Guitar Headstock Envy
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2023
- Baxter and Jonathan dive into the major brands and why brands like PRS Keep it all under the same brand name no matter where it's made.
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I'm an old guy. I started playing back in 1968. I've had so many guitars through the years, and I'm a total Epiphone fanboy. Except for one SG in 1972, Epiphones have always exceeded the Gibsons in quality in my eyes. The Firebird 4 and 7 Epies that I own are simply the greatest I've ever played. I understand the brand snobbery, but I don't follow it. You guys ARE crazy, but you do great shows!
What the hell did I just watch?..movie night with Paul.? Get a grip you guys.
Exactly spot on. Resale value is only a consideration for someone who doesn't ever plan on bonding with their instrument.
G&L is seriously underrated and it's literally about the headstock for a lot of people. Just the built-to-order (mod) options you can do BEFORE you get into the custom shop are very reasonably priced and would take you deep into the custom shop, and your bank account, at Fender. As far as the headstock, and based on comments I've heard, I think the dislike of it could be lessened a lot just by making it about 1/4" , or so, wider where they have that curl cut into it so as not to violate Fender's copyright on the Strat headstock shape.
KDH had a great vid out the other day about certain guitars becoming more about being status symbols among players, and lifestyle brands to the public. Gibson's got the right idea in they now have a shitload of Epiphone swag they didn't before. A few years ago I had to hunt hard to find an Epiphone patch for my daughter's bookbag. Now I can go to Gibson's site and choose from several hats and tees, including ones cut for women. Fender has jackshit for Squire. ZILCH! That's a lot of free advertising they're missing.
That's a conscious decision by Fender: there used to be Squier merch, but now you can't even get Squier gigbags or cables -- I managed to buy just about the last one of each.
I have a killer HSS G&L Legacy I used as a backup... candy apple translucent red and swamp-ash body with dark grain lines. Pretty good quality control for their overseas builders.
I have a few G&L guitars and they are every bit as good as my Fenders. The MFD pickups on the ASAT are excellent. My friends say they hate the extra tit on the headstock. It would take all of 4 minutes with a simple file and two wipes with linseed oil on the spot if it bothered you that much, I think they are silly to discount a whole guitar for a 4mm triangle of extra wood.
@@barbmelle3136 Tell them the extra wood is the secret for more tone!
G&L are as much of a joke as Fender are these days. G&L are no longer plekd, don't come with the quality G&G case, and don't offer option ordered guitars with anywhere near the options they did pre 2016. They were great - now they are just another brand cutting costs, lowering quality and pushing up prices.
I've been a Gibson/Fender guy since I started playing 25 years ago. A few years ago, I bought a Reverend and was absolutely blown away. It opened the door for me to try other brands as well. Since then, I've bought Sires, LTDs, and Yamahas. I've never been happier.
I have one Reverend Charger 290 and to be honest I am bit dissapointed. I mean it looks cool, sounds nice but I think its the neck. It is somewhat thin almost soft V type. I much prefer rounded bigger C and U profiles. So back to Fender and Gibsons for me. But Yamaha Revstars are great.
@OrbitlynX I have a Bob Balch signature. The medium oval neck fills my hand nicely, but I don't have huge hands or anything. What really got me was the quality. Fit and finish were perfect. The signature pickups sound great. I also really enjoy my Revstar Standard.
Yamahas are excellent guitars!
Just got the Double Agent W, it’s awesome. I love the neck and the sounds! My only issue was that the taper on the bass contour taper is not so good. I’ll be getting that fixed asap.
@joshuabackes3806 it's a shame about the bass contour. I love that feature. I find it much more useful than than a tone control.
We need a Baxter spin off channel dedicated to Diablo 😎
and ice cream sandwiches.
And Warhammer 40K
I got my first Fender Strat in 2006 - Mexican-made “Standard Strat.” I still remember $365.99. 15-year old me was SO happy to own a REAL Fender. I knew that one day when I would be older I would buy an “American” Strat.
I remember being about 16 and one of my buddies got his parents to buy him the cheapest Gibson SG they made which was about the same cost as the most expensive epiphone les paul which is what I bought. Now I also swapped my pickups for EMGS, added an afterburner, tremelo, and also leveled and dressed the frets myself.... and it was no contest, my epiphone blew that Gibson out of the water.... but my friend didn't care about that cuz he couldn't really play anyways... he just liked showing people he had a Gibson. Plenty of people don't give a shit how the guitar actually plays and will buy it just for the name.
