SamytyKill so sad man they’re the definiton of shit. I own one because I can’t afford anymore in this economic crisis in my country. I wish I could get my hands on a real guitar
@@legaciestr That's unfortunate to hear. I can't afford expensive guitars either, but there are quite a lot affordable guitars in about the same price range. I played a Special 2 before I dcided to buy my Squier, and to this day have never been disappointed by it. After all, everything is better than nothing, if you love to play guitar. :)
Idea >> You each get one of those cheap DIY guitar kits and have a build off against eachother. Only thing you can change is the included pickups. Plus you can both get creative with the finish/paint etc. Then the public vote on who wins.
I bought one, the exact same as the one Rob is holding, from Andertons. it arrived with a cracked neck. I phoned them and the NEXT MORNING a replacement guitar arrived. Can’t fault the service from Andertons. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the building guitar idea is brilliant ! As other people are saying in the comments, trying diy guitar kits would be really fun to watch. Thanks again for the great videos, cheers!
I’ve been a session player for over 4 decades. I had two Gibson LPs, a custom and a studio. In ‘94 my kids bought me an Epi LP (Korean) for fathers day so I’d have something to have laying around I could play on. I put Duncan PAFs in it, changed to pots and stuff to switch craft, and a set of NOS ‘58 caps in it. I ended up selling the gibsons because I never used them and the epi plays SO much better! My epi has been in countless studios, a few countries and all over the US with me. I guard it with my life, not just because my kids gave it to me, but it’s an extension of me. It’s my go to…. Gibson should be ashamed. I wouldn’t mind paying a few grand for a guitar, but to me, they just aren’t worth it!
I just bought a 59 reissue Epi with all the electronics all upgraded. I paid $850 and it plays as good as any Gibson i have ever heard. Epi has gotten so much better over the last couple of years!! The inspired by Gibson Epi's are in my opinion the ones to be reckoned with. I would have liked to got my hands on the Alex Lifeson one. That guitar looks and plays incredible!!
Truth: Gibson and Epi only differ in where and how they're made. Sounds obvious. Follow me here. Gibson is made by hand in USA, which is great, but they're less reliable. A 60s Gibson had hand-wound pickups without even a machine counter to help the guy guess the number of windings. He did it by eye. The Epi is made overseas on a factory line, so it's the same every time. The Gibson has heart, it probably smells better, it feeds an American artisan... But the Epi is going to be a better guitar for most people. Don't believe me? Epi make a few guitars in the USA. They cost the same as the equivalent Gibson, every time. If you can afford a Gibson, please do. If you can't, don't worry. You are not missing anything.
My brain is on quality for price. Epiphone wins all day. You can upgrade it with DiMarzios or Seymour-Duncans, do a decent setup on it, change hardware if you so desire, and the guitar would smoke the Gibson for thousands less. It's been proven over and over.
Of course he prefers your guitar, he's trying to gain brownie points with you. Lol. You could have a first act , and he'd still tell you yours is better! Just kidding. But, you get what I'm saying
Unless you’re going to play guitar as a profession and get paid, the amount of time to get as good as these guys seems like an opportunity cost that should be carefully weighed.
21:55 Alright Lee you said it. I want to see a blindfold challenge where Rob plays a LesPaul and an Ibanez with the same pickups and have Lee guess which one is the LesPaul.
Back in the early 70's while our group was playing a club in Kalamazoo, we called up and got a tour of the Gibson factory. Our guitarist played a 1968 ES-335 and they were happy to accommodate us. They made both Epiphone and Gibson in the same factory at the time and the same people were making them. I was amazed at how much hand work went into them and then I understood why they were so expensive. But the same fellow who was setting frets into Gibson necks and dressing them was doing the exact same thing later on for the Epiphone guitars that were brought to his worktable. So back then, the workmanship was the same because they were done by the same people. They had more machine use on the woods done on the Epiphone guitars and less hand-work, but there was still a LOT of handwork done and it was all done by the same guys.
The point that Rob makes (at 30:50 onwards) about “the engine of the guitar” being the wood it’s made from and the techniques and workmanship of its construction is bang on. I’ve been playing over 40 years, and long since acquired the habit of trying out a potential new guitar without plugging it in to begin with, just to hear (and feel) what the actual guitar is like - THEN I plug it in and see how well the pickups translate that; if they suck then I can easily change them, but if the guitar itself (the wood!) sounds crap then there’s nothing I can do but give it back to the vendor and say “thanks but no thanks”. A big part of the economising (apart from labour rates) is the choice of timber out of the bulk consignments that any guitar factory will buy from a timber merchant (and that they in turn will buy from the forestry company). The likes of Gibson probably reject over 90% of the timber it buys either sell it on or use it for tooling. At the other end of the market, a Chinese factory will use almost all the timber they buy in a batch and only reject the really crappy stuff; but amongst all that stuff they DO use, a small proportion of it will be good enough that even Gibson would have used it. SO … my suggestion is to go to a big music store (like Andertons!) and try out a dozen or so “cheaper” guitars of the same brand and type (like Epi Les Pauls, as here), but just play them acoustically; you’ll probably find at least one that’s just been “lucky” with the timber and really sings - get it set up right, upgrade the pickups and maybe the hardware too if needs be, and you can end up with a really brilliant guitar for a lot less money!
Tone wood on an electric guitar is pretty much a myth. Different woods might affect sustain and that's about it. Take Brian Mays "red special" do you think he selected the best "tonewood" to make it sound right? No.... he used some wood that he had lying around and yet that thing sings like an angel.... You can make a fence panel sound good with a decent set of pickups/electronics and with some one competent to wield it.
@@jarrusjenkins - I beg to differ. I work in R&D in a rather different industry, but quite a bit of the work we do is all about noise and vibration (which can become a really big deal!). The FACT (not my opinion) is that the way anything vibrates when excited will be heavily influenced by whatever it is attached to. The strings of a guitar will vibrate very differently depending on what they are attached to, generating a different combination of harmonics/overtones which then gives them a different character - this much should be obvious from different designs of acoustic guitar with the same scale length and the same strings fitted. The pickups on an electric guitar detect the net vibration of the strings relative to the pickups (which also, BTW, includes any vibration of the pickups themselves relative to the body to which both they and the strings are attached). So construction of the guitar DOES have a significant influence, and that will include (albeit as a minor component) the internal structure of the wood itself as well as the shape of it, the way the parts are attached together, etc. etc. I think maybe what you mean is that the differences between the sound resulting from a newly built mahogany (just as an example) guitar will not be much different to that of an identically designed guitar with identical strings etc. built from 100-year-old mahogany. There WILL be a difference (in fact since wood is never homogeneous there would be differences even between two identical guitars both built from NEW mahogany or whatever) but it will be more subtle compared with a change in the type of pickups fitted. One might debate whether you can pick such differences up with a human ear (or for that matter with an oscilloscope!), but from my own experience I think you can with a good ear - I'd love to do some properly bounded experiments on this, but sadly I don't run the company, LOL. One final note - old wood may not necessarily be "better" for tone, it really depends on what the player actually wants to hear, but wood does continue to dry out and change in its fibrous structure, and get stiffer, for many years after is has been cut, dried, and manufactured into a product. Ergo, the way it influences the vibration of the strings attached to it WILL change over time, although whether you actually like the changes or not is personal preference. p.s. I believe Brian May's "Red Special" was made from a 200-year-old oak fire surround. If he'd built it from fresh-cut pine then it WOULD have sounded different.
@@monty5692 by the time youve thrown an amp at it and some distortion etc... I highly doubt youd tell the difference. and acoustic on the other hand... ID agree with you... but an electric guitar? sorry once you have all it plugged in and what have you... you'll never tell the difference...
You know, you two are such a treat to watch. I have had many hard times in my life and watching you two and the other guys on the team like Rabea danish pete and company have seriously pulled me through.
No offense but to always demo these guitars with distortion only hides the comparison. You should always demo the guitar with no effects first so we consumers can hear the quality and options the pickups can produce. The feel of the neck, radius and entire weight matters also. Let's not forget that Gibson also "owns" Epiphone. And Epiphone is the reason that Gibson is still in business to this day. It Doesn't take a rocket scientist to follow the money..
@@legaciestr That's not how that works. There can be better tones coming from different qualities of work. Doesn't matter if "metal" uses compression and distortion it hides the natural sound.
After over 6 years I still love my Epiphone LP standard. I’ve played on Gibsons, and yes they do feel and sound a bit better, but I still feel that the sound is mostly dominated by the hands of the guitar player and the quality of the amp.
Richard Harrold yes they do. For a Frankenstein experiment, I built a Warmoth Les Paul using a compound radius neck and a Fender scale length just for giggles and an experiment in string tension / tone.. Granted, it's a bolt on; but it plays like butter. Really interesting sound. It's certainly a 1- off. Custom hand wound alnico pickups, TonePros Bridge, and I left the rosewood neck unfinished, which I love. The thing I like most about it is the angle of pull of the strings through the bone nut to the Schaler lockers. No binding in the nut. It's similar to a PRS headstock design. The G and B strings were always a nuisance to me on Gibsons. I had a 71 Gibson SG Custom that I sold. Cool looking guitar but an unstable and finicky bitch.
