Guitars

[Bellend Sebastian]

19 minutes ago, Flamey said:

What about this? Only 18 grand for something that looks like a kid made 😳

I sent mine back because it only had five strings.

 

You'd think for that kind of money they could get the basics right

[VLC86]

19 minutes ago, Flamey said:

What about this? Only 18 grand for something that looks like a kid made 😳

If James Maddison played guitar, this is the guitar he would buy.

[Flamey]

1 hour ago, VLC86 said:

If James Maddison played guitar, this is the guitar he would buy.

👏 Best comment of 2025 🤣

[RoboFox]

On 01/01/2025 at 10:37, Bellend Sebastian said:

White "Inspired by Gibson Custom shop" Epi Les Paul Custom down to £899 (RRP £1199). Don't think I'll bite in the current sale but it feels like only a matter of time

Madness that Epiphones are now fetching over a grand. 

 

I own a G-400 Custom which I love, but it cost me about £250 new if I recall. 

 

[Bellend Sebastian]

40 minutes ago, RoboFox said:

Madness that Epiphones are now fetching over a grand. 

 

I own a G-400 Custom which I love, but it cost me about £250 new if I recall. 

 

Just inflation mainly, isn't it? I bought a brand new US standard Telecaster in 2002 for £549 (list price was probably £699 at the time) the equivalent is now about £1,600.

 

I cannot imagine they're selling many of those Epis for over £1,000 because most of us will react in the same way, and within a year of release the prices seem to be dropping quite a bit.

 

Also bear in mind that a Gibson Les Paul Standard is now over two grand (even a Studio is £1,600), and from what I've read (full disclosure, I've not had a go on either) the gap in terms of quality is not that big (the Epis have pretty much the same electronics in them) so maybe it's a case of the Gibsons being overpriced

 

 

Edited 3 January by Bellend Sebastian

[RoboFox]

1 minute ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Just inflation mainly, isn't it? I bought a brand new US standard Telecaster in 2002 for £549 (list price was probably £699 at the time) the equivalent is now about £1,600.

 

I cannot imagine they're selling many of those Epis for over £1,000 because most of us will react in the same way, and within a year of release the prices seem to be dropping quite a bit.

 

Also bear in mind that a Gibson Les Paul Standard is now over two grand (even a Studio is £1,600), and from what I've read (full disclosure, I've not had a go on either) the gap in terms of quality is not that big (the Epis have pretty much the same electronics in them) so maybe it's a case of the Gibsons being overpriced

 

 

Feels like there's definitely been a more-than-inflation increase in Epi prices compared to their Gibson counterparts IMO. Maybe it reflects changes in components and manufacturing. In the early 00s, Epiphones I think were made in Korea but their parts were pretty inferior and that was reflected in the price you paid. 

 

Gibsons have always been overpriced, mind.

[Bellend Sebastian]

2 hours ago, RoboFox said:

Feels like there's definitely been a more-than-inflation increase in Epi prices compared to their Gibson counterparts IMO. Maybe it reflects changes in components and manufacturing. In the early 00s, Epiphones I think were made in Korea but their parts were pretty inferior and that was reflected in the price you paid. 

 

Gibsons have always been overpriced, mind.

I think in this instance it's more that they're introducing new models in price brackets that we associate with the premium brands.

 

I bought a Korean Epi Les Paul Standard in about 1997 for just short of £400, which according to the BofE calculator is equivalent to £769 today. The closest thing in the Epiphone range today is about £550, so that seems a pretty good deal.

 

The strategy of introducing the "Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop" range makes sense on some levels as there's a very big gap between the standard Epis and the Gibsons to fill, and these fit right in the middle.  That said, as you've noted, it means persuading folk to part with around a grand for an Epiphone, which doesn't quite sit right, does it? It's also incredibly confusing for the uninitiated, with two Epiphone models of some variants of the same thing which at first glance look much the same despite significantly different prices. You can buy an Alpine White Epiphone Les Paul Custom for 600 quid, and another Alpine White Epiphone Les Paul Custom for 1100 quid, which seems a bit odd from a marketing point of view. 

