So What Is The Dang Difference Really?

[ricksconnected]

figured some of you might like these videos.
I KNOW THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE,
but these videos show the differences and
that they are sometimes very subtle.











https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65moTBLUsyI

whats your thoughts?
did ya learn anything new?

 

[Ghostman]

I'll watch these later when I'm in a Turkey-coma.

 

[ricksconnected]

anybody find these interesting at all?

 

[wakjob]

I sub to Phil's channel and have seen all those videos.

I can't say much, because I have a penchant for cheap guitars and learned early on that there's really not a whole lot of difference.

You either get a good guitar, or you get a 'blah' one.

Since most of these over seas manufacturing facilities have CNC type machines and much better QC oversight, there really isn't a poorly built guitar as far tolerances and fit & finish go.

 

[Vinsanitizer]

In my experience, the only debate over Epiphone vs Gibson was on the part of Epi owners who would try to claim that their Epiphone was every bit as good as its Gibson counterpart. I'll leave the argument to you. I will say though, that if I had $500 to spend I'd buy an Epiphone (and I would have if I didn't find such a great deal on a Gibson 50's Tribute). If I had $2,500 to spend I'd buy a Gibson. Or, if I had $1,000 to spend I'd buy an Epiphone Les Paul and a Marshall CODE amp, and have plenty of cash left over for picks, strings, straplocks and... PIZZA!!.

The advice that was given to me long ago was, "buy the best instrument you can afford".

 

[chiliphil1]

The difference is in feel and workmanship as well as quality of material. Sure, they look the same, on a youtube video they sound the same, but in your hand they're VERY different.

I'm sure someone is going to chime in to tell me how wrong I am, "I've got an Epi that will kill any Gibson" blah, blah, blah... In short, NO, you don't. I've had them all, right now I own an Epi traditional pro 2, stellar guitar, looks amazing, plays amazing, sounds amazing BUT next to my real deal LP custom it isn't sh*t. The feel and finish of the frets, fretboard, inlay, binding, every single detail between these guitars is a stark contrast. Not to mention the tone, Gibsons bark with authority yet retain a crystal clear tone, Epiphone tries to emulate that but they end up with a pickup which is too hot and ends up making the amp sound buzzy and undefined. Then you get into the quality of the pots and switches, massive difference here. A lot, if not most of that tonal difference however comes from the higher quality hand selected tone woods of Gibson vs the "whatever wood we receive" of Epiphone. Case in point, some Epi guitars come with Gibson pups but they still don't sound like a Gibson and even the cheap "faded" Gibson guitars sound better than the expensive Epiphone models. If you look at my sig you'll see a link to some of my videos and I did ESP/LTD Gibson/ESP, etc and you probably won't hear a lot of tonal difference but remember, it's on youtube and that is going to color pretty much any thing.

Go out to the music store rick, I'll bet that if you pick up a couple of expensive guitars and a couple of cheap ones, you'll see the difference. A beginner may not but someone who has experience will know right away. You can even watch Anderton's videos where they do the blindfolded challenges and they ALWAYS get them right. They can tell an Epi from a Gibby or a MIA strat from an MIM one.

 

[ricksconnected]

lol I KNOW what the differences are. its just a title to the thread.
30 plus yrs of playing and collecting gear I BETTER know the difference.

 

[ricksconnected]

You can even watch Anderton's videos where they do the blindfolded challenges and they ALWAYS get them right. They can tell an Epi from a Gibby or a MIA strat from an MIM one.

oh no they don't lol.

 

[Gunner64]

My gibson are better quality than my epis no doubt. But I like all of them that I own. And the way things are going the gap between the 2 is narrowing, we all see that the Asian made guitars are getting better while U.S. made guitars are not what they used to be.

 

[ricksconnected]

. You can even watch Anderton's videos where they do the blindfolded challenges and they ALWAYS get them right.

 

[chiliphil1]

Yeah, 1 out of 1,000.. Guess I look like an idiot then

 

[ricksconnected]

Yeah, 1 out of 1,000.. Guess I look like an idiot then

phil relax. you the one that said "ALWAYS" bro.
but they usually have troubles getting right what the do get right.

 

[Hogie34]

I'd agree with chiliphil on the Les Paul/Epiphone argument . As far as the Fender MIM, MIA , Squire, I won't comment cause I've never really liked playing Fender Strats.

I do however have that one in a million Epi Les Paul that can hang with my Gibsons. I don't know what happened with it. Maybe the worker in the factory wanted to see what he could build given the right parts. It's a Qingdao factory made guitar, 2 piece body, real maple cap with amazing figuring. It had Classic 57's (pulled them cause I don't care for them) CTS pots ,scarf joint neck/head stock. No chambering and the frets are perfect. I almost feel like an idiot for scraping the inside of the pickup cavity trying to find the veneer.

Now there's no way in hell I would ever ever ever say an Epi is the same thing, but when I happened on this guitar at GC, I saw it and it caught my eye for a reason. I picked it up and all I could say was WTF?? It was brand new and on sale so I grabbed it cause it was way different than any Epiphone I've ever played or held. I have two theories on what happened with it, one is that an older employee went off on his own and built it wanting to try building something great or two , one of the American supervisors wanted to see if he could still build a guitar. I have a pile of Gibson's and I'm proud that I own every one of them. But I'll bet in a blindfold test you couldn't tell the difference with this one . I've made that bet with several of my Gibson snob friends and they can't believe the guitar either. I know that this particular guitar is the exception rather than the rule.