I think cheap guitar/expensive amp would win. I used to think amps didn't matter. Then one day I played a $300 Ibanez through a Fender Twin Reverb and it sounded like pure heaven.
Shittier pickups show their weaknesses in high gain situations where they lack sustain, low end, and tightness, shitty pickups can sound just fine as long as the amp does good cleans which becomes a showcase of amp quality
Bryan D. - Not really. It's actually the opposite - cleans will have a more dramatic difference in sound quality: the amp's EQ itself is relatively flat, respective to the amp's design, and limited saturation means fewer harmonics coloring the guitar/pick-up signal, thus giving a more "true" comparison between guitars/pick-ups. Whereas with high gain, it's mostly showcasing the amp's saturation characteristics. The harder you're pushing an amp, the more saturated it becomes (the more upper harmonics are produced, the more the characteristics of tubes and transformers start to become apparent, etc...), the more the amp is showcased rather than the pick-ups. The way tube amps in particular work is that the more gain being produced (the louder the volume of the preamp and power amp sections, independently, and the louder the input signal), the more the amp actually *does*, effectively (or at the least the more its components impart their own tonal characteristics, which is the very idea behind tube amps and why people like them). Pick-ups still matter, of course, but the differences (generally - passive vs. active may be a notable exception here) into a heavily saturated amp will be less than the differences when played clean (and when it's high gain, you're largely comparing the output of the pickups - which is a big part of "sustain", for example - rather than their "sound", and output itself can be compensated for in a number of ways, with various boost effects, adjusting pickup height, etc... anyway).
According to Epiphone website specifications for the Les Paul Tribute Plus, the Fingerboard material is "Rosewood w/Mother-Of-Pearl Trapezoid Inlays." So, they aren't plastic inlays. Also, the Epiphone contains all American Gibson hardware, from the pickups to the capacitors to the knobs.
Cullen James I own both. The prophesy is probably the closest of any epiphone to a high end Gibson. I let a friend who was interested in the ec1000 try it out then gave him the prophesy. Then neck on the prophesy sold him like it did me. It's a dream to play.
VisceraAvalanche that wouldn't work. all LTD's are cheaper than any ESP. the only comparable area is the high end LTD's vs ESP's and the difference would be marginal at that price range.
I liked the epiphone better. It had more range of sounds, from clean bell like tones to an overdriven classic rock one, and in fact made the guy on the right sound like a better guitarist than he sounds on the Gibson. What makes these types of comparisons useless is that the two guitars weren't setup the same pre recording, they're using two different amps, different electronics, and one guitarist is more "athletic" than the other, and has a bias, judging from previous videos. These obstacles need to be addressed, if these tests are to be meaningful.
Epiphone QC is on point these days. Although when they screw up, they really screw up. Some of the preferences for Gibson that I’ve seen boils down to pure jingoism (if you want to pay more to back it up) and has nothing to do with product quality.
How come you guys never demo the cleans when comparing guitars? The only cleans we get is from Lee for about 20 seconds, then the rest is just loading the guitar with gain. It's hard to get an accurate comparison between the two without hearing anything clean
JasonL1214 I would assume it's because no one uses a plain, sterile clean tone as people typically use delays, chorus, reverbs e.t.c on their cleans and it would basically turn into a pedal review then
Epiphone used to be an independent instrument company that made their own instruments int he USA. They are now owned by Gibson and their instruments are made overseas by contractors that make instruments for several different companies. Epiphone now is a completely different entity than the Epiphone of the early 50s, so its not really appropriate to compare a modern Epiphone to a vintage one. The Asian made Gibson copies are not really comparable to the USA made Epiphones of the 50s.
I've had loads of real Gibsons! I just bought a 2014 Ephipohone Les Paul Trad off my brother. The Ephiphone is beautifully made, all top guality components and has a very lightly sprayed finnish rather than a 'Poly finish'. Action is on the frets and the guitar sounds and plays brill. Feels like a hand made guitar! A great guitar in its own right? A shining example of the quality and craftsman/ woman ship from the Chinese factory!
anže Kos they take a shot of the video where the cup isn't on the table, and then merge that over the video after he sets the cup down, making it look like it disappeared.
ok since the point of this, is after all , helping people decide . Im going to give my personal experience in case i might help someone. (this is quite long but i really hope it helps someone) 6 months ago , after watching tons of reviews and trying tons of les pauls at different local guitar stores , i decided to buy the epiphone tribute plus vintage sunburst , and it was a hard decision for me back then , because i am a die hard gibson fan , and i have a pretty solid idea of wich gibson i would absolutelly love to have over 4000$ , but at that moment and time my top budget was 1300$ i saw the gibsons on that price and read their specs , and wood wise ,pick up wise , gear wise etc in general the tribute plus had top notch hardware , hten i heard them all my options for les than 1300$ on youtube , and i just kept loving the epi tribute plus sound , so i said fuck it and bought it online. so the guitar came , visually astonishing TRIPLE A top (nicee) took it to a band rehearsal as soon as i had it , pluged it in ,and tryied out different sounds and channels , the sound was ridiculously good , after 4 months i was loving the guitar A LOT , BUT as the audiophile i also happen to be , i had the little itch on my head of: it sounds great but would a 1000$ gibson wich were on my budget too be better? would i get a better sound? i hate that about me , because if you are loving how a guitar sounds , why would yo be concerned about if there was a guitar on your budget that would have sounded slightly better , welli am, so many many fellow musicians have told me that the main employee in one of my local guitar stores is true expert in guitars his personal guitar collection is currently over 30 guitars he has been in important local bands , he is 60 years old now and has been playing for over 40 years , so i came to his store woth my epi (store where i had been asking for guitars 4 months before) and as soon as he saw me he said , sup dude what happened you went for an epi , there where somo nice gibsons for 1300$ specially on the used market , and i told him nah im sorry , call me stupid or noob , but i just like to buy guitars new , i want to e the first to have them on my hands , he answered nah i understand , i was just like you when i was younger , (im 27 but guess im a kid for him) and he said , well its a pitty you didnt took longer to decide because i happen to have this 2000$ gibson standard T that i bought for my kid , but he happens to be more into telecasters than les pauls so i had it for me , it sounds amazing but , i have 6 lespauls already and they are of a bit higher quallity (over 4500 $ gibson les pauls) so i was going to offer you buying it from me for 1400$ i know it is slightly over the 1300$ budget you had but its quite a bargain for such a good gibson guitar wich i only used once so it is new. And i answered tell you what , try my epi tribute plus , if you tell me this gibson is sincerelly better , you have my word im selling the epi to your shop for 500$ and paying the difference , he agreed , he took my guitar, pluged it to this epic sounding mesa boogie mark V amplifier and started trying it, after just a couple chords i saw him stop and put a weird facial expression , he looked surprised , he then started to try diferent sounds and channels, started to play with the tones a lot , all of the sudden he stands up and rushes to grab the gibson , unplugs my epi, plugs the gibson , tryes it for a couple minutes , unplugs it , plugs the epi tryies it again , stops playing and tells me: dude , i am speachless with this freaking epiphone , dont you think changing it for any gibson under 3000$ dollars because it is giving me better sound than my gibson standard t gt , and i like how that guitar sounds , i tell you man , i would confidently go to a studio and record an ep with this epi , amazing bang for the buck you got here man, you can be happy. so thats it opinion from a player who has been playing for 15 years (me) the best les paul guitar i have ever owned BY FREAKING MILES ( and is my 3rd les paul , 1 prs and another epi(epiphone les paul custom) before) and the sound is amazing opinion from the most respected guitar player in my city , a known guitar collector , a guy with over 40 years of music and guitar playing on his back: as good or even better than any gibson (new) under 3000$ so there you have it if your budget is not high this epiphone is a no brainer! hope i helped someone and sorry for the huge text
I have the same one. Grover locking tuners, genuine Gibson USA ‘57 pickups. For all intents and purposes this plays and sounds just like a USA Gibson. PS - I also own a USA Gibson and the Epi is 100% on par.
as I already said it's not even worth spending time on that one, it's winner is obvious. You can see lots of musicians playing epi, but any star playing squire? barely
See the main difference is a Squier Classic Vibe is $550CAD whereas a Standard American is $1450CAD. Epiphone Tribute Plus are $800CAD whereas a Gibson LP Standard is $4000CAD. The price jump from squier to Fender makes it easy for artists to use Fenders while not everyone has a LOT of money to upgrade to a Gibson.
It isn't quite as worthwhile because with Gibson and Epi its straightforward- Gibson are American and Epi not. Fender has the Mexican (and some chinese) made fenders in between the squiers and the American Fenders. Between a MIM standard and a squier classic vibe I think the consensus is that its a matter of personal taste and if you find a cv you like and don't care what the headstock says, go for it. Whereas I think its pretty well accepted that an American Standard or the New American Pro is better than a classic vibe (not to say that someone might like their cv better or that there aren't some gems in the bunch), but it better be because it costs about 1000 bucks more, whereas the gap from cheapest Gibson to most expensive Epi is quite close.
They already did. If you watch the video you'll see neither of them can really tell the Fenders vs Squire vs Mexican Fender, etc... apart on tone alone. They could hear a difference, but not identify quality/value by tone quality. They had to fiddle with the switches and take in other tactile cues such as fret dressings, etc... to form conclusions on model and price point. None of this was stated in their video of course, it was still quite amusing to watch.
