epiphone 2020 is not of good quality. take a gibson 2020 50s it is really excellent zero defect and it sounds really good. Gibson has a real history in the rock world. epiphone is for beginners who don't have too much budget.
i wouldnt buy an epiphone..they are shit as you can see here.they are a copy of a gibson and gibson are the mcdonalds of guitars..im not a snob .i would just buy a harley benton .because i see the guitar..not what the headstock says
Mark Porter As a UPS driver I couldn’t tell you how many customers a day can’t even remember what they ordered, or remember ordering something period...lol
Yeah, except most people’s average daily delivery don’t come with virtually the same anticipation one would experience waiting for the birth of their next baby😂.
Mark Porter you'd be surprised...when I show up on their doorstep with a 3000$ iMac and incessantly ask me "what is this?! Where's it from?! I didn't order anything!?" 🤣
Yes but do we really need to watch someone struggling with multiple cardboard boxes? Please just cut to the case opening!!! Drives me nuts! Love the channel though!
My buddy just picked up a 60’s iced tea burst from long and mcquade. I gotta say, the thing is gorgeous. The finish is beautiful, the action was nice even the intonation was spot on and sounded fantastic through the ac30, sv20, and sc20. All around quality guitar. I might get a 50’s edition if it plays like that one did.
When testing action/fret dressing quality - do a whole step bend on the first four strings. Depending how early they buzz or choke at a given height will give you a feel how well they dressed the frets
There are more than just 12 frets on a guitar. 99.9 percent of the time a new out of the box guitar requires a set up. You can not judge playability solely from unpacking and looking them.
I agree. Though I enjoy watching these videos, #1 as a Gibson owner he seems to have it in for Epiphones, which are much cheaper and therefore bound to have some minor setup/QC issues. #2 unless he’s buying these from Sweetwater, these guitars come as they were right out of the factory, hence the high action and such. I have an Epi Les Paul which plays great, but even after being inspected I still had to do some truss rod/action adjustments. It came with some very minor scratches in the finish, which I was more than happy to look past as overall it is a solid guitar. This guy buys so many that he has no time to set any up, or establish an emotional attachment to the instrument as 99.9 percent of guitarists do.
Indeed, and that is why buying directly from a guitar store and not the manufacturer is recommended since they usually do a free setup when you buy a guitar!
Sad to see the quality of these. Makes me feel even better about my last few guitars being Harley Bentons. $360 can get you locking tuners, roasted maple neck, stainless steel frets, wilkenson tremolo. It would still be an amazing guitar for twice the money they charge.
Other than their ugly headstocks, I reckon their LPs are great value. If I was after an SG shape for cheap I'd probably go a Tokai though. A tad cheaper than their Epi counterparts
Same here man, love my Harley Benton LP it looks and plays great and their house pickups do a solid job especially for the pricepoint. Hope they keep making such good guitars for a long time to come
@@guitarocd9984 hahaha, well I think your message was clear anyway: that you don't want to go any further down the "quality ranking" that we all have in our heads, right? And I can see why
Buying a fret leveling bar, crowning tools, sandpaper and nut files have basically reduced any worry of qc issues forever for me. Learn to set up yourself and never worry about QC fret issues
I got kinda exited after watching the 60 cycle hum video from the show floor about them, but after people unboxing them its very disappointing. The new ceo is just talk like the rest of them.
@@petkopeet I have one somewhere... it was my first guitar. Silvertop LP. Long neck tenon, pretty heavy... not sure what timber they used, it almost seems like an alder body with a mahogany top and neck. The fretwork is appalling and so was the factory electronics, but everything else is pretty decent. From what I experienced back in the day the Korean stuff was hard to beat. Always finished well and fretwork was excellent.
I would never buy a guitar on line and expect to have a perfect guitar to arrive. That's why you go to the store and spend hours trying to find that one gem. That way you also know what you're buying and receiving.
My problem with buying guitars directly from a store is I just can't justify paying full price for what is really a "floor" model. Unless you are buying something very high end that they keep locked up so people don't just randomly play it, all the guitars I pick up are notably used. Whenever I have bought a guitar I play it at a store and then order it online to ensure I'm getting it perfectly new.
I’ll agree with that but for some people during this pandemic it is very hard to buy a guitar at the stores them selves so buying online is the safest during theses times.
2019's range but I got a Classic Vibe Bass VI last week (made in Indonesia, got it from Thomann) and the volume knob broke on the 2nd day. Pickguard really rough and ugly cut around the pickup switch panel. Fretwork and finish are fine though. Still a Squier at the end of the day, wish there was a US-made Bass VI that's not a 4000$ Custom Shop.
Jimmy: I have a bunch of Squiers; the Contemporary HH Tele is really good, especially after you install a Dimarzio Super Distortion & PAF - SCREAM CITY. I got the Contemporary HH Strat, changed the pickguard and installed a set of Fender Vintage 59's. Both awesome axes - the satin finished necks with the 12" radius are marvelous. I also two Chinese CV Teles and their excellent also. They're even better since I changed the pickups in both.
@@jimmyjimmy951 Satin necks rule. My USA Strat is the best neck I ever had. My USA LP neck finish typical of LPs. But- the fingerboard is super fun. Love em all.
@Kaptain Kid literally what's the purpose of this comment I mean asking a guy how many Gibson's he owns and calling him Mr big bucks doesn't mean anything like even though people say Gibson's are way to expensive they're really not I mean sure they're expensive for the features but dropping 2 grand for an sg isn't exactly expensive now seeing as how people buy phones for the same price
Spend a few dollars on the tools and learn to level and crown and you will be much happier. I love buying cheaper guitars and setting them up myself. Saves me thousands of dollars and i get to have more guitars.
The setups of new epiphones are the way they are to hide the atrocious fret jobs - lots of relief and high action so the strings won't catch on all those high frets. it's been like this for years. They don't glue the frets into the board, either - so they are much more prone to popping out as the seasons shift... so you're gonna have more problems down the line. ...They are usually great guitars once these problems are corrected, but that can be costly and does nothing for the resale value. This isn't a new thing, it's been like this for years.
That's been my experience with Epiphone as well. Got a brand new Les Paul from a 'big box' retailer a few years ago and the action was so high out of the box. I can well believe that set them up like this on purpose to hide imperfect fretwork. Mine was fine once I got it set up, and as a bonus, I learned to set up Les Pauls.
@@brunogarcia6506 ? They are cheaper guitars and don't get as much fret work than a more expensive guitar. The only way to hide that is raise the action
@@bolerdweller Bad fretwork can exist in all price ranges, now Epiphone and other brands do the frets with the same attention to detail as any other large production, fret sprout and raised frets can happen during shipping, it's the store and retailer's job to detect those and other issues and either fix it before selling if it's something minor or if they deem it necessary, send it back. Also, don't expect a guitar that's been shipped through different humidity and temperature variations for days or weeks, halfway across the world to be actually set-up when it reaches you. The only time a guitar at any price should be perfectly set-up is when you go pick it at a store yourself, because stores must deliver perfectly playing tools. If they don't, you can argue that's the same thing as buying a brand new car and leaving the stand with it's wheels out of alignment.
These guitars are shipped from abroad and go through lots of temperature/humidity changes that cause wood to shift/expand/contract. They may come out of the factory perfect but then get issues landed in the US or wherever. Ideally, these companies should do quality checks upon arrival. But that would raise cost.
@@leifpaul yes of course it can happen that exported guitars come out with no issues but it's also dependent on who's handling them overseas. If they do quality checks then they wouldn't let bad guitars through or maybe they repair them.
@@ibastratepi there`s no CQ with epiphone, and in my experience 99.99 % I`ve played had bad fretwork , and I`ve played so many I cant keep track anymore . the stores in norway doesnt setup guitars for the most part . gibsons fretwork is great even if the guitar isnt setup before . epiphones require so much work , and it`s disappointing that it is that way - other asian-made brands have much better fretwork .
@@leifpaul yeah it's too bad you had that experience. That's why I also recommend people to buy in store so they can check the guitars in person. There's too much risk buying online unseen.
@@ibastratepi my local guitar store closed down 7 years ago, and i had the choice in between travelling by air to the city that had the guitar i wanted in store, or i had to take the chance online . and man ..i did some online purchases..and i returned one off of them, as it was unplayable ,and it would cost a fortune trying to repair the poor thing and many more was just disasters . I`ve just recently moved to a small city thats actually have 2 music stores !! so thats cool :)
New guitar day he says...like thats something truly new? Haa! Every day is new guitar day for you Austin mate! Every single day! Lol. And you know it! Its all good though man. ;)
Yup, that's what you get with a guitar that they don't fill the wood grain in. If you noticed Austin kept rubbing his hand over the area near the back of the face, you can see when he turns the guitar there is large area where you can see the grain really good and I bet you can feel it as well. I don't have a big issue with the satin finish, but the non filled wood grain is a deal breaker for me, they are just too rough feeling and look odd as well, that's from ANY manufacturer not just Epiphone or Gibson.
I bought a bunch of these. Standard 60s in two colors, studio, classic worn gold top and classic. I love them all. They are not Gibsons, but they are fun to play and look great. They benefit greatly from a set up, but they are all a big step up from last year's range and they didn't increase the price. Wiring is great and the pick ups are very good. I think the necks feel a lot better too. They may not have impressed Trogly, but they impressed me.
I mean, I was calling it from the beginning, it's a fake rebranding that's just an excuse to cause Epiphone prices to skyrocket. Quality is dropping, prices are rising, sounds about like Gibson.
