The fiesta red issue

[Billyboygretsch]

Disagree I purchased an Epiphone Changed pick ups and it looks and sounds very good. Have 335 which I prefer but build quality of Custom shop guitars seems to be good.

[MeBHank]

Thanks for the advice, gents. I've played the Epiphone Dot (which tries to be a 335) but it's seriously not up to scratch. A friend of mine has an old Yamaha which I love playing (I forget the model number but it's not the SA 2200). It would likely be a stop-gap until I can afford a Gibson. Those years spent chasing Shadows (now there's a great autobiography title!) are taking their toll; other genres of music will have to suffer till the rest of my life has caught up!

J

[GrayH]

I have to step up and defend Epiphone! My main guitars are are a Sorrento and a Sheraton, I think you have to play a few before choosing one though. I've tried some great, and not so great Dots.
However, if you have a great Strat, I don't see why you can't use it. It'll age naturally through use. And Clapton does ok with a shiny one

Gray

[neil2726]

My son has just bought an Epiphone Les Paul Custom which compares well with a friends Gibson Les Paul. At least the Epiphone stays in tune better than the Gibson and sounds just as good!

[JimN]

Benjamin, I just want to say one word to you... just one word...

Are you listening?

Credibility.

[Billyboygretsch]

Benjamin don't mix it up with the other word snobbery. Try out plenty and choose the one that's right for you. As with most makes there are good and bad. When I played strats in the early 60s they rattled and went out of tune but people pay a fortune for these without trying them especially on auction sites.

[RUSSET]

I also will defend Epiphone. I have an Epi Les Paul, which bought new about 8 years ago. Yes, I did have a couple of issues with it, but it's a budget range range compared to the parent company, Gibson, so you can't expect complete perfection for the price you pay. I had the usual issues of that time with the pickup selector switch, which tended to cut out occassionally when changing pickups (bad design). I got that changed free, at the store's expense, for a Gibson one. The other thing was that I personally found the humbuckers on it too powerful for my taste. More suited to heavy distortion styles of play. I think they measured about 13K. I changed them for a set of Wilkinson Classic Vintage humbuckers rated at about 8K each, & now it sounds a lot more like a Les Paul should. The finish,feel & build of the actual body & neck of my Les Paul is great, & I would never sell it; it's so comfortable. It only cost me £350 brand new, not £2,000 plus that you would pay for the Gibson version, & it now sounds very good for an out & out Rock guitar.

Tony.

[ecca]

Get a Gibbo and done with yer daft bat.

[JimN]

We have three Epiphones here... no... hang on a minute... it's four:

[*]Casino (the Epi version of the 330, and a miles better guitar than the Epi Dot 335)*
[*]Emperor Regent (with a genuine Gibson Johnny Smith floater retro-fitted)
[*]Les Paul Standard (sunburst)
[*]Jeff "Skunk" Baxter model (an electro-acoustic).

We also have Gibsons, and I know of what I speak: the Epis are nowhere near the quality of the Gibson (or USA-made Epiphone) originals. But that really doesn't matter all that much at local jam nights, playing at home, etc.

At local gigs and jams, quite a few players -especially younger players and middle-aged guitarists re-establishing themselves in youthful pastimes - use Asian Epiphone and similar guitars. In that atmosphere, there's no real competition and no-one has to prove anything. The reason for that is that they are not trying to mark out territory for themselves as pro players. To be taken seriously in the business, you have to show that you take the business seriously. I marked the Casino above with an asterisk. That's because it's one of only a very few Asian Epiphones you could realistically expect to see in pro use on (say) "Later with Jools Holland". Certainly not an Epi Les Paul or the "Dot".

JN

[Billyboygretsch]

Well that's really interesting. Are you saying that Gibson are the only ones who can manufacture double cut 300 series style guitars of quality. You do not state what you feel is inadequate about the Epiphone range. Have you ever owned one.
If you are stating that the 335 in many instances is a fantastic guitar I would agree. However the best guitar I ever owned and played was a melody maker single pick up single cut back in the early sixties because it suited both my playing style at the time and my size. Choosing a guitar is a very personal thing as is choosing a partner and I would never dismiss a certain type.
Not sure what this has to do with the Fiesta red issue. I am sure that most would agree that a 330 style guitar in Fiesta red would not be that ?