That would be incorrect sir. Axe FX is a modelling amp that uses SOLID STATE circuitry for its modelling. The two terms in the context of an Axe FX are not mutually exclusive.
Mostly I got from this that the Hughes and Kettner sounds pretty crap at full volume but the rolled off volume semi-clean/crunch stuff sounds really really nice.
I think your right. You can clearly hear the difference. Its like when comparing an new acoustic guitar to one thats 40 years old. The tones are just different. All across the board. So the Nitro cellulose finish allows more sonic resonance throughout the tone woods. Kind of crazy really.
Oh, and another thing. I'd like to see this revisited as a blindfold challenge, wherein Our Intrepid Heroes have to sit and listen to their Fro Bro play each one and see if they can discern a difference in actual tone and sound quality between the two. Identical tunings, played through the same amp on the same settings. See if the differences in wood quality and lacquer really make *that* much of a difference. Because as it stands right now, the only real reason they've declared Gibson the winner is because of the name on the headstock.
+Robert Orr Agreed - Feel is probably more important than tone, for a player, because as a player, you are the one who has that instrument in your hands the whole time, and you are the one who is making the sound that's coming from it by plucking those strings - and that is a totally different experience compared to just listening to someone else play, because you kind of perceive the sound from a totally different perspective. So the data we can collect from blindfold tests where people have just listened to the sound of the guitars and tried to guess which one it is has no practical use to guitar players.
Thank you for this video guys, a couple of years ago I bought a Gipson LP studio after doing some research and this video was the final thing that convinced me to get one...love it
My personal opinion is that the Epiphone sounds better. The Gibson was good, but there was just something about the Epiphone that made me want to hear more from it.
Matt Jones It sounded good because it has Gibson pick ups in it ,apart from that its still just a chinese epiphone . People like the underdog to win thats all . Some epiphones are good guitars for the money ,but i definately think the Korean ones were better .
I'm well aware that the saving grace on that Epiphone happens to be the '57 classics in it. I will say, China has made some major strides in build quality over the past decade. I have an Epiphone Masterbilt that I absolutely love and have had since '06.
I bought the exact same Gibson LP Faded 2017 (it is basically a Les Paul Studio) for 400€ second hand in perfect condition and it is one of the greatest guitars I have ever played. Clearly that one is better than any Epiphone on this planet, you can clearly hear it in the video. The 490R & 490T humbuckers are lovely.
I honestly never see the real point of these comparisons, because I believe that you will have drawn your conclusions before you even play them. The other thing is that you get what you pay for, but I will say in Epiphone's case, when you get a guitar like the Les Paul Pro, it's better than its cost. I was always a Gibson fanatic when I was young, and I had a 68 SG Standard. I sold it, and with the money I got for it, bought an Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop, an Epiphone SG pro, and an Epiphone Sheraton II. I love these guitars and do not miss my SG at all. They look great, play great, sound great, all through my Fender 65 Twin Reverb or Roland Jazz Chorus 120 amps. I plan on buying more Epiphones in the future for my cheap guitar collection, because they have the biggest bang for the buck. I also have a Fender Mexican Strat and Tele, also great values. Unless you can really afford it, most of us working players who just get the weekend bar gigs find guitars like Epiphone a Godsend.
Entertainment value and education? Even if you don't care about the comparison there are interesting tidbits of knowledge in these videos. e.g the sanded logo bit in this video.
MIM Fender $700 vs Squier $300- do the math is the MIM Strat 2x better than the Squier Fender? Is a USA made Fender 5x better than a MIM? I think gear snobs with money to blow are the cause of high prices!
Actually the cheapest fender is the modern player's series made in china 450-500$ Fender tele and strats and they are much crappier than the Classic Vibe series
Ay Jam, what if every guitarist started to only buy the MIM MIK MII MIC etc. guitars for a year? Would we get much cheaper USA models of better quality? Be worth a try. Might even get Gibson to finally learn how to fucking bookmatch a flame top. :D
I have a REALLY heavy, REALLY dark Midnight Sapphire Epi 1960 Tribute Plus I got last year, swapped the nut for a Tusq XL, and everyone that hears plays it can't believe the tone lol, it's funny how this guitar just drops jaws. I love it, and I don't give a fork if it says Gibson on it. Have also tried to hold/play every '60 Trib I see in order to gauge weight....... and I have a hard time finding one as heavy. Guess it was luck getting a fine slab! 🙏🙏🙏
God, this video makes me feel wierd about my Epiphone, it's kinda like i have bought the wrong guitar, BUT as soon as I go back home and pick it up i'm sure as hell that my lovely Epiphone will remember me that she's the one and that if i choose her it's because she's amazing. Still going to upgrade pickups and in the future i will for sure buy a Gibson Les Paul P.s. Rob, can you give me some advice about which amp (need a little one, for home practice) i should go for?
Maybe a H&K tubemeister 5 head with a 112 cab or the combo version. it's great because you can turn it up at home, unlike 100w marshall. and it's all-tube.
Not just about the headstock angle - also Epiphone (and really about everyone else as well) uses a scarf joint which makes the headstock less prone to breaks. Gibson doesn't use scarf joints in their necks. Gibson's ARE prone to headstock breaks - that isn't even debatable.
Your camera man, producers are pretty creative with all the editing they do, adding the crazy funny stuff....very entertaining in all your videos, hahaha!
This is literally the first video from these two that I have seen that I did not want to punch at least one of them in the face. Great comparison!! Very well done.
Can confirm the angle being more prone to breaking. I had les pauls break. One IN the case, that fell over on the front side. One that fell off the stand on the back. I beat the hell out of my Epiphone LP standard and it's almost unbreakable lol
Epiphone has a better headstock joint. Gibson should make their headstocks with the same joint and angle. Epiphone has 14° vs Gibson 17°. No more foldable headstocks. I'm sure gibbo purists would moan incessantly though.
Well this video settles the eternal question, once and for all!!! Huh? I've always loved Gibson, but in this comparison I'd give the edge to to Epiphoney. Both, fine guitars, for what they are.
I wish we could get back to these days with Chappers and the Captain & Co! Always so much fun! But even when Chappers paid a visit recently it just wasn't the same feeling. There seemed to be a lot of tension in the air on the Anderton's side. Very sad.
@@dustinirwin1 I don't really remember. I didn't know anything until I read some comments on Anderson's TH-cam channel. Apparently Rob had made a comment about something or someone (not Anderson's) that created a firestorm, and it was really bad! People we're unsubscribing from Rob's channel left and right and really putting the bash on him. He made an apology video but everybody bashed that! He ended up fleeing England to Malta (where his wife is from) to live. Very weird!
" 95% is the player, 5% is the guitar! If the player is good, then it does not matter what guitar he plays!" There's some truth in that, But how many of the worlds great players don't play expensive guitars?
Your name fits you, hughjarrse. Here's some research for you: - Jack Pearson (Allman Brothers): Plays Squier Stratocasters - Jimmy Page: Used a cheap Danelectro guitar on Kashmir, and many other songs. Played cheap Fender Telecasters back in the day to make the first 2 Led Zeppelin albums. - The Edge (U2): Used many inexpensive guitars recording U2 albums - including Epiphones. - The late Jeff Healey: Played Squier strats (was HIGHLY respected by Stevie Ray Vaughan - and others) - Eddie Van Halen - Made his guitar from cheap parts for less than $250 (can still be done today for even less - and I've PROVED IT.) - Jack White - goes without saying - Slash - Used BC Rich guitars, cheaper Jacksons, and only rented a Gibson SG (for one song), to record Appetite For Destruction. Had a Gibson Les Paul copy that someone made for him (a, gasp, Counterfeit!!). Didn't own an ACTUAL Gibson until after the album came out and he got famous. Still plays the 'counterfeit' a LOT. - Brian May (Queen) - Built his own guitar out of parts. Still uses it to this day. The list could go on and on and on. But, I'm sure, in your ignorance, you'll piss on it all day to protect your fragile ego.
@@Axess-sv8nq Christ on a bike, for every player you list as a squire player I could list a thousand strat players, For every Eddie and Brian home made guitar there are ten thousand Les Paul players. The fact is the vast majority of professional players use expensive guitars, I don't see why you're taking a counter argument
Me Too. They totally down graded it this year. No Poker-chip, cheap truss-rod cover, dot inlay, top hat knobs & according to their site the pick-ups aren't Burstbuck Pros. Oh & they have less color options
I own the Epiphone 1960 Les Paul Tribute Plus - Cherry (I had the entire wiring harness upgraded with Gibson parts before I even played it)... it's fantastic!!! I believe the Gibson Classic 57 and 57+ pups are only available as an upgrade... for any Gibson Les Paul... that could have changed. If you do some searching you will find out they are the most loved/favorite humbucker ever, from polls I've seen. The first time I plugged mine in it sounded like Joe freakin' Walsh, great tone! Mine also had included strap locks. No regrets, lots of compliments.
Hey, that is a realy nice comparing. mmh i'd like to see gibson vs hakstrom. that will be interesting btw in quite the same price range and an higher price gibson vs. a hakstrom ultra swede. sorry for my bad english i am german. the hughes & kettner sounds realy nice, that is german crafting work ;-). greets.
