Why are Epiphones so cheap?

[Sifu Ben]

In the grand scheme of things, epiphones aren't that cheap. You get a lot more guitar for your money from Dean, Washburn, Ibanez, Godin, Cort  etc at that price point. The body construction is OK, but the neck on my SG warps as soon as you look at it. The components are simply DREADFUL. The switch starts to die after about a year, the volume controls have such a poor taper that it's basically on or off, the bridge is a POS, with badly cut saddles (I went up to a .52 E string and had to attack it with a needle file) and the tuners are the worst I have ever seen. The problem is that because it's SO bad, I don't want to spend £300 on it to get it into giggable shape.
 I am sometimes tempted to get a cheap or second hand black beauty and do it up though.

[Crazy Gra]

If I were looking at Epi's I'd buy a Tokai instead. (Which I did).

I also didn't find any Gibson Standard or Custom locally that would hold a candle in anyway (other than pickups) to the Tokai Custom (LC80). The sustain and warmth from this thing is huge, maybe I just got lucky, or maybe the local dealers only had cr@p LP's in stock at that time.

So what worked for me was to get the best sounding guitar and stick Mules in. It's a sleeper now. I'm not interested in re-sale, this is my knock about guitar.

[I_cant_play]

damn that's a beautiful guitar...too bad I've never seen a tokai in canada.. :(

[sgmypod]

Nah played LP, Epi and tokai but the guild bluesbird beat them all, even came with quite good sh1 59's pickups.......which I replaced with emeralds....

[_tom_]

Loving the look of the bluesbird on the left in that pic!

[Searcher]

damn that's a beautiful guitar...too bad I've never seen a tokai in canada.. :(

Really?  I ws in a local music shop yesterday trying out several Tokais.  They had a Les Paul Gold Top model with P-90 pickups that was just awesome!  It had one-piece body and nice finish.  I also liked the Melody Maker copy they had.  It was eye-piercing bright yellow!  :lol:

[sgmypod]

yup missed out on that colour and the red mine is the one in my avatar

[sgmypod]

If getting Tokai there are two standards think the Jap ones are the nicer finish fit etc

[indysmith]

If getting Tokai there are two standards think the Jap ones are the nicer finish fit etc

not to mention the correct woods!
i think the korean ones are alder with a sycamore top :?

[blue]

isn't sycamore basically a breed of maple?

[Crazy Gra]

Yes, with Tokais the Jap ones are the quality ones. I only wish I'd've got one in the 70's/80's when the yen was worth nothing compared to the Aussie $. Back then they were SENSATIONAL value as opposed to just being good value now.

New Tokais have only just reappered in Australia I can't imagine many Gibson dealers stocking them.  :twisted:

BTW Anyone got a Fernadez Strat for sale?  :)

[fps_dean]

You gotta watch out.  You can't get some of the Epiphones in tune because by the time you finish tuning, half the guitar has already gone out of tune.

The more expensive ones are okay, but Gibsons are worth it for one reason - the woods are superior.  With an Epiphone Les Paul, you get an alder body and a maple top.   An Epiphone SG would be the same with the exception of the G-400 which is mahogany and the deluxe has a maple top on that.

Anyway if you want the Les Paul sound, Epiphone wont quite get you there.

Also, I believe Sifu Ben is correct when he said the internal electronics on Epiphones is a total hackjob.  I see more Epiphones with shorts in the switch or elsewhere than any other guitar.  While I say that Gibson has had no form of quality control at all since 1970, it is very rare that I have seen similiar problems with a Gibson.

The Godins I have played have all been good Gibson alternatives too, and Dean and Schecter make some acceptable LP alternatives too.  I would avoid PRS because they bend you over and send you home with their cr@p just as much as Gibson does.

[fps_dean]

Nah played LP, Epi and tokai but the guild bluesbird beat them all, even came with quite good sh1 59's pickups.......which I replaced with emeralds....

Guild has made Gibson-style guitars for years and they are cheap but just as good.  My father owns four Guild acoustics, none of which he paid a lot for and you can't beat them with less than $2000usd to spend.

Just after I bought my first electric, there was a Guild Les Paul Custom (or their version of) in a local store.  I would have bought that first in a heartbeat!

[Dakine]

This is a MAIN Tokai dealer in Canada!
Although most he shows are made under liscence in Korea, the Customs ones have FUll mahogany with Maple top etc.

http://www.jsdguitarshack.com/tokai_love_rock.html

also a Dillon dealer.

[Crazy Gra]

 I would avoid PRS because they bend you over and send you home with their cr@p just as much as Gibson does.

I couldn't have put it any better! You can add Fender "we're disgustingly overpriced and getting lazy living off the badge" Australia to that as well.