 

The prices of the latter are already dropping, and I think they need to, but I cannot see them binning the cheaper ones so it'll remain a bit of a dog's breakfast

 

 

[FerrisBueller]

On 03/01/2025 at 11:53, RoboFox said:

Madness that Epiphones are now fetching over a grand. 

 

I own a G-400 Custom which I love, but it cost me about £250 new if I recall. 

 

One of my biggest regrets selling mine, unbelievable guitar.

[RoboFox]

1 hour ago, FerrisBueller said:

One of my biggest regrets selling mine, unbelievable guitar.

It's great. I still play it a lot. So tonally versatile.

 

Ideally I'd replace the pickups but putting in 3 premium humbuckers just isn't economically viable. 

 

My biggest gripe with it is the neck dive. Easily the worst I've ever experienced  But I don't gig anymore so it doesn't bother me. It has a lot of sentimental value for me so I'll never part with it. 

 

Edited 10 January by RoboFox

[Bellend Sebastian]

Fender Player II Jaguar is supposed to be really good and I want one

[Flamey]

15 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Fender Player II Jaguar is supposed to be really good and I want one

Good choice, I got a Player ii jazz in Oct, lovely guitar. 👍

[Bellend Sebastian]

1 hour ago, Flamey said:

Good choice, I got a Player ii jazz in Oct, lovely guitar. 👍

Oh wow, that's lush that is. The reviews of this range seem to suggest there aren't many compromises, would you agree? Whereas the new Standards have been absolutely panned

[Flamey]

1 hour ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Oh wow, that's lush that is. The reviews of this range seem to suggest there aren't many compromises, would you agree? Whereas the new Standards have been absolutely panned

I have absolutely no regrets about this purchase, the fretboard is rosewood too..as opposed to the Pay Ferro they had been using for a while,...which whilst being ok it wasn't quite dark enough imo (1st world problems I know 😳)

[Flamey]

its my go-to guitar nowadays, and (like most guitarists) I do have other options 🤣

[Bellend Sebastian]

I saw The Darkness on Thursday, which as always makes me want to buy a Les Paul 

 

Jordan Guitars in Glenfield have got a 1955 Les Paul Custom, a bargain at 25 grand. I could save a bit of money by walking there to pick it up

[Flamey]

On 29/03/2025 at 08:01, Bellend Sebastian said:

I saw The Darkness on Thursday, which as always makes me want to buy a Les Paul 

 

Jordan Guitars in Glenfield have got a 1955 Les Paul Custom, a bargain at 25 grand. I could save a bit of money by walking there to pick it up

Bargain!!! 😳

[Bellend Sebastian]

2 hours ago, Flamey said:

Bargain!!! 😳

It's not even all original. If it was, I shudder to think how much it would be

[Finnegan]

On 29/03/2025 at 08:01, Bellend Sebastian said:

saw The Darkness on Thursday

 

[Bellend Sebastian]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

 

Satisfaction pretty much GUARANTEED

[Finnegan]

11 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Satisfaction pretty much GUARANTEED

 

Because expectations are non existent? 

[Bellend Sebastian]

12 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

Because expectations are non existent? 

I've seen them 6 times (I think) now and my expectations only ever ratchet upwards! 

 

In all seriousness though, I bloody love them. They are about the only band I've ever seen where I would cheerily invite someone along that wasn't familiar with them with a reasonably high expectation they'd enjoy themselves. Are you coming next time?

[Finnegan]

6 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

I've seen them 6 times (I think) now and my expectations only ever ratchet upwards! 

 

In all seriousness though, I bloody love them. They are about the only band I've ever seen where I would cheerily invite someone along that wasn't familiar with them with a reasonably high expectation they'd enjoy themselves. Are you coming next time?

 

I've actually seen them before, about the time the first album came out. 

 

I was extremely salty that they made the main stage at Reading while the far superior Datsuns didn't. Although tbf, tent stage far more the vibe for a proper garage rock band.