I laughed so hard when Robs volume knob fell off because the second I got home with my epiphone custom pro blackback the same exact thing happened to me lol
I have an Epiphone Iommi SG and it's as good as any Gibson SG I've played, plus it has features that aren't available from Gibson at any price. Totally sold on the high-end Epis. The biggest difference is that the Epis usually don't hold their value the way the Gibsons do.
Thomas Kirby I think you nailed it on the head. Gibson on the headstock, all things being equal should get you a bit more back on your investment should you wish to sell.
I've got a few Epi's and my favorite so far is my Sheraton 2 pro, it's an upper medium priced guitar ( 700.00 American) but plays just as good if not better than my Gibson 335 and I paid three times as much for the Gibson than the Sheraton 2.
Randy Tyson those epi Sheraton guitars play easy better than any of the Gibson 335s I've played until about the $3000 range and even then is hard to tell the difference.
i have a 1961 les paul with paf pickups, a guitar ive had since 1965 when i was 18, i semi retired my gibson and bought a epiphone les paul plustop pro and i am absolutely delighted with it, believe me, there isnt a great deal of difference in sound between the two, but there is in the price, i rest my case.
I have many top of the range guitars but I love my Epiphone Dot Studio. Cost me less than 200 euros new. Crazy. This is a steal. And welcome to the world Imran.
@@redduketeleman that's so cool that you said that! I have an epiphone les paul special with dot inlays. Couldn't have cost more than $250 new (i recieved it as a gift and since then ive put at least $300 in upgrade parts into it like pups, electronics, tuners) but I've always loved that guitar. I own 2 Gibson Les Paul's, a standard and standard HP. I love both as well but I still find myself reaching for that epiphone. It sounds great and plays fantastic! For some reason I could never find a higher end epiphone I liked, like the epiphone les paul standards and customs/signature models.
Honest shout out and hats off to whomever edited these videos. The random revisits to earlier hilarious moments in the video are spot on. Also, thanks to the Cap and Rob for showing me a bunch of licks to learn XD
There should be a law against dot-inlays on a Les Paul...
SamytyKill except for shit like special 2’s
@@legaciestr I played one, and am not sure if I would even call this a guitar, so I guess they're okay on these, yes.
SamytyKill so sad man they’re the definiton of shit. I own one because I can’t afford anymore in this economic crisis in my country. I wish I could get my hands on a real guitar
@@legaciestr That's unfortunate to hear. I can't afford expensive guitars either, but there are quite a lot affordable guitars in about the same price range. I played a Special 2 before I dcided to buy my Squier, and to this day have never been disappointed by it. After all, everything is better than nothing, if you love to play guitar. :)
Dot inlays on a Junior or a bound-neck Special are awesome. Carved tops without binding look stupid with dots.
I can make the most expensive Gibson sound like the cheapest Epiphone
I have the same super power
Same joke..... 😮😤
sub ohm you wouldn’t dare
I can make any guitar sound great so I have the reverse power ! Ha
I can make a Gibson sound like an Epiphone
Idea >> You each get one of those cheap DIY guitar kits and have a build off against eachother. Only thing you can change is the included pickups. Plus you can both get creative with the finish/paint etc. Then the public vote on who wins.
truetierra this is a great idea!
YEAH, that would be dope!
Good idea! I want to see it!
That is actually a really great idea man
Great idea !
I bought one, the exact same as the one Rob is holding, from Andertons. it arrived with a cracked neck. I phoned them and the NEXT MORNING a replacement guitar arrived. Can’t fault the service from Andertons. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rob holds 2 guitars in this video
@@davecarsley8773 right I was gonna say the same thing, which one??? Ah brain fart!?
what caused the neck crack???
@@grantkoeller8911 shipping probably
what model was it? (since epi changes model)
the building guitar idea is brilliant ! As other people are saying in the comments, trying diy guitar kits would be really fun to watch.
Thanks again for the great videos, cheers!
I've been doing it the hard way, i.e. from a mahogany table and some ebony blanks. Tricky but satisfying, if you've got some woodworking experience.
I’ve been a session player for over 4 decades. I had two Gibson LPs, a custom and a studio. In ‘94 my kids bought me an Epi LP (Korean) for fathers day so I’d have something to have laying around I could play on. I put Duncan PAFs in it, changed to pots and stuff to switch craft, and a set of NOS ‘58 caps in it. I ended up selling the gibsons because I never used them and the epi plays SO much better!
My epi has been in countless studios, a few countries and all over the US with me. I guard it with my life, not just because my kids gave it to me, but it’s an extension of me. It’s my go to….
Gibson should be ashamed. I wouldn’t mind paying a few grand for a guitar, but to me, they just aren’t worth it!
Awesome !
I just bought a 59 reissue Epi with all the electronics all upgraded. I paid $850 and it plays as good as any Gibson i have ever heard. Epi has gotten so much better over the last couple of years!! The inspired by Gibson Epi's are in my opinion the ones to be reckoned with. I would have liked to got my hands on the Alex Lifeson one. That guitar looks and plays incredible!!
@@RFXCasey yeah right! next youll be telling us that Santa Claus doesnt exist!
your music is amazing btw, if days of daniel is your band
God bless you!
Truth: Gibson and Epi only differ in where and how they're made. Sounds obvious. Follow me here. Gibson is made by hand in USA, which is great, but they're less reliable. A 60s Gibson had hand-wound pickups without even a machine counter to help the guy guess the number of windings. He did it by eye. The Epi is made overseas on a factory line, so it's the same every time. The Gibson has heart, it probably smells better, it feeds an American artisan... But the Epi is going to be a better guitar for most people. Don't believe me? Epi make a few guitars in the USA. They cost the same as the equivalent Gibson, every time. If you can afford a Gibson, please do. If you can't, don't worry. You are not missing anything.
Cheapest Chinese-made chainsaw vs your neighbour's really expensive fence panels.
Who won?
Thats funny
Jhonny Gil YOU DECIDE!!
I‘m placing my money on the fence.
Fence panels won because they were reinforced with electrified bass strings.
My brain says Gibson
My wallet says epiphone
This is my life!
My brain is on quality for price. Epiphone wins all day. You can upgrade it with DiMarzios or Seymour-Duncans, do a decent setup on it, change hardware if you so desire, and the guitar would smoke the Gibson for thousands less. It's been proven over and over.
@@jamesdavies1179 more like your heart says gibson and your brain says epiphone
But bro they have similar prices
I K R
At 14:00, be extremely careful widening the split pot for the guitar knob with a screwdriver or some other tool.
You can EASILY break half of it off.
You can easily scratch the guitar too.
Learnt it the HARD way. Now my bass lacks the tone knob.
I too have learned that the hard way. Luckily my knobs are the knurled metal kind with a set-screw, so not the end of the world.
If that happens you can just put a new pot in, only takes a few minutes and pots are really cheap
I miss when andertons used to do fun stuff like this, it's been a little heavy on the commercial side of things recently.
Yep. They are way too serious now and no fun anymore.
Cheapest FENDER vs Most expensive SQUIER
Insomniac!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Classic vibes aren't the most expensive squiers. The most expensive are the vintage Modified
Aye nice profile pic
Whippybox_grHD! Love your pfp. Amazing album.
The Knife & The Spoon I did just that and opted for the classic vibe. Sound and feel was much better in my opinion
I have the very same Epiphone while my daughter's fiance has the same Gibson.
We both prefer the Epiphone.
Welcome to the family boy!
Of course he prefers your guitar, he's trying to gain brownie points with you. Lol. You could have a first act , and he'd still tell you yours is better! Just kidding. But, you get what I'm saying
Mike Flanders smart man!
Fiance you said?......
You could show him your Walmart ukulele vs his les Paul custom and he’s going to agree your Uke is the winner lol
@@mikeflanders1292 That's exactly what I was thinking. 😂😂
@@mikeflanders1292 Thought the exact same thing.
Epiphone or Gibson...doesnt matter to me...i still play shit on both...sadly 😭
keep playing its the practice time.
Practice. You will get there.
Dude
Practice more
Unless you’re going to play guitar as a profession and get paid, the amount of time to get as good as these guys seems like an opportunity cost that should be carefully weighed.
21:55
Alright Lee you said it. I want to see a blindfold challenge where Rob plays a LesPaul and an Ibanez with the same pickups and have Lee guess which one is the LesPaul.
So, I can finally afford a real Gibson. Here, lemme play Smoke on the Water for ya...
😂
Brilliant haha!
but can you play "smells like teens spirits"?
Anyway, here's Wonderwall.
Back in the early 70's while our group was playing a club in Kalamazoo, we called up and got a tour of the Gibson factory. Our guitarist played a 1968 ES-335 and they were happy to accommodate us. They made both Epiphone and Gibson in the same factory at the time and the same people were making them. I was amazed at how much hand work went into them and then I understood why they were so expensive. But the same fellow who was setting frets into Gibson necks and dressing them was doing the exact same thing later on for the Epiphone guitars that were brought to his worktable. So back then, the workmanship was the same because they were done by the same people. They had more machine use on the woods done on the Epiphone guitars and less hand-work, but there was still a LOT of handwork done and it was all done by the same guys.
Awesome, now need Squier vs Fender comparison
Martin Dodd high end squier vs Low end fender ?
yes cheapest Fender Strat vs most expensive Squier Strat.
sounds lit
debatable what exactly squier should they get, classic vibe? vintage modified? standard? deluxe?
