Need Help deciding LP- Gibson or Epiphone?

[animalfarm]

Well on my way in it was pouring rain. I was set on the Epi but the salesmen keeps telling me the Gibson studio is a better deal due to a better made guitar (I think his intentions are right)' date=' hard case that's included, and better pickups. [b']He said that I'd probably want to sell the epi [/b]for a Gibson in a few years and the resale value is better on the Gibson.

Despite the info he gave me I took the Epi up to the register to pay and I find out that it doesn't come with a gig bag- I thought it did. Also the C.C. machines were down. So I took it as an omen to not buy anything...

 

I'm not super interested in buying used mainly due to no warranty.

 

thanks

 

 

I've highlighted a few things in your quote:

1. The EPI - which one????? DETAILS!

2. Sell the EPI - Hmmmm. I have a 2006 and a 2008, haven't had the urge

to take them in the backyard and set fire to them yet. I just slapped some

Gibson 498T/490R pickups in 'em. Happy!!!!!

3. Took the EPI - WHICH ONE? DETAILS!!!!!

 

Yes, I've owned 3 Gibson Les Pauls in my time, they are "technically" made with

better/higher priced material. Yes, resale value is higher as the market mindset is

that Gibson is better, hence MORE EXPENSIVE. Remember, EPI is a Gibson subsidiary

company. Bottom line: At your current skill level do you want to shell out $799 or $399?

$400 difference. I bought my EPI cases from Musician's Friend for $70 each, and I kept my

EPIs in the factory box until the cases arrived. EPIPHONE IS A GOOD BRAND OF GUITAR!!!!!

 

A great guitarist will play great on either brand, and a beginning guitarist will play like

a beginning guitarist on either brand. All about the $$$$$$$ outlay and are you comfortable

with it?

[sFLsniper]

I've highlighted a few things in your quote:

1. The EPI - which one????? DETAILS!

 

Standard Plus Top... Cherry sunburst.

 

I'm not comfortable spending the $600 lol. can't wrap my head around the $850! lol (out the door)

[animalfarm]

Standard Plus Top... Cherry sunburst.

 

I'm not comfortable spending the $600 lol. can't wrap my head around the $850! lol (out the door)

 

$600 vs $850....Plus the cost of a case if you go EPI. You're approaching that

fine line in which the EPI outlay would be almost as much as the GIbby (with case).

In this situation' date=' I personally would grab the GIBSON as the overall diff would be

less than $200. Heresy, I know. [b']OR, I would look at lower priced EPIs.[/b]

I bought my LP Studio for $349 from Musician's Friend.

I bought my LP Classic on ebay for $300. Lots of research and seller

questions before bidding.

 

Don't forget the link I posted earlier:

Does the seller not carry this?

 

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Limited-Edition-Les-Paul-Studio-Deluxe-Electric-Guitar?sku=581254

 

In the end, it's YOUR decision, just post those pics.

[lpfan]

If you can get a good deal on a used Epi from a reputable dealer, I would go that route. I wouldn't worry about the warranty. You will want to upgrade the stock electronics as you improve anyway so the warranty doesn't matter. But they will be fine for new and you will save alot of cash if you are having issues letting go of mucho dinero. Plus if you buy used,you can usually get lucky and find one with a case included too.

[cunningham26]

Can we take a minute and reflect upon that, with the purchase of a top of the line epi as opposed to the bottom rung, slab mahogany gibson, sFLsniper would be getting a les-paul-ier guitar? the epis considered are LP's design to a t.

 

Also, the salesman wants to convince you that you need the more expensive one, plain and simple. for whatever reason you spout, whether it be resale value, capturing "that tone", sounding like _____ _______, he's there to say "yea, that one ($$) may work, but really you should consider this ($$$$$) if you're serious about doing that." A case shouldn't be the deciding factor on your buy; i have 4 of them and they're the things i use the least. Hell, i have an Epi LP case i never use, i'll sell it to you real cheap if you get an Epi.

 

If it were my cash in hand, I've played a few LP Standards and customs I would put head to head against a gibson studio. Please Please Please look beyond the headstock, tell the helicopter salesman to leave you alone, and develop your own opinion on how the two actually sound with the same (tube!) amp on the same presets, and come to an informed conclusion.

 

As always, good luck, and post pictures of the results

[lpfan]

Cunningham26 - I'll buy that case if he doesn't want it.

[andrewjunior]

Epi LP JR is 99 bucks or around there. get a decent pickup and some good tuners and you've got a great guitar for cheap. i got a kent armstrong p90 and new kluson tuners on mine, pluse tone/vol pots and knobs, and it plays and sounds as good as any guitar i've ever played.

[AS90]

Get the Gibson if you can afford it. I have had lots of Gibsons over the years and lots of Epis too. Epiphones are great guitars, especially the hollow bodies. If I was planning on only having one main guitar though I would go with a Gibson or a used Epi Elitist. Always get the best you can afford, you will be glad further down the line.

 

However, if I had a crappy amp I would sort that out first!

[freak show]

OK, I know you said you're not comfortable with buying used. Do you know anyone who could assist you?

 

If you do, you'll be able to get much more guitar for the money by buying used. And forget the warranty on new guitars. If you modify anything, the protection is nullified anyway.

 

If you were to buy a used Epiphone, you would have more money left for the next guitar or amp.

 

And for $800 you could easily get a used Gibson Les Paul Jr. or Special. That would be a guitar you might very well want to keep forever, even if you were to decide you wanted another guitar a some point.

 

Good luck.

[antwhi2001]

"the epis considered are LP's design to a t. "

 

Wrong. They're authorised Asian copies with a number of modifications to make them cheaper to build. Different headstock angle, different neck joint, no maple cap....and Les Paul didn't design it anyway, he just suggested the colour and endorsed them.