Give them a moment to ramp up the QC. A major revamp of factory production will cause some issues for a few. I bet by six months the factory QC will be much better. Fret buzz can be caused by a couple of issues I do believe? Can’t the neck relief, bridge height and nut cut cause fret buzz also? Although with the action high and the neck fairly straight (as you noted during inspection) then most likely it’s the fret work. I think? Thanks for the reviews! Excellent as always!
Try not to scare the beginners. Remember we all were at one time. Yeah they are $6-800 guitars and not many beginners can afford a $2000 Gibson to start out on.
though this is very useful before buying a affordable guitar, it could be compared to other brandsqc such as squier, ibanez, harley benton who in the same market
I would definitely recommend tuning all the strings up to pitch before “checking for high frets” low tension strings (from shopping) can cause buzzing, and putting full tension on the strings will also affect the neck. Checking fresh out of the box may not be the best way to tell...
Here's my two cents on this Trog Epiphone (as well as Squire and Jackson and many others) are lower end models of their premium counterparts. All of these types are mass produced quickly to get as many out there and sold as possible, so limited time is spent on QC. I look at this the same way I look at any mass produced product. Are the faults something I can easily fix on my own? So, in this case, as long as the finish is well done, and the pickups are all soldered and working as they should be, the tuning pegs aren't crap, the nut is cut OK, a little fret work is 30 minutes of my time, mostly because I'm slow and careful and I am perfectly OK with that. I pre-ordered the Epi 59 LP and when I did, I fully expected to have to do a little setup work. I don't own any custom shop models from any of the premium players, so I've had to do that on every guitar I bought, with the exception of my low priced Gretsch. That includes my Fender and Gibson guitars that I had. Now, I have seen people unbox brands like Harley Benton and everything is good out of the box, other than tuning, which is amazing. But I think what people will find is, as they get a bigger share of the market and there's more demand, their QC will go lower at the same time. It becomes one of the things manufacturers (or in HB's case, the only retailer) will sacrifice to get their product out there at the same price. Or pay the pay of premium like Kiesel guitars and get the personal treatment on every order, then tune it and play it. So, I think, if someone wants a guitar that requires nothing other than a quick tune, some setup will be required. I agree, it's disappointing, but it's the reality we live in.
There was one epiphone from namm that absolutely caught my attention and it had a Caribbean burst fade something... it was beautiful. Made me consider getting one just to upgrade everything on it. I was expecting to see it when you said an amazing finish lol that purple is nice but matte finish ruins it.
If I didn't know that these were actually made in China I would have thought that they came straight from the good old USA shop. Same quality issues as the US made guitars. Gibson believes if you want perfection then you need to buy from their "Custom Shop". I believe that if you want perfection then don't buy a Gibson.
Are you going to do a review of the firebird separately, or at all? I'm most curious about that in particular and would love to see your responses to it.
I just picked up a Glarry Tele, $80 shipped to my door. Neck is straight as an arrow, not a hint of fret buzz and nice action. With a new set of strings it actually sounds decent out of the box, it only needs some minor intonation adjustments. No fret sprout and very playable.I looked it over with a magnifying glass and found zero flaws; visually it's outstanding. It doesn't even have the annoying Glarry logo (headstock is blank). I'm sure there are better electronics/pickups to be had (duh!), and the tuners need to go, but for eighty dollars I'm _very_ happy.
Thanks for posting this. This made me feel better as I got 2 Epiphone 2020 Les Paul Classics (one from Guitar Center and one from Sweetwater ), which both had high frets. I sent them both back and I was going to take the chance of getting a 3rd one shipped, but figured I'd just wait until they hit the stores to find the right one. Its a bummer because the electronics on these are great and sound very good. They'd be a home run if the frets were done right.
Gert Hirschfeld Gert Hirschfeld As someone who works at guitar center, no. Usually stuff leaves the box and goes straight to the floor. Sometimes the tech will do a basic truss rod adjustment if someone complains, or if a customer is trying to buy a floor model and it has atrociously bad frets they might grind down the sprout. I’ve personally encountered a dozen or so Fenders of various price ranges out of the box that had frets so bad they almost cut me, or an action so high the guitar was unplayable. Manufacturers nowadays expect you to front the cost of a setup at purchase instead of doing it in factory like they should.
When I ordered mine I bit the bullet and had Sweetwater do a setup before they shipped it. It plays really well the only complaint I have is the stain they used on the fretboard is all over the binding on the neck. Still cleaning it off.
@@jonathanluttrell1380 Does that include any fret leveling and crowning? I had one from Sweetwater and it had the 55 point inspection, but frets were still high and actually the intonation and neck relief wasn't all that great to be honest....I had to readjust myself. I could have done fret leveling and crowning, but didn't feel like spending hours doing it. Figured i'd just wait to find a good one in the store.
Bummer that 1 out of 5 you received seemed to be worth keeping. If I ever get an itching to pick up one of these, i'll definitely have to play it in person first. Though tbh, I should probably be doing that with all the guitars I purchase to begin with 😂
And then you have to realise the frets aren't glued in so eventually the frets will pop up. .05 worth of glue would fix the potential problem ...it shows you how gibson Eppy despise their customers.
I recently bought an Epiphone LP and it is absolutely flawless. The action needed lowering a little but otherwise it's perfect. No imperfections anywhere.
Great honest review. Seems Epiphone missed the opportunity to capitalize on the new look by letting quality suffer. Hard to believe they still cant figure out how to compete with other Chinese manufacturers that are making better guitars for less money.
I received my epiphone Les Paul 60’s Classic and it was perfect out of the box, no issues and no problems with finish, I think Gibson is not always so.
I would love a review of the SG modern first and comparison to the Gibson version. That's the guitar I would most likely buy from the new Epiphone line.
I got one from Guitar Center online. It does have a couple of high frets but the guitar is a great value for the money. Definitely a guitar with its own sound. Very versatile.
Sometimes instead of a high fret it's a bent string. Usually when it is a high fret, it has popped up a little. If so you can usually tap it back down with a small nylon or soft faced hammer. Usually no need for filing. I'm assuming this happens due to temperature changes during shipment.
Those SG's looked pretty bangin'. I'm actually looking forward to the demos. A Pelham Blue SG with P90's.... if it was a vintage Gibson I'd be drooling lol
Hey sunshine, locking tuners do not in any way shape or form get you better tuning stability. A solid bridge and a properly cut good quality nut, a stable neck and a headstock that does not force the D and G strings to do an almost 90 degree angle that is what gives you great tuning.
The Tokai are way too expensive. You can get many other copies and fine tune them to save 500.00. The Jin-ho locking tuners are very good if they're not chinese knock off's. (guitar fetish has them and they are the korean types) Really I've had some chinese tuners off of 50.00 ebay specials that are better then some name brands. (usually tuning problems are the nut) It's hit or miss on them. The chinese are making decent 498/490 gibson copy pick ups these days.....nothing is exact copies but close. Especially the alnico 5 wax potted 14k. You won't even have to deal with Gibson's crappy proprietary wiring crap. All of them will need a bone nut. the chinese bone ones are not bad for 2.00 or so. I just redid a lp copy with everything for about 65.00 (except frets). The tuners and pickups where the bulk of it (35.00 for tuners, 22.00 for pickups). The Wilkinson type chinese knock off bridge is the only cheap one I'd use on a lp. (wilkinson gets them from the same place...china) At least from the chinese. 8.00.....roller bridges cut down on the harmonics but do help stay in tune. Nothing to rattle like the bridge spring and can be individually shimmed. The biggest thing on the cheap guitars will always be the frets. You will need to learn to level and crown (and glue them in without removing them). I would love to support Gibson but refuse to since they spit on their customers. There's no excuse for bad frets. They don't want to spend a couple hours getting the frets right. Nobody would complain about an extra 50.00 if the guitar was done right. There attitude is what will put them out of business. People have had it with them.
I played a few of these at a guitar store yesterday. The SG Muse was the standout for me. Price, looks, sound, and feel where all there for me. I second buying from a brick and mortar store on these.
I really want to see a review on the T.V. Yellow LP special ! Also the Firebird looks interesting as well. I love S.G.'s & own 2 myself but 4 S.G. reviews & demos? Mix it up Trogly
Jeeez that was rough. I'm super glad I didn't order the Vibrola SG. The finish looks like a toy. Fender and PRS don't have issues like this on their similarly priced instrument. Looks like same ol same ol from Epiphone/Gibson
I usually expect to do a setup and usually check with a fret rocker and do a little fill on most imports. How are the bridge posts? I’ve gotten so many crooked ones.
All the reviews I have seen on the new Epi's have noticed fret problems so maybe it's just the first run was rushed out the door. I'm hesitant to buy now. What do you do with all these guitars? I'm new to your channel.