Most expensive. CV at moment, I think.
The point that Rob makes (at 30:50 onwards) about “the engine of the guitar” being the wood it’s made from and the techniques and workmanship of its construction is bang on.
I’ve been playing over 40 years, and long since acquired the habit of trying out a potential new guitar without plugging it in to begin with, just to hear (and feel) what the actual guitar is like - THEN I plug it in and see how well the pickups translate that; if they suck then I can easily change them, but if the guitar itself (the wood!) sounds crap then there’s nothing I can do but give it back to the vendor and say “thanks but no thanks”.
A big part of the economising (apart from labour rates) is the choice of timber out of the bulk consignments that any guitar factory will buy from a timber merchant (and that they in turn will buy from the forestry company). The likes of Gibson probably reject over 90% of the timber it buys either sell it on or use it for tooling. At the other end of the market, a Chinese factory will use almost all the timber they buy in a batch and only reject the really crappy stuff; but amongst all that stuff they DO use, a small proportion of it will be good enough that even Gibson would have used it.
SO … my suggestion is to go to a big music store (like Andertons!) and try out a dozen or so “cheaper” guitars of the same brand and type (like Epi Les Pauls, as here), but just play them acoustically; you’ll probably find at least one that’s just been “lucky” with the timber and really sings - get it set up right, upgrade the pickups and maybe the hardware too if needs be, and you can end up with a really brilliant guitar for a lot less money!
Best comment on this section you're really listening more to the electronic components through the amplifier.
You sure about 90%? That's an awfully big overhead.
Tone wood on an electric guitar is pretty much a myth.
Different woods might affect sustain and that's about it.
Take Brian Mays "red special" do you think he selected the best "tonewood" to make it sound right?
No.... he used some wood that he had lying around and yet that thing sings like an angel....
You can make a fence panel sound good with a decent set of pickups/electronics and with some one competent to wield it.
@@jarrusjenkins - I beg to differ. I work in R&D in a rather different industry, but quite a bit of the work we do is all about noise and vibration (which can become a really big deal!).
The FACT (not my opinion) is that the way anything vibrates when excited will be heavily influenced by whatever it is attached to. The strings of a guitar will vibrate very differently depending on what they are attached to, generating a different combination of harmonics/overtones which then gives them a different character - this much should be obvious from different designs of acoustic guitar with the same scale length and the same strings fitted.
The pickups on an electric guitar detect the net vibration of the strings relative to the pickups (which also, BTW, includes any vibration of the pickups themselves relative to the body to which both they and the strings are attached). So construction of the guitar DOES have a significant influence, and that will include (albeit as a minor component) the internal structure of the wood itself as well as the shape of it, the way the parts are attached together, etc. etc.
I think maybe what you mean is that the differences between the sound resulting from a newly built mahogany (just as an example) guitar will not be much different to that of an identically designed guitar with identical strings etc. built from 100-year-old mahogany. There WILL be a difference (in fact since wood is never homogeneous there would be differences even between two identical guitars both built from NEW mahogany or whatever) but it will be more subtle compared with a change in the type of pickups fitted. One might debate whether you can pick such differences up with a human ear (or for that matter with an oscilloscope!), but from my own experience I think you can with a good ear - I'd love to do some properly bounded experiments on this, but sadly I don't run the company, LOL.
One final note - old wood may not necessarily be "better" for tone, it really depends on what the player actually wants to hear, but wood does continue to dry out and change in its fibrous structure, and get stiffer, for many years after is has been cut, dried, and manufactured into a product. Ergo, the way it influences the vibration of the strings attached to it WILL change over time, although whether you actually like the changes or not is personal preference.
p.s. I believe Brian May's "Red Special" was made from a 200-year-old oak fire surround. If he'd built it from fresh-cut pine then it WOULD have sounded different.
@@monty5692 by the time youve thrown an amp at it and some distortion etc... I highly doubt youd tell the difference.
and acoustic on the other hand... ID agree with you... but an electric guitar? sorry once you have all it plugged in and what have you... you'll never tell the difference...
Ricky Gervais and Frank Lampard Jr. talk guitars.
Holy moly. I can never un-see this
i see your Frank Lampard Jr. and raise you Jim Parsons... 😝
You know, you two are such a treat to watch. I have had many hard times in my life and watching you two and the other guys on the team like Rabea danish pete and company have seriously pulled me through.
Having a hard time focusing on what they're saying cause the mug keeps teleporting around.
hahahahaha
TeKaMOTO Whoever edited this video has just earned a pay-rise
Dangit now I can't focus on the video anymore now that you said that.
TeKaMOTO hehe
25:11 The mug must've teleported inside the lightbulb.
No offense but to always demo these guitars with distortion only hides the comparison. You should always demo the guitar with no effects first so we consumers can hear the quality and options the pickups can produce. The feel of the neck, radius and entire weight matters also. Let's not forget that Gibson also "owns" Epiphone. And Epiphone is the reason that Gibson is still in business to this day. It Doesn't take a rocket scientist to follow the money..
1mespud well most of us who watch rob play heavy music. So we don’t care about the clean sounds
@@legaciestr That's not how that works. There can be better tones coming from different qualities of work. Doesn't matter if "metal" uses compression and distortion it hides the natural sound.
Bruce Wilson ok
@@legaciestr ok
@@mrpotat680 that's not how metal works
lol!! love the mug disappeared and placing everywhere.
I noticed same thing :)
10:56 is my favorite
After over 6 years I still love my Epiphone LP standard. I’ve played on Gibsons, and yes they do feel and sound a bit better, but I still feel that the sound is mostly dominated by the hands of the guitar player and the quality of the amp.
Since you own a guitar company I think it would be the funniest thing ever if you got a DIY kit and tried to make a guitar yourselves.
Tolis Mortadelas There is a bassic kit for that, i don't remember wich brand is.
Yeah, a mate of mine bought one, I helped screw together, - yellow thing... Played.. okay..
Richard Harrold yes they do. For a Frankenstein experiment, I built a Warmoth Les Paul using a compound radius neck and a Fender scale length just for giggles and an experiment in string tension / tone.. Granted, it's a bolt on; but it plays like butter. Really interesting sound. It's certainly a 1- off. Custom hand wound alnico pickups, TonePros Bridge, and I left the rosewood neck unfinished, which I love. The thing I like most about it is the angle of pull of the strings through the bone nut to the Schaler lockers. No binding in the nut. It's similar to a PRS headstock design. The G and B strings were always a nuisance to me on Gibsons. I had a 71 Gibson SG Custom that I sold. Cool looking guitar but an unstable and finicky bitch.
Cheapest guitar in the store vs most expensive coffee in Starbucks
Lucas Kendikian The coffee would be more expensive
I think Fender would have a strong chance at making a showing...
Dave Fechtel mlmkllwi
cheapest guitar+most expensive amp vs most expensive guitar+cheapest amp
I think cheap guitar/expensive amp would win. I used to think amps didn't matter. Then one day I played a $300 Ibanez through a Fender Twin Reverb and it sounded like pure heaven.
Oceanmachine27 yes but it would be interesting to see lee and rob trying to play those rigs
Oceanmachine27 just think if they played a squier bullet strat through a friedman and a custom shop les paul through a fender frontman
They already did it
ohhh Twinreverb...best sound on earth next to a J8 jet engine
That coffee cup breaking effect will never not get a chuckle out of me
"Lets see which sounds better!"
*never plays either instrument clean or with little gain*
Shittier pickups show their weaknesses in high gain situations where they lack sustain, low end, and tightness, shitty pickups can sound just fine as long as the amp does good cleans which becomes a showcase of amp quality
Bryan D. - Not really. It's actually the opposite - cleans will have a more dramatic difference in sound quality: the amp's EQ itself is relatively flat, respective to the amp's design, and limited saturation means fewer harmonics coloring the guitar/pick-up signal, thus giving a more "true" comparison between guitars/pick-ups. Whereas with high gain, it's mostly showcasing the amp's saturation characteristics. The harder you're pushing an amp, the more saturated it becomes (the more upper harmonics are produced, the more the characteristics of tubes and transformers start to become apparent, etc...), the more the amp is showcased rather than the pick-ups. The way tube amps in particular work is that the more gain being produced (the louder the volume of the preamp and power amp sections, independently, and the louder the input signal), the more the amp actually *does*, effectively (or at the least the more its components impart their own tonal characteristics, which is the very idea behind tube amps and why people like them). Pick-ups still matter, of course, but the differences (generally - passive vs. active may be a notable exception here) into a heavily saturated amp will be less than the differences when played clean (and when it's high gain, you're largely comparing the output of the pickups - which is a big part of "sustain", for example - rather than their "sound", and output itself can be compensated for in a number of ways, with various boost effects, adjusting pickup height, etc... anyway).
Burn!!!!
Bryan D. Damn
@@bryand.5240 I agree with ya dude. Don't worry about the other nerd. Rock on!
According to Epiphone website specifications for the Les Paul Tribute Plus, the Fingerboard material is "Rosewood w/Mother-Of-Pearl Trapezoid Inlays." So, they aren't plastic inlays. Also, the Epiphone contains all American Gibson hardware, from the pickups to the capacitors to the knobs.
