cubbiesinger Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I'm looking at two guitars this guy has for sale in my neighborhood. I guess he has a bunch of stuff but he showed me two epiphones this morning. One of them was a Dot and it had Grover tuners on it. They seemed really nice, as did the whole guitar. He wants $350 for it with a hard case. He also showed me a Les Paul (epiphone). This one I believe is Korean because it said U for the first letter in the serial number. And no other letter. U01 something something. The Dot started with DW, which I believe is chinese. They both seemed very nice. The LP he wanted $350 for also but it only had a soft gig bag. I'll try to get pics up later. The LP was really sweet looking though. It had a red flake paint. The tuners were these old style that are whitish with chrome on the guitar and a little round tube going out to the white tuner. The grovers on the Dot seemed more substantial and possibly better, but the LP was more retro looking. The LP had that cream colored pickguard and creme around the humbuckers and the switch. I have a few other questions for you guys, if anyone is willing to listen and answer. First off: Since this is the Epiphone forum, do you guys really think there is that big of a difference in the American and Asian made ones? Does it depend? For some reason I would really like an American made guitar. But, I have read that sometimes the asians one are completely fine. I don't know if I'd know the difference or not. Secondly, maybe you guys can give me some advice. I used to play in alternative rock bands when I was out of high school and I was pretty into it back then. I had owned to Epiphone LP's back then and eventually went to a tele because the girl that played lead in the band played a strat and they seemed to have a hard time meshing, soundwise. The LP and the Strat that is. I put all the rock star stuff away a long time ago because I had a huge life change. I gave my life to God and then had a family and kids. I have played on the worship team at my last church, but I was never real into playing guitar. In fact I played drums and bass more because there are always enough guitarists to go around. So I filled in where needed. Well, these last couple months I have been passionately playing guitar again. I play every day. I only own an Ibanez acoustic, but my Mom had picked up a little Fender Starcaster with a 10 watt amp from a garage sale because she wanted to learn how to play. Well I got it set up for her and put new strings on it. Some kid wanted to play guitar and never played it. Anyways, my Mom and I work together so I see that guitar every day. So, I can't put it down. Whenever I get a minute or two I'm playing it. And we run a daycare so I play the kids songs on it. Anyways... That is some background to my question. Sorry to be so long in the tooth, BUT my question has to do with the tones and sounds of guitars in general. I am more of a rythm player. I play acoustic a lot, and I am a strummy / clean rhythm guitarist. It's not that I wont EVER use distortion. But you get my point. I'm no shredder, metal jammer etc. The songs I like to play are more clean. Just chords, bar chords, etc. Do anybody else fit this description and do you think a Les Paul can do that kind of duty? I had always thought they're kind of "strong" sounding. But I would imagine the right amp set up could work. Plus, as a strummy drummer I know I may hit the pickup selector switch and I wonder if there is a way to overide it, move it, or whatever. I am liking the idea and shape and size of a LP very much and I'm wondering if there is a way to make it work. I like the smaller scale and a little bit thicker neck of the LP compared to a Strat. I like the Dot too, but the size MAY be a little cumbersome to work with. Any thoughts and input is very appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 First of all, welcome to the forum. Second, you asked many questions in your long post. I will answer a few, but I'm not going back through that manuscript of yours and try to find them all. Next time you may want to organize all your questions together. Makes it a lot easier. Yes Grovers are standard on Dots. At least they have been for a while. You do not state the year of the guitar. That would help. Epiphone guitars are all made in Asia now. There may be a few high-price models still made here, but most all manufactured overseas {almost all in China. They are very well made. I have a Dot and a G400, both made in China, and both excellent guitars. Yes, a Les Paul can sound great clean, with no distortion. Or with distortion. Very versatile guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbiesinger Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Sorry for the manuscript. You actually did answer my questions. Thank you for the welcome. I appreciate that, any other opinions are welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbiesinger Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Actually, there was one more thing. Can the Pup switch on an LP be moved or just bypassed so I don't hit it when strumming? I dont' do it very often, but I remember when I owned them back in the day, it would every