Gibson is a legacy lifestyle brand now. Even they don't care how their guitars play anymore. Their owners are a super litigious investment capital law firm that bought the name and IP for the patent and trademark portfolio (aka: patent troll). They would rather sue the competition than compete on quality.
I build electric guitars as a hobby, and I have a friend who is a professional session guitarist, and his main interest is how the instrument feels and plays. Headstock/brand is a distant third.
I think there's also some guys who use the off-brand guitars just to be contrarians. They say, probably correctly, that the magic is in their talent, not the instrument. They could afford the expensive guitar, but they use the cheaper guitar to prove a point.
My #1 for a very long time was my 2005 PRS SE EG, HSS. I broke it out for the first time in a while yesterday and I still absolutely love this guitar! Best 500 dollar guitar I ever purchased!! I had a singlecut SE (245) around 2009/10 that sounded and played amazing, but I was poor and had to make choices so I had to let it go. For some reason I dont have a problem with Mexican Fenders or PRS SE's, but I cannot bring myself to buy an Epiphone unless its a Casino or Sheraton....call me a snob if you will, but I just dont dig the Epiphones really (although the Firebirds are growing on me).
"Epiphones have gotten more expensive". Not really. They have decided to expand to the collector market and have some new signature models that are higher priced than most of their range, but you can still get Specials for around $200, Studios for around $300, and Standards and Traditionals for $4-500. I guess that corporate wanted to fill a market niche and offer the choice of getting a very basic Gibson or a "collector" Epiphone in about the same price range. As long as Epiphone keeps their regular lineup competitive, the higher cost ones only matter to those shopping in that niche.
I never knew until this video that my main guitar, a PRS SE was not a 'mainline' PRS guitar, but their so called 'lower tier' SE ('Student Edition') but it doesn't change how I feel about that guitar. It was about $900 and I love the materials, it's built solid and plays extremely smooth. It's semi-hollow too. Thanks for informative video. Headstock changes nothing for me, I still love it
Mine is built in Indonesia and says "Custom" on the headstock by the tuners. PRS SE Custom semi hollow
@@julianperry4767”custom” is the name of the model 👍
You are a wise guitar player, If you like it, it is a good one. Labels mean nothing to what you hear or feel when you play.
Of course. It's built under licence in Indonesia by Cort. It's a Cort with a PRS badge.
@@theblytonian3906Wrong. It's a PRS trademarked design. PRS would never license their trademarks to Cort for production as a Cort nor would Cort build PRS branded guitars without monetary compensation. All of that means it's a PRS made in a different factory to the same specifications as PRS has asked for. Foxconn makes Apple products...
My Daughter is in a band called Customer in NYC (among others) but I just bought her a Reverent bass ('cuz she wanted it). But I was not extremely familiar with them before that and they have a great reputation.
Yes, the headstock matters.
On my way to work this morning I was thinking how cool it would be to get a fender custom shop and have them put squier on the headstock.
A custom shop squier bronco bass would be off the charts cool, with an ash body and a tinted neck with a rosewood board, 3 ply pickguard, fullsize tuners, maybe a red lace senser pickup...this got my imagination going
@@jasondorsey7110 heck yeah that would be over the top!
I love that you are playing Diablo !!!!!! I ran a necro my first run through as well. On to the Druid now.
Brand matters, otherwise, no manufacturer would need to put their brand on their guitar. 😂
Well it matters to those who own the brand, it is identification and advertising
To customers it may or may not
@@YourCaliBos resale?
You mean people sell their guitars?
🤪
@@YourCaliBosNot too quick on the draw here are you? Reading comprehension is certainly not your friend.
I for one could give two shits about brands. I don't consider resale value when I am looking for guitars. It literally _never_ crosses my mind. No amount of resale value is going to make a guitar more playable. If I don't bond with it, I won't bother. Resale value is for collectors and blues lawyers, not musicians.
Very Cool, Thankyou. When I got back into electric guitar a couple of years ago I purchased an Australian Company 'Artist Guitars' Cost effective TC59 'Tele' copy. OMG. The Build quality, Finish and playability was Outstanding. WOW. I was instantly hooked and have purchased a few different styles Artist Guitars and all have been outstanding, Perfectly setup out of the box, and just a pleasure to own and play. With severe Gear Acquisition Syndrome I have purchased some other brand guitars on the used market and all are just amazing, with quality and Playability (and bargain price) making me SO happy. I am enjoying my introduction to Electric guitar so much by enjoying the amazing quality of 'Bargain' priced guitars these days. Love it. Cheers from Australia. (Where a MIM Player Strat is costing $1300- now and many Epiphones even more)
Love my Godin Stadium 59. Solid modern style tele alternative with cool tone options. Show some love for our Canadian neighbors and their fine guitars.
i dont have any Canadian neighbors but the guy across the street is asian. is that okay?
