Anybody owns a SG from both, Epiphone and Gibson?

[Maguchi]

Today I stopped by my local guitar shop to check some guitars. I saw a SG from Gibson side by side with an Epiphone. Same color too. They looked basically identical apart from the headstock. Mainly, I was surprised that I couldn't say the Gibson was visibly better built. This just wasn't obvious at all.

I have not looked at new Gibsons for a while as I much prefer buying used and older guitars. The Gibson was also very shiny. Are they using poly on Gibson SGs now? All together it just didn't feel worth it at all paying the huge price difference for a headstock. Since the pickups and electronics are easily changed on solid bodies.

Both of them passed and failed my main finishing and QC tests when I look at guitars. I always check the body bidding where it meets the neck for color bleeding etc and the fretboard for glue. Neither had that, which is good. But both failed the neck meets body test. Often cheap guitars mess up there and the finish is not smooth. They are hidden by the neck pickup but if you look closely you can see it. I have seen this fail even in product photos online, which are sharp enough to zoom in. The Gibson looked as bad as the Epi there. Both failed in my eyes. My friend's 700 bucks Ibanez looks impeccable there in comparison.

So based on this example I saw, brand new, I would not spend the money on the Gibson SG. If you had told me they were made in the same factory, from a finish and QC point of view, I would have believed. Anybody here owns both and can comment?

I had a Epi G400 and currently have a 2020 Gibson SG Standard '61. I got the Epi G400 new in like the late '90s or early 2000s. It was a very capable guitar. The quality of the inlays and glue joints were not as clean on the G400 as my 2020 Gibson but I heard quality on the Epis may have improved since the late '90s and early 2000s. The G400 din't sound as lively and the wood din't resonate and vibrate as much as the new Gibby. This may or may not be due to the multiple piece body covered by a laminate front and back on the Epi. The older Epi does have a rosewood fretboard though instead of Indian Laurel like the current ones. The frets on the G400 were not dressed and finished as well and needed some work, while the Gibby fretboard was Plek'd and perfect out of the box.

BTW, the Gibson SGs have nitro and not poly finishes

 

[Big tuna]

I own both brands like both don't bad mouth either i do prefer lacquer over poly that's just me. I have no clue if one is better people on forums tells the difference I try not to be to technical about stuff but i don't want real thick finish on any guitar.

 

[Norton]

The way gibson PLEK's their guitars is only a marketing tag.

In order for a PLEK machine to do anything special it's got to have each guitar inside the machine for an extended period of time. The machine must take guitar specific scans of every element of the string path. This takes X amount of time and can't really be sped up.

Gibson sends their guitars through PLEK machines but only with a "One size fits all" set of parameters. And that's great. But it's NOTHING to get excited about.

PLEK's can do incredible things. But not in the way that the machines are being used at gibson.

 

[quadro]

I’ve owned an Epiphone G-400, a Gibson SG Standard and I currently own an Epiphone 1961 Les Paul SG.
I’ve played many other Epiphone and Gibson SG’s.
Most recently I test drove Standards by both. The Gibson was a bit nicer, but not $1400 nicer. I’d have been happy with the Epiphone, but I liked the pickups, electronics and hard case that came with the Les Paul SG, so I went for the middle option.

I have the Epi Les Paul
very nice guitar except the USA switch craft toggle switch just broke

Guitar is just over a year old

Called Gibson/Epiphone and they said that the warranty is now 3 years instead of the old one year and mine is grandfathered in

I bought it at the local Sam Ash and apparently they do not know this

but GC does

frustrating with Sam Ash

 

[BGood]

I have the Epi Les Paul
very nice guitar except the USA switch craft toggle switch just broke

Guitar is just over a year old

Called Gibson/Epiphone and they said that the warranty is now 3 years instead of the old one year and mine is grandfathered in

I bought it at the local Sam Ash and apparently they do not know this

but GC does

frustrating with Sam Ash

Broke ? Like bang ... in pieces ? You hit it ? Or it started acting and cutting out ?

 

[quadro]

Broke ? Like bang ... in pieces ? You hit it ? Or it started acting and cutting out ?

it hangs up and goes clunk when moving from the top to the middle

now it won’t engage the bridge only the neck works

Gibson/Epiphone says it’s under warranty and my local GC is an authorized repair center

they were going to send me a new switch but I am really not comfortable with soldering (bad memory from Highschool Shop lol) so I will take it in and get a new switch-the rep said they have been seeing this with some of the newer seitch craft
switches and they have them replaced. Good CS from Gibson:Epiphone

 

[BGood]

it hangs up and goes clunk when moving from the top to the middle

now it won’t engage the bridge only the neck works

Gibson/Epiphone says it’s under warranty and my local GC is an authorized repair center

they were going to send me a new switch but I am really not comfortable with soldering (bad memory from Highschool Shop lol) so I will take it in and get a new switch-the rep said they have been seeing this with some of the newer seitch craft
switches and they have them replaced. Good CS from Gibson:Epiphone

You know it is a simple mechanical item, easily adjusted or repaired and needs lubrication from time to time. This here is an Epiphone switch, not the same as a Switchcraft, but same concept. Both rarely "break" or self destroy.



