Epiphone Guitars

[Nelskie]

I was curious to know if there were any other forum members who play an Epiphone guitar? They really have a diverse line of instruments, many of which are based off of classic Gibson designs (Les Paul, Explorer, Junior, etc.) For players who can't afford to take out a second mortgage to get a "real" Gibson guitar, they're a quality alternative that offers a lot of bang for the buck.

[Tone2TheBone]

Agiles, Tokai Love Rocks are also another alternative. I still think the Epiphones are a lot closer to actual Les Pauls than the Agile though. A Tokai is supposed to be better than the Epiphones. Still you'll end up saving a lot of money if you get one. Not sure how they're made but they look pretty good to me. Haven't tried one yet though but was considering one someday. Then I thought...why...I've already got a Gibson LP? Still would like to get a pretty sunburst one though.

PS- The Black ones with creme pickguard and rings and washer are pretty cool!

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

I played a epi 62 sg ri and it was very cool , quality is where you find it and not neccessarily in a name, i see that Nelskie and tone2thebone both use pearly gates , i have always dug the rev 's tone , and those sd's are very close ... hey guys it would be nice to see some pics.... 6S9L

[Nelskie]

69SL - Tone has already posted a nice pic of his very tasty Les Paul on the Gibson guitars thread. Check it out.

[tehuti]

I wouldn't mind getting an Epiphone Elitist Les Paul. My first electric guitar was an Epiphone LP100. After playing for a little while I realized that I didn't like its sound so much and I sold it. However, Epis are a reasonable alternative for those of us too budget conscious for real Gibsons. It would be nice to have a Les Paul in the collection though.

[Christian]

I do play an epiphone

Elitist Les Paul are not worth it for the tag price......unless...you buy it at the same tag price of an standard epiphone because you are half way to buy an Gibson.

[Robert]

My vocalist Myra won an LP 100 in a vocal competition. I tried and thought it felt pretty good. Never played it through a good amp though so I don't know how it sounds.

Epiphones are interesting. I was impressed by the Casino until I tried with overdrive - it just squealed due to feedback problems. It sounded really nice clean though.

[Christian]

LP 100 is like a telecaster with humbuckers and a stop tail piece(bolt-on neck)

any guitars with good wood are okay.....take care of the electronics and it'll working well.

I seen thoses Stagg (copy of a epiphone....yes epiphone) they're good but you alder/maple instead of mahogagny. the tag price is half price of the epiphone. Wood is the reason why it's cheaper. the stratocaster and telecaster is really good for below 200.00$can.

[Katastrophe]

I was really interested in Epiphones, and played one a few months ago, while my guitars were in the shop... I probably picked up a lemon that slipped through the QC guys at the factory... Fit and finish of the guitar was terrible, the paint job looked like it had been applied by a drunk, and it sounded really bad, even though I was playing through a pretty good tube amp (don't remember what the brand was, though). By way of contrast, I picked up a Fender Strat (swamp ash body, clear finish), and was amazed at how well it played right out of the box. Finish was smooth and even, the knobs and switches were tight (and worked). Electronics were well sorted and sounded great. A good setup and she'd have been perfect, IMHO.

I'm not against Epis, but if I ever buy one, its gonna have to be from a store where I can check it out and play it first. I guess that's true with any sort of "value" guitar (and more than a few of the more expensive ones as well).:)

[Tone2TheBone]

Trying to revive Nelski's Epiphone thread here. Anyone have more thoughts since your original posts?

Yesterday I was searching Ebay for Epis and Gibsons. I found some really gorgeous flame top Epi Les Pauls at several Ebay stores online. All were at around $400 or so underpricing Guitar Center. I told Nelski yesterday that I wasn't impressed with the Epis they sell at GC. They're too "generic" looking...they don't sell any of the real good looking flame tops you find online. I'm still considering buying an Epiphone only because I'd really like a beautiful flame top Les Paul to compliment my white Gibson. I also figure...I already have a Gibson so an Epiphone wouldn't be bad. They again if I won $2000.00 or more at the casino then it would be a no brainer. hahahaha I love thinking about my next purchases. :) Ok lets hear some more research findings from you guys.