I have a Godin Redline 1 with just a single bridge emg pickup. Other than the head stock being anemic, its a fantastic guitar.
My Korean made LTD and Chinese made Oscar Schmidt rock out in salute to your neighborhood @@richardclark.
@@davidwolfe4770 it might be okay, this guy is Mongolian. He used to own a restaurant in Colorado?
i have one of those green clapton strats too, an 89 first year and good lord its a hell of a workehorse
I picked up a Gibson Les Paul last week, my nephew and Dad have Epiphone. They have played less than 5 years. I have been playing for 20 so of course I need the badge.
"People listen with their eyes." -- Les Paul
I have no doubt that you can find good guitars in many many brands. I’ve been focusing more on electric guitars in the last 10 or so years, and when I realized that the name on the headstock did matter to me, I bought the cheapest Les Paul from Sweetwater. Granted, it had a maple neck, but this guitar just rang and felt so good to play and had so much presence. This one Guitar immediately replaced all of my Epiphones. And then the Les Paul standard I bought replaced the one from Sweetwater.
I really wanted the legacy name on the headstock, but I’m really really happy with the guitars that came with that name.
I bought a 93 Strat used in 96. Not my 1st Strat by any means. But the best Strat Fender ever made. A Deluxe Plus with everything about prefect. Only bad thing is the color. Butt ugly yellow (vintage blonde). My other favorite guitar is a 97 ebony L Paul studio w/gold trim ebony fretboard. Bought used with 496/500 pups. Did a lot of changes to better parts to be able to work this tool w/o problems. Both these famous headstock are working tools that are dependable, sharp looking and totally different sounding from each other. And to me they are also art that I love that I own. As a kid I had posters and pictures on the wall of my bedroom. D Gilmore and R Blackmore with Strats. J Page and P Townsend with L Paul's. In the Townsend picture in the background was a W and Wicker Boogie and I ended up with 1 of those. My pboard has a bunch of old 80's and 90's pedals on it. Just happy with my old equipment from back in the day.
Head Envy is for those more focused on What they are Playing then focusing on their Playing, reminds what an old man once said, that I didn't need another better guitar but To Practice to get Better and he was Correct although a fancy Headstock might be reassuring in how it performs, but it comes Down to You the Player and My Best Advice is Practice more then you search for New Gear and you will become good enough it won't matter the headstock at all and Baxter can stick to Guitars , gear & Movies but avoid advice on candy
Just asking. Maybe the budget label appeals to the purchasing parent for a newbie. I’ve read interviews with Fender’s CEO and Gibson’s former CEO. Both talked about the crucial importance of their starter lines. Only 1 in 10 stick with guitar for life (when they buy the more expensive labels). To make enough lifers, it’s worth putting a less expensive, but high quality, instrument in their hands. In addition, for those who go deep into mods, these brands are fantastic partscaster foundations.
Reverend guy for 23 years. Always does the job. The BCC knob is the Secret Weapon!
I own a Gen 2 Allender SE PRS. I love it. Has the flat body. I prefer that to the contoured SE.
Hahahaha. Classic call out. Brought much smiles Baxter. Thanks.
I have a couple of expensive guitars, and while I am proud of them, I am a little over vigilant in worry about them being damaged, and also being judged; maybe someone thinks I’m not good enough to have guitars that nice. I enjoy playing them though
On the flip side, I have some really cheap guitars that I’m also proud of, because they play so well and sound good. It feels like I won some sort of cheap guitar lottery and am proud that I can give a good performance with a cheap tool
I saw another comment that the brand doesn’t matter but the shape of the headstock does. I’ll agree with that! Fender headstocks look really cool to me, and PRS is pretty cool too!
To quote a professional , "Did you buy it to look at it or play it?". Shallow people are affected by shallow things. The two brands I hear the most whining about are Epiphones and Heritage, and it's funny to me that both of those brands are so very closely tied to Gibson. To refuse to even pick up an Epi or a Heritage because of the headstock says a lot more about you than the instruments in question. Contemplate this on the tree of woe.