LTD vs. ESP... please :)
VisceraAvalanche y not including E-II
Yusss! I'm just about to buy an LTD EX-401 :)
Epi Les Paul Prophecy EX vs. LTD EC-1000. That's the showdown I'd like to see.
Cullen James I own both. The prophesy is probably the closest of any epiphone to a high end Gibson. I let a friend who was interested in the ec1000 try it out then gave him the prophesy. Then neck on the prophesy sold him like it did me. It's a dream to play.
VisceraAvalanche that wouldn't work. all LTD's are cheaper than any ESP. the only comparable area is the high end LTD's vs ESP's and the difference would be marginal at that price range.
I liked the epiphone better. It had more range of sounds, from clean bell like tones to an overdriven classic rock one, and in fact made the guy on the right sound like a better guitarist than he sounds on the Gibson.
What makes these types of comparisons useless is that the two guitars weren't setup the same pre recording, they're using two different amps, different electronics, and one guitarist is more "athletic" than the other, and has a bias, judging from previous videos. These obstacles need to be addressed, if these tests are to be meaningful.
The current top-end Epiphones would crush a cheap Gibson for sound.. there's just guitar snobbery or shilling going on here.
Both guitars went through both amps though
Well said and I do believe your correct
They def should have just ran both into the same amp (not the same model, the very same one) without any electronics. Weird they didnt.
Yeah, this was a fun video, buuuuuut...I immediately noticed the very very different amps, capabilities, etc....very subjective.
My eyes say Gibson, my ears say Epiphone.
I don't know...the Epiphone lineup has some gorgeous guitars!
Seriously...who cares if it's a veneer it's still a beautiful guitar
Rich, hurry and get them checked, they might be infected.
That’s all Gibson is now it’s just for looks epiphone is getting way better plus cheaper
Epiphone QC is on point these days. Although when they screw up, they really screw up. Some of the preferences for Gibson that I’ve seen boils down to pure jingoism (if you want to pay more to back it up) and has nothing to do with product quality.
How come you guys never demo the cleans when comparing guitars? The only cleans we get is from Lee for about 20 seconds, then the rest is just loading the guitar with gain. It's hard to get an accurate comparison between the two without hearing anything clean
Nick Starkey oh shut up you "poser"
Nick Starkey Because playing your 3 campfire song chrods clean makes you better?
Holy shit, you must be fun at parties.
lol wtf happened here, nobody cares
Apparently a lot of plastic kills a clean tone. Today I learned Fenders don't have a good clean
JasonL1214 I would assume it's because no one uses a plain, sterile clean tone as people typically use delays, chorus, reverbs e.t.c on their cleans and it would basically turn into a pedal review then
Before Gibson acquired Epiphone, Epi were way above the Gibson brand.
Tyler Sudden II Tyra may be true but now sadly Epiphone is a name cover to a Gibson licensed Chinese guitar
I was surprised to read epiphone is actually a lot older than gibson as well!
I have never played an epi that didn't have issues with the neck or staying in tune
Epiphone used to be an independent instrument company that made their own instruments int he USA. They are now owned by Gibson and their instruments are made overseas by contractors that make instruments for several different companies. Epiphone now is a completely different entity than the Epiphone of the early 50s, so its not really appropriate to compare a modern Epiphone to a vintage one. The Asian made Gibson copies are not really comparable to the USA made Epiphones of the 50s.
i own a 1966bepiphone cortez made in kalamazoo mi which was later bought from gibson and gibson moved the factory away
I've had loads of real Gibsons! I just bought a 2014 Ephipohone Les Paul Trad off my brother. The Ephiphone is beautifully made, all top guality components and has a very lightly sprayed finnish rather than a 'Poly finish'. Action is on the frets and the guitar sounds and plays brill. Feels like a hand made guitar! A great guitar in its own right? A shining example of the quality and craftsman/ woman ship from the Chinese factory!
9:56 never gets old
hamulec94 wtf
hamulec94 how did they do that 😂
anže Kos they take a shot of the video where the cup isn't on the table, and then merge that over the video after he sets the cup down, making it look like it disappeared.
Andrew Teller wow
I replayed that segment so many times. Labor intensivessnessityivinesisten..etc...
ok since the point of this, is after all , helping people decide . Im going to give my personal experience in case i might help someone. (this is quite long but i really hope it helps someone)
6 months ago , after watching tons of reviews and trying tons of les pauls at different local guitar stores , i decided to buy the epiphone tribute plus vintage sunburst , and it was a hard decision for me back then , because i am a die hard gibson fan , and i have a pretty solid idea of wich gibson i would absolutelly love to have over 4000$ , but at that moment and time my top budget was 1300$
i saw the gibsons on that price and read their specs , and wood wise ,pick up wise , gear wise etc in general the tribute plus had top notch hardware , hten i heard them all my options for les than 1300$ on youtube , and i just kept loving the epi tribute plus sound , so i said fuck it and bought it online.
so the guitar came , visually astonishing TRIPLE A top (nicee) took it to a band rehearsal as soon as i had it , pluged it in ,and tryied out different sounds and channels , the sound was ridiculously good , after 4 months i was loving the guitar A LOT , BUT as the audiophile i also happen to be , i had the little itch on my head of: it sounds great but would a 1000$ gibson wich were on my budget too be better? would i get a better sound?
i hate that about me , because if you are loving how a guitar sounds , why would yo be concerned about if there was a guitar on your budget that would have sounded slightly better , welli am, so many many fellow musicians have told me that the main employee in one of my local guitar stores is true expert in guitars his personal guitar collection is currently over 30 guitars he has been in important local bands , he is 60 years old now and has been playing for over 40 years , so i came to his store woth my epi (store where i had been asking for guitars 4 months before) and as soon as he saw me he said , sup dude what happened you went for an epi , there where somo nice gibsons for 1300$ specially on the used market , and i told him nah im sorry , call me stupid or noob , but i just like to buy guitars new , i want to e the first to have them on my hands , he answered nah i understand , i was just like you when i was younger , (im 27 but guess im a kid for him) and he said , well its a pitty you didnt took longer to decide because i happen to have this 2000$ gibson standard T that i bought for my kid , but he happens to be more into telecasters than les pauls so i had it for me , it sounds amazing but , i have 6 lespauls already and they are of a bit higher quallity (over 4500 $ gibson les pauls) so i was going to offer you buying it from me for 1400$ i know it is slightly over the 1300$ budget you had but its quite a bargain for such a good gibson guitar wich i only used once so it is new.
And i answered tell you what , try my epi tribute plus , if you tell me this gibson is sincerelly better , you have my word im selling the epi to your shop for 500$ and paying the difference , he agreed , he took my guitar, pluged it to this epic sounding mesa boogie mark V amplifier and started trying it, after just a couple chords i saw him stop and put a weird facial expression , he looked surprised , he then started to try diferent sounds and channels, started to play with the tones a lot , all of the sudden he stands up and rushes to grab the gibson , unplugs my epi, plugs the gibson , tryes it for a couple minutes , unplugs it , plugs the epi tryies it again , stops playing and tells me: dude , i am speachless with this freaking epiphone , dont you think changing it for any gibson under 3000$ dollars because it is giving me better sound than my gibson standard t gt , and i like how that guitar sounds , i tell you man , i would confidently go to a studio and record an ep with this epi , amazing bang for the buck you got here man, you can be happy.
so thats it
opinion from a player who has been playing for 15 years (me) the best les paul guitar i have ever owned BY FREAKING MILES ( and is my 3rd les paul , 1 prs and another epi(epiphone les paul custom) before) and the sound is amazing
opinion from the most respected guitar player in my city , a known guitar collector , a guy with over 40 years of music and guitar playing on his back: as good or even better than any gibson (new) under 3000$
so there you have it if your budget is not high this epiphone is a no brainer!
hope i helped someone and sorry for the huge text
I have the same one. Grover locking tuners, genuine Gibson USA ‘57 pickups. For all intents and purposes this plays and sounds just like a USA Gibson. PS - I also own a USA Gibson and the Epi is 100% on par.
Resting Stitch Face This guitar basically is a Gibson with an Epiphone headstock. And it’s made in China which really doesn’t make a difference.
Just change the pickups and strings if you want a better sound.
I have quite a few Epis, acoustic and electric, never saw the need (or desire) for a Gibson.
Morte Parla Just strings. Gibson 57 pickups are good.
can y'all do the same for fender and a squire strats
as I already said it's not even worth spending time on that one, it's winner is obvious. You can see lots of musicians playing epi, but any star playing squire? barely
You have obviously never played a Classic Vibe.
See the main difference is a Squier Classic Vibe is $550CAD whereas a Standard American is $1450CAD. Epiphone Tribute Plus are $800CAD whereas a Gibson LP Standard is $4000CAD. The price jump from squier to Fender makes it easy for artists to use Fenders while not everyone has a LOT of money to upgrade to a Gibson.
It isn't quite as worthwhile because with Gibson and Epi its straightforward- Gibson are American and Epi not. Fender has the Mexican (and some chinese) made fenders in between the squiers and the American Fenders. Between a MIM standard and a squier classic vibe I think the consensus is that its a matter of personal taste and if you find a cv you like and don't care what the headstock says, go for it. Whereas I think its pretty well accepted that an American Standard or the New American Pro is better than a classic vibe (not to say that someone might like their cv better or that there aren't some gems in the bunch), but it better be because it costs about 1000 bucks more, whereas the gap from cheapest Gibson to most expensive Epi is quite close.