[MagicBaller21]

yeah, i really think epiphones are great guitars. i played an epiphone g-400 (sg type) at the music store, and i didnt notice much, if any difference between it and the gibson faded sg. although i wouldnt get an sg (wayyy too neck heavy), but id like to get a LP sometime. i wish i could tout a gibson, but unfortunately, between saving up for college and a car, that far out of my budget. ive definately been thinking about an epiphone or agile LP. im only a little aprehensive about buying used on ebay (not necessarily ebay stores) and on online stores. do they ship them specially so they have less of a chance to break? id be worried that when i opened up the box, id find a 2 piece guitar :( . but that's a long ways off, but like tone said, it doesnt hurt to plan a half a year in advance for your next purchase!!

[Spudman]

I have an Epiphone Les Paul. I have no idea what year it is. Can any of you guys tell from the serial number U510****? I got it on Ebay a couple years ago for $290 used. I'll post a photo as soon as I figure out how.

It is a cherry sunburst with trapazoid fretboard markers, Gibson truss rod cover and vintage tulip type tuners. I pulled out the original microphonic pickups and put in a set of Ibanez AH1 and AH2. Those pickups come in the older Ibanez S470 which also has a mahogany body. They sound OK. The guitar plays better than any new Gibson Les Paul that I have ever tried except for the 1980 Black LP Deluxe at the going out of business music store in the mall somewhere in the middle of America in 1980. Can you believe I passed it up because I didn't have $400? $400!!! Was I nuts? I should have robbed a mini mart or something.

Back to business: The Epi plays awesome. I think the Gibsons might have a better body tone than this one and maybe even some other Epi's do too. This isn't bad just not as good but it's still good.

My friend had a Sheraton he'd let me play once in a while. Perfect tone just didn't play as well as my LP. I also have an Agile LP with P90's that plays killer but the neck is a little chunkier than the Epi. Agiles are in my opinion better than a lot of the new Epi's. Probably made in the same factory though.
That's it for my Epi experiences.

[Tone2TheBone]

MB21, Yeah I feel the same way about buying stuff and then having it shipped to my home. I'm REAL paranoid about broken stuff and or stolen stuff. Maybe I could get GC to order the specific one I want when the time comes or something who knows.

Spudman, try this link.

http://42nd.net/explorer/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49&highlight=serial+numbers

[Tone2TheBone]

Newsflash. Guitar Center has a beeeeyouuteeful Flame Maple Top Epi Les Paul Standard Plus in stock. I snapped a pic of it with my cameraphone. Same price as the LP Standard. Has Grover tuners and a sinfully delicious Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish. Ssssssssssssssss

[Tim]

Yo! Like where is the picture?

[Tone2TheBone]

Well I don't pay for image sharing/transfer service on my cellphone. :( But right now it's used as my wallpaper on the cellphone. :)

However it does look like this...

http://www.customflys.com/images/misc/EpiLPSTPLUS.jpg

[Tim]

Sweeeeeeeeet!

[Tone2TheBone]

I know. I can just SEE me playing that.

I went to GC for lunch today (again) and picked it up (again) and got to talk shop with a store employee and an old musician friend I used to know a long time ago. He was gassing for an Epi Les Paul Custom (the Black Beauty Custom). We caught up on where we were at musically and talked about the Epiphones. He's got a Gibson also like I do and we both discussed our dismay at the way Gibson has been run over the years and how much they want for their guitars. Between ourselves and the store employee we had discovered that at some point in our lives we all had picked up and played Gibsons that were just marvelous...and some that were lacking in quality and just mediocre and or REALLY BAD. We came to the same conclusion that the Epis nowadays are made very well...like some Gibsons are made very well. I'm sure there are awfully made Epis too. All in all it's great to stand around and chat with fellow musicians about the things you love. Even in this forum I have enjoyed spending my time here talking about all the topics we've come up with.

