Sadly, though, it’s quite hard to find on Amazon, as the guitar sells very fast. That’s an unfair listing, to be honest: most people would only tell the difference when looking at the logo on the headstock.įor example, the Epiphone Les Paul-100 sells for about $300. And not because Gibson is faulting Epiphone is getting consistently better.ĭecades after Gibson created the Les Paul, Epiphone is known as the cheap alternative to the “real” thing. Moreover, they tend to use proprietary pickups to cheapen the price even further.Īlso, Epiphone takes manufacturing overseas, which helps reduce the price compared to USA-made Gibson instruments.Īnd even though these guitars are cheaper, telling the difference between a full-blown Gibson Les Paul and an Epiphone Les Paul is getting harder every year. These “copies” use the same specs, measures, and proprietary features with generally lesser quality on the tonewoods, electronics, post, or aesthetics. So, if you can’t afford a particular Gibson model, Epiphone surely has an alternative, an affordable copy. Epiphone is the other side of the coin, covering the market segment Gibson can’t. Nowadays, you wouldn’t find these original, premium Epiphone models so easily, as Gibson prefers to control the premium segment. Other legendary guitar players like The Kink’s Dave Davies or John Lennon played on Epiphone’s vintage and magical guitar. The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richard should tell you: he plays one live.

It’s a brief moment in history where Epiphone made the superior guitar.

So they had some relevant guitars and basses in the market.įor example, their Epiphone Casino hollow-body electric guitar competed against the Gibson 330 model. Most people don’t know Epiphone was a significant guitar brand before Gibson acquired the brand. Gibson had its own guitar range, and so did Epiphone. They worked in the same building, but their manufacturing sites were in different places. Back in the ‘60s, Gibson bought Epiphone and made it its official subsidiary.

Epiphone casino electric guitar review