Funkwire Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I just finished reading the book Guitar Heaven by Neville Marten. He's a well-known guitar tech and historian in England. It's pretty much a coffee-table type book with loads of great pictures of electric guitars and plenty of trivia for us six-string geeks. He covers several Epiphone models, including the Casino, Sheraton, and Crestwood. There is a full-page picture of Noel Gallagher playing a Supernova. Next to it is a quote from Gallagher. I can't recall the exact words, but it's to the effect of "I played Epiphones when I started, because they're a poor man's Gibson. They made a model for me, but I don't bother playing them anymore." Geez, I know Gallagher's a drunken yob, but this seems pretty ungracious, to say the least, IMO. Discuss.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Well... he's just telling it like it is. He can afford the rich man's Gibsons now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Woody Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 To be honest, if money were no object, I wouldn't play them either. Why play something that has inferior woods, so-so electronics and hardware if you can have the best. It's a no brainer for me. If you had the money would you pick a VW Beetle over a Porsche? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricach Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 My opinion has always been - any dumba$$ can spend money - what impresses me is what people can do with just a little. I'd pick the modified beetle (actually karman ghia) over a store-bought porsche anyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Ginger Spice pics, anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulsaslim Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Here in the states if you said 'Noel Gallegher' 9 out of 10 people would say 'who'? They might have been big in Britain but they barely registered on the radar here. But at least he made enough money to dump his working class friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 If it weren't for the hate spewed at him here, I wouldn't know who he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Noel Who??? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Ginger Spice pics' date=' anyone?[/quote'] She modified? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 She would be when we got done wi...er, um. no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 To be honest' date=' if money were no object, I wouldn't play them either. Why play something that has inferior woods, so-so electronics and hardware if you can have the best. It's a no brainer for me. If you had the money would you pick a VW Beetle over a Porsche? [/quote'] I'd pick the Beetle, simply because it's easier to work on, parts are relatively cheaper, and in this here neighborhood, if you gots a Porsche, you may as well put a "Steal me please" sign on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 The Sheraton II I have is pretty nice. The build quality is similar to a friend's ES-340 Gibson, but the Gibson is constructed of wood of a much nicer pattern. It also sounds better than the Epi, but it doesn't play any better. The 340 also has a peculiar control layout, which I'd have to change in order to be happy with it. I'm not a snob either way. I happily played a '63 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman (speaking of peculiar control layouts!) for 15 years, and then replaced it with a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe. Each of them met my needs at the time. I play at a local church during the summer (Dobro, as part of a string band we put together from the congregation) and I really wanted an attractive thin archtop for the occasional foray into electric territory, so I did some horse trading and ended up with this pretty blond Epi. I'm swapping out the pickups for Seymour Duncans, and I traded the amber knobs for gold speed knobs; I took off the pickguard, added a suede strap and it looks killer. For me, a Gibson archtop isn't worth it. Nice figure in maple has nothing to do with sound. The SDs will take care of that. Another thing: the pots in my Chet Atkins were sticking, and the local guitar wheeler-dealer warned me not to replace them, because it would negatively affect the value. So he took it to the Dallas guitar show and sold it for over $3k, not a bad return on what I paid $425 for in 1982. With the insane "vintage" market, if I modified a Gibson it would lose value over the long term. Now, I'm a picky guy (when it comes to sound) and one of the reasons I peddled the Gretsch was because I could not get the sound I wanted, without tearing into it and causing immediate depreciation. Every electric instrument I own, I've replaced the pickups (at a minimum) and sometimes the bridges and tuners as well. So that led me to this Sheraton II: from 50' away you're not going to worry about the name on the headstock, just how well it fits in with the music being performed, and my modifications (I trust) will bring it up to speed in that regard. Others feel differently, and the name on the headstock is very important to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkwire Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Reviving the 'Epi vs. Gibson' drama wasn't my intent, honest...I just thought that as a person who Epiphone chose to create a signature model for...it was a snarky comment. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I didn't take it that way, I just wanted to contribute my thinking. Gibsons are nice (my main axe is my LP Deluxe) but there was an actual thinking process behind my choosing the Epi Sheraton II. Personally I think it's great that Gibson is maintaining such fine quality for their "budget" line. As I noted, I'm neither a snob nor a reverse snob. I'm lucky to be able to play some nice instruments, and I have been as happy whether the headstock said Squier or Fender or Gibson or Epiphone or whatever. Nice gear is nice gear, obviously, but I prefer to obsess over music. Were it not for the craziness surrounding "vintage" guitars, I might very well have gone for a Gibson...but, as another factor that I didn't discuss, I really love the bound f-holes and the vine inlay on my SII. It's a viable instrument in its own right, just as any Gibson is, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I just thought that as a person who Epiphone chose to create a signature model for...it was a snarky comment. That's all. Well, I think you can take his original statement, i.e. that an Epiphone is a poor man's Gibson, in a positive way, that is, he's saying that you're getting something close to a Gibson for a lot less money. Isn't that what most Epi buyers are thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkwire Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Well' date=' I think you can take his original statement, i.e. that an Epiphone is a poor man's Gibson, in a positive way, that is, he's saying that you're getting something close to a Gibson for a lot less money. Isn't that what most Epi buyers are thinking?[/quote'] I can't speak for all Epi owners, but that certainly reflects my viewpoint. And I own as many Epis as I do Gibsons (2 apiece). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I have that book too, Funkwire... He actually said he designed a guitar for Epiphone... I think that's a little lofty.. If telling them to move the switch on a Dot and paint a Union Jack on it qualifies him as a designer, then I wonder if Epiphone would be interested in buying my Lerxst Dot "design"? I guess I'd have to make a lot more people hate me first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 It would cost me at least $50,000 to replace my Epi's with Gibson's. Not gonna happen. I love the ones I have but I buy Epi's almost weekly, and Gibson's once every 4 or 5 years maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyh Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I agree with Rotcan's line, if you can get something that's close to a Gibson for half the price and you're not in a situation where money is no object, why not get an Epi? My best friend found my Epi Les Paul in a local guitar store. He played a '67 Gibson LP Custom - a beautiful guitar. He came home one day and, knowing I was in the market for a guitar, said "Kenny, you have to come and see this guitar." I did and bought it there and then along with a Marshall 50W valve combo. It's a fantastic guitar and I still play it 20 years later. My commission for finding it was to lend it to him as his second guitar when he was playing a gig. As for Gallagher, it's a long time since anyone took anything he said seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkwire Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 I have that book too' date=' Funkwire... He actually said he [u']designed[/u] a guitar for Epiphone... I think that's a little lofty.. If telling them to move the switch on a Dot and paint a Union Jack on it qualifies him as a designer, then I wonder if Epiphone would be interested in buying my Lerxst Dot "design"? I guess I'd have to make a lot more people hate me first... Right you are...I got home and looked at the book. Yeah...he's a 'designer' now, huh? I don't know...judging from the reaction to your 'Dot/335 transformation complete' thread, I think there's a lot of people on this forum that would be happy to buy your 'Lerxst Dot'...myself included! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubstar Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 "If you had the money would you pick a VW Beetle over a Porsche?" I sure would...worth is relative...if you connect with a $600 guitar and want to play it more than a $4,000 one, which is "worth" more? ironic comment from noel, given that harrison briefly played and discarded a gibson ES-345 prior to obtaining the casino... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdgails Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Noel speaks his mind. I respect that. The fact is the supernova was discontinued because noel didnt renew the contract on it. He made epiphone a ton of moola, and probably got screwed. Noel's problem is his brutal honesty. He helped increase the sales of the semi hollow to younger rockers---{think about when the dots came out}. He can be a prick---which is entertaining. Noel could easily put a guitar out with another guitar company---AND IT WOULD SELL. THAT IS A FACT. i LIKE EPIS ALOT---BUT gibsons are better, no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 The funny part of all this is that every guitar player who comes up and talks to me after a gig talks about how great my Les Paul tone is. Then, they look at the headstock with this funny look on their face and say something like, "I thought it was a real Les Paul." They can't believe that it isn't a Gibson... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchie1281734003 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Interesting,this comment of Noel Gallaghers,on Epiphones,because i have here a copy of Guitarist magazine(UK)February 1996,where he says,and i quote,"Guitar-wise i use my Burgundy Epiphone Riviera(Matsumoku 83 model,it actually was!)most of the time.It`s a 70s model and unless i snap a string it`s unlikely that i`ll change it during a set.Bonehead plays one as well(and still does today!also Matsumoku),with a Tobacco burst finish.To me,Epiphones feel better to play than the Gibson semi-acoustics.Bonehead and i chose to play semis because they produce a bigger,thicker,warmer sound than a Les Paul-if you get a good one.The reason i like epiphones is that i`ve had Gibson 335s and they are a fraction wider,so i can get my hand around an Epiphone much easier.So it`s always an Epiphone for me and i`ve just bought another-a 1962 Casino".That was his view of Epiphone/Gibson then,and the Matsumoku made Riviera`s are fine guitars in their own right,but he obviously changed his mind over the intervening years!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulsaslim Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Yeah, no doubt the result of all that alcohol frying out most of his working brain cells.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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