The wheels are in motion and soon, oh yes very soon, I shall receive my loovely new Flame Maple LP. :)

[MagicBaller21]

that's awesome man! that's such a sweet color! ive also been gassing for a LP (most likely a gibson copy) you'll have to write a review and stuff! if only i had enough money for an LP...

edit: your avatar is HILARIOUS!!

[Nelskie]

Ya' know, there's always bound to be klunkers no matter what the price range is, or make / model of the guitar. Seems like it's more common with the entry-level gear, tho'.

I'm also feeling your vibe on the guitar shop thing. I dig hanging out my local place and talking about "stuff". Also, it never fails that there's an interesting mix of players around when I'm there. Some metalheads, a few acoustic fans, an old-timer or two, and some cross-over / converted players like myself. And, of course, there's the newbies, whose ears perk up like little kittens hearing a tuna can open up when the talk starts flowing. I so enjoy visiting with the new players, as they're always very interested in what's going down discussion-wise, or asking, "hey, show me what you just did with that chord." When I need that "shop fix", nothing else will do - I gotta' get down there. Afterwards, I always feel rejuvinated, and come home and play for awhile - all the time thinking about of the roads I've traveled as a player, and the ones that lie before me.

BTW - that Epi LP is sure pretty. And I know you're jonesin' BAD for one, too. ;)

[Tone2TheBone]

I'll be pretty happy when I write that report I'm thinking. Now I'm putting the horse before the wagon I know but I'm "speaking it into existence".

I have a few things I'm gonna sell so that will help me get there. I'm reasonably certain that by the summer or later I will get one. *crosses fingers*

Thanks. Made me laugh making the avatar!

[Tone2TheBone]

Ok I finally got my new baby. She was a primie! She arrived lot earlier than expected! Here are a couple of pics of the new axe. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

http://www.customflys.com/images/misc/epilpplus1.jpg

http://www.customflys.com/images/misc/epilpplus2.jpg

http://www.customflys.com/images/misc/epilpplus3.jpg

Please note on the 3rd photo that I've lowered the bridge from the factory settings as it was a tad too high for my tastes.

[SuperSwede]

That link did not work for me...

[Katastrophe]

DUDE, that's an EPIPHONE??????? The finish on that bad boy is absolutely stunning! SOOOOOOOO, out with it, man! How does she play??? Man, I gotta go get another job or something. My GAS is getting bad now.


Congrats on the purchase, Tone. She shore do look purty. :)

[SuperSwede]

Ah, Now I see it!!

She sure is a beauty! You dont suppose that she has a sister or something? :D

[warren0728]

congrats tone...that is a sweet looking guitar. Can't wait to here how it plays. I played an epi goldtop when iago and i were shopping and really liked it!

ww

[Tone2TheBone]

Thanks you guys,

After having spent "real" quality time playing it (unplugged in my office during lunch today in a quiet environment) I am pleased with it's playability. Once you have the truss rod adjusted and bridge height setup the way you want it everything falls into place.

Last night when I brought it home I really couldn't mess with it the way I wanted to even though I did plug it into the amps and played it. There was too much going on at home to really "listen" to what the guitar had to say. Too many distractions.

The guitar plays nice now that it's set up for me. I been tinkering with guitars since I started playing so set ups are a definate AND personal MUST. I changed the strings to 9s and they feel good. I didn't have any 10s but I think I'll try them next time. Yes Katastrophe it IS an Epiphone! The Standard Plus models come with the bookmatched flame maple tops. I had to sort through a couple of them to find the one that really hit my eye. I do have to say though that the stock pickups will be replaced as they are muddy and with low output. I was planning on doing that anyway. I plan to put a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Zebra pickup in the bridge and a Duncan '59 Zebra in the neck. (For those that don't know "zebra" is a cream and black pickup). THAT should really accentuate the guitar nicely. Got that idea from Nelskie! I have a Pearly Gates in my Gibson and as Nelski and Jack say it is the cat's pajamas.