[Hungrycat]

Epiphone's Quality Control is better than Gibson's IMHO. I went in to the local GC AND Samash here and picked up pretty much every Gibson they had. I had to get into the $1500 + range before I found fretwork that wasn't absolute sh*t. And even then, some of those had some awful flaws. Example: A Metallic Black Flying V '67 RI @ Sam Ash Nashville. It had a thumb print in the paint, and UNDER THE DAMN CLEARCOAT!!! How did that get out of the factory?!?!? Oh, I know...greed... Sticker price was $2499. There's what... all of $200 woth of parts in guitar like a Flying V? Ad in labor and the COST is $400 MAYBE?? Dealer cost would be about 50%of sticker?? No company is goin' to thow away that kind of profit...

[Hungrycat]

Wrong. They're authorised Asian copies with a number of modifications to make them cheaper to build. Different headstock angle' date=' different neck joint, no maple cap....[/quote']

 

Wrong. Epiphone controls thier own production facilities now. Gibson owns Epiphone, making them "Not Copies".

 

Headstock angle is trivial. Norlin messed with that in the 70's. Are those not Les Pauls?

 

The Epiphones uses the same standard short tennon as the current Gibson Standards. Those must not be Les Pauls either...

 

I don't know about you...

but THAT ^^^^^ looks pretty Maple-y to me...

 

and Les Paul didn't design it anyway' date=' he just suggested the colour and endorsed them. [/quote']

You did get this (pretty much) right. He had them ad his trapeeze bridge which he designed.

[animalfarm]

Well, folks - by now "we" have him totally confused.

LOTS of GOOD thoughts and opinions regarding which guitar to

purchase. I say if "entry level" guitarist, spend the cash on a less

expensive EPI, play for a while - if you are WORTHY of spending the $$$$

on a Gibson, you'll know. MY epis have Gibson pups and tuners, NO

DIFFERENCE to be heard... I can still hit the "grace notes/palm-muted

harmonic chimes" when desired, and my EPIs with gibby pups sound better

as the volume goes up (more sensitivity). The pup upgrade was a PERSONAL

choice, totally ruined my warranty (heh, heh....) as soon as I unsoldered the

first connection.

I believe this makes them "used".

Bottom line - (again) - If "entry level" guitar player, go for the less expensive

guitar. You'll find out soon enough if you are READY to play a GIBBY. Headstock name

is "cool", but if you are still learning to play, headstock name means nothing, except

that you might have a gibby to sell later on IF you give up!!!! I LIKE the name "Gibson"

on my headstock, BUT also realize that there ARE other producers of gits who have

exceptionally decent guitars.

[markerdown]

If you want to see and hear a good side by side comparison and opinions of an epi LP vs a gibby LP, check out the video on the tube by David Taub at Nextlevelguitar. If you are concerned about tone capabilities, wormanship between the two, David tells it straight and IMO, the Epi Lp is no slouch.

 

I had a new epi LP plus top made at the factory in China, marked 2nd, and it flat out rocked. I could not find anything that made it a 2nd. Personally, I like the bound fretboard on the the plus top epi vs the gibby studio. And just remember, you pay for the gibson name at any level of their guitars. .........................................markerdown

[sFLsniper]

Hey Guys-

 

Thank you all for your input It is appreciated. I'm definitly going to get an Epiphone now. You guys are also giving me confidence in buying a used model.

 

I had a new epi LP plus top made at the factory in China' date=' marked 2nd, and it flat out rocked. [/quote']

 

 

This brings up a very good point. I've seen those Epiphones marked 2nd or used on ebay.

 

What is everyones opinion on these?

 

again- Thank you guys for taking the time to help me.

 

Brian

[sFLsniper]

are the Epi studios built to the same quality as the standards?

 

thanks

[altair]

If I were you, I'd stay WAYYY clear of E-bay. Buying used from a store is a whole lot different than buying used from a stranger off the internet.

When I bought my 2nd hand Wilshire at a local store, I didn't "officially" get any warranty but when I went back a few weeks later because of an annoying fret buzz, they fixed it for me on the spot and no charge. You don't get that kind of service from E-bay.

I'd suggest asking a knowledgable friend to come along with you to judge the quality. IMHO, the LP Studio and LP Standard are two different guitars, they will feel different in your hands. Choose the one that feels the most comfortable to you.

 

Lastly, I'd like to repeat what others have said because I think it's such a great advice: If you can get your hands on a cheaper (but good) guitar, use the rest of your budget to get a good amplifier! A crappy guitar can sound good through a great sounding amp, but a great guitar can sound horrible through a crappy amp.

[midiman56]

I believe at a lot of such chains (although I may be wholly wrong' date=') at least part of the salesman's pay is on commission, meaning they'd be better off selling you that expensive Gibson. That's not to say they don't bear your interests in mind, but in that kind of work, your own tend to be a little more important.

 

[/quote']

 

Actually, here's a tiny bit of insight here ... I get paid primarily on the gross profit margin of the gear I sell. The fact is that I will make substantially more money selling a $699 Epiphone that I will selling a $799 Gibson. The REAL bottom line is that customers have 30 days to return their purchases. Selling them something they don't want based on how much money the saleperson will make usually nets him a big, fat ZERO. It's cool to explain the differences in certain guitars, but ultimately, it's gotta be the customer's choice.

 

Jim

[antwhi2001]

Hungrycat,

 

There's obviously a lot of variation in the "caps". I've routed out 2 for a centre humbucker; one old Samick goldtop and a more recent EE plus top. In both cases the cap was about 1/8" thick over the centre area. It made the job harder because the maple is more brittle than mahogany so it cracks or splinters more easily, especially when it's that thin. I did actually crack it on the goldtop.