Need guitar purchasing advice.

I couldn't do $630 for a imported plywood guitar that is smothered in polyester.


best regards,
mike

I bought an Epiphone last summer in NY, mainly because we travel a lot and I wouldn't want anything happening to my American strat or any more expensive guitar. 

My previous experience w/ mid-priced Epiphones ($400-500) had left me rather skeptical. 

I bought this tiny LP Junior for pocket change during the 4th of July sale at Sam Ash and, much to my surprise, she rocks. I carry her w/ me everywhere, and even at home I end up playing that little bastard more than my prized strat.

This one's made in Indonesia I think. So far, despite the extreme climatic changes, the plane and everything, it's still intact and just as much fun to play as it was when I took it off the rack. No issues w/ pots, no problem w/ the pick up, paint holding on alright - beside a little dent she suffered on the way to Russia.

That being said, as strange as it may sound, I'd be more hesitant to buy a mid-priced one. This one was supposed to be disposable - turns out that she's tougher than I expected. But as w/ any less expensive guitar, you can't be sure. I had a Squier strat that I paid 3 times as much and the electronics started falling apart not even a year later. This one, well, if I had problems w/ it, for the price I paid, I wouldn't mind so much throwing a few more $ to replace a little something. As I said, it was supposed to be disposable. But I grew fond of it - and she turned me back onto LPs.

But $600 is a decent chunk of money... I'm sure someone can suggest a more reliable option.

bapu


craigb has a beauty of a geetar for only $5K.

Ya, but they usually go for over $7k...
 

+1 on the Agiles.  I have friends that just love theirs.  Other options you might want to look into are Tokai and Yamaha.  Excellent value for the price.

The guitarist in my last praise band got a Les Paul knockoff last year with a brand none of us had heard of - and it sounds so good you'd suspect it was a "switched at birth" incident where someone mixed up a Gibson with a cheapie. I think he paid $150 for it used.  Great find. I think he's going to put a Gibson headstock on it for the fun of it.

Craig's right - the thing with the outsourced manufacturing is that their quality control isn't as tight, and you can get junk or diamonds from the same batch. Do a lot of tire-kicking and patient searching and test-playing.  There are some good guitars out there.

Russell.Whaley


The guitarist in my last praise band got a Les Paul knockoff last year with a brand none of us had heard of - and it sounds so good you'd suspect it was a "switched at birth" incident where someone mixed up a Gibson with a cheapie. I think he paid $150 for it used.  Great find. I think he's going to put a Gibson headstock on it for the fun of it. 

Not sure if that would make the guitar any more appealing though.  Right now, quality is job 42 at Gibson and sinking...  I remember trying almost 20 different Les Paul's (Standards and Customs) and two seemed truly playable off the rack and pretty much all of them felt different.  Not good!

Got an Epi LP with a Floyd Rose and its a tough one to play.

On the other hand my go to guitar is a Stagg LS 400 with SD Phat cats added on and a Bigsby ! Weighs 8 kilos !

Made in China, low action beautiful neck never been touched since i got it 7 years ago. Needs re-fretting now, but still plays beautifully. Total cost 600 Euros.

I may get another one. My USA HH Strat doesn't play as well.

Cheers,
Jerry

Crg


There are Epiphones and there are Epiphones. The name is same but that's just paint. Somewhere in America someone makes an Epiphone with quality materials. The same is true of Gibson, Fender, etc. Not everything made in China is cheap sheet. While a lot of it is nothing more than a knock off of the original thing, finding the real thing from anywhere is becoming more of a challenge everyday. Learn guitars and then you'll know what you are buying.

A guy I know sells purses on ebay that look like name brand Gucci, in fact, they are Gucci purses. He said he was nervous the first time he did it. He sent $1500 to some guy in China, 6 weeks later half his order showed up, he emailed the guy, turns out the shipment got busted in customs, so he reshipped what he didn't get. From what he tells me, Gucci orders 5,000 purses, the factory in China sets up their production line to make 10,000, they jack the price up to Gucci to cover their cost, and the rest is pure profit. They are real, just some 'extra's' that fell off the assembly line. He said a lot of the knock off stuff is actually real, but it all goes down this way directly at the factories.

As for the American made Epiphones, I 'think' they are called Epiphone Elite guitars. IIRC.

Have patience, check every day... They have some great deals.

57Gregy


I have an Epiphone Les Paul I bought used around 1996. Everything still works as designed, sounds great. A solid guitar. But, I don't play live, don't drag it with me everywhere I go; it nevers leaves the house.
I have no idea where it was made. There's nothing on it except a sticker, "100% inspected and set-up in the USA by 14", so it was obviously made overseas, and a serial number.
I like it.

One of the guys in my brothers band has played the same plane white Epiphone Les Paul ever since I've known him and they just celebrated their 30th year together, so it's at least 30 years old. I can't tell the difference between it and any other LP I've ever heard. But ... there's a real good chance that being over 30 years old, it was made here in the U.S. with better materials.

Bub

Yes. In a heartbeat.

Well, if you were me, you would already need another guitar stand.
I don't buy a lot of instruments, but if one speaks to me, and loves me back, it's pretty much a done deal.
Sometimes it's not so much about the money, but how the instrument speaks to you.
Only you can make that call.

Talked to the tech at the only guitar shop I trust in Des Moines today. He's got 40+ years under his belt. When he was able to speak again after seeing my Left Handed Gibson Custom Fretless Wonder (apparently it's incredibly rare. Who'da thunk it? I had no idea, always hated it, but I got it cheap.), we talked about the Epiphone Sheraton II. He said even the ones made in China are an excellent guitar and to have no worries about buying one. He said he's played them and has one of his own. So, those of you looking to buy a semi-hollow body beauty of a guitar, black, natural, or sunburst, check it out. Right handed version is only $599.

Save your money and get one next year. Save your change, put it in a jar, throw dollar bills in there when you can. You'll be happier in the end with a better guitar. You can get a cheaper one? But in the long run? You are a musician dude... You deserve a nice guitar.

Check out this site, and watch it every day, www.hellomusic.com

They have good deals, they only last 1 day, and the next day they have other good deals.

Here is a pic of my Fender

Ok found the Yamaha guitar I use it's the AES 500, cost a 1000 10-12 years ago and the pic is the exact same one as I use.
What makes this baby sooo great is the weight it is heavy, so you get great fuzz sustain and tone.  It weighs 3.2 kilograms.