I am no expert on the subject but I think the reason why they may be having so many issues with the frets is because of the new neck profiles. More than likely the machine they use to insert the frets is set up for a specific style of neck and although it "should" work on other styles, it is hit and miss, as we see. Who told you they use veneer to "hide" how many pieces of wood they build the body with? Why do people automatically assume deception is being used? They use veneer because buying a whole piece of flamed or marbled wood is VERY expensive, especially when you think of how much they would have to buy. Out of one good quality piece of flamed wood they can get roughly 6-7 veneers, using a piece of wood the normal thickness of say the SG body. It's a cost saving measure, not a deception measure. Wow, Austin man I am SO glad you are going to be doing these reviews! I have seriously been thinking about buying a new Epiphone but now I am getting a little leery about it. If I was to receive one with a couple of high frets I would probably just fix it myself, ONLY because of it being so common if I returned it the next one might be just as bad if not worse. I really hope you bought one of the new Epiphone Custom models, I have been looking at that white one pretty hot lately lol. The only issue I have is it is an all mahogany body, per the 50's specs I guess. I think I would really miss the maple cap and the snap it provides. I love that purple burst, but I don't love the finish or open wood grain feel. I actually refinished a couple of guitars and did not fill in the wood grain and I do NOT like how that feels. I have guitars with gloss neck and with satin neck and even with just Tru-Oil on the neck and let me tell ya, I don't really notice much of a difference. I think it's the way each person holds a neck, I have a space between my hand and the neck rather than gripping it so maybe that's why i don't notice it? Suggestion for you Austin, when you do these reviews, space out the bad ones lol. I don't think my old heart could take seeing more than two bad guitars in a row lolol. Where's that Kat Review!!! I am thinking about buying one and I am waiting to hear how those Firebird pups sound!!
I just bought one of the 2020 Epi LP Custom in black. I bought one of the display models at Guitar Center after playing it. I tested the black one I bought, a white one, a Standard 50s gold top and a Standard 60s Bourbon Burst. These are all 2020 with the new headstock style. My favorite was likely the Gold Top 50s with the black Custom I bought in VERY CLOSE second. I think the only difference was the factory setup on the Gold Top felt better.... but a tad bit of work on this black one will make it as a good. The action is a bit all over the place from guitar to guitar, but the fret work seemed level and pretty good. I'm sort of an average guitarist doing a bit of a comeback so this will be great for me. I was going to buy a Gibson LP Classic in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, but decided to spend half that buying the Epi and a really good case and still be under $1000 after tax. Maybe in the near future I'll get the Gibson LP Classic. I have had various Gibsons in the past, so I wasn't that anxious, like, " I HAVE TO HAVE A GIBSON!" Sort of thing. Maybe after a few months on the Epi, if I see some good progress in my playing, I'll consider the Gibson.
That purple one would look so much better with a glossy finish. The "worn" finish makes it look like it it got packed up and sent out before it was all done and ready.
Purchased a new Epi SG about 5 years ago and the fret ends were so sharp they caused bleeding. Had to send it back. Hopefully the new ones are better prepped. Considering a 2020 ES339.
I'm glad I've seen this video. I was holding off on buying any new Epi's until I heard what the final word was on quality. I'll continue to hold off and move on to something else. I'm not tolerating these quality issues when there are other options that have the quality you should be getting. Sad, because some of these are otherwise nice.
I believe qt comes from the top down (yes you Gibson). That is upsetting about the qt. I thought the 2nd to last SG was almost gross. The last SG was Cool! I really like it and look forward to the demo.
I got a 2021 LP prophecy and my only complaint is that the string height at the nut was so high that it actually pulled it out of tune when I played on the first few frets. After buying a set of nut files and spending a couple of hours working on it I am very pleased with the guitar over all.
It's a shame to see all these issues with the Epis. I recently bought the Epi Les Paul Custom Light; ebony fretboard, Grover tuners with a chambered body. Nice lightweight body, it's not like wearing an anvil... The setup out if the box was fine. I only had to lower the bridge a tiny bit. The pickups still suck; Alnico Classic & Classic Plus. I yanked 'em and installed a set of Dimarzio PAF Masters. It's definitely a keeper.
So for all the talk of them upping their game,,, the song remains the same. I tried like 10 - 335 types, dots, sheriton, etc. Decided a 339 type would be ok too so there's another 5 I tried. None were ever remotely good. It was mostly fret issues so,,, these seem to be like those. No real change. Very sad. Buy a low end Gretsch, used Fender, almost anything else.
I must be just lucky then because I have a 339 and a Casino Coupe and have no fret issues whatsoever. I did have a shitty machine head on the Casino and also replaced the pick ups with another brand. I expected similar problems on the 339, but no..... It's absolutely perfect in every way.
I guess it depends on which one you get as there are some dogs out of all of them. My wife bought me a Les Paul Plus Top Pro last year , she has no idea what to get when it comes to guitars and its great all around. I’ve had no issues with it. It is extremely resonant and plays like a champ.
You know, high frets are a common issue on most guitar brands under or around $600. It’s pretty much a 50/50 shot. At this point with not having a shop near me to buy in person, I’ve just learned how to actually fix the issue
MykB's got it from sweetwater! They do a basic check on all guitars they sell over 300$, so they would have caught any glaring issues... no sharp fret ends, no high frets.. i had to crank a little releif in the neck, but thats just basic setup stuff...
Lefty Westy yes sir, from sweetwater.... they said i was the first person to order one from them... maybe true, maybe not, but they had only gotten them in a day before i ordered one
Review the purple one. Review the purple one. Review the purple one. Review the purple one ... I did not even use cut’n’paste ... took the time to type all of that in 🤓
Hi Ben.... I bought one a few days ago... left my comments on mylespaul com... under the epiphone thread.... I'm digging it so far... a few little things but not a deal breaker... www.mylespaul.com/threads/ngd.436833/
Interesting, the 60s les paul I sent back also truss rod cover also had screws sunk at an angle. It also had nut finish crack, dirty fret wire, marks on binding, small cut out of pickup casing, nut offset not flush with neck. However it did play really nice.
Hey Ben, Check out the "Lucas Fowler" You tube channel, he just did a review of his brand new Gold top from Epiphone last week. LOL but I think his newest video he let's his young daughter put stickers all over it so you might want to avoid that video lol. Lucas does a good review of it, but he does not open it up like Austin does. Lucas's reviews are more about the different tones and overall appearance and if there are any issues, which sad to say, he has MANY high frets on his, but .... well, just watch the video and you will see lol.
I’m never really disappointed by a crap setup on import guitars unless I paid full sticker price at a store. When I haggle at GC, I always drop that I’ll pay sticker if they set it up with new strings. Works every time.
I just bought a Classic Worn online. After a week or so I it to my local independently owned music store and the owner did a complete setup. After leveling a couple of frets and some adjustments to bridge saddles and filing a couple slots in the nut he informed me never to sell it as it now played better than any Gibson or Epi Les Paul he ever came across. So despite the fact these are supposed to be professionally set up and inspected prior to leaving the factory if you get one online be prepared to have to take it somewhere for a setup unless you order from some place like Sweetwater that inspects them at their own facility upon arrival and prior to shipping them to customers.
I'm an Epiphone guy and i usually expect to do some setup when I buy a new one. 1/2 the price of Gibson, i don't expect perfection out of the box. Just something playable.
I don't know, are defects like this acceptable these days even on budget instruments? Those scratches on that first LP were terrible! Epiphone needs to up their game if they want to compete in the modern budget market.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe No, scratches and bad finish aren't acceptable on a $500 anything. Setting the intonation and string height maybe. Even having to adjust the truss rod since changes in temperature and humidity happen during shipping. Even a tall fret I personally can handle with a file and sand paper, but for $500 you shouldn't have to that makes it unplayable unless you really know what you are doing. One of the problems with buying online is that any issues you either have to ship it back or fix it yourself. Some good shops will do a free set up when you buy a guitar. The 3 Epiphones I have didn't need anything done to them when I got them, but I have bought guitars around $150 that were awful. I had to fix all the frets or get cut while playing on a couple, others were OK and only needed intonation and truss rod adjustment. Like somebody said (Trogly) sometimes it's just best to buy at a shop to see and touch before you buy.
Never had any luck with Epiphone, acoustic or electric. Had a Casino I bought new that sounded sickly at the second fret. The logo fell off the pickguard after two days. Changed tuners, went through setup, intonation, etc. I should have returned it when I first got it. What fixed it was me selling it back to the store taking a 60% loss. If I need a Les Paul or 335 style axe, there are plenty of alternatives, PRS, D'Angelico, etc.
Thank you for the honest reviews of Epiphone guitars. Everybody else on youtube is raving about these new Epiphone guitars, but you are telling the truth. I tried out several and found exactly the same low quality issues you report. In fact, I felt like I needed a tetanus shot from the sharp edges they left on the frets.
I only tried out the higher end Epiphone models, which were very disappointing. I can't imagine a starter guitar that retails for $249 is going to be of better quality. My advice would be go to the store and try it out, you may get lucky and find one that doesn't need repairs. To be fair, Epiphone guitars don't sound bad... but everyone I tested had at least one major issue that required a serious repair. I ended up buying a used Gibson Les Paul instead. If you can stretch your budget up to around $700 that might be the way to go.
There's QC issues across all supply. My 2016 Gibson LP had numerous trapezoid inlays popping out. I had to do a full reinstall and refinish of them. Just bought the blue SG featured in this vid. Arrived today. Probably a high fret or two. When I raised the action it made up for it. Action is still low enough. I corrected intonation, pickup height after that. A slight mark on the binding at the thirteenth fret, but nothing to weep about. This should be a great guitar. Rest of the finish is stunning and sounds killer!
While unboxing: For those big staples, may I suggest a cheap large flat-head screwdriver? That’s what I use when unboxing light fixtures for work, (electrician). Might save you a trip to get stitches...
Guitar shops set the guitars up if they don't play very well and if you notice any issues they will set the guitar up for you even if you are not sure that you will buy it.