Solar is also a company who gets them inspected in Spain then shipped to the shops. Chapman guitars go straight to the shop all kinds of problems.
I have a Fender lead 3 & a Squire 60s Tele thinline, I love them both. As I get older , if the quality is there, I don't really care what it says on the headstock. I mean the Squire does have the Fender shape so....
Hey just bought Squier jazz master 40th anniversary desert sand but got vmod2 pickups and a awesome wiring harness 200 hundred dollars spent to make guitar great again you guys are are awesome
I just did a band reunion with guys I graduated from High School with in the '70s. One guy brought a Fender and a Gibson, another a Gibson and a Taylor, one two Gibsons (newest one was a '74), a Fender and his Rainsong, the other bassist a Gibson and I brought my beloved Ibanez Artcore, a PRS SE Santana, a Carvin Bolt kit guitar and my boutique bass (purchased used from the builder who had taken it back in trade for a fancier bass). I ended up playing just my Ibanez for my two guitar sets (despite switching guitars during the week of rehearsals) and of course, my bass for my bass set.
The Ibanez is my desert island guitar with a neck profile that reminds me of a 1960 Les Paul Junior I once owned and foolishly let get away.
I think it comes down to individual experience. I had an Epiphone EB3 bass for about a week and hated it. It was inexpensive, so I tried it. The Gibson SG bass I have now is my favorite and it is worlds ahead of the Epiphone I played. But, so many love the Epi that certainly some of them must be pretty good. Maybe just the one I had was a lower quality example and maybe my Gibson is a higher than average example.
I'm building a partscaster with high end USA made components. I ordered a 5A quartersawn flame maple neck from musikraft, a body from MJT, pickups from kiesel, fender usa vibrato and kluson supreme tuners. It is about as made in America as it gets but it still slightly bothers me that it doesn't have a 'status' brand on the headstock.
Anyone who aspires to play guitar have guitar heros that they've listened to growing up. I want the guitars my heros played.
Twilight Nerd!! With that being said, the wife and I just rewatched them all last weekend.
What about Gibson discontinuing the Tribute and Studio models? Do you think they're replace them with something else at the same price point? I was really digging the Tribute, but don't quite have the cash yet. I was planning for next summer but now I'm not sure they'll still be around.
The headstock redesign on the Epiphone Les Paul's has actually made me like them more. I haven't bought one..........yet.
I'm glad for shop owners like yourselves and others that some people have the dime to purchase the expensive legend brands. But many of us are stuck with the more affordable imports because of limited resources or lack of spousal agreement. Love your channel. Would it be okay to come to visit just to meet Jonathon, or would that hurt everybody's feelings?
I LOVE my PRS SE. The shout out to Cortech on the back doesn't bother me at all. When i was a kid, music stores in my town were small. No Fenders or Gibsons for the most part. But there were Corts that looked just like them. I always wished they said Fender or Gibson. When i grew up i realized that they weren't JUST cheap copies, they were good instruments as well. Now i have 12 guitars at different price points. Three of my favorites however were all made at Cortech. Am i a Cort fan boy? Yes. Does Cort make completely ligit instruments? I believe that answer is yes as well!
Got a '97 DeArmond jet star deluxe bass, made in korea by cort...one of the absolute best basses in my collection...alot of "big name" specimens have come and gone but that DeArmond will never leave me
Brand oddities: when the Bentley car company went bust in 1931, the name was bought by Rolls-Royce and became their second brand (badge engineering.) Fast forward to 1998, and the Rolls-Royce motor company was bought by Volkswagen (outbidding BMW.) Volkswagen found that they couldn't use the Rolls-Royce name (because it was owned by the Aero engine company) and have had to only use the Bentley name (despite it being the same company and factory.) BMW licensed the Rolls-Royce name and set up a new company.
i love my mexican fender strat, my prs se 594, and my squire cv tele
Brand does matter, but for me, it is also about resale value.
Weird I have heard some second rate guitars sounding better than other top rated brands. Must be in their mojo? Any thoughts???
Epiphone I think has its own rep. The Beatles and Oasis used Epiphones, I think that made a difference. Most people that own Squires call them “Fender Squires” (on ebay etc) when they advertise them. This says to me, that they looked down on it and are clinging to the idea it is a Fender.
