender copies which were selling at much lower prices than the American made Fenders in Japan and also benefited Kanda Shokai because it could now distribute Japanese made Fender branded guitars in Japan. Further negotiations between Fender and guitar factories were done. Tokai was seriously considered to start building the first Japanese made Fenders but after a breakdown in negotiations FujiGen Gakki was chosen instead [1].

 

The first Fender Japan guitars produced were the Squier JV series. These were very accurate reproductions of classic 1950s and 1960s Fender guitar models. Soon after a second series followed and these were called the SQ series as seen from the prefix to their serial numbers. They were generally reproductions of 1970s models with the main difference being that they had Japanese made pickups whereas the initial JV series used Fender American made pickups. Over time the Squier series has slowly evolved to include original model designs and production has moved from Japan to various other Asian countries such as Korea and China.

[PJ]

But a Squier has the same headstock shapes as the Fender models it replicates. For Fender, a name change was sufficient. For Epiphone, it saw the need to change head shapes. Not sure why it mattered all that much. Maybe because Epiphone, prior to the merger with Gibson, was not a low-end brand, made & sold top-end guitars, something Squier never did.

[PJ]

I'm starting to understand the Gibson strategy on head shapes, more thesedays. When I saw the Elitist guitars had yet a third head shape, I realized that's how they identify the layers within the

Gibson brand - Epiphone, Elitist, Gibson - even Masterbuilt has its own distinct headshape. Is it necessary? Probably not, but it probably eliminates some confusion with duplicate models crossing multiple brands - there are 335s in all 3 brands - Gibson, Epiphone & Elitist and Les Pauls in all three

categories, as well/

[13yguitarman]

only reason fender and squiers have the same headstocks is that squiers are more closely related in price range and fender made the guitar to have that headstock. epiphone has had that type of style not exact but close and epiphone was owned before gibson bought it and they want a clear ditinction between the history.

[PJ]

Epiphone could use some consolidation within the lines, for HS shapes. I've never been a big fan of

the Epi-Paul HS shape, with the knocked-off corners. Why not use the HS shape on the Lucille, Dot,

EB-0, Cassidy, Dot, Casino, etc? That shape, to me, is what would seem to work across the entire Epiphone line. The skinny shape on the SGs and Les Pauls isn't what I remember an Epiphone HS

shape to be (see Avatar). This shape, to me at least, is how I best recall Epiphones to look.

[brad1]

I have to tell ya, I don't really spend much time even thinking about what the headstock looks like.

I don't really care.

[flyingfrets]

Given the rash of fake Gibsons available online in recent years (and I'm talking about outright FAKES, not copies), I can't help wondering if the headstocks weren't modified so as not to facilitate the unscrupulous from turning Epis into "Gibsons" and pawning them off on the unsuspecting.

 

It wouldn't be that difficult to shave down and refinish one of the older Samick headstocks so it was more symetric, and more Gibson-like. No, it wouldn't be perfect, but at a glance, it would probably fool the uninitiated.

 

It would be more difficult, time consuming, labor intensive and expensive to build up those "blunted" corners on the current Epis. Unless the refinish job was really first rate, your eye (educated to these shenanigans or not) would be drawn to the patchwork area (seams, uneven finish, etc).

 

It's just the nature of how the eye & the mind work together. You're more likely to notice to notice a small detail that's there (especially if they got it wrong) than you are to notice one that's missing (like a shaved headstock).

 

Just something to consider...

[PJ]

Soon, we'll have Epiphone Les Paul knock-offs. Samicks sell for half what an Epiphone Les Paul does. So, you see, the headstock shape shell game never ends. I still think they (Epi) should have one shape and chase down anyone who illegally copies anything. It seems to work OK for Gibson and Fender, who both (if I'm not mistaken) have their respective HS shapes registered as trademarks.

[pohatu771]

Before being bought by Gibson, Epiphone had a similar headstock already. (Seen here, and in Epiphone's own Vintage Collection)

 

That shape seems to still be used on Epiphone originals (Alleykat and Wildkat).

 

Some Epiphones had an oversized headstock (also seen on the above site), and those designs are still used on Sheratons and Emperors.

 

The headstock used on Casinos, Dots, and acoustics looks like it was created by Gibson, being similar to pre-Gibson Epiphone headstocks and Gibson's own.

 

The Elitist headstock is very similar to the pre-Gibson headstocks in the first link.

 

I'm by no means an expert, but that's my take on it.