Earlier this year I picked up a cheap used Epiphone Les Paul Studio, proper set neck one not the LT, and was/am very happy with it. The pickups sound great and it plays very nicely, it even occupied the prime "next to my chair" spot that you'll find my Telecaster in for a while so for £150 I cant grumble.
Now a friend of mine owns (and never uses) a mid 90's Gibson Les Paul Studio lite and he's having a lot of work done at home so I kindly offered to look after the Gibson while the rest of his house goes into storage (I know, I'm such a great friend
) As a self confessed brand snob it's given me the opportunity to test for myself the difference between the two and I'm a bit gutted at the result.
The Epiphone, to my ears, holds its own on the sound front. The pickups were different but I cant say one was better and I've yet to hook the back off but from a users point of view the hard wear on the Epi' is spot on, so why am i a bit gutted?
The neck on the Gibson is much nicer, slightly thinner, the fret board is easier to get around, string bends near the nut aren't tip crippling, the nitro finish compared to poly. And it's the one thing I can't "swap out" so now i'm left gassing for a Gibson, or at least until he asks for it back.
I thought i'd stick this up here because you hear a lot of people saying that they'd rather an Epiphone than a Gibson, it's a big waste of money etc.. but when you can pick up an old Studio for under £600 i'd say it was money well spent.
Andy out......
Comments
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
(formerly customkits)
I wouldn't have a trad neck version.
The best neck they ever did was the Zakk Wylde one, but it's never been available on non-sig guitars.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
It also doesn't account for a new Epiphone LP Std v Gibson LP Std or 70s Gibson v Lawsuit Greco so if anyone want's to send me theirs i'll be happy to oblige!
And I think I'm in the camp of a cheap gibson over a higher end epiphone. Epiphone are great and I have had quite a few, something about handling a gibson makes it feel proper though. No more scientific than that but it always feels like a step up to me.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Ive got a Sorrento - one of the Anniversary issue ones with Gibson Mini Humbuckers. It’s a beaut - the neck on it is to die for and the sound is absolutely first rate. Put it another way, this year I sold my Gibson 335 - I still have the Sorrento.
Id suggest that a good set up and especially rolling the fingerboard edges will aid comfort on your Epi.
The strange anomaly was a late eighties Epiphone LP Custom which by any standards was a truly exceptional instrument.
I don't own an Epiphone but played lots. Some I liked. Some I thought were great value. But I'd rather get one without a pretty top if it had the feel/tone I liked. Such as a Gibson Studio.
Then again my MIJ Pearl was better than both of them and cost me £200 - still regret selling that and always looking for another!