When Monoprice first offered guitars, their plan was like PRS in that they imported in China-built product and had each one set up by Roger Gresky (or someone under him, I suupose) in CA. Unfortunately the incoming quality was so bad even Roger couldn't help. To their credit, Monoprice pulled the plug on that attempt and rebooted with the Indio line. I use my first gen guitars to learn luthier skills.
So, yeah-are brands like Nash majors, minor or now ‘mid-majors’?
Two of my best guitars are a Heritage Custom Core H-150 and an ash G&L Legacy. A lot of people dislike their headstocks, but when the guitar plays great, I don't care!
Another did a vid about guitars becoming luxury items and compared them to watches. I really liked the analogy. You can find awesome guitars to play for minimal investment, but going after a 2 to 4 grand guitar becomes more than something to just pluck strings on. As you said, there are clubs and most of the time, you're buying your way in.
What happened to PeVey. All my 80-90;s band mates pv and bw speakers. and guitars? I hate PV but was everywhere
My Epiphone Black Beauty ('02 I think) has a from the factory truss rod cover and it says Gibson. I didn't really notice for a few years. I bought it new. But I do understand how easy to duplicate that is but that's how it came.
Same, I think mine is an 03 MIK and has the 3 pups. It is a flawlessly made guitar and the pups sound great.
@@bluzzjazz Yep, mine is made in Korea. It was the first guitar I bought when I thought I knew what I wanted. Jimmy Page influenced without a doubt. Heavy as hell but sounds fantastic. I replaced the input jack. That's really all I've noticed that could have been done better. The white is faded and the pick-up covers have wear on them and this guitar is cool as sh*t.
Is that a Novo in the back. Nice colour!
If they came out with import guitars that say "Gibson" on the headstock, it would take the Gibson prestige down a peg. I know it's in my mind but it would be in the minds of all Gibson fan boys.
I've been mildly gassing for a Reverend Double Agent for awhile now (my open tabs can confirm) but recently saw that they have a lefty 12 string now
I am first a Squier guitar fan boy- got fender noiseless pickups in them. Got a Fender acoustasonic. Got a warmouth build. Got Squier tattooed on my arm though.
Spelled correctly, one would hope.
@@johnbriggs3916 yes, once u said that I looked at my arm and corrected my first comment. Thanks
yeah you guys are "insane" ... so I subscribed today
I would have bought a gibson decades ago if it was a "Gibson SE". I admit, a large part of buying my les paul is the name on the headstock. I am not proud of that, but i am proud of the guitar.
Fender Foto Flame Made in Japan. The. Best. Strat. Ever. Lots of people find Foto Flame’s goofy, but the quality is something else.
D4 and Necromancer is love :)
Baxter - Mossimo used to be a good brand for skater clothes back in the 90s, before they sold to Target. They even put out a line of custom Zippos with artwork that was on their clothes. I'm collecting those too, 24 Mossimo Zippos so far, and there's at least one I don't have yet.
On topic though hahaha, it's weird but it feels better playing a Fender over a Squier. And it's mostly in the head. (maybe it really is the quality difference though, cheap Squier Bullets aren't that great out of the box). One of my current favorites is my $200 Squier bullet Mustang that I modded, did some fret work, Seymour Duncan JB & Jazz, CTS pots, new wiring, Graphtech trees and saddles, and what make the biggest difference in my head - sanding the Squier logo off the headstock, painting it body color, and putting a biohazard sticker in place of the logo. Made all the difference. Plays and feels like my Fenders, and my mind is tricked by not having a Squier logo.
If a sticker is all it takes to fool you then maybe you should rethink that position.
@@yargnadIf you don't know how to read, don't bother to reply. Because you clearly didn't read all that I wrote, you just wanted to be a smart ass and rude for no reason. People like you are the problem with this world.
I put protective Mojo on my headstock’s works wonders.
The most important thing about the headstock for me is function.
There are some headstocks that look cool and some that look awful, but it wouldn’t be a deal maker or breaker for me.
If everything else was equal then the shape will matter
I just don't like the models without a headstock. 😂
@@golfrick007 they do look odd to me, and have a different feel to them, but not a deal breaker or maker for me
@@golfrick007 Even guitars without a headstock keep tune better than a Gibson
When Baxter started talking about Skittles, that felt very personal. It sounded like that was coming from his soul. 😂
Backster have you seen Windy City Heat?
The name on the headstock and where it is made matters. But I am an old timer and listened to the music from 70's, 80's.
About the gatekeeping, I am a fan of Martins, but I left a Martin fan group on Facebook because it was all gatekeeping and flexing. I just wanted to talk about the guitars I love.