So as far as my own Epi QC adventure lately, for comparison - Les Paul Muse in arctic white. (Overall, I think it's a gorgeous look.) First one - broken neck pickup ring (obvious shipping damage.) Returned. Second one - Neck pickup very low (as in under the ring - fixed,) multiple scratches on the back (not deep, but also not caused by the string that broke in shipping.) Paint runs on the treble side where the headstock meets the neck. And an inconsistent - "binding distance," I suppose, some where the finish meets the binding, other spots (and not just tight curves) where there's an obvious, about pencil-line-wide separation. And yeah, some high frets. Oh, and what looks like a bulge in the belly cut where the pickup selector "ring" for the cavity (if that makes sense) breaks into it... it's hard to explain, but looks weird. Stuff I'd expect at Firefly prices, basically, not $500. (At least not all of it.) The LP Special-1 (at $130) wasn't like this. I did get a "blemish" discount when I reported it to the seller, though. Fixing what I can, considering what to do with some of the finish issues. Sounds and feels pretty good, though.
Lind in the past few years it’s been pretty bad. If you are in the states and want an Epiphone that isn’t busted, sweetwater does quality control on their guitars over $300. From my experience, I wouldn’t get an Epiphone any other way
Noah Lagerkvist I have a 2018 Standard Pro and it doesn't have any QC issues, but I'm not sure if the music store that I bought it from gave it a setup or not
It's still fairly solid in the UK, in my experience But that could just be the first few models we've got, and the shop I tried them in Time will tell, but I hope Epiphone take note of these issues
I really didn't think their 2019 Quality Control was very good either. I received my Epiphone Les Paul with some minor fretboard damage last year. The damage wasn't enough to send it back but it was a little disappointing. Later last year I was watching a video of the Epiphone factory in China and I found out how the fretboard got the damage on it. When the girl was clamping the neck after it was glued she didn't put any type of caul between the clamp and the fretboard. It was pretty much metal clamping directly into the fretboard. My minor damage was in the same basic area where the clamp was placed so I am pretty sure this is how mine got damaged. In comparison I watched the Gibson factory 2019 tour and they protected the neck in a big way when they were clamping the necks on the Gibson's. So there you have it. They gave away their dirty little secret without even realizing it. All of that being said, I love how my Epi feels and at this point would never part with it. But it was just an interesting piece of information I stumbled across by accident. If you are interested in seeing this happen just do a TH-cam search for "Epiphone Factory tour in China" and it will come up. The part with the neck is at 5:10 into the video. If you look close you can actually see some marks on the fretboard that were made by the clamp she was using. Then if you search TH-cam for "Gibson Factory Tour 2019 and go to 13:50 into the video you will see the difference as to how Gibson places a barrier (caul) between the clamp and the neck and fretboard. Be sure to add the 2019 in your search because there are a few Gibson tours on the web and this is the only one that has 2019 in the title. The sad part of this is that the cost to avoid this problem would be nothing. Just protect the neck when clamping. It's not even something that would add time to the process either. It would just take a few seconds to do.
I had returned 2 2019 sgs. One had a truss rod that wouldn't turn, on the other one they cut deep into the neck below the fretboard to make the nut fit rather than shaving the nut down so the headstock was like halfway sawed off. I'm still an epi fan tho, I've had some very good epi guitars.
@@racerx1918 I agree, if you get a good Epi they are really good. I have three other guitars and if I were blindfolded I could tell the feel of my Epi in a second. It just seems to fit like a glove.
I just got a Pelham blue Epiphone Les Paul...it’s a really beautiful guitar and feels great in my hands...the pick up selector switch was broken...it just flops around and doesn’t stay put...has that ever happened to you ? Pretty disappointed but I must admit I love how it looks and feels.
I was impressed by the Namm models but after seeing a few more videos, particularly models with dodgy frets and lacklustre bursts I think I'll steer clear.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe The Namm guitars are always the best of the best for any company, if you can get on from the show room floor it would be the highest quality one they even produce.
![Epiphone Factory Tour in China [English Subtitles] - presented by Digimart](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LRczd_ZEf4E/mqdefault.jpg)
🔴Reverb: tidd.ly/4aFiyhC
🐕 Episode Guide:
0:20 - Unboxing #1
3:15 - Unboxing #2
4:42 - Unboxing #3
6:16 - Unboxing #4
8:52 - Unboxing #5
11:06 - Boxing #1
11:42 - Boxing #2
Can I have one of your guitar? Even an old one I will accept, for me to have guitar.. thanx 😥
Will you please do a video checking out the 2016 epiphone 100th anniversary?
Quick question. What do you think of the Squire Classic Vibe series? Specifically the statocaster models.
Can I have that one epiphone?? Please 😢😢 I always wanted that guitar
epiphone 2020 is not of good quality. take a gibson 2020 50s it is really excellent zero defect and it sounds really good. Gibson has a real history in the rock world. epiphone is for beginners who don't have too much budget.
"i figured you guys really dont wanna watch me unbox 20 guitars"
you see, thats where you're wrong
@Tobias B. 😂😂😂😂Das war gut.
@Tobias B. niemand will Sie Sir auspacken
@Tobias B.Niemals ahahaha:>
@Tobias B. genieße es du Sau
no he is right...i want to see 50 unboxing in one show and noone ever does that (not so hidden challenge...)
When a guitar snob opens up a bunch of brand new guitars that most of us would be ecstatic about. “Oh, I didn’t even know I bought this one!”
My thoughts exactly!
He is quite the snob
Yeah he seems to take the magic out of music and has zero appreciation for people who would absolutely love one of them
These are canoe paddles not guitars
i wouldnt buy an epiphone..they are shit as you can see here.they are a copy of a gibson and gibson are the mcdonalds of guitars..im not a snob .i would just buy a harley benton .because i see the guitar..not what the headstock says
Trogly is like a cat. More excited about the box than the actual stuff.
LOLZ. Kid in a candy shop. But, who doesn't like to open the box to their new guitar? The weird smells alone make it fun.
A surfing cat?
LMAO SAME HAHAHAHHA
Yep ! LOL
Who says “I didn’t know I ordered this one”?!?😂. Every one I order puts me into cardiac arrest until it’s in my hands.
Mark Porter As a UPS driver I couldn’t tell you how many customers a day can’t even remember what they ordered, or remember ordering something period...lol
Yeah, except most people’s average daily delivery don’t come with virtually the same anticipation one would experience waiting for the birth of their next baby😂.
Mark Porter you'd be surprised...when I show up on their doorstep with a 3000$ iMac and incessantly ask me "what is this?! Where's it from?! I didn't order anything!?" 🤣
Proof positive...I’m poor!😂
Obviously the same person who sent out about a dozen guitars without knowing if he would ever see them again, and didn't seem to mind.
I figured you guys don't wanna watch me unbox 20 guitars"
Literally everyone watching: That's where you're wrong kiddo
Haha, yeah! I love guitar unboxing!
My thoughts exactly lol
That’s... why I’m here
I ont care if it is 50 guitar unboxings i love them cause im broke and cant aford to unbox my own😃
Yes but do we really need to watch someone struggling with multiple cardboard boxes? Please just cut to the case opening!!! Drives me nuts! Love the channel though!
My buddy just picked up a 60’s iced tea burst from long and mcquade. I gotta say, the thing is gorgeous. The finish is beautiful, the action was nice even the intonation was spot on and sounded fantastic through the ac30, sv20, and sc20. All around quality guitar. I might get a 50’s edition if it plays like that one did.
We've watched you shop for guitars for half hour. I'm completely fine with Trogly unboxing 20 guitars ;)
"I like being a regular joe" ( thats handles hundreds of thousands of dollars in instruments most humans will never even see in real life)
Tam
These guitars will play great with a decent set up..You can also pay 2k plus, and get a Gibson, it will also play fine after a good set up.
But the gibson will hold or appreciate in value. The epiphone won't be worth half of that you sank into it.
don't worry nikos,,,someday you can afford a gibson and not have to play crappy non usa guitars
@@mikemarlow5429 “crappy non usa guitars” i see someone is still stuck in the past century
@@mikemarlow5429 Are you still living in the cave mate?
How is a decent set up going to fix high frets?
When testing action/fret dressing quality - do a whole step bend on the first four strings. Depending how early they buzz or choke at a given height will give you a feel how well they dressed the frets
Has a string choke out like this on my recent epiphone purchase, tightening the truss rod solved the issue
It's called the "Inspired by Gibson" line, of course it's going to have QC issues, it's part of their brand image
Is that why Mark looked so cagey at NAMM?
I don't trust Epiphone or Gibson... Unfortunately. I have two decent Gibson... I darent buy more.
LMAO ROFL!!!!
@@geruto17760 Mark = Poser. Not 4 Norm, he's a nobody. Besides he knows shit when he smells it.
im impressed they even nailed the Gibson QC XD
There are more than just 12 frets on a guitar. 99.9 percent of the time a new out of the box guitar requires a set up. You can not judge playability solely from unpacking and looking them.
I agree. Though I enjoy watching these videos, #1 as a Gibson owner he seems to have it in for Epiphones, which are much cheaper and therefore bound to have some minor setup/QC issues. #2 unless he’s buying these from Sweetwater, these guitars come as they were right out of the factory, hence the high action and such. I have an Epi Les Paul which plays great, but even after being inspected I still had to do some truss rod/action adjustments. It came with some very minor scratches in the finish, which I was more than happy to look past as overall it is a solid guitar. This guy buys so many that he has no time to set any up, or establish an emotional attachment to the instrument as 99.9 percent of guitarists do.
