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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → Les Paul: Gibson VS. Epiphone
Thinking about saving some money for a Les Paul and I don't know weather to save money on an Epiphone or wait longer for a Gibson. I want the best bang for my buck, but i don't want to settle for a cheaply made piece of junk just to save money. Thoughts?
If you're looking for a guitar to get the job done in a more than adequate way, the Epiphone will work fine. If you're looking for an equitable investment and arguably one the finest electric instruments ever made, buy the Gibson Les Paul. I play alot of outdoor gigs in a high humid climate. I own a Les Paul (1988) and a Gibson J 45 (2005). I do not play outdoor gigs with these guitars, instead I play a $370 Takamine and a $300 Washburn and they work just fine. If you decide to get the Gibson you'll most likely, if you're like me and many others, be overprotective of it( and that's OK). If you're in a position to do so I'd get the less expensive guitar first and then later reward yourself with the Gibson LP(or eqiuvalent)as your interst increases and your playing improves. Best of luck, spread the word, music is the best..........
Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L
Tyler
SouthPaw is right ... I actually went into GuitarCenter and tried the Epiphone Les Paul ... I liked it .. that's the extent of it ... when I saw the Gibson LesPaul Studio I decided to try and see what the difference was ... I hit my first chord (mind you on the same amp setup as the Epiphone) and was blown away ... I bought that Gibson ($1200) ... now I would refer the Epiphone to anyone ... it did sound good ... but you can't match a Gibson IMO (if you can afford it) ... keep in mind there are musicians out there that prefer the sound of the Epiphone first ... it's all on what sound your going for, what you like, the feel, etc ... if I didnt have the means I probably would have still gotten the Epiphone but the Gibson LesPaul was a "once in a lifetime" type purchase for me
Either way ... try them both out ... if you have the means buy the one you TRULY want ... you'll know which one it is when you go to put one back you'll be saying to yourself, "man I want that one bad" ... and there's your answer
Some of the lower end Epiphones are simply cheap useable and affordable guitars. The Higher end Epiphone Les Pauls are excellent guitars and easy to upgrade with different pickups if you wanted a different sound. I have USA Gibson Les Paul Classic and absolutely love it! I also have an Epiphone Special 2 and it's okay but it's a cheap guitar...
On the various Gibson models you are often paying for a diffence in cosmetic stuff like binding, plating, and trim. A Les Paul studio is nothing fancy, but a very useable and great sounding instrument that's still affordable for most...The Les Paul Standard is the industry standard...
I agree with SouthPaw...you can't really go wrong with the Gibson Les Paul...and Tim0473 really hit it when he says to go to the store and play them...then find the one that works best for you!
I still have an stratocaster-copy that works fine but im gonna soon buy an epiphone, les paul i think..... or an SG. They are not so expencive ( Around 4000-8000 swedish cash, not so much in dollar ), BUT THEY WORK FINE.... 
Play it and see what you think. I don't care what people say, but two different guitars, same model/year, play differently. That said, when it comes to the differences between these guitars, you get what you pay for. An American Strat costs so much more than a Japanese strat for a reason. It's just better.
Play them side by side, and see if it's $700 better.
HAHA, this is a very familiar topic. I worked on a few similar topics, and it depends what you want. Gibson took over Epiphone 50 years ago (THE BIGGEST CONCURRENT) and I have the impression that the EPIHONE PRICE is really going up. Today you pay easy 500$ for a Epiphone Les Paul. It is finished I believe thinking that Epiphone is "a low cost Gibson." But some things I don't understand, like ZAKK WYLDE, he has 3 SIGNATURE MODELS. 1 Epiphone with 2 USA EMG HZ H4 pickups 800$
and 2 Gibsons (this is so stupid), one is 4500$ the other 7000$.
- Epiphone custom les paul limited edition List Price: $1,082.00 !!! in reality ON LINE 550$ but in a music store it will go up to 600-1000$ , same for the Epiphone LP standard.
I don't know but I bought 2 Gibson LP's on EBAY; one is a SUPREME, half the online store price.
Im actually interested in testing out the new Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul ... I've been wanting to hear the EMG pickups on the Les Paul to hear the different sound ... it'll be interesting
Thinking about saving some money for a Les Paul and I don't know weather to save money on an Epiphone or wait longer for a Gibson. I want the best bang for my buck, but i don't want to settle for a cheaply made piece of junk just to save money. Thoughts?
Michael Kelly Patriot, I have a Patriot "q" series which has been replaced by the decree model. Change the pickups (I have a set of gibson 496R & 500T) and I would put it up in quality to any new Les paul as far as quality & workmanship at about 1/8 of the price.
Bootlegger.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → Les Paul: Gibson VS. Epiphone