Fender have four levels: Custom Shop, Fender USA, Fender Mexico and Squier (leaving aside Fender Japan, which is supposed to keep to the Asian market.) There are signs that they are seeking to simplify: Custom Shop production is being ramped up as Fender USA production is being reduced, and production shifted to Mexico. (New signature models tend to be MIM.) The aim seems to that only Custom Shop products will be made in USA.
I'm kind of the antithesis of this mindset. I've never owned a Gibson or a Fender or PRS. I like weird brands, some cheapo ones and some that are more "boutique", but all of them different. And sometimes you can find a real gem...I got a late 60's St George 12-string that is PERFECT for less than $400 that sits right behind my Duesenberg Starplayer TV Phonic. So I will admit to being very brand aware, but the big brands aren't really a draw. Someday maybe I'll own a Telecaster or a 355...but probably not, unless I win the lottery.
Is the universe fine tuned for consciousness?
Yes, brands matter to me! I know some people can be more invested in their own identity as a “clear-eyed, budget-conscious” person but for me identifying with the brand is part of it … was the same with cameras, cars, … anything kinda pricey. Like what neighborhood do you live in? Or are you a Tele player or a Strat player? They become social identities and you join what social scientists call “imagined communities” - the “tribes” Jonathan was talking about. But there is something “real” about it because there’s a practice element, so if I have a question about how to get a certain sound then it’s that “community” I’ll turn to.
Some of us have evolved beyond that and achieve the same end result without tribal mentality. Most of the community I see around these brands are mentally toxic and divisive. I've had enough of it for three lifetimes.
Yes it matters, at least to me...
Have you heard of anyone buying the Stapleton Epiphone? I haven't even seen a demo.
The mahogany Martin behind Jonathan is not listed on yor website. What the deal?
The deal is that they are not for sale. Whether they actually belong to the company or to Baxter personally is a bit murkier.
If the guitar sounds great, then its a great guitar.
The LOGO on the headstock NO LONGER MATTERS.
My Epiphone custom is great, has a ebony fingerboard.
MIM Strat with a roasted maple fingerboard sounds amazing.
I think the real reason gibson doesn't put the gibson style headstock and gibson name/logo on their epi line is because a lot of people would just buy those instead of buying a 2.5k usa made one, but idk I could be wrong.
If you havent tried Novo's sub-brand Rivolta yet, you are missing out! I bought the Rivolta Regatta 6 months ago, and while its 12-1500$, its a great guitar made in Korea. Compared to a $5k Novo, its a steal and according to the law of diminishing returns its definitely more value for the money.
I checked that brand out when I was looking up Reverend's factory Mirr Music, their stuff looks really cool. Mirr builds models for a bunch of brands, I bought a Baum wingman. Baum recently pulled out tho for a factory in Indonesia. Yet of course the prices stay the same 😅 Shame, their stuff is really unique
Is that a baby Blue Novo between you two?
There was a fella a few years back. He got hold of a B-stock Boogie body, a neck, slapped in some pickups, and used a couple cans of spray paint and some tape to finish it. Fella went by the name Eddie Van Halen. He was too busy making music to be bothered with brands and wasting time shopping for the status guitar.
First, how can you two only have 58k subscribers? People don't know what they are missing. Regarding the topic, I have found that it is very hard to sell guitars that aren't a major brand until I slash the price.Also it is annoying when my non-guitar playing friends ask what I play and they give me a weird look when I tell them I play a Schecter Nick Johnston(who is he?) or a G&L Legacy(they don't care about the history of Leo Fender). I always get a positive nod when I tell them I play a Fender Stratocaster. Everybody knows what that it.
Man.... that green is the only color I don't have! Sick!
Normally I would want to buy a real-deal Gibson, Fender American, PRS Core guitar, because for me a guitar is a big-purchase decision, and I believe in supporting Domestic Manufacturing. I'll save longer to get me there. I think the manufacturers now are using their Asian-made lines to push-up the list prices and profit margins of their American lines even more than ever.
If I were to buy an Epiphone, I would try to find a MIK Sheraton II, something that is kind of representative of Epiphone Guitars. I've been on the hunt for ages for a good used Yamaha SA2000 or SA2200 guitar. I am a user of and huge supporter of GODIN guitars, as they make all of their guitars right here in Canada and USA, even the more affordable models, their quality is excellent, and you are supporting Local.