Indeed, and that is why buying directly from a guitar store and not the manufacturer is recommended since they usually do a free setup when you buy a guitar!
Sad to see the quality of these. Makes me feel even better about my last few guitars being Harley Bentons. $360 can get you locking tuners, roasted maple neck, stainless steel frets, wilkenson tremolo. It would still be an amazing guitar for twice the money they charge.
Totally agree , Harley Benton are sooo much guitar for the money it's silly !
Other than their ugly headstocks, I reckon their LPs are great value. If I was after an SG shape for cheap I'd probably go a Tokai though. A tad cheaper than their Epi counterparts
Same here man, love my Harley Benton LP it looks and plays great and their house pickups do a solid job especially for the pricepoint. Hope they keep making such good guitars for a long time to come
@@guitarocd9984 You know Korea is east of China, right? Also, you don't have to physically go there to get the guitars, they send them to you.
@@guitarocd9984 hahaha, well I think your message was clear anyway: that you don't want to go any further down the "quality ranking" that we all have in our heads, right? And I can see why
Buying a fret leveling bar, crowning tools, sandpaper and nut files have basically reduced any worry of qc issues forever for me. Learn to set up yourself and never worry about QC fret issues
Gone are the days of Korean and Indonesian quality Epi's...
If you had this lineup with MIK materials and workmanship they would be so much more attractive
Old made in Czech republic epis were awesome
I got kinda exited after watching the 60 cycle hum video from the show floor about them, but after people unboxing them its very disappointing. The new ceo is just talk like the rest of them.
@@petkopeet I have one somewhere... it was my first guitar. Silvertop LP. Long neck tenon, pretty heavy... not sure what timber they used, it almost seems like an alder body with a mahogany top and neck. The fretwork is appalling and so was the factory electronics, but everything else is pretty decent. From what I experienced back in the day the Korean stuff was hard to beat. Always finished well and fretwork was excellent.
If the serial number starts with f i or u it's probably a good epi
I would never buy a guitar on line and expect to have a perfect guitar to arrive. That's why you go to the store and spend hours trying to find that one gem. That way you also know what you're buying and receiving.
My problem with buying guitars directly from a store is I just can't justify paying full price for what is really a "floor" model. Unless you are buying something very high end that they keep locked up so people don't just randomly play it, all the guitars I pick up are notably used. Whenever I have bought a guitar I play it at a store and then order it online to ensure I'm getting it perfectly new.
NetCodeERROR That’s why you check it in store before buying it.
In pandemic times??
I’ll agree with that but for some people during this pandemic it is very hard to buy a guitar at the stores them selves so buying online is the safest during theses times.
@@lmaolol6276 When you put it that way, I have to agree with you. Never thought of that.
Not impressed with the quality. Let’s see the new Squier range.. Would love to see how they compare with this level of quality......
2019's range but I got a Classic Vibe Bass VI last week (made in Indonesia, got it from Thomann) and the volume knob broke on the 2nd day. Pickguard really rough and ugly cut around the pickup switch panel. Fretwork and finish are fine though. Still a Squier at the end of the day, wish there was a US-made Bass VI that's not a 4000$ Custom Shop.
BIG Fender fan snd owner. Comparo sans Bullet range. Which is good for house decoratives only.
Jimmy: I have a bunch of Squiers; the Contemporary HH Tele is really good, especially after you install a Dimarzio Super Distortion & PAF - SCREAM CITY. I got the Contemporary HH Strat, changed the pickguard and installed a set of Fender Vintage 59's.
Both awesome axes - the satin finished necks with the 12" radius are marvelous.
I also two Chinese CV Teles and their excellent also. They're even better since I changed the pickups in both.
LesPaulDisciple Nice. Sounds like you have the best all rounders. Love the satin necks. Not found anything better IMO.. All the best.. 👍🇦🇺
@@jimmyjimmy951 Satin necks rule. My USA Strat is the best neck I ever had. My USA LP neck finish typical of LPs. But- the fingerboard is super fun. Love em all.
High End Epiphone and still no hard shell case or gigbag, what a burn.
That's where your bartering skills come in
@@r.edward5701 True, just ask for one. Never thought about that, but I only buy Gibson tho, Cheers.
@Kaptain Kid literally what's the purpose of this comment I mean asking a guy how many Gibson's he owns and calling him Mr big bucks doesn't mean anything like even though people say Gibson's are way to expensive they're really not I mean sure they're expensive for the features but dropping 2 grand for an sg isn't exactly expensive now seeing as how people buy phones for the same price
Epiphone is still Epiphone
Cases are always sold separately unless you get a cheap guitar bundle with crap case
These fret issues are a big time bummer fellas
Spend a few dollars on the tools and learn to level and crown and you will be much happier. I love buying cheaper guitars and setting them up myself. Saves me thousands of dollars and i get to have more guitars.
@@Iamadroid
Hey , I totally agree with you.
I do the same.
@@Iamadroid Or you know... just buy a guitar from another company for the same price that doesn't have these issues.
@@nagynorbie What company makes a Les Paul for the same price without issues?
@@Iamadroid Eastman.
“You guys don’t wanna watch me unbox 20 guitars in the same episode, do you?”
Yes. Yes we do.
T guitar folk
The setups of new epiphones are the way they are to hide the atrocious fret jobs - lots of relief and high action so the strings won't catch on all those high frets. it's been like this for years. They don't glue the frets into the board, either - so they are much more prone to popping out as the seasons shift... so you're gonna have more problems down the line.
...They are usually great guitars once these problems are corrected, but that can be costly and does nothing for the resale value.
This isn't a new thing, it's been like this for years.
Dude, stop taking out of your ass.
That's been my experience with Epiphone as well. Got a brand new Les Paul from a 'big box' retailer a few years ago and the action was so high out of the box. I can well believe that set them up like this on purpose to hide imperfect fretwork. Mine was fine once I got it set up, and as a bonus, I learned to set up Les Pauls.
@@brunogarcia6506 ? They are cheaper guitars and don't get as much fret work than a more expensive guitar. The only way to hide that is raise the action
@@bolerdweller Bad fretwork can exist in all price ranges, now Epiphone and other brands do the frets with the same attention to detail as any other large production, fret sprout and raised frets can happen during shipping, it's the store and retailer's job to detect those and other issues and either fix it before selling if it's something minor or if they deem it necessary, send it back. Also, don't expect a guitar that's been shipped through different humidity and temperature variations for days or weeks, halfway across the world to be actually set-up when it reaches you. The only time a guitar at any price should be perfectly set-up is when you go pick it at a store yourself, because stores must deliver perfectly playing tools. If they don't, you can argue that's the same thing as buying a brand new car and leaving the stand with it's wheels out of alignment.
@@brunogarcia6506 Another stupid Gib/eppy person......the video list's all the eppy's showing bad frets except one and your butt cheeks start talking.
These guitars are shipped from abroad and go through lots of temperature/humidity changes that cause wood to shift/expand/contract.
They may come out of the factory perfect but then get issues landed in the US or wherever.
Ideally, these companies should do quality checks upon arrival. But that would raise cost.
how do you explain gibsons shipped to the other side of the world , sporting excellent fretwork ?
@@leifpaul yes of course it can happen that exported guitars come out with no issues but it's also dependent on who's handling them overseas. If they do quality checks then they wouldn't let bad guitars through or maybe they repair them.
@@ibastratepi there`s no CQ with epiphone, and in my experience 99.99 % I`ve played had bad fretwork , and I`ve played so many I cant keep track anymore . the stores in norway doesnt setup guitars for the most part . gibsons fretwork is great even if the guitar isnt setup before . epiphones require so much work , and it`s disappointing that it is that way - other asian-made brands have much better fretwork .
@@leifpaul yeah it's too bad you had that experience. That's why I also recommend people to buy in store so they can check the guitars in person. There's too much risk buying online unseen.
@@ibastratepi my local guitar store closed down 7 years ago, and i had the choice in between travelling by air to the city that had the guitar i wanted in store, or i had to take the chance online . and man ..i did some online purchases..and i returned one off of them, as it was unplayable ,and it would cost a fortune trying to repair the poor thing and many more was just disasters . I`ve just recently moved to a small city thats actually have 2 music stores !! so thats cool :)
New guitar day he says...like thats something truly new? Haa! Every day is new guitar day for you Austin mate! Every single day! Lol. And you know it! Its all good though man. ;)
"You guys don't want to watch me unbox 20 guitars in one episode..."
*Raises eyebrow*
I do T-man.
The purple one has deep grooves in the wood near the pickup switch
Yup, that's what you get with a guitar that they don't fill the wood grain in. If you noticed Austin kept rubbing his hand over the area near the back of the face, you can see when he turns the guitar there is large area where you can see the grain really good and I bet you can feel it as well. I don't have a big issue with the satin finish, but the non filled wood grain is a deal breaker for me, they are just too rough feeling and look odd as well, that's from ANY manufacturer not just Epiphone or Gibson.
I bought a bunch of these. Standard 60s in two colors, studio, classic worn gold top and classic. I love them all. They are not Gibsons, but they are fun to play and look great. They benefit greatly from a set up, but they are all a big step up from last year's range and they didn't increase the price. Wiring is great and the pick ups are very good. I think the necks feel a lot better too. They may not have impressed Trogly, but they impressed me.
I mean, I was calling it from the beginning, it's a fake rebranding that's just an excuse to cause Epiphone prices to skyrocket. Quality is dropping, prices are rising, sounds about like Gibson.