Personally, I would first spray it with Deoxit (os similar) cleaning spray. 90% of the time, that will solve the problem. If that doesn't help, try fixing it instead of losing the guitar for who knows how long. If you really can't, then send it to the store. No need to unsolder anything.

 

[Equalphone]

Interesting. But I just saw a video review on a Gibson SG which was a 4 piece body. The SG faded. I know the fade was the bottom of the line. But did they cut a lot of corners to keep it cheap?

I thought the cheaper guitar brands used something worse than nickel silver for frets and that Gibson was probably using stainless. Interesting to know they use the "same" as Epi.

I believe that was only for the SG faded in the early 2000's. I don't think they are doing that with any SG's at the point. They still have the faded finish / unfilled grain on some models, but it's a one or two piece body depending on the model.

Nickel silver frets are an alloy of three materials. Some are harder than others. I've never seen any info on what alloys are harder and who uses which.

 

[Equalphone]

it hangs up and goes clunk when moving from the top to the middle

now it won’t engage the bridge only the neck works

Gibson/Epiphone says it’s under warranty and my local GC is an authorized repair center

they were going to send me a new switch but I am really not comfortable with soldering (bad memory from Highschool Shop lol) so I will take it in and get a new switch-the rep said they have been seeing this with some of the newer seitch craft
switches and they have them replaced. Good CS from Gibson:Epiphone

Epi switches are cheap. Finding a bad one is not uncommon. They can often be made better, but a Switchcraft switch is the real solution. I don't know why Epi doesn't have something better made for an extra dollar.

 

[BGood]

Epi switches are cheap. Finding a bad one is not uncommon. They can often be made better, but a Switchcraft switch is the real solution. I don't know why Epi doesn't have something better made for an extra dollar.

Sorry, but totally false. My 4 Epiphone (2004-2007-2011-2011) have their original toggle switch that still do 100% of what they were designed for. Once a year cleaning does it.

There aren't bad ones, but there sure are unmaintained ones. Would you replace a car door hinge because it creaks ? No, you would grease it and find out they then work as well as new. Same with the Epi switch.

Tons of people replace perfectly good parts, because the internet makes them believe what they have is crap.

 

[Norton]

yeah... Toggle switches are really rare to fail. It can happen, I'm sure. But it's got to be rare.

Epiphone has been using swtichcraft swtiches for a long time. Might be cheaper switch craft... but if your guitar is still under warranty, it's got a swtichcraft switch already in it.

 

[Equalphone]

yeah... Toggle switches are really rare to fail. It can happen, I'm sure. But it's got to be rare.

Epiphone has been using swtichcraft swtiches for a long time. Might be cheaper switch craft... but if your guitar is still under warranty, it's got a swtichcraft switch already in it.

Sorry, but totally false. My 4 Epiphone (2004-2007-2011-2011) have their original toggle switch that still do 100% of what they were designed for. Once a year cleaning does it.

There aren't bad ones, but there sure are unmaintained ones. Would you replace a car door hinge because it creaks ? No, you would grease it and find out they then work as well as new. Same with the Epi switch.

Tons of people replace perfectly good parts, because the internet makes them believe what they have is crap.

I've had several that needed the "bend the bits" update. Never had a Switchcraft switch need that. I've even had an Epi switch fall apart when doing that because of the cheap press-in they do with the bottom frame to the top cap. That one was on a bolt-on, so maybe they have an even cheaper version of their cheap switches.

But I just had the switch issue on a 2023 Modern with maybe a dozen hours of playing on it. Required disassembly and bending of the bits to work. It was intermittent on the bridge pickup. I would have thought they could do better on a $700 guitar. I've also run into bad switches on new and used Epis while sampling guitars at Guitar Center.

Their jacks are cheap too. You try to tighten the nut firmly and the whole barrel turns so you can't actually tighten it properly. Again, I don't have that issue on quality jacks but I will admit I've had it on other imports comparable to Epi's line.

I don't replace parts just to replace them. I'm not a "immediately replace the pots and it sounds better" guy (because that's BS). I like my Epis. But I'd appreciate it if they'd spend a couple bucks more on switches and jacks.

Mind you, I don't think it's worth an extra $1000 for a Gibson to solve this problem. It's just annoying on Epis that I otherwise love.

 

[3bolt79]

Gibson USA has and always will be nitro finished. You can count on that.

They have never used polyurethane OR polyester on USA built guitars. Fender has, though, and currently still does finish their American guitars in polyurethane and polyester finishes.

Off-topic but...

IMO, people really should get out of the habit of saying "poly" because theres not just one finish that starts with "poly-". Not that it matters in this instance but it does in 99% of every other instance where someone refers to any non-nitro finish as "poly", thinking they're all one and the same.