I'm sure she has a sister somewhere SS. hahahaha

[Nelskie]

Meow, meow, get those Duncans in now! And the sound? WOW!

[Tone2TheBone]

Bro,

You kinda look like John Mayer in that pic man are you feeling ok? hahahaha ;)

Ja, ze Zebrass are forthcoming without a doubt bro.

[Tim]

All I can say T2TB is ... SWEEEEET looking babe there.

[Tone2TheBone]

Thanks Tim,

This is just day 2. Imagine down the road when I get my Duncans in! I almost want to put the Duncan PG pup I have now into this guitar for the time being but that would be a bad thing as I can't see doing that to my old faithful Studio LP. Bad bad bad. Almost want to that is. ;)

[Nelskie]

Dude, that IS blues bad-a$$ John Mayer himself. You're the first person to catch that, too - it's been up most of the weekend. Your're a sharp cookie, my friend. Apparently, JM caught wind of my rant on FN about his feature article in GP last month. Upon the the threat of having to listen to "Your Body Is A Wonderland" for (24) hours straight, or posting his image as my new avatar for a few days, I chose the latter. I s'pose it's only a few days before throngs of teenage co-eds are picketing in front of my house!! Ha ha ha!

[Tone2TheBone]

Heck I'd love to have his co-eds picketing my house! Or something. heh

[Nelskie]

That SD JB (Jeff Beck) model has a tasty tone, too. I might think about that one as well. The SD website has tons of tone samples, too - check them out at:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/humbuckersdescr.shtml#JB153Model

You could even be like Jimmy Page, and have a hot-rodded open humbucker at the bridge, and a cool plated cover Seth Lover type p'up at the neck. Neato bandito! ;)

[Tone2TheBone]

I know bro but I'd have to see if I could get some nifty push/pull knobs for the Epi that fit. I hear finding pots and parts that fit Epis is a chore as they're different than Gibbys. Do they make a Duncan JB in Zebra?

[Nelskie]

I have different pots and capacitors in my Epi Les Paul. I don't think they'd be any harder to find than those for a Gibson. Not sure on the color combos for the JB. If your heart's set on the ultra-tight "Zebra" look, then I'd just go with a PG for the bridge and a '59 for the neck. Anything you play through either of those p'ups will sound killer.

[Tone2TheBone]

I know, but it would be cool to have a different setup than the Gibson. Hmmm maybe TWO '59s for the neck AND bridge? Hmmmmmmm Or maybe even a Seth Lover. I just heard samples of each of them and here is what I "hear".

1. Seth Lover - BALLSY LOW END and tight highs. Sweeeeet

2. '59 (bridge) - nice mids and killer vintage tone.

3. Pearly Gates - Ahhhhhhhh...my favorite sound in the world...ahhhhh

I'm torn between the Seths and the Pearlys in the bridge bro.

[Nelskie]

Yes indeed - a very tough decision. Looks like you might be losing some sleep tonight - - ?

[Tone2TheBone]

I think I'm used to it by now. hahahaha ;)

[Spudman]

Tone

I have both a Pearly gates and a JB. The PG is in a basswood Ibanez in the neck position and the JB is in an Alder Jap Strat in the bridge with coil taps. If you want tone I would go with something else in my opinion. I haven't been happy with either. There isn't a lot of difference with the JB tapped. Then again I'm not sure just exactly how it is tapped. I have found that pickup to be a dark high output sound in HB mode.