They already did. If you watch the video you'll see neither of them can really tell the Fenders vs Squire vs Mexican Fender, etc... apart on tone alone. They could hear a difference, but not identify quality/value by tone quality. They had to fiddle with the switches and take in other tactile cues such as fret dressings, etc... to form conclusions on model and price point. None of this was stated in their video of course, it was still quite amusing to watch.
I love the absolute madman that edits your videos, so much shenanigans.
British Comedy at its finest
I've been waiting for this video for like 213789978 months or something
That mug is driving me nuts though...
I doubt you've been alive 17815851.0242 years
most expensive solid state amp vs cheapest tube amp
An Epiphone Valve Jr. against an Axe FX?
Apples to oranges.
i would consider an axe fx "modeling" rather than solid state, kind of like in their tube vs solid state vs modeling video.
That would imply that 'modelling' and 'solid state' were mutually exclusive terms. Which in the context of an Axe FX, are not.
Well, Axe FX is definitely not a solid state AMP.
That would be incorrect sir. Axe FX is a modelling amp that uses SOLID STATE circuitry for its modelling. The two terms in the context of an Axe FX are not mutually exclusive.
someone was having fun with editing that cup
too much fun
9:53 I thought I was going insane for a second there.
Paul's broken a glass. A glass, a glass he's broke today.
holy crap that was annoying... :D
There's something in Captain's playing that makes simple chord progression just sound killer..!!
Mostly I got from this that the Hughes and Kettner sounds pretty crap at full volume but the rolled off volume semi-clean/crunch stuff sounds really really nice.
Slash said, amongst other Les Paul players, that every LP he has that had the headstock fixed sounded better when it came back from the repair shop!
I’ve heard they are stronger if fixed correctly too
@@williamsporing1500 yeah, that headstock angle is definitely the Achilles heal of LPs!
I think your right. You can clearly hear the difference. Its like when comparing an new acoustic guitar to one thats 40 years old. The tones are just different. All across the board.
So the Nitro cellulose finish allows more sonic resonance throughout the tone woods. Kind of crazy really.
bs
Love the comical sideline you did with Chappers’s mug! 🤣
Cheapest jet fuel vs most expensive Steel beam?
Noel Velasquez that's tooooooo funny 😂
Noel Velasquez 9/11?
Well .... That escalated quickly...
I'm more offended by how out of context your shit joke is moreso than the racial tone of it.
ive have met neither iTheGeek or your mother and i can tell you this right now, Id take your mother
th-cam.com/video/shSnEldKSVE/w-d-xo.html&app=desktop
Oh, and another thing. I'd like to see this revisited as a blindfold challenge, wherein Our Intrepid Heroes have to sit and listen to their Fro Bro play each one and see if they can discern a difference in actual tone and sound quality between the two. Identical tunings, played through the same amp on the same settings. See if the differences in wood quality and lacquer really make *that* much of a difference. Because as it stands right now, the only real reason they've declared Gibson the winner is because of the name on the headstock.
+Robert Orr Agreed - Feel is probably more important than tone, for a player, because as a player, you are the one who has that instrument in your hands the whole time, and you are the one who is making the sound that's coming from it by plucking those strings - and that is a totally different experience compared to just listening to someone else play, because you kind of perceive the sound from a totally different perspective. So the data we can collect from blindfold tests where people have just listened to the sound of the guitars and tried to guess which one it is has no practical use to guitar players.
Awesome!! This was really helpful. Now, why not do a comparison between the Gibson LP Studio and the PRS S2 Singlecut?
Thank you for this video guys, a couple of years ago I bought a Gipson LP studio after doing some research and this video was the final thing that convinced me to get one...love it
We need an updated episode of this for 2020 With Chappers and the Captain!
We need a 2022 version of this vid, please.
My personal opinion is that the Epiphone sounds better. The Gibson was good, but there was just something about the Epiphone that made me want to hear more from it.
Matt Jones agree... closing my eyes i just prefer the epiphone again and again. this one goes to the epiphone soundwise.
Matt Jones those pickups are fuckin great. very pleasing to the ears
Tschooptschoop Only because it has gibson pickups in it ,Its still a crappy chinese epiphone though .
Matt Jones It sounded good because it has Gibson pick ups in it ,apart from that its still just a chinese epiphone . People like the underdog to win thats all . Some epiphones are good guitars for the money ,but i definately think the Korean ones were better .
I'm well aware that the saving grace on that Epiphone happens to be the '57 classics in it. I will say, China has made some major strides in build quality over the past decade. I have an Epiphone Masterbilt that I absolutely love and have had since '06.
I bought the exact same Gibson LP Faded 2017 (it is basically a Les Paul Studio) for 400€ second hand in perfect condition and it is one of the greatest guitars I have ever played. Clearly that one is better than any Epiphone on this planet, you can clearly hear it in the video. The 490R & 490T humbuckers are lovely.
I honestly never see the real point of these comparisons, because I believe that you will have drawn your conclusions before you even play them. The other thing is that you get what you pay for, but I will say in Epiphone's case, when you get a guitar like the Les Paul Pro, it's better than its cost. I was always a Gibson fanatic when I was young, and I had a 68 SG Standard. I sold it, and with the money I got for it, bought an Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop, an Epiphone SG pro, and an Epiphone Sheraton II. I love these guitars and do not miss my SG at all. They look great, play great, sound great, all through my Fender 65 Twin Reverb or Roland Jazz Chorus 120 amps. I plan on buying more Epiphones in the future for my cheap guitar collection, because they have the biggest bang for the buck. I also have a Fender Mexican Strat and Tele, also great values. Unless you can really afford it, most of us working players who just get the weekend bar gigs find guitars like Epiphone a Godsend.
Entertainment value and education? Even if you don't care about the comparison there are interesting tidbits of knowledge in these videos. e.g the sanded logo bit in this video.
Gotta say the cheap Gibson looks great except the dot inlays give it a cheap look. I am sure block inlays aint gonna cost that much more.
They don't cost more it's just their tactic to get more to the expensive ones so people would not like the cheap ones so much
The les paul youre looking for is studio
Cheap Fender vs expensive Squier please!!ii!!
MIM Fender $700 vs Squier $300- do the math is the MIM Strat 2x better than the Squier Fender? Is a USA made Fender 5x better than a MIM? I think gear snobs with money to blow are the cause of high prices!
Actually the cheapest fender is the modern player's series made in china 450-500$ Fender tele and strats and they are much crappier than the Classic Vibe series
Ay Jam, what if every guitarist started to only buy the MIM MIK MII MIC etc. guitars for a year? Would we get much cheaper USA models of better quality?
Be worth a try. Might even get Gibson to finally learn how to fucking bookmatch a flame top. :D
I have a REALLY heavy, REALLY dark Midnight Sapphire Epi 1960 Tribute Plus I got last year, swapped the nut for a Tusq XL, and everyone that hears plays it can't believe the tone lol, it's funny how this guitar just drops jaws. I love it, and I don't give a fork if it says Gibson on it. Have also tried to hold/play every '60 Trib I see in order to gauge weight....... and I have a hard time finding one as heavy. Guess it was luck getting a fine slab! 🙏🙏🙏
You two should also start making guitar tutorials together! Would be great and really helpful for many!
Rob when will Chapman guitars website be up and running?!?! I'm dying over here man!!
BigStarch96 about a week from now
Thank God Rob, we've been dying for months.
Rob Chapman wooooaaaahhhhhhh hype :D :D :D :D
before the end of March
finally ;D
At least Les Paul head stocks break less than their coffee mugs.
Ah, so it wasn't just me that found that annoying.
You and the Captain have great chemistry. I enjoy the back and forth.
God, this video makes me feel wierd about my Epiphone, it's kinda like i have bought the wrong guitar, BUT as soon as I go back home and pick it up i'm sure as hell that my lovely Epiphone will remember me that she's the one and that if i choose her it's because she's amazing.
Still going to upgrade pickups and in the future i will for sure buy a Gibson Les Paul
P.s.
Rob, can you give me some advice about which amp (need a little one, for home practice) i should go for?
As far as small practice amps go, the Yamaha THR10 is the way to go
Maybe a H&K tubemeister 5 head with a 112 cab or the combo version. it's great because you can turn it up at home, unlike 100w marshall. and it's all-tube.
I have a Epi SG Prophecy, Gibson does not make any SG like it.
No regrets
For amps, Blackstar or Fender Mustang depending on your musical style. Blackstar for hi-gain rock and metal; Fender Mustang for blues, jazz and rock.
anyone else notice Rob's mug?
why did it break and vaporize?
Broke, vaporized, and teleported. I was actually wonderinghow good thr guy was who edited it.
WeatherForecast yea the mug
I was scrolling through the comments just to see if anyone else noticed
24:39....POOF!
25:40....WAHLAH! @^:€
How about a Strandberg with broken headstock ;-) !!!
BearSound wait a minute.....
BearSound Does that even have a headstock in the first place?
Marvin Balasabas exaclty my point!! It was a bad joke, I'm sorry. :-)
I just took a ride with the joke lol
i love the way you evade your own questions and answers !!!! i can bet this statement will not see an entrance to your product in this regard !