I don't really want to buy a Made in China guitar, especially at a high price point, because I don't like what it represents: Exploitation of cheap labour, the undermining and loss of North American Manufacturing, the cold pursuit of maximum profit and shareholder return over everything else; especially now that the price points have gone up significantly in the last few years across the spectrum due at least in part to, as Baxter says, Luxur-ification / Premium-ification of almost everything.
There's one thing to be said about supporting USA made, but it's a other thing to not support Chinese workers. They deserve to be paid as well and not buying them would only mean they lose their skilled work and have to go do something even more exploitative. They didn't choose their government and they're no less human than Americans.
Plus, your thinking on China is outdated. They're no longer being exploited to the levels we've been led to believe. There's tons of investment into the workforce education and pay is increasing so quickly that it won't be long before it's no longer financially viable for guitar makers to build there. Many companies are moving to Vietnam and other countries. And the cycle will start again. It's the American companies you're referring to, along with elected politicians, that ensure this cycle of exploitation is never ending. Gotta love Capitalism.
Guitarist are like the Will Smith character in i-Robot, holding on to remnants of the past while the rest have embraced technology in all of its forms
Restaurant down the block from me for dessert does 2 Huge white macadamia nut cookies with 2 scoops of homemade ice cream between them. I know what Im having for dinner now!
It's OK to have brand loyalty. People do it with everything from food to cars. So love your Gibson and Fender. ❤
And your Harley Benton and Eart.
So Dylan is like a “Pledge” of Casino Guitars? If so, I want to be there for Initiation.
The shape of the Epiphone headstock bothers me more than the name. I know they made it closer to Gibson, but it's still not there. At least Squier and PRS SE have the same shape as the higher end guitars.
Started playing guitar initially in 1973. Self funded teen. First acoustic in 1973 a Yamaha. First electric a Japanese made Ibanez SG in 1975 long before Ibanez was a name let alone a prestigious one. Never owned a Fender or Gibson, no desire to, never will. Took up guitar again 6 years ago. Now at an age where the self funding doesn't present the same financial challenge it did back then, and living in an era of extraodinary accessability to fine instruments.
Acquired 19 guitars so far with a decision to halt there, mainly for maintenance, practicality and logistic reasons. Status of a brand doesn't matter to me. Never has never will. Quality and performance associated with a brand does. No surprise, several Yamahas and an Ibanez (not the same one long since sold) still in my lineup, along with several guitars from Cort, a couple of fabulous Gretsch Electromatics, a Harley Benton, an SX, and a lone Chinese manufactured Squier. Proudly, not one instrument made in America!
Fender and Gibson as brands are dead to me, although I am grateful Gretsch survives through the Fender Corporation. But Gretsch only get my money because their Chinese made instruments achieve the Gretsch playing and tonal characteristics and both build quality and QC are superb, yet at a commensurately and fair price. In the unlikely event I was to buy a PRS, it wouldn't be for the brand per se, and it'd likely be an SE made by Core-Tek iin Indonesia. More likely though I'd buy an equivalent self branded Cort of higher spec and quality for less.
Reverends look RALLY cool & ice cream sandwhichs are GREAT!
I’m always so distracted by the guitars in the background, especially that blue strat and Novo! 🥵
Can you guys bring back the “CG” Casino Guitars shirts? No specific reason…
I see a novo Mirus T! Give us a demo!!! Right now….
Please and thank you
Yeah, regardless of what anyone says, the headstock shape matters.
In fact, I firmly believe it is the very reason why people hate on Gibson (more than any other brand) as much as they do.
Fender and Squier still have the same headstock shape.
PRS and PRS SE still have the same headstock shape.
Same with ESP and LTD…Ibanez and Ibanez Gio... Gretsch and Gretsch Electromatics... and so on and so on. Every manufacturer’s bargain brand has the same headstock shape as the core/high end brands.
…. except Gibson.
They put a totally different headstock on the Epiphone models. Granted, not all of them are different… Vs and Explorers for example… but the flagship models don’t get that coveted Gibson headstock.
So, people go all sour grapes on Gibson and rag on them with the tired “QC” argument… or that they cost too much… or that they don’t innovate, or whatever. They’re just mad because they can’t get an Epiphone, sand off the logo and put a Gibson one in its place (like so many people do with Squiers, etc) and make it look like the Gibson.
It's why there are videos of people reshaping Epiphone headstocks to open book style... it's why people almost never show a photo of their Epiphones with the headstock showing..