I think personally Epiphone makes a great guitar, especially for the money. Hell, I'm even weird and like the head stock design. The one thing I believe holds back Epiphone from being the early Tokai , is their use of multiple pieces , varying in count from guitar to guitar, for the bodies and the use of veneers on most of their guitars rather than real maple caps on the more figured/flamed tops.

 

[ricksconnected]

ive played a good many epi's that I would say are like the one you own.
ive played a good many shit Gibson's too though.

 

[MexicanMike]

In my experience, the only debate over Epiphone vs Gibson was on the part of Epi owners who would try to claim that their Epiphone was every bit as good as its Gibson counterpart. I'll leave the argument to you. I will say though, that if I had $500 to spend I'd buy an Epiphone (and I would have if I didn't find such a great deal on a Gibson 50's Tribute). If I had $2,500 to spend I'd buy a Gibson. Or, if I had $1,000 to spend I'd buy an Epiphone Les Paul and a Marshall CODE amp, and have plenty of cash left over for picks, strings, straplocks and... PIZZA!!.

The advice that was given to me long ago was, "buy the best instrument you can afford".

After owning multiple cheap guitars over the years & never feeling 100% satisfied with my purchase only to turn around & sell my Korean made guitar for half the price, I caught on. I sold my $250 Fender CD60 & bought a Martin D16GT for $1,250. Here we are almost 4 years later & the D16's selling for $1,600 new. My baby is going to keep going up in value as time goes on. People who buy cheap guitars are never fully satisfied, so over time they buy more & more cheap stuff to the point where had they saved up they could have gotten a Standard LP. I also think buying higher end gear shows a heightened level commitment. You make the decision that you are worth it. I am not saying that you cannot find insane bargains, but at the same time, do you really want to go to the graveyard without having owned a standard strat or LP? I am with Vince, save up your money & go for the real thing.

 

[ricksconnected]

My baby is going to keep going up in value as time goes on.

if this wear ture, EVERYBODY would be investing in guitars. you wont find one financial consultant to ever suggest that one
takes his or her money and invest in guitars. hasn't happened and wont happen.

 

[Hogie34]

if this wear ture, EVERYBODY would be investing in guitars. you wont find one financial consultant to ever suggest that one
takes his or her money and invest in guitars. hasn't happened and wont happen.

I can't reiterate how true this is. None of the Gibsons we are buying or have bought in the last 30 years are going to be worth what the early 57-59's are fetching. Even those aren't pulling what they used to. There are no more "investment " guitars. Unless of course you have a half million laying around along with 20-30 more years to sit on it. Even then there are no guarantees you'll even get your original purchase price back.
I've had this argument with guys about buying Gibson. They'll argue about how their guitar will be worth 6 digits in 20 years. I hate to burst their bubble but nothing Gibson or Fender puts out is going to be worth that ever again.

 

[MexicanMike]

if this wear ture, EVERYBODY would be investing in guitars. you wont find one financial consultant to ever suggest that one
takes his or her money and invest in guitars. hasn't happened and wont happen.

Never implied that Rick, matter of fact I think you are missing my point completely. What I meant to imply is that an American Gibson Les Paul will hold value better than a Korean ESP Eclipse & vice versa. Obviously you won't make money buying guitars but buying brands with Coca Cola images & you probably won't lose much either. The CD60 was a shit example so I take the blame for any confusion.

 

[Gunner64]

The consistency of quality on the Epis and Squires isnt up to their usa counterparts. Ive come across some crappy us made guitars but far more asian junkers are allowed out the door..much more hit and miss.

 

[Dogs of Doom]

remember guys, we are a more lighthearted forum. Everyone has their opinions & it's ok... ...

I'd like to add a 3rd personality type to the 2 listed by James. The one who has never had enough money to buy a select high quality instrument & is convinced that there is no better instrument, than that in which he/she has been able to afford. Possibly a 4th type, who wouldn't even know the difference if it bit them in the ass...

As far as investing... Well, if you buy a modern production line Ibanez, & pay say $400. Chances are, if you try & flip it, if will only be worth less than $200 -even almost instantly. Chances are 10 years from now, it will be worth about $189, 20 years from now, no different. Buy a US Fender or Gibson, & you will take a hit right now, but in 10 years, it is more likely to hold it's own & in 20 years, it might be worth a couple more bucks -depending on what it is you bought.

I remember buying an '83 P-Bass for $200. In the '90s, I tried flipping it & I couldn't get what I had into it. I added a new bridge, active pickups, etc. I had all the original stuff. Because of that, I was convinced that it would never be worth anything. At 1 point, I gave the stock pickups to a buddy of mine who was building guitars/basses. Now, when I look around, a bass in the condition of mine, is going for about $2,300 - if I had that original pickup. As-is, I can get around $800-1200 for it.

So, while I wouldn't consider buying a new production guitar an investment, like in the stock market, or real estate, there is a better potential of something US made & high quality keeping it's worth, as opposed to losing it overnight & never recouping anything from it.