1:08 "Says the right word at the top!"
This didn't age well.
don´t get it xd
The Epi sounds amazing! But the poly neck is pretty tacky!, half hours work with 1200 grit and 0000 wire wool and problem solved!
I was thinking. Whats to stop you from just sanding it down?
Not just about the headstock angle - also Epiphone (and really about everyone else as well) uses a scarf joint which makes the headstock less prone to breaks. Gibson doesn't use scarf joints in their necks. Gibson's ARE prone to headstock breaks - that isn't even debatable.
Jeremy Callahan gibson uses end grain wood right where the headstock meets the neck
Don't you mind people grinnin' in ya face.
Your camera man, producers are pretty creative with all the editing they do, adding the crazy funny stuff....very entertaining in all your videos, hahaha!
This is literally the first video from these two that I have seen that I did not want to punch at least one of them in the face. Great comparison!! Very well done.
Jeffery A. Hunt just out of curiosity, what usually triggers that response? haha
Can confirm the angle being more prone to breaking. I had les pauls break. One IN the case, that fell over on the front side. One that fell off the stand on the back. I beat the hell out of my Epiphone LP standard and it's almost unbreakable lol
Epiphone has a better headstock joint. Gibson should make their headstocks with the same joint and angle. Epiphone has 14° vs Gibson 17°. No more foldable headstocks. I'm sure gibbo purists would moan incessantly though.
That epi has “mother-of-pearl Trapezoid inlays” according to the Epiphone website.
I have a 1968 les Paul custom black beauty original of course and everyone that plays it falls in love with it One great guitar
Well this video settles the eternal question, once and for all!!! Huh? I've always loved Gibson, but in this comparison I'd give the edge to to Epiphoney. Both, fine guitars, for what they are.
I wish we could get back to these days with Chappers and the Captain & Co! Always so much fun! But even when Chappers paid a visit recently it just wasn't the same feeling. There seemed to be a lot of tension in the air on the Anderton's side. Very sad.
@@dustinirwin1 I don't really remember. I didn't know anything until I read some comments on Anderson's TH-cam channel. Apparently Rob had made a comment about something or someone (not Anderson's) that created a firestorm, and it was really bad! People we're unsubscribing from Rob's channel left and right and really putting the bash on him. He made an apology video but everybody bashed that! He ended up fleeing England to Malta (where his wife is from) to live. Very weird!
I don’t know, I think the channel is a lot better recently. I was never really a fan of Rob’s noisy shreddy guitar playing
@@therollband1290 But they had great banter a rapport. Two friends having fun.
I would love to see this done with squire and fender.... blindfolded
This is one of the best guitar channels of TH-cam! :D
3:33 and here we see rob becoming Ian astbury
95% is the player, 5% is the guitar! If the player is good, then it does not matter what guitar he plays!
" 95% is the player, 5% is the guitar! If the player is good, then it does not matter what guitar he plays!"
There's some truth in that, But how many of the worlds great players don't play expensive guitars?
VERY many of then, hughjarrse. Do your research.
@@Axess-sv8nq I wasn't offering an opinion, I was stating a fact...... do your research 😉
Your name fits you, hughjarrse. Here's some research for you:
- Jack Pearson (Allman Brothers): Plays Squier Stratocasters
- Jimmy Page: Used a cheap Danelectro guitar on Kashmir, and many other songs. Played cheap Fender Telecasters back in the day to make the first 2 Led Zeppelin albums.
- The Edge (U2): Used many inexpensive guitars recording U2 albums - including Epiphones.
- The late Jeff Healey: Played Squier strats (was HIGHLY respected by Stevie Ray Vaughan - and others)
- Eddie Van Halen - Made his guitar from cheap parts for less than $250 (can still be done today for even less - and I've PROVED IT.)
- Jack White - goes without saying
- Slash - Used BC Rich guitars, cheaper Jacksons, and only rented a Gibson SG (for one song), to record Appetite For Destruction. Had a Gibson Les Paul copy that someone made for him (a, gasp, Counterfeit!!). Didn't own an ACTUAL Gibson until after the album came out and he got famous. Still plays the 'counterfeit' a LOT.
- Brian May (Queen) - Built his own guitar out of parts. Still uses it to this day.
The list could go on and on and on. But, I'm sure, in your ignorance, you'll piss on it all day to protect your fragile ego.
@@Axess-sv8nq Christ on a bike, for every player you list as a squire player I could list a thousand strat players, For every Eddie and Brian home made guitar there are ten thousand Les Paul players. The fact is the vast majority of professional players use expensive guitars, I don't see why you're taking a counter argument
I'm really glad I got my 2016 faded t, after seeing this
The 2016 Studio Faded is better than the 2017 Faded also.
the maple tops are AA instead of AAA, but mine does have a little curly to it
Me Too. They totally down graded it this year. No Poker-chip, cheap truss-rod cover, dot inlay, top hat knobs & according to their site the pick-ups aren't Burstbuck Pros. Oh & they have less color options
I think the 2016 Les Paul range were the best for a while
my 2014 lpj is the best buy and bang
I own the Epiphone 1960 Les Paul Tribute Plus - Cherry (I had the entire wiring harness upgraded with Gibson parts before I even played it)... it's fantastic!!! I believe the Gibson Classic 57 and 57+ pups are only available as an upgrade... for any Gibson Les Paul... that could have changed. If you do some searching you will find out they are the most loved/favorite humbucker ever, from polls I've seen. The first time I plugged mine in it sounded like Joe freakin' Walsh, great tone! Mine also had included strap locks. No regrets, lots of compliments.
You guys should do this for SGs
Hey, that is a realy nice comparing. mmh i'd like to see gibson vs hakstrom. that will be interesting btw in quite the same price range and an higher price gibson vs. a hakstrom ultra swede. sorry for my bad english i am german. the hughes & kettner sounds realy nice, that is german crafting work ;-).
greets.
My heart says Gibson, but my wallet says Epiphone.
I go by that everyday.
My heart says gibson, but my wallet says pack of strings
James Gubbins LOL, there’s Gibson Strings by the way xD
SDMF damn i forgot bout that 🤣
James Gubbins LOL It’s fine 😂
I laughed so hard when Robs volume knob fell off because the second I got home with my epiphone custom pro blackback the same exact thing happened to me lol
the tribute has the same wiring and hardware as the gibson standard
Yeah, it really is a full-on Gibson, only in an Epiphone 'body'.
Epiphone take note!!!!!
I have an Epiphone Iommi SG and it's as good as any Gibson SG I've played, plus it has features that aren't available from Gibson at any price. Totally sold on the high-end Epis. The biggest difference is that the Epis usually don't hold their value the way the Gibsons do.
Thomas Kirby I think you nailed it on the head. Gibson on the headstock, all things being equal should get you a bit more back on your investment should you wish to sell.
Thomas Kirby I have the same Iommi SG. It's nowhere near my standard in terms of response or tone or feel. If it works for you, great.
Thomas Kirby I bought a 59' les Paul for $800, too bad it was an epi
That's a joke for all the people that can't understand mediocre humour
I've got a few Epi's and my favorite so far is my Sheraton 2 pro, it's an upper medium priced guitar ( 700.00 American) but plays just as good if not better than my Gibson 335 and I paid three times as much for the Gibson than the Sheraton 2.
Randy Tyson those epi Sheraton guitars play easy better than any of the Gibson 335s I've played until about the $3000 range and even then is hard to tell the difference.
The shape of the headstock cut looks like a moustache that says "I'm better than you"
i have a 1961 les paul with paf pickups, a guitar ive had since 1965 when i was 18, i semi retired my gibson and bought a epiphone les paul plustop pro and i am absolutely delighted with it, believe me, there isnt a great deal of difference in sound between the two, but there is in the price, i rest my case.
The angle between my nuts and head have never given me a problem.
Wait. Are you saying you can give yourself a blowjob?"
@@kneurotic138 😂😂😂😂
This would be more authentic if the Epiphone had dead strings and was plugged into a 30w digi' Marshall combo. Like in the real world.
cheapest fender strat vs most expensive squier strat
They've done a few of those.
19:28 is this just a Chappers noodle or is it a real song?? Beautiful! Let me know if you know please
The coffee cup thing is funny...
Anyone else notice the funky magic disappearing/appearing mug?!
Cheapest Epiphone vs most expensive Gibson
I have many top of the range guitars but I love my Epiphone Dot Studio. Cost me less than 200 euros new. Crazy. This is a steal. And welcome to the world Imran.
try Micheal Kelly Products,you wont be disappointed ...
nice challenge suggest
@@redduketeleman that's so cool that you said that! I have an epiphone les paul special with dot inlays. Couldn't have cost more than $250 new (i recieved it as a gift and since then ive put at least $300 in upgrade parts into it like pups, electronics, tuners) but I've always loved that guitar. I own 2 Gibson Les Paul's, a standard and standard HP. I love both as well but I still find myself reaching for that epiphone. It sounds great and plays fantastic! For some reason I could never find a higher end epiphone I liked, like the epiphone les paul standards and customs/signature models.
Honest shout out and hats off to whomever edited these videos. The random revisits to earlier hilarious moments in the video are spot on. Also, thanks to the Cap and Rob for showing me a bunch of licks to learn XD