Gibson Vs Epiphone, my thoughts

BeardyAndy

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......

OilCityPickups

My own personal preference is for a cheaper Gibson over a Epiphone or one of the 'copy' brands. We have a Gibson Les Paul Studio flame top as one of our pickup demo guitars, and the neck and fingerboard trump pretty much every Epi or copy that's passed through my hands ... and that's a lot! There's just a 'feel' that seems to be missing on Far Eastern LPs.

People will go on about Gibson's quality control, and about brands like Tokai and even Harley Benton. And I agree those guitars are good in their own right (including Epiphone)... and it's likely they will keep their headstocks under rough handling better than a 'real' Gibson Les Paul. However, every one I've owned or tried has lacked that 'something' that makes the neck great rather than good.

I don't have a dog in the fight re selling Gibsons, and it's only my personal opinion ... but I think a good second hand 'Studio' beats an Epi every time.

crunchman

The problem is that most of the recent budget Gibsons have the appalling "Slim Taper" neck.  Make them with a classic profile like the one they use on the R9, and I might well own one, but I would never buy anything with that neck.

Not sure what neck profile is on the older ones like the 90s one the OP mentioned.

Danielsguitars

crunchman said:

The problem is that most of the recent budget Gibsons have the appalling "Slim Taper" neck.  Make them with a classic profile like the one they use on the R9, and I might well own one, but I would never buy anything with that neck.

Not sure what neck profile is on the older ones like the 90s one the OP mentioned.

I agree about thin necks too and I've even thought of taking out the neck on an epi dot 335 to make a new one, next year if I get time, i also don't like the big chunky Gibson necks that have too much shoulder

Dominic

Epi isn't the only alternative...........costwise a Tokai falls between the two and is better than any Gibson below custom shop standard

meltedbuzzbox

Dominic said:

Epi isn't the only alternative...........costwise a Tokai falls between the two and is better than any Gibson below custom shop standard

I don't think you have played many tokais and gibsons

fretmeister

crunchman said:

The problem is that most of the recent budget Gibsons have the appalling "Slim Taper" neck.  Make them with a classic profile like the one they use on the R9, and I might well own one, but I would never buy anything with that neck.

Not sure what neck profile is on the older ones like the 90s one the OP mentioned.

I love the slim taper neck.
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.

tony99

fretmeister said:

crunchman said:

The problem is that most of the recent budget Gibsons have the appalling "Slim Taper" neck.  Make them with a classic profile like the one they use on the R9, and I might well own one, but I would never buy anything with that neck.

Not sure what neck profile is on the older ones like the 90s one the OP mentioned.

I love the slim taper neck.
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.

Yeah, slim taper is my preference too, and I DO NOT have girlish slender fingers

johnl

I don't think I've ever played a 90s studio that wasn't a great guitar but I've only played 3 of them. Certainly they have a very good reputation. The problem with a lot of these comparisons is that most of the people who say Greco / Tokai / HB etc. beat Gibson every time or are so close that the difference is immaterial have not actually done the comparison themselves. I prefer my cheap Epiphone to my rather more expensive Greco but neither of them come close to my Gibson.

BeardyAndy

johnl said:

I don't think I've ever played a 90s studio that wasn't a great guitar but I've only played 3 of them. Certainly they have a very good reputation. The problem with a lot of these comparisons is that most of the people who say Greco / Tokai / HB etc. beat Gibson every time or are so close that the difference is immaterial have not actually done the comparison themselves. I prefer my cheap Epiphone to my rather more expensive Greco but neither of them come close to my Gibson.

Nail on the head here I think. I'd played this Gibson before but it's only when i was able to sit down with both of them that it became apparent how much better the big G was.

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!

Gerz6558

I've maybe got my eye on the recent gibson tribute les paul's. They are listed as having rounded necks, so at least they are offering alternatives to slim taper at reasonable-ish prices.

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.

OilCityPickups

For me ... slim taper or chunky makes no difference ... the only neck style that gives me issues is flat backed Ibanez types.

Lestratcaster

I have a Gibson LP studio and an Epiphone LP standard. Both are set up nicely and play well. They have different purposes though as the Gibson is more for drop tuned stuff and the Epi for straight up rock. I could have got more expensive high end versions of them both but am happy with how they play and sound. The quality control is a lot better over the years with Epiphones and you can pick up some decent guitars for less than £400.

impmann

In Epiphone’s defence...

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. 

Although, it has to be said that the price delta between a s/h LP Studio and an Epi LP is not that huge and I’d always go for the Gibson.

stonevibe

I have three Epiphone Flying V models and they all punch well above their weight. No stupid headstock shape issues and nitro finish doesn't bother me at all. Hardware on all three is top notch too.

robgilmo

I think the word better is overrated, some men prefer cheese over chicken, some don't.

BeardyAndy

impmann said:

In Epiphone’s defence...

Id suggest that a good set up and especially rolling the fingerboard edges will aid comfort on your Epi. 

Although, it has to be said that the price delta between a s/h LP Studio and an Epi LP is not that huge and I’d always go for the Gibson.

To be fair it's not the fret board its that the Gibson is slightly thinner (front to back) than the Epiphone, I considered getting it shaved but add the cost of that to the sale value of the guitar and i'm best part of the way to the Gibson!

Wolfetone

Had a number of both.  I enjoyed them all except for a very poor Gibson Nighthawk and a Gibson Lucille. The lower end Epiphones were fairly average and the Gibsons were (except for the Nighthawk and the Lucille) very very good.

The strange anomaly  was a late eighties Epiphone LP Custom which by any standards was a truly exceptional instrument.

pintspiller

With that big a difference in pickups, necks, weights, quality of flame, country of manufacture/assembly, it's probably best to buy what you like or save to buy what you like. 

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.

prowla

I've got a Gibson LP Studio and it's quite a nice guitar; it's properly run-in, having had a headstock break, though the repair isn't perfect (so I might need to get it seen to at some point). I do find the pickups are a little underwhelming, more smooth than bite, so I might think about replacing them at some point.

I've had one or two Epis and I can't say any has earned the right to be thought of as anything but a budget instrument. I've go an LP Special at the moment which I bought as a barebones project since I had a pair of pickups in my parts box; it's a white one and is quite nice, but is still a sub-£100 guitar.

My best Epi buy was an LP with a pair of Seymour Duncan JB pickups; they were worth more than I paid for the guitar and found their way onto something another project. (Hmmm, thinking about it, they might be worth trying on the Gibson...)

I know some may think of it as brand snobbery, but to me Epi are a budget brand, with "good" always being followed by "for the money".

TTBZ

Used to own an Epiphone LP Custom and currently have a Gibson SG. The Epi was my first “proper” guitar so I do have a soft spot for them, but I really don’t think the Gibson is worth 2x the price. The finish is much nicer though and without a fret dress the Epiphone frets feel a bit rough on bends. 

As others have said there is something special about a Gibson though - less generic and the neck profiles are also nicer. I don’t care for the huge baseball bat 50s though, the shoulders are too much.

I keep debating between a used Gibson LP Studio or Epiphone Custom Pro. The much nicer feeling finish is what draws me back to the Gibson but I think they look a bit plain without a bound body and I just love the look of a LP Custom in black.

Then again my MIJ Pearl was better than both of them and cost me £200 - still regret selling that and always looking for another!