For guitars, manufacturers like Fender and others use Polyurethane AND Polyester to finish their guitars. Since they are not the same thing, it's helpful to everyone if you identify what you're actually talking about instead of lumping it all together.

Then there’s Poly relationships….

 

[BGood]

Then there’s Poly relationships….

Don't get polytical ...

 

[Norton]

polyamorous. I like a LOT of different guitars.

 

[Supernotch]

The only Gibson I’ve ever owned is my 96 SG. My mom bought it for me brand new for $600 as a combo birthday/Christmas present. I know, crazy to think about an American made Gibson for 600 bucks. It’s a little beat up but it still plays like a dream. Thanks mom.

 

[WoundUp]

I've had several that needed the "bend the bits" update. Never had a Switchcraft switch need that. I've even had an Epi switch fall apart when doing that because of the cheap press-in they do with the bottom frame to the top cap. That one was on a bolt-on, so maybe they have an even cheaper version of their cheap switches.

But I just had the switch issue on a 2023 Modern with maybe a dozen hours of playing on it. Required disassembly and bending of the bits to work. It was intermittent on the bridge pickup. I would have thought they could do better on a $700 guitar. I've also run into bad switches on new and used Epis while sampling guitars at Guitar Center.

Their jacks are cheap too. You try to tighten the nut firmly and the whole barrel turns so you can't actually tighten it properly. Again, I don't have that issue on quality jacks but I will admit I've had it on other imports comparable to Epi's line.

I don't replace parts just to replace them. I'm not a "immediately replace the pots and it sounds better" guy (because that's BS). I like my Epis. But I'd appreciate it if they'd spend a couple bucks more on switches and jacks.

Mind you, I don't think it's worth an extra $1000 for a Gibson to solve this problem. It's just annoying on Epis that I otherwise love.

Replacing pots to get better sound ISN'T BS. I wouldn't believe it if it hadn't happened to me personally. I went in expecting there to be no discernable difference between the pots I took out of my sunburst finish Indio and the CTS pots I replaced them with.

I was only changing them out because I finally got sick of the scratchy neck volume pot. So I bought new 550k CTS pots from The Art of Tone and 1 500k no load tone pot for neck tone pot. I ream the holes, get it all installed and from the very first note, it was IMMEDIATELY clear that something was different.

The guitar is A LOT louder now. And the overall tone isn't as "washed out" for lack of a better description. I've never had that happen before so I was pretty surprised. With the stock pots on 10, it sounded like what the CTS pots sound like on 6 or 7.

This is on a set of Seth Lovers with 0.015uf cap on the neck and 0.022 on the bridge. 3 - 550k CTS pots and 1 500k no load CTS tone pot.

Obligatory pics below:

 

[3bolt79]

I never had to replace a pot, but I used to smoke a lot of it:⁠-⁠)

 

[3bolt79]

I'm thinking about getting that new, 3 pickupEpi SG/LP custom. I've been having a lot of thoughts about that. $1499 is a lot of money for an Epi though.

I did spend $1400 on my Epi Greeny though, and I wasn't disappointed. I'm really starting to get back into SG's though.

I have three Epi LP's....the 1959 Dark Burst with the Greeny pickup mod, I have also got a Worn Gold Top Classic LP which I set up for E flat, and the Epiphone Greeny. There will be a Gibson LP StandardBurst coming eventually, so I think I have the LP bases about covered.

But dn that new Epi SG Custom just looks so appealing, and it has a Vibrola, which is something I'd like to have on an SG. I just bought a new Gibson SG Standard a few weeks ago for $150 more than the Epi.

I've already got a few guitars for my son's upcoming 29th Birthday in July. But July of 2025 will be his 30th. That's the big first adult Birthday. He wants an SG of some flavor for his next guitar, and I was thinking about buying us a matching set of SG's.

I was thinking about getting him a Gibson Custom Color SG Standard, and maybe an Epi Monkey to go along with it since he has no P90 guitars. That will be most of my guitar budget for next year.

I just sold a couple of Epi LP's a month or two ago that weren't getting much play. My collection is always expanding and contracting. I also have a couple of nice LP knockoffs, one being a free Guitar Fetish semi hollow with mini HB's that was given to me for free that I refurbished.

I'm trying not to buy cheap guitars just because they are cheap and I can. I've got 32 guitars in my music room again, and I'm running out of space.

My son will be leaving with few guitars when he gets home this summer. He will be leaving with:

An Epiphone Worn Gold Top LP that was his birthday present last year, and an Ortega Classical acoustic/electric guitar that was his present last Christmas.he wasn't able to take those with him overseas.

For his birthday in July, I'm giving him a Gretsch 2420 Hollowbody in Cadillac Green with case, and a Fender Redondo Acoustic Electric with a Tweed hard case. I also have an ES335 knock off if he wants it.