blindboygrunt Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 someone mentioned epiphone cortez guitar on the forum and i'd never heard of them , quiet in work i tend to window shop on ebay as i'm sure many of you do... point is , i always liked the look of those little B25 gibsons , the cortez seems a similar beast , and not a lot of difference in price , considering that the epiphone has the 'lesser' name on the headstock , are they much better guitars ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 It's been a long time, but I bought a new Cortez in 1965 or 66 because my buddy had a B25N. I couldn't afford the Gibson. I thought they were equivalent sounding at the time. The price for the Epi was $125. It got stolen a year later Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I've never played a B25 I didn't like and they come close to the tone of LG2's and 3's I've played. Xbracing makes this Gibson model a good thousand dollar guitar in my world. The adj bridge thing is a minor glitch. If the Cortez is Xbraced...I'd bet they compare nicely, though Umanovs has a really overpriced one up there. http://www.umanovguitars.com/store/item/1962-epiphone-cortez/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I want to say that the Gibson-made Epiphone FT-45 Cortez from day one came with a 1 5/8" nut while the LG-2/B-25s had a 1 11/16" nut until 1965. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Back in the late '70s, I had a '65 Cortez & really liked it. Traded it off for something & regretted it later. Then bought a '65 B25 which I played for over twenty years. Traded the B25 for a J100xtra, which I still have. Always kept a soft spot for the B25. Bought a '66 Cortez last year & fell in love all over again. Here's the scoop: They are structurally identical. Only the headstock & pickguard differ. The plastic bridge on some is not to be feared, unless structural damage has occurred, usually due to strings not properly seated on the bridge plate. Lots of examples with skinny necks, but it still works for me. The model is called an FT45 or FT45n (natural) Cortez. Do not confuse with the ladder braced FT30 Caballero. Tone is blissful if you get a good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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