Yes, why don't they keep the price at around 700-800 bucks and do a better job?
All of the new guitars are under 800
Not a single guitar over 800. Theyve dropped the prices.
The Epiphone prices are not skyrocketing. The standard is the same price as last year and even the new full custom models are still at the $650 area.
Pay peanuts and get monkeys...
Give them a moment to ramp up the QC. A major revamp of factory production will cause some issues for a few. I bet by six months the factory QC will be much better. Fret buzz can be caused by a couple of issues I do believe? Can’t the neck relief, bridge height and nut cut cause fret buzz also? Although with the action high and the neck fairly straight (as you noted during inspection) then most likely it’s the fret work. I think? Thanks for the reviews! Excellent as always!
Great. We want more. Is the blue Tommy Thayer / Kiss model in there somewhere??
Try not to scare the beginners. Remember we all were at one time. Yeah they are $6-800 guitars and not many beginners can afford a $2000 Gibson to start out on.
though this is very useful before buying a affordable guitar, it could be compared to other brandsqc such as squier, ibanez, harley benton who in the same market
I would definitely recommend tuning all the strings up to pitch before “checking for high frets” low tension strings (from shopping) can cause buzzing, and putting full tension on the strings will also affect the neck. Checking fresh out of the box may not be the best way to tell...
Here's my two cents on this Trog
Epiphone (as well as Squire and Jackson and many others) are lower end models of their premium counterparts. All of these types are mass produced quickly to get as many out there and sold as possible, so limited time is spent on QC.
I look at this the same way I look at any mass produced product. Are the faults something I can easily fix on my own? So, in this case, as long as the finish is well done, and the pickups are all soldered and working as they should be, the tuning pegs aren't crap, the nut is cut OK, a little fret work is 30 minutes of my time, mostly because I'm slow and careful and I am perfectly OK with that. I pre-ordered the Epi 59 LP and when I did, I fully expected to have to do a little setup work. I don't own any custom shop models from any of the premium players, so I've had to do that on every guitar I bought, with the exception of my low priced Gretsch. That includes my Fender and Gibson guitars that I had.
Now, I have seen people unbox brands like Harley Benton and everything is good out of the box, other than tuning, which is amazing. But I think what people will find is, as they get a bigger share of the market and there's more demand, their QC will go lower at the same time. It becomes one of the things manufacturers (or in HB's case, the only retailer) will sacrifice to get their product out there at the same price. Or pay the pay of premium like Kiesel guitars and get the personal treatment on every order, then tune it and play it.
So, I think, if someone wants a guitar that requires nothing other than a quick tune, some setup will be required.
I agree, it's disappointing, but it's the reality we live in.
There was one epiphone from namm that absolutely caught my attention and it had a Caribbean burst fade something... it was beautiful. Made me consider getting one just to upgrade everything on it. I was expecting to see it when you said an amazing finish lol that purple is nice but matte finish ruins it.
I will be doing one of those once they are available since someone ordered one through me!
Thats great! I can't wait to see it!
Yes... I LOVE that finish.
@@Trog yessssss!
So, buy the color and fix the guitar? IDK.
If I didn't know that these were actually made in China I would have thought that they came straight from the good old USA shop. Same quality issues as the US made guitars. Gibson believes if you want perfection then you need to buy from their "Custom Shop". I believe that if you want perfection then don't buy a Gibson.
Exactly.
Or spend more and buy an old one unfortunately
Most guitars are hit and miss. Some play awesome some don't. The best brand for consistant quality is Martin.
No Gibson's are USA made anymore. Moved to China in early 70s. I have a 60 sunburst. USA
@@gregoryb2999 what do they do all day in that big old plant in Nashville then?
Are you going to do a review of the firebird separately, or at all? I'm most curious about that in particular and would love to see your responses to it.
I just picked up a Glarry Tele, $80 shipped to my door. Neck is straight as an arrow, not a hint of fret buzz and nice action. With a new set of strings it actually sounds decent out of the box, it only needs some minor intonation adjustments. No fret sprout and very playable.I looked it over with a magnifying glass and found zero flaws; visually it's outstanding. It doesn't even have the annoying Glarry logo (headstock is blank). I'm sure there are better electronics/pickups to be had (duh!), and the tuners need to go, but for eighty dollars I'm _very_ happy.
Thanks for posting this. This made me feel better as I got 2 Epiphone 2020 Les Paul Classics (one from Guitar Center and one from Sweetwater ), which both had high frets. I sent them both back and I was going to take the chance of getting a 3rd one shipped, but figured I'd just wait until they hit the stores to find the right one. Its a bummer because the electronics on these are great and sound very good. They'd be a home run if the frets were done right.
I agree - most of these are pretty nice guitars when judged on their own merits. They're only a fret job away from being a great value!
Trogly, would you expect the retail stores to iron out the problems before they put them on display?
Gert Hirschfeld Gert Hirschfeld As someone who works at guitar center, no.
Usually stuff leaves the box and goes straight to the floor. Sometimes the tech will do a basic truss rod adjustment if someone complains, or if a customer is trying to buy a floor model and it has atrociously bad frets they might grind down the sprout.
I’ve personally encountered a dozen or so Fenders of various price ranges out of the box that had frets so bad they almost cut me, or an action so high the guitar was unplayable. Manufacturers nowadays expect you to front the cost of a setup at purchase instead of doing it in factory like they should.
When I ordered mine I bit the bullet and had Sweetwater do a setup before they shipped it. It plays really well the only complaint I have is the stain they used on the fretboard is all over the binding on the neck. Still cleaning it off.
@@jonathanluttrell1380 Does that include any fret leveling and crowning? I had one from Sweetwater and it had the 55 point inspection, but frets were still high and actually the intonation and neck relief wasn't all that great to be honest....I had to readjust myself. I could have done fret leveling and crowning, but didn't feel like spending hours doing it. Figured i'd just wait to find a good one in the store.
The more of your reviews I watch, the more I'm enjoying them, thank you!
Bummer that 1 out of 5 you received seemed to be worth keeping. If I ever get an itching to pick up one of these, i'll definitely have to play it in person first. Though tbh, I should probably be doing that with all the guitars I purchase to begin with 😂
Good idea! I played some authentic Gibsons in a guitar store with really rough frets and high action. Stay away from that stuff...
Or get the one u want and just drop it off to ur local luthier
@@geruto17760 Here we go. Another epiphone fanboy mentioning Gibson.
Literally every Epiphone has fret problems.
And then you have to realise the frets aren't glued in so eventually the frets will pop up. .05 worth of glue would fix the potential problem ...it shows you how gibson Eppy despise their customers.
@@marfg12345 I can understand lacking qc from china by a 15 year old kid on a $500.00 guitar, whats Gibsons excuse Mr Fanboy?
I recently bought an Epiphone LP and it is absolutely flawless. The action needed lowering a little but otherwise it's perfect. No imperfections anywhere.
Holy shit I'm early. Hi!
Love the epiphone coverage, keep it up Trogly!
Great honest review. Seems Epiphone missed the opportunity to capitalize on the new look by letting quality suffer. Hard to believe they still cant figure out how to compete with other Chinese manufacturers that are making better guitars for less money.
These seem okay, but the qc is a lil concerning. Hopefully just first run jitters. Id love to see the firebird too!
I just got an epiphone explorer that I’m loving.
"Uploaded 5 seconds ago". ....Ha ha. I must have ESP, or would that be "Lawsuit Gibson" Japanese ESP??!!?? Love this channel.
Right? Lol. He's good.
Best around!
I received my epiphone Les Paul 60’s Classic and it was perfect out of the box, no issues and no problems with finish, I think Gibson is not always so.
china made?
@@venomjoe I habe Epi lucille from China what you think about lucille BB king China
@@sasalekic3120 korean made maybe
I would love a review of the SG modern first and comparison to the Gibson version. That's the guitar I would most likely buy from the new Epiphone line.
I just unboxed my Epi SG Modern from Sweetwater and it's really nice for $550. I did have a setup done before they shipped it tho
I got one from Guitar Center online. It does have a couple of high frets but the guitar is a great value for the money. Definitely a guitar with its own sound. Very versatile.
These SG dogs cannot hold a candle to my Epi B400 Pro. Not...a.. f'n...possibility! Chiny or not!
Sometimes instead of a high fret it's a bent string. Usually when it is a high fret, it has popped up a little. If so you can usually tap it back down with a small nylon or soft faced hammer. Usually no need for filing. I'm assuming this happens due to temperature changes during shipment.
Those SG's looked pretty bangin'. I'm actually looking forward to the demos. A Pelham Blue SG with P90's.... if it was a vintage Gibson I'd be drooling lol
Hey sunshine, locking tuners do not in any way shape or form get you better tuning stability. A solid bridge and a properly cut good quality nut, a stable neck and a headstock that does not force the D and G strings to do an almost 90 degree angle that is what gives you great tuning.
Id love to see you do a Tokai Les Paul review, Im super impressed by the Japanese made LP copies.
Or, even better, a Japanese-made Epiphone.
