Don't be afraid to try something heavier than you're used to. 011 gauge strings will feel lighter and easier to bend on a Gibson/Epiphone than a longer scale (25.5") Fender. If you're going to be hanging your guitar from a strap at a gig or rehearsal, all night, weight can be an important factor.įinally, it's worth mentioning that the 24.75" scale length of a Gibson and Epiphone - the distance between the bridge and top nut - can allow you to fit heavier strings than you might think. Non weight relieved Custom Shop reissue Les Paul Customs can run between nine and eleven pounds, or more. A Les Paul often sits between eight and nine pounds, especially if it's weight-relieved. SGs tend to be light, around seven pounds. If you prefer something with a bit more meat then consider a 50s spec model or any guitar with a "rounded" profile neck.Ĭompare weight too. This popular neck profile might not suit everyone. Get your hands on a few examples of both and compare the sounds and playability.Ī great deal of the Gibson and Epiphone models you find will have the "60s SlimTaper" neck shape. If you have less than a grand to invest, you might prefer a higher spec Epiphone for the price of an entry-level Gibson. Even something cheap can produce a great tone. Epiphone Vs Gibson: Buying adviceĭon't judge a guitar by its price tag. Many Epiphone guitars now feature Indian Laurel 'boards, a sustainable alternative to rosewood that you'll find on many manufacturers' sub-$1,000 guitar spec sheets. Other Customs have synthetic Richlite fingerboards, an eco substitute for ebony. Custom Shop reissue Les Paul Customs come spec'd with ebony 'boards. The former will generally feature rosewood 'boards. You'll also encounter different fingerboard woods on Gibson and Epiphone guitars. Again, this looks agreeable when working in cahoots with a time-worn nitro lacquer. The nickel hardware fitted to nitro-coated Gibson guitars will dull over time.
These guitars usually come with chrome hardware which maintains its gleam over the years. A ten-year-old poly Les Paul can look like new if it's looked after. Many players also believe it allows the guitar to "breathe" for better tone. Nitrocellulose reacts to stuff like the environment, oils from your skin, and light exposure. What's the difference? Nitro is usually applied in a thinner coat than poly. Epiphone guitars come shipped in a tougher poly finish. Gibson models are coated in a vintage style nitrocellulose lacquer. The big difference between Epiphone and Gibson guitars is the finish.
That said, some of the greatest rock and blues tones of all time have been fuelled by 'buckers so it hasn't put cats like Jimmy Page and Slash off their game. Neck pickups in particular can sound a bit 'woolly'. Humbuckers, as the name suggests, produce way less background noise but that comes at the expense of clarity. The downside to P90s is they can produce a lot of background hum. Think Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. As a rule of thumb, P90s produce a fat tone with good note separation when you engage your overdrive or distortion. Gibson guitars, and their Epiphone equivalents, come with either single coil P90 pickups or double coil humbuckers. As pretty as all of these guitars are, it's the tones they produced that make them special. Epiphone Vs Gibson: The tonesīetween 19 Gibson launched the Les Paul Standard, Junior and Special, the ES-335, Flying V and Explorer not to mention a new double-cut Les Paul design in the early 60s that was eventually rechristened the SG. What really put the brand back in business in more 'recent' times was the conspicuous use of Epiphone by Noel Gallagher and Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs in the early days of Oasis. As a result, a 60s original costs a bloody fortune. The ES semi-solid thinline guitars are Cream era Clapton, Alvin Lee of Ten Years After and BB King and his infamous squeeze "Lucille".Īnd Epiphone? The Beatles played Casinos in the mid-60s. The Firebird is blues icon Johnny Winter, dead Rolling Stone Brian Jones and Joe Bonamassa.
EPIPHONE MODEL NUMBER U01050871 MOD
The SG is synonymous with rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mod god Paul Weller, Robbie Krieger of The Doors and Angus Young of AC/DC, natch. You want brand ambassadors? The Gibson Les Paul Standard has been clutched by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, top hat model Slash, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, Bluesbreakers-era Eric Clapton, Dire Straits' legend Mark Knopfler, hirsute hombre Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and thousands more.