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Korina 58 Flying V


hotforteachers

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Posted

Hi there,

 

since when Epi produced the 58 Korina Vee in Korea?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Hey Hotforteachers, welcome to the forum. Hope you like it here.

 

Can't tell you how long Epi Flying V's have been coming out of Korean, probably for some time now.

Got my Korina Explorer only last year and it's serial no. indicates February 2009 Unsung, Korea. I red somewhere on this forum recently of a 2011 LP Black Beauty from Unsung, Korea also.

Epiphone apparently still have guitars manufactured and still coming out countries other than 'Quingdao' China.

 

Also, if you have a Flying V, post a picture. They love guitar porn on this forum. :rolleyes:

 

Cheers

Paulimg1363i.jpg

Posted

My brand new Epiphone Korina '58 V is made in China.

Very interwesting.

 

Oh I see that. Seems there's no connection between year of manufacture and country of origin? Is that it?

If they have finally moved to China (as georg says,) then there might be now. As far as I know (until recently,) Epiphone's Explorers and Vs have always been fabbed in Korea - presumably because they are relatively low volume guitars (re: sales :rolleyes: ) compared to the LP and SG, they probably didn't warrant the expense of setting up new production lines or something.

Posted

I knew those are made now in China, just wondering since when.

As I'm willing to get a 2006 made Vee just want to be sure it's not a crappy chinese made.

Well then. For a start, Epiphone's Chinese guitars have come a long way since earning their bad reputation. I'd put any les paul made in qingdao today toe-to-toe with the very last paul made in Korea.

 

I have a 2006 Les Paul prophecy from China that is one of the finest-assembled instruments I've played, practically flawless. My 2004 Explorer (Saein, Korea) is incredibly sloppy; one of the tuners is about 4mm out of line with the rest, one of the pickup rings doesn't even cover the whole pickup route, and someone went overboard on the edge bevel in a few places and gave it about four times the radius of the rest of the body. There's also a decent chunk of fretboard missing at the 20th fret on the treble side.

 

Even if you get a Chinese one, at this stage of the game it'll still be right up there for quality (discounting any lemons, which you occasionally see from every brand, let alone plant) with the Koreans. When Epiphone first started in Korea, they earned a really bad reputation then too. Processes evolved, and now they are put on a pedestal...

 

That said (and if there's some other motivation for avoiding Chinese-made guitars,) I'm pretty sure that they were built in Korea until at least 2008 - as co-founder, administrator, some-times editor and occasional contributor to the Epiphone Wiki, I do try to keep track of these things, and Georg's post is the first mention I've ever seen of a Chinese V.

 

:P

Posted

I must admit I thought that nowadays all Epiphones were made in China ..

 

as a matter of fact, mine is - according to the sticker pictured below. Nevertheless, my V features a clean workmanship, and sounds clear and full, a very nice guitar to play.

 

[smile]

 

alim1807iy.jpg

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

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Posted

as a matter of fact, mine is - according to the sticker pictured below. Nevertheless, my V features a clean workmanship, and sounds clear and full, a very nice guitar to play.

According to the serial number, yours was made at factory 20, which is either DaeWon or Unsung (China -- uncertainty remains as to which factory).

Posted

Well, never handled or seen a good chinese made guitar. I mean, there could always be the exception that proves the rule and I see it's hard to state this on an Epi forum. [flapper]

Good to know you guys own a killer chinese guitar but that's not for me, thanks. I let chinese grow their rice and I'll get my guitars elsewhere. [thumbup]

Posted

Well, never handled or seen a good chinese made guitar. I mean, there could always be the exception that proves the rule and I see it's hard to state this on an Epi forum. [flapper]

Good to know you guys own a killer chinese guitar but that's not for me, thanks. I let chinese grow their rice and I'll get my guitars elsewhere. [thumbup]

 

 

Agree.

These new chinese Epi's are "bling-bling" but they look fake, quite made of plastic.

They make me wondering if there's real wood under that shiny coats or not.

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