The Tokai are way too expensive. You can get many other copies and fine tune them to save 500.00. The Jin-ho locking tuners are very good if they're not chinese knock off's. (guitar fetish has them and they are the korean types) Really I've had some chinese tuners off of 50.00 ebay specials that are better then some name brands. (usually tuning problems are the nut) It's hit or miss on them. The chinese are making decent 498/490 gibson copy pick ups these days.....nothing is exact copies but close. Especially the alnico 5 wax potted 14k. You won't even have to deal with Gibson's crappy proprietary wiring crap. All of them will need a bone nut. the chinese bone ones are not bad for 2.00 or so. I just redid a lp copy with everything for about 65.00 (except frets). The tuners and pickups where the bulk of it (35.00 for tuners, 22.00 for pickups). The Wilkinson type chinese knock off bridge is the only cheap one I'd use on a lp. (wilkinson gets them from the same place...china) At least from the chinese. 8.00.....roller bridges cut down on the harmonics but do help stay in tune. Nothing to rattle like the bridge spring and can be individually shimmed. The biggest thing on the cheap guitars will always be the frets. You will need to learn to level and crown (and glue them in without removing them). I would love to support Gibson but refuse to since they spit on their customers. There's no excuse for bad frets. They don't want to spend a couple hours getting the frets right. Nobody would complain about an extra 50.00 if the guitar was done right. There attitude is what will put them out of business. People have had it with them.
A friend has Japanese fender Tele.
It's 2x better than his American Tele. His words not mine.
He's talking about selling the American version.
@@cugir321 gibson is still in business for the same reason harley davidson is still in business : no competition.
I played a few of these at a guitar store yesterday. The SG Muse was the standout for me. Price, looks, sound, and feel where all there for me. I second buying from a brick and mortar store on these.
I really want to see a review on the T.V. Yellow LP special ! Also the Firebird looks interesting as well. I love S.G.'s & own 2 myself but 4 S.G. reviews & demos? Mix it up Trogly
Just bought an epi LP honey burst. No issues at all with quality control. It’s really a beautiful guitar
Jeeez that was rough. I'm super glad I didn't order the Vibrola SG. The finish looks like a toy. Fender and PRS don't have issues like this on their similarly priced instrument. Looks like same ol same ol from Epiphone/Gibson
I usually expect to do a setup and usually check with a fret rocker and do a little fill on most imports. How are the bridge posts? I’ve gotten so many crooked ones.
"Inspired by Chibson" lol hahaha
All the reviews I have seen on the new Epi's have noticed fret problems so maybe it's just the first run was rushed out the door. I'm hesitant to buy now. What do you do with all these guitars? I'm new to your channel.
I returned a LP Muse from Zzounds cause it had some fret board damage. My overall impression was that $500 seemed a bit high.
I am no expert on the subject but I think the reason why they may be having so many issues with the frets is because of the new neck profiles. More than likely the machine they use to insert the frets is set up for a specific style of neck and although it "should" work on other styles, it is hit and miss, as we see. Who told you they use veneer to "hide" how many pieces of wood they build the body with? Why do people automatically assume deception is being used? They use veneer because buying a whole piece of flamed or marbled wood is VERY expensive, especially when you think of how much they would have to buy. Out of one good quality piece of flamed wood they can get roughly 6-7 veneers, using a piece of wood the normal thickness of say the SG body. It's a cost saving measure, not a deception measure.
Wow, Austin man I am SO glad you are going to be doing these reviews! I have seriously been thinking about buying a new Epiphone but now I am getting a little leery about it. If I was to receive one with a couple of high frets I would probably just fix it myself, ONLY because of it being so common if I returned it the next one might be just as bad if not worse. I really hope you bought one of the new Epiphone Custom models, I have been looking at that white one pretty hot lately lol. The only issue I have is it is an all mahogany body, per the 50's specs I guess. I think I would really miss the maple cap and the snap it provides. I love that purple burst, but I don't love the finish or open wood grain feel. I actually refinished a couple of guitars and did not fill in the wood grain and I do NOT like how that feels. I have guitars with gloss neck and with satin neck and even with just Tru-Oil on the neck and let me tell ya, I don't really notice much of a difference. I think it's the way each person holds a neck, I have a space between my hand and the neck rather than gripping it so maybe that's why i don't notice it?
Suggestion for you Austin, when you do these reviews, space out the bad ones lol. I don't think my old heart could take seeing more than two bad guitars in a row lolol. Where's that Kat Review!!! I am thinking about buying one and I am waiting to hear how those Firebird pups sound!!
"You guys don't really wanna watch me unbox 20 guitars in one episode, do ya?"
Uh... yes we do!
I just bought one of the 2020 Epi LP Custom in black. I bought one of the display models at Guitar Center after playing it. I tested the black one I bought, a white one, a Standard 50s gold top and a Standard 60s Bourbon Burst. These are all 2020 with the new headstock style. My favorite was likely the Gold Top 50s with the black Custom I bought in VERY CLOSE second. I think the only difference was the factory setup on the Gold Top felt better.... but a tad bit of work on this black one will make it as a good. The action is a bit all over the place from guitar to guitar, but the fret work seemed level and pretty good. I'm sort of an average guitarist doing a bit of a comeback so this will be great for me. I was going to buy a Gibson LP Classic in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, but decided to spend half that buying the Epi and a really good case and still be under $1000 after tax. Maybe in the near future I'll get the Gibson LP Classic. I have had various Gibsons in the past, so I wasn't that anxious, like, " I HAVE TO HAVE A GIBSON!" Sort of thing. Maybe after a few months on the Epi, if I see some good progress in my playing, I'll consider the Gibson.
That purple one would look so much better with a glossy finish. The "worn" finish makes it look like it it got packed up and sent out before it was all done and ready.
Purchased a new Epi SG about 5 years ago and the fret ends were so sharp they caused bleeding. Had to send it back. Hopefully the new ones are better prepped.
Considering a 2020 ES339.
New headstock makes me appreciate the old style.
I'm glad I've seen this video. I was holding off on buying any new Epi's until I heard what the final word was on quality. I'll continue to hold off and move on to something else. I'm not tolerating these quality issues when there are other options that have the quality you should be getting. Sad, because some of these are otherwise nice.
I believe qt comes from the top down (yes you Gibson). That is upsetting about the qt. I thought the 2nd to last SG was almost gross. The last SG was Cool! I really like it and look forward to the demo.
I got a 2021 LP prophecy and my only complaint is that the string height at the nut was so high that it actually pulled it out of tune when I played on the first few frets. After buying a set of nut files and spending a couple of hours working on it I am very pleased with the guitar over all.
This is just about as good as Christmas.
It's a shame to see all these issues with the Epis. I recently bought the Epi Les Paul Custom Light; ebony fretboard, Grover tuners with a chambered body. Nice lightweight body, it's not like wearing an anvil... The setup out if the box was fine. I only had to lower the bridge a tiny bit. The pickups still suck; Alnico Classic & Classic Plus. I yanked 'em and installed a set of Dimarzio PAF Masters. It's definitely a keeper.
So for all the talk of them upping their game,,, the song remains the same. I tried like 10 - 335 types, dots, sheriton, etc. Decided a 339 type would be ok too so there's another 5 I tried. None were ever remotely good. It was mostly fret issues so,,, these seem to be like those. No real change. Very sad. Buy a low end Gretsch, used Fender, almost anything else.
I must be just lucky then because I have a 339 and a Casino Coupe and have no fret issues whatsoever. I did have a shitty machine head on the Casino and also replaced the pick ups with another brand. I expected similar problems on the 339, but no..... It's absolutely perfect in every way.
I guess it depends on which one you get as there are some dogs out of all of them. My wife bought me a Les Paul Plus Top Pro last year , she has no idea what to get when it comes to guitars and its great all around. I’ve had no issues with it. It is extremely resonant and plays like a champ.
always ready for my boy Trogly
You know, high frets are a common issue on most guitar brands under or around $600. It’s pretty much a 50/50 shot. At this point with not having a shop near me to buy in person, I’ve just learned how to actually fix the issue
I just bought a 2020 epi V... had it 10 days now, and i love it... zero quality issues... guess i got lucky
Wrench Head try to make a review about one of those! I’ve been searching a lot of time and I haven’t see any video about Flying V’s from 2020
From Sweetwater?
_kanky yea, id love to make a review, but i dont have the equipmet for that... i spend all my free money on guitars and amps...
MykB's got it from sweetwater! They do a basic check on all guitars they sell over 300$, so they would have caught any glaring issues... no sharp fret ends, no high frets.. i had to crank a little releif in the neck, but thats just basic setup stuff...
Lefty Westy yes sir, from sweetwater.... they said i was the first person to order one from them... maybe true, maybe not, but they had only gotten them in a day before i ordered one
How in the world do you buy so many guitars??? Pretty awesome to watch ... but what do you do with all these guitars? 🙋♂️
Review the purple one. Review the purple one. Review the purple one. Review the purple one ... I did not even use cut’n’paste ... took the time to type all of that in 🤓
I've had good luck with Epiphone. 2 Pelham blue SGs, and recently a 58 V that is VERY high quality and absolutely rips!
Before he unboxes any I'm hoping there's a goldtop LP in one of those boxes.
Edit: damn
Hi Ben.... I bought one a few days ago... left my comments on mylespaul com... under the epiphone thread.... I'm digging it so far... a few little things but not a deal breaker...
www.mylespaul.com/threads/ngd.436833/
Interesting, the 60s les paul I sent back also truss rod cover also had screws sunk at an angle. It also had nut finish crack, dirty fret wire, marks on binding, small cut out of pickup casing, nut offset not flush with neck. However it did play really nice.
@@catdaddy57 I'll be sure to check it out. Ive had a goldtop itch but don't wanna commit big bucks if the Epi is good enough
@@catdaddy57 just checked the link out and it's cool you took pics of the guts and all that. Oh n thanks for ur service bro.