now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Are American made Epiphones better than Asian made ones? It's hard to say for sure but I think that quality of materals, electrics and finish was better then. What you're trying to compare is something that's new now against something that was made more than 40 years ago. As USA made Epiphones are no longer available the question should be, is an Epiphone Dot as good as a Gibson ES335 Dot? and that's a whole other can of worms. For the price I think new models are very good value. With a little adjustment a new Epiphone can be made to play nice and to my ears they sound OK out of the box, my three play and sound good to me. Would I swap my Japanese Riviera for a good example of a 60's American one? Yes, in a heartbeat. For clean/strummed rhythm work my first choice is always a Tele with the switch in the middle position. It's almost an electro-acoustic sound to my ears and perfect when recording. When I "play out" (not often enough these days) I tend to use my old Riviera, which I find more versatile for live work. My model's pretty much the same as The Dot with the full size humbuckers. In a live situation I use the switch in the middle position with the volume of each backed off a little and that's certainly "clean enough" for rhythm work with a clean setting on my amp. I shouldn't imagine it's hard to get a similar clean sound from a Les Paul. Les Paul was a great player but I never heard him do any shredding. I think it would be quite a job to move the switch on a Les Paul but maybe it's possible to turn it a quarter turn so that it doesn't change pickups if you hit it. I don't know if the Les Paul and Dot are the only guitars you're considering but I recently bought the re-issue Wilshire with mini humbuckers and that has a sound closer to a Tele for rhythm work and price wise it's in the same ball park as you're looking at. It's not going to suit everyone but it's maybe a third option to consider. Whatever you decide on I hope you'll be happy with it. jg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Just bought a dot almost literally new off the truck at the store. Grovers. I just turned my fingers black on the factory strings for a cupla hours - literally - and it's possibly a better choice IMHO than the LP for general pickin'. Nothing against the LP, but I've never cared for it. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Hmmmmm.... Well, it's been 35 years since I bought a new guitar, so... <chortle> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Hmmmmm.... Well, it's been 35 years since I bought a new guitar, so... <chortle> m You must have the willpower of a saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 You must have the willpower of a saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Not really. A few used guitars; nothing to write home about. And besides, my #1 and #2, #3 and #4 are almost exactly what I wanted in their types of guitar. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 BTW, I'm a fingerpicker. My right hand fingers were also well-blackened from the strings. It ain't the fingerboard. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPO1959 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 The black fingers are not from the strings....it's from the fretboard :lol: but it's getting better with the days When I got my G-400 a few weeks ago, I went and bought some fretboard conditioner which helped to get that black dye off the fretboard. That's the one thing on Epis that I'm not too fond of. Why they put that on, I don't know but it's a pain in the *** when you go to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 When I got my G-400 a few weeks ago, I went and bought some fretboard conditioner which helped to get that black dye off the fretboard. That's the one thing on Epis that I'm not too fond of. Why they put that on, I don't know but it's a pain in the *** when you go to play. Back in the 70's there was a bit of a fad for ebony fingerboards and Japanese companies like Ibanez, Antoria etc started colouring their rosewood fingerboards black and calling them "ebonised" fingerboards. It was great stuff that they used though, I'm still trying to get some off my fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zork Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 BTW, I'm a fingerpicker. My right hand fingers were also well-blackened from the strings. It ain't the fingerboard. m Wipe your fretboard down with lighter fluid/naptha. I've drrn this many times, it's the stain they put on the fretboard. The strings are not the best either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbiesinger Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 jonnyg, I've had my eye on the wilshire. I think I need to go play one. When I meant to compare "American Made" to an Epiphone, I meant whatever Gibson counterpart. You know, A Gibson LP compared to the same model Ephiphone LP. Or even the wilshire for that matter. They're making a RI in Tenessee and it costs 4K according to the website. It must have gold in the hardware. I'm not sure I could tell that much of a difference. I mean I'm sure the fit and finish is that much better, but for what I'm going to be doing with