It’s also why people are big on the Chibson guitars… and sayin how they are soooo good.
They're just butthurt and want that open-book headstock on their Epiphone just like the Gibson... but don’t want to pay for it.
Totally agree! I've been saying this exact same thing for years!
Or maybe some people see right through the hype and bs from the "big brands". In the end, a guitar is a couple pieces of wood and some simple electronic bits. Do you really think that copper wire is better in the USA than in Korea? Do you really think that US (imported) mahogany is better than Korean (imported) mahogany? Of course it isn't. Is sandpaper better in the US? Nope. Are US skilled laborers as good or better than those from Mexico....yeah right.
I could afford a Gibson, but I won't. Not because they aren't great guitars, but because there are great guitars all over the place, at all price points, and all of them generate and transmit an electrical signal from strings to amp.
I personally would feel foolish spending 6-10 times as much money for a product that isn't superior. It's just chrome on a pinto....pointless ego.
In fact, my father paid an outrageous sum for a '64 Gibson sg bass like he had in the 60's....it's a total piece of crap. He then paid a luthier to refinish it, and the workmanship was shoddy. The bass barely functions, and he had the nerve to pooh-pooh my PRS SE for being made overseas.
I think the opposite of your argument is true....some of you guys just like to feel superior through your purchases, while some of us would rather have a great guitar and no overpay for it
@@stevescuba1978 For the record, I never said that any brand was bad or better than another. I have 6 Gibsons, 2 Epiphones, a MIM Fender, a USA Fender, and a Squier. I have a PRS S2 and a MIJ Greco. Great guitars can be had at any price point with any headstock. I was only giving my take on why people like to shit on Gibson more than any other. The arguments they give aren't that strong and flawed at best. Been playing for nearly 4 decades and have had a Gibson or two at almost all points, and have never experienced the often parroted pitfalls that many claim when it comes to Gibson. Cheers!
I think to carry the brand name gives the impression that also the affordable range has a good quality standard....
The white Strat that Jack Pearson played in this video was a Squier. You can tell when he is standing beside the keyboard player the logo begins with “S” not “F”.
th-cam.com/video/VmZoCrlHQY4/w-d-xo.html
I think it's simply the brands having built a sense of "If you have this, you've "Made it" mentality with their customer bases - Which helps them keep the price points high.
This isn't to say that like PRS; (And, to an extent, Fender) - you can't streamline all your products under one brand, but under many product lines. But it maybe makes it a little more difficult for the big F or G to upsell something for 2/3x the price (Gibson LP Studio, vs Epiphone Studio) when the differences (eventually) become very narrow - outside of the country of manufacture. Also makes product placements more difficult (Where do we put the Squier, Classic Vibe, Mexi, Artist Series, Japanese, Low American, High American, etc in the product line? - And not confuse our customers even more?)
At least in Fender's case, it's not a sense of "Only American made can have the name!" with the Mexi, Japanese & Korean Strats. - But at that point; it becomes a cork-sniffer deal, almost like buying a BMW or Mercedes.
A "New Guy" to the brand, maybe won't know the difference, and will just be proud to have, and tell people, "Hey, I've got a BMW/Mercedes!" - whereas the cork-sniffers - will then go, "Oh, it's only a lowly 1 series" or "The C in C-Class stands for CHEAP!"
The same would then happen w/ the Gibson guys "Oh, well, only a USA LP Custom, or Masterbuilt is a "REAL" Fender/Gibson."
Either way, at the end of the day, what matters is these are tools for us to have fun, express ourselves, &/or even make money. If it does the job you need it to, and keeps you happy - that's all that matters.
Headstock envy is real, and brands matter; for some reason history & marketing have engrained to our brains. But it still doesn't mean it's "Better"
You, sir; are the smartest guy in the room this morning.
Thank you sir! I'd like to think I still have a few marbles rollin' around in the old noggin (laughs)
@@Briandnlo4
The weirder part about the Epi headstock being different is that the Epi break angle is smaller. So why the heck hasn’t this been changed on Gibson? They know they can use a smaller angle, yet still choose not to!
Play Authentic?
You can't change anything on a Gibson, because Gibson fans are hardcore conservatives who object to any change even if it's for their own good.
Or at least a volute, or a scarf joint. That brand loyalty is real painful sometimes though.
It really matters if you want to sell it later.
Paul says the info on the back of the SE is to bolster the factory's sense of ownership and responsibility as their name is on the guitar too.