Hey Ben, Check out the "Lucas Fowler" You tube channel, he just did a review of his brand new Gold top from Epiphone last week. LOL but I think his newest video he let's his young daughter put stickers all over it so you might want to avoid that video lol. Lucas does a good review of it, but he does not open it up like Austin does. Lucas's reviews are more about the different tones and overall appearance and if there are any issues, which sad to say, he has MANY high frets on his, but .... well, just watch the video and you will see lol.
I’m never really disappointed by a crap setup on import guitars unless I paid full sticker price at a store. When I haggle at GC, I always drop that I’ll pay sticker if they set it up with new strings. Works every time.
That purpleburst Les Paul and SG with the Maestro look absolutely gorgeous, man, those look incredible
Andrew, that's always the problem. Looks are deceptive.
I just bought a Classic Worn online. After a week or so I it to my local independently owned music store and the owner did a complete setup. After leveling a couple of frets and some adjustments to bridge saddles and filing a couple slots in the nut he informed me never to sell it as it now played better than any Gibson or Epi Les Paul he ever came across. So despite the fact these are supposed to be professionally set up and inspected prior to leaving the factory if you get one online be prepared to have to take it somewhere for a setup unless you order from some place like Sweetwater that inspects them at their own facility upon arrival and prior to shipping them to customers.
I'm an Epiphone guy and i usually expect to do some setup when I buy a new one. 1/2 the price of Gibson, i don't expect perfection out of the box. Just something playable.
I don't know, are defects like this acceptable these days even on budget instruments? Those scratches on that first LP were terrible! Epiphone needs to up their game if they want to compete in the modern budget market.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe I agree, but unfortunately, they have a huge name, the name sells, and this slows the process.
500 euros or dollars are money too. They should do a better quality control. No excuses
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe No, scratches and bad finish aren't acceptable on a $500 anything. Setting the intonation and string height maybe. Even having to adjust the truss rod since changes in temperature and humidity happen during shipping. Even a tall fret I personally can handle with a file and sand paper, but for $500 you shouldn't have to that makes it unplayable unless you really know what you are doing. One of the problems with buying online is that any issues you either have to ship it back or fix it yourself. Some good shops will do a free set up when you buy a guitar. The 3 Epiphones I have didn't need anything done to them when I got them, but I have bought guitars around $150 that were awful. I had to fix all the frets or get cut while playing on a couple, others were OK and only needed intonation and truss rod adjustment. Like somebody said (Trogly) sometimes it's just best to buy at a shop to see and touch before you buy.
Playable! Sic!
Love the blue sg and was so glad it didn't have high frets. Can't wait for the review and thanks again for all you work and posting.
I love the new headstock. I hated the old ones when the clipped ears.
Never had any luck with Epiphone, acoustic or electric. Had a Casino I bought new that sounded sickly at the second fret. The logo fell off the pickguard after two days. Changed tuners, went through setup, intonation, etc. I should have returned it when I first got it. What fixed it was me selling it back to the store taking a 60% loss. If I need a Les Paul or 335 style axe, there are plenty of alternatives, PRS, D'Angelico, etc.
Thank you for the honest reviews of Epiphone guitars. Everybody else on youtube is raving about these new Epiphone guitars, but you are telling the truth. I tried out several and found exactly the same low quality issues you report. In fact, I felt like I needed a tetanus shot from the sharp edges they left on the frets.
I only tried out the higher end Epiphone models, which were very disappointing. I can't imagine a starter guitar that retails for $249 is going to be of better quality. My advice would be go to the store and try it out, you may get lucky and find one that doesn't need repairs. To be fair, Epiphone guitars don't sound bad... but everyone I tested had at least one major issue that required a serious repair. I ended up buying a used Gibson Les Paul instead. If you can stretch your budget up to around $700 that might be the way to go.
These guitars just haven't been set up properly. The hardware and electronics are pretty high end for any guitar.
There's QC issues across all supply. My 2016 Gibson LP had numerous trapezoid inlays popping out. I had to do a full reinstall and refinish of them. Just bought the blue SG featured in this vid. Arrived today. Probably a high fret or two. When I raised the action it made up for it. Action is still low enough. I corrected intonation, pickup height after that. A slight mark on the binding at the thirteenth fret, but nothing to weep about. This should be a great guitar. Rest of the finish is stunning and sounds killer!
im impressed they even nailed the Gibson Quality Control XD
While unboxing: For those big staples, may I suggest a cheap large flat-head screwdriver? That’s what I use when unboxing light fixtures for work, (electrician). Might save you a trip to get stitches...
This is the reason why I only buy guitars in store Regardless of the brand.
Guitar shops set the guitars up if they don't play very well and if you notice any issues they will set the guitar up for you even if you are not sure that you will buy it.
There are no guitar stores close to my city, I have to drive two hours.
I bought a PRS SE from Sweetwater and the quality is top notch.
99% of guitars hanging on the wall at a store require a setup. You aren’t getting anything straight from the factory perfectly setup.
So as far as my own Epi QC adventure lately, for comparison -
Les Paul Muse in arctic white. (Overall, I think it's a gorgeous look.)
First one - broken neck pickup ring (obvious shipping damage.) Returned.
Second one - Neck pickup very low (as in under the ring - fixed,) multiple scratches on the back (not deep, but also not caused by the string that broke in shipping.) Paint runs on the treble side where the headstock meets the neck. And an inconsistent - "binding distance," I suppose, some where the finish meets the binding, other spots (and not just tight curves) where there's an obvious, about pencil-line-wide separation. And yeah, some high frets. Oh, and what looks like a bulge in the belly cut where the pickup selector "ring" for the cavity (if that makes sense) breaks into it... it's hard to explain, but looks weird.
Stuff I'd expect at Firefly prices, basically, not $500. (At least not all of it.) The LP Special-1 (at $130) wasn't like this. I did get a "blemish" discount when I reported it to the seller, though.
Fixing what I can, considering what to do with some of the finish issues. Sounds and feels pretty good, though.
Love this channel!
Tell it like it is. Love it man keep up the good work
Epiphone's QC seems to have gotten worse since they revamped their lineup for 2020
Lind in the past few years it’s been pretty bad. If you are in the states and want an Epiphone that isn’t busted, sweetwater does quality control on their guitars over $300. From my experience, I wouldn’t get an Epiphone any other way
Noah Lagerkvist I have a 2018 Standard Pro and it doesn't have any QC issues, but I'm not sure if the music store that I bought it from gave it a setup or not
It's still fairly solid in the UK, in my experience
But that could just be the first few models we've got, and the shop I tried them in
Time will tell, but I hope Epiphone take note of these issues
@@solkvist8668 Yeah I can vouch for Sweetwater, I bought my Casino from them and the setup was flawless out of the box.
I feel like everyone wants to see the firebird and flying V but especially firebird model aha!
I just bought a epiphone les paul 1960 tribute plus prizm. The quality was outstanding, best sounding guitar I have ever played.
I really didn't think their 2019 Quality Control was very good either. I received my Epiphone Les Paul with some minor fretboard damage last year. The damage wasn't enough to send it back but it was a little disappointing. Later last year I was watching a video of the Epiphone factory in China and I found out how the fretboard got the damage on it. When the girl was clamping the neck after it was glued she didn't put any type of caul between the clamp and the fretboard. It was pretty much metal clamping directly into the fretboard. My minor damage was in the same basic area where the clamp was placed so I am pretty sure this is how mine got damaged. In comparison I watched the Gibson factory 2019 tour and they protected the neck in a big way when they were clamping the necks on the Gibson's. So there you have it. They gave away their dirty little secret without even realizing it. All of that being said, I love how my Epi feels and at this point would never part with it. But it was just an interesting piece of information I stumbled across by accident.
If you are interested in seeing this happen just do a TH-cam search for "Epiphone Factory tour in China" and it will come up. The part with the neck is at 5:10 into the video. If you look close you can actually see some marks on the fretboard that were made by the clamp she was using. Then if you search TH-cam for "Gibson Factory Tour 2019 and go to 13:50 into the video you will see the difference as to how Gibson places a barrier (caul) between the clamp and the neck and fretboard. Be sure to add the 2019 in your search because there are a few Gibson tours on the web and this is the only one that has 2019 in the title. The sad part of this is that the cost to avoid this problem would be nothing. Just protect the neck when clamping. It's not even something that would add time to the process either. It would just take a few seconds to do.
I had returned 2 2019 sgs. One had a truss rod that wouldn't turn, on the other one they cut deep into the neck below the fretboard to make the nut fit rather than shaving the nut down so the headstock was like halfway sawed off. I'm still an epi fan tho, I've had some very good epi guitars.
@@racerx1918 I agree, if you get a good Epi they are really good. I have three other guitars and if I were blindfolded I could tell the feel of my Epi in a second. It just seems to fit like a glove.
I just got a Pelham blue Epiphone Les Paul...it’s a really beautiful guitar and feels great in my hands...the pick up selector switch was broken...it just flops around and doesn’t stay put...has that ever happened to you ? Pretty disappointed but I must admit I love how it looks and feels.
Wow not very impressed with the new epiphone’s but still thanks trogly i was gonna get one I’m not anymore keep it up 👍
I was impressed by the Namm models but after seeing a few more videos, particularly models with dodgy frets and lacklustre bursts I think I'll steer clear.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe The Namm guitars are always the best of the best for any company, if you can get on from the show room floor it would be the highest quality one they even produce.