it, I'm not sure if it would be warranted. On the other hand, I do want a quality guitar that doesn't go out of tune every time you pick it up, and sometimes I worry about some of the asian ones. As far as the tele goes, I just feel like I want something different. I like the smaller scale of the Gibsons. I've been trying to figure out what is a good inbetween a Tele and a LP. They're like the extreme opposites and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot inbetween. The wilshire might just be that guitar, but I've yet to play one. I might hit the selector down there too though. hehehehehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsmith3 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 You have not said what your budget is, but I am guessing that an American-made Gibson might be more than you want to pay -- think $ thousands vs. $ hundreds for an equivalent Asian-made Epiphone. The Epiphones are a great value. My Dot has Grover tuners. If you really like how the Dot plays and feels, then definitely consider it. However, see if you can talk him down on the price. A brand new Dot goes for $400 but you can always find sales at Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, etc. An Epiphone case is about $80 at Sweetwater with free shipping. so let's say you could get the Dot brand new for 15% off, which is $340, plus $80 for a case, which totals $420. The used price of $350 is only a 17% discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsmith3 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 What model LP is it? There are always a lot of Epiphone Les Pauls on Craigs List in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Actually I had a similar experience with strings a year or so ago when a teen friend asked me to help put "the extra pair" of a cheap Strat copy onto the guitar. No black fingertips before, very black fingertips after. 'Twern't my first rodeo. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 jonnyg, I've had my eye on the wilshire. I think I need to go play one. When I meant to compare "American Made" to an Epiphone, I meant whatever Gibson counterpart. You know, A Gibson LP compared to the same model Ephiphone LP. Or even the wilshire for that matter. They're making a RI in Tenessee and it costs 4K according to the website. It must have gold in the hardware. I'm not sure I could tell that much of a difference. I mean I'm sure the fit and finish is that much better, but for what I'm going to be doing with it, I'm not sure if it would be warranted. On the other hand, I do want a quality guitar that doesn't go out of tune every time you pick it up, and sometimes I worry about some of the asian ones. As far as the tele goes, I just feel like I want something different. I like the smaller scale of the Gibsons. I've been trying to figure out what is a good inbetween a Tele and a LP. They're like the extreme opposites and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot inbetween. The wilshire might just be that guitar, but I've yet to play one. I might hit the selector down there too though. hehehehehehe That's pretty much what I pointed out when I said compare The Dot to a Gibson ES335 Dot, there's a huge price difference so I'd hope that there's a NOTICEABLE difference. I think it's always been that way. You have to pay quite a lot more to get some fairly small improvements. With regard to the Wilshire, I've had no problems with the tuning or any other real problems, just a few minor adjustments. You would have to try it because I honestly think it's a guitar that won't suit everybody. With reference to your "hehehe" moment regarding the Wilshire switch I can tell you, the positioning of that thing is the one thing I hate. It's fine standing up playing but sitting down I'm always hitting it with my knee. And no, theres not enough room under it to turn it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbiesinger Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Uh oh, that won't work. I sit down mostly now. I'm getting old. Even at 38. hehehhehehehehehe The epiphone is some limited edition sparkley red. It does have a cream pickguard and all that with more retro looking tuners. The white ones shaped like the guitar head. It's pretty cool looking, but then again, a little flashy for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Well, I think even sitting down there are a number of physical positions that "work" for playing guitar. I've probably used most of 'em that are relatively practical since different guitars require a different physical "presentation" if you will. A lot has to do also with the chair or stool or whatever you're sitting on. I think it's one of those things that's gonna vary with whatever you're sitting on and the shape of whatever guitar you're playing. For example, a couch and a Wilshire would probably bring me to sit very differently than a barstool and an acoustic. I guarantee that's the case with the different guitar shapes I have, and have had over the years. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbiesinger Posted September 1, 2010 Author Share Posted September 1, 2010 Hopefully sometime I'll get to play one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.