I think the 59 is better than the PG which is basically what the PG is. The PG is supposed to have more "sizzle", but I haven't found that in my case. And a Screamin Demon has way more tone than the JB. It is a lower output pickup. I'd even go so far as to try the Dimarzio Norton/ Tone Zone combos or stay with Gibson's or Seths.

I went with Ibanez AH pickups in my Epi Paul. Lower output and better tone than most everything else I've tried. They will brighten the sound up though and you can get them cheap at you know where.

[SuperSwede]

Tone, I had PAF + in my LP. I think you should have a look at them as well...

But whatever you do, dont install one of these :
http://www.axesrus.com/axeplates_files/lpfe.jpg

[Tone2TheBone]

SuperSwede,

hahahahaha...don't worry man as highly as I revere the Eagle I won't opt for the Eagle pickguard on my LP. LMAO

What are the advantages of the PAF+ SS? The neck pickup in my Gibson LP is a standard Gibson PAF and it's cool. Beautiful sound. A little hot for me in a neck pup though although thats just a matter of setting the volume lower on that pup. I think the coolest combo would be a P-90 in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge. Thats kinda the sound I want to hear in the neck ala Stratocaster style.

Spud,

I don't think I can go wrong with a '59 in any position. Thats unfortunate that your PG isn't to your liking. Man I love my Pearly...it's hot...not too hot though...but hot enough, yet when backed off it cleans up nicely. Hot or lukewarm she purrs warm vintage tone all night long.

I played her again last night, both amped and unplugged. People always say that you can tell if a guitar is going to be a good one or not when you play it unplugged...listening to it resonate. This little baby resonates in a spectacular way. You can hear the guitar's natural wood tone coming through very easily...almost as if you're listening to the neck pickup when plugged in. Now THAT is sweet. After reading your posts I think I want to go for a more vintage output even in the bridge since I already have one Pearly. I'm thinking a sweet little '59 in the bridge and neck. Anyway if I want more output I have the amps to do that no biggie. I'm finding I play more cleanly these days just out of love for shear woody sounds...even with grit on the dirty channels it's not hot rod metal gain. Think Marshall Plexi tone here. I'm thinking the '59s will give me the best of both worlds.

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Tone i think you should put some texas specials in there somewhwere between the two big ones , if you dont want to cut the top you could always gaff tape them there ....sorry couldnt resist.. beautiful top on that baby , looks realy good man nice flame , personally i've always loved sd pearley's, i think that i read somewhere that the shafts on the epi pots are metric rather than standard,but a good set of cts and some cloth wire should set thing right ...how heavy is that bad boy , once again very nice top ..6S9L

[SuperSwede]

Tone, the PAF+ has more output but is also a bit fatter than the standard. It might be a little to hot to pair up with a P100 however...
I haven´t tried the Gibson P100 myself but it is a p90 packed in a standard Gibson humbucker case.

[Tone2TheBone]

6Strings,

Yeah a Texas Special tone off the neck is exactly what I love how did you know! ;)

I love my Pearly too but I'm kinda leaning toward making this guitar different. The flame top on this baby just makes me think '58 or '59 even in Epidom. The spirits are leading me toward a vintagey sound I think. I'm still in honeymoon phase now that I set it up myself and I haven't opened up the cavity yet to see what's under there. ....Somehow that sounds comical and you'd think I would have had a peek by now! lmao. Yeah I read the same thing about the pots being metric and having to (gasp) drill out larger diameter holes for different pots, but Nelskie says his different pots fit his Epi LP. Of course his is a 1990s model too. Could be different nowadays.

I have a postal scale at work and now that you mention it I'm going to bring her in tomorrow again and weigh her. She's probably gotta be a bit under the 10 pound mark BUT she isn't anorexic either. She's got some nice round heft to her...comfortable heft, the kind that you KNOW makes for a great sounding geetar not a cheap one. I'm used to Les Pauls so the weight doesn't bother me. I'll repost her weight tomorrow.

SS,

Thanks for the info on the PAF+!