GTRMack Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have a 1993 Epiphone Les Paul...I believe its the Standard. I have owned it since 1995. I love the guitar. Even though it was one made in Korea S93101xxx. I've even gone so far as to replace the Pick-ups with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and wired it with 500k push pull pots and one of the Jimmy Page wiring schemes plus Orange drop capacitors. All cavities are sheilded with copper tape sheilding. Lately I have been thinking about getting another guitar and wondered if I should go for an american made guitar and get a genuine Gibson.....not that there is anything wrong with my Korean made....it still made to Gibson specs. Or is it? Does anyone know if there is any real differences in the materials used in the American Gibson and the Korean EPI from that time period? The guitar is quite heavy and has massive tone...especially now with the Pearly Gates Pick-ups. If there is a difference in the neck construction I would like to know that too. When I did the pick-ups I also put new frets on it and found that the neck radius is not quite 12" like the Gibson specs. The original Pick-ups where definately different from the comparable Gibsons that I have seen pictures of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhead Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well, they both use "comparable" woods, but I think Gibson has a higher quality requirement for the woods they use. PART of the reason Gibson's are higher priced, not to mention the fact that American labor is higher than overseas. BIGGEST difference I've seen so far is that Epiphone uses cheaper hardware and electronics! But we'll see in 30 years how my Epiphones are doing! I know my Gibson guitars will still be playing, unless I don't take care of them. My 1937 L-50 archtop, although beat and bruised, still plays and sounds very good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well, they both use "comparable" woods, but I think Gibson has a higher quality requirement for the woods they use. PART of the reason Gibson's are higher priced, not to mention the fact that American labor is higher than overseas. BIGGEST difference I've seen so far is that Epiphone uses cheaper hardware and electronics! But we'll see in 30 years how my Epiphones are doing! I know my Gibson guitars will still be playing, unless I don't take care of them. My 1937 L-50 archtop, although beat and bruised, still plays and sounds very good! GTRMack, Welcome to the forum! All good points! As far as comparable wood, not so sure. I will bow to the point that the availability of the highest quality wood today is not what it was years ago. Also, some of the wood used on Gibsons will be solid, where as comparable parts on Epiphones may be laminated. Additionally, many Gibsons are available with ebony fretboards. Many similar models of Epi are not. The finish on Gibsons are nitrocellulose. On Epiphones they are (or at least have been) polyester. I'm not sure if Epiphone has switched to polyurethane. I notice that some of the newer Epis do not have the "dipped in plastic" look that they once had. As to the difference that makes, the debate goes on: http://www.edroman.com/techarticles/polyvsnitro.htm Gearhead is spot on about the hardware and electronics. The U.S. made parts on Gibsons are top drawer. They are also imperial as opposed to metric. This was a big deal in upgrading Epiphone tailpieces and bridges until a few years ago. Now, most dealers carry both. As to pickups, they are a matter of taste. The Gibsons are higher quality. Even so, if you read several forums you will find that Gibson owners change their pickups out as much as anyone else. One of the most very, very, very, very, very, very important things to remember............... It cost $500 to $3,000 more to make a Gibson headstock! Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Absolutely everything in or on the guitar is lower-spec than a USA Gibson. Fact. Wood, hardware, lacquer, electrics...everything. The Korean/Chinese/Indonesian Epis are effectively authorised lower-cost copies of Gibsons, designed to look the same, but they're not built the same. You have a Korean Samick build there, and I rate those as usually very good build quality. I've owned 3. You've also upgraded key components to Gibson-level spec. Through a good amp, yours will sound undistinguishable from a "real" USA Gibson, at a fraction of the price. If I were you I'd try a few USA Gibsons and compare the feel and the finish. Don't expect them to sound better. Only you know if they are worth the difference in price. If I were you, I'd hang on to the Epi and spend my money on something else - a different type of guitar, or a really good amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyGibson Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Head over to the Gibson Forum and check out the USA made threads under Les Paul: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/forum/9-les-paul/ The first one: Les Paul Clubs will show you the varios models and what their owners say about them. I bought a Traditional Plus exactly one year ago and love it. Big beefy neck and the 57's are outstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 No matter what upgrades or how well made an epi is, It is still made out of "Eastern mahogany" instead of real Mahogany. Eastern mahogany could be one of any number of tonewoods that have similar tonal characteristics as real mahogany but are not even a related species. I love epi's because they are built to the same specifications, so if you are willing to invest a little time and money changing hardware and electrics, you can create a beautiful sounding and playing instrument that is practically indistinguishable in sound to all but the fussiest ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jer231 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 There is a big difference in the wood quality, the electronics, the fit and finish and the way that it is made. Some Indonesian plants can crank out an incredible number of instruments compared to what is built in Nashville. Kind of like Honda makes 200+ motorcycles for every ONE that BMW makes. I've got 2004 Korean LP Custom and there is a big difference even between that and a more recent issue. Manufacturers are always looking at ways to cut costs and increase profits. If you can save .90 cents on each guitar it adds up quickly. I think that if you are spending $800.00 for a guitar you should get a hard case for it. But even a Highway One US made Fender now comes with a Gig Bag!! My Thinline deluxe Tele came with a gig bag but I bought it at a promotion and got a Coffin case thrown in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I've got 2004 Korean LP Custom and there is a big difference even between that and a more recent issue. Like what specifically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickman Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 These debates will go on endlessly and never be resolved. The question is what's it worth to you? Do you make your living playing guitar? Is it a hobby? Personally I cant justify spending 2000 dollars or more on a guitar to entertain myself or a few friends that wouldnt know the difference between a Gibson or anything else. Just my .02 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvar Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I don't know about the EPI Les Paul-but, my Dot (Korean) has a maple neck, as compared to a Gibson 335's mahogany neck. IMO this makes a huge difference in the tone between the two. The EPI sounding much brighter to my ears. About the only way to compensate for this is through careful pickup selection, ie: a 'darker' sounding pickup. Just my .02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev CD Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Epiphone solid bodies are built BUTCHER BLOCK style with 3 to 5 pieces of wood. The clear finishes have a veneered face and back. The necks have scab joints. These are not criticisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 (edited) Epiphones current method of construction on solid bodies is usually 3 blocks of mahogany (or other specified wood) with a veneer top and back for ease of finish. Gibson also uses 3 or multiple blocks while trying to match the wood grain with no veneer. Epiphone sculpted top Les Pauls use a sculpted maple top with a thin maple veneer for finish. Gibson Les Pauls once again use a sculpted maple top but carefully aligned for finish without veneer. Larger solid body Epiphones and Gibsons like V's and Explorers use multiple blocks with the Epi's finished with a veneer and the Gib's no veneer but with aligned grain... Most guitar manufacturers use multiple blocks of wood for their bodies, it would be very expensive to make a Strat body out of one piece of wood. But not impossible. Epiphones currently being built at the Gibson Qingdao Factory in China are improving in quality, standardization of the product line and don't use scab joints on the neck.. A Gibson S1 clearly showing a scab joint on the neck.. 4 of my Epiphones were made at the Gibson Qingdao factory that opened in 2005, they are my favorite guitars in my dive bar collection. Also I prefer Epiphones polyurethane finish over Gibsons nitro, as I live in a high humidity region of the Pacific that can be very hard on nitrocellulose. Also note that Epiphones current Semi-Hollow body Guitars usually follow a completely different set of construction rules.. Edited January 7, 2020 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 Epiphone, along with most other brands, moved the scarf joint from the neck to the bottom of the headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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