the difference is night and day
different woods,different pickups ,different harware. the only simialiar thing is the shape. save for the gibson. you will more than likely NEVER want to part with it. unlike an Epi which you can get pretty much anytime you want for cheap. if you are relatively new to guitar and are not sure how long you will continue with it,then by all means look at an Epi. but if you want something that will last you a very long time and is a quality instrument, then look at the gibsons.

I own three Epiphones. A Jack Cassidy replica Signature Bass guitar; A Joe Pass replica Signature Jazz guitar; and an Epiphone
Standard replica Les Paul. I am very happy with all three. Epiphones, always thought of as Gibson's economy guitar, is now able to hold it's own against (or together with) your much higher priced (hand made) guitars. But I am also one of those aspiring musicians who would love to walk out of a music store with a Gibson I had just bought. For now I must be content with the low end guitars until such time as I have the money and musical ability to justify investing in a much more expensive one.

If you can get the money, definitely go with a Gibson. Not only the quality and stuff like that, but resale value will stay with it if you ever planned on selling it. Of those 3 Gibsons, you listed, It would really depend on the music you play. The bfg is really more of a hard rock kind of guitar. Ive played a lp studio and it was great, but Im not sure about the classic.

You are looking at a price difference of about $1000.00
I have a Gibson SG, Les Paul and an ES335T and have had them for a long time. The LP is worth more than what I paid for it, The 335 is worth a lot more. The SG is not because it is the workhorse and has a lot of scars.
If your budget is that tight I would buy an Epiphone and spend an extra $200.00 on pickups. Then you will have a good guitar with good electronics. But if you can wait it out, save for the Gibson. Then you are set.

For once, everyone seems to be saying theres this giant difference inbetween Epi's and Gibsons. There is a difference, and the Gibson is the better guitar, but the difference is not night and day like some others said. The Epi is going to be the most bang for your buck, and i've only heard nice things about the elitist. I've never really read to much about the BFG but judgeing from the name it's most like a guitar made for some serious distortion and high output, i think i would go with the classic if i was getting a Gibson. I personally think i would try to save for the Gibson, and if you can't take the waiting, shoot for the Epiphone Elitest Les Paul.

"Epiphones, always thought of as Gibson's economy guitar, is now able to hold it's own against (or together with) your much higher priced (hand made) guitars"

btw, VERY few guitars are "hand made". Gibsons are absolutely not. So with that said, there is no Eppie on the planet that is going to "hold it's own" with say a Collings, Grosh,etc. ("hand made")

There are HUGE differences between Gibsons and Eppies. Any one that says "an eppie is just as good if you change the pickups" are just fooling themselves and you. Save the extra money, take the extra time and you will find it will be well worth it in the end.

this debate has been had numerous times before. my reply is gonna be similar to my past ones because i think that it is acurate and realistic.

you will never hear me say that the epi is just as good if you change the pickups, because i do not think that is true.

i am also not going to be one of these people who tell you to go for the gibson no matter what. its easy for them to say that if they have already got one. or two........or three. we cant all afford to go out and buy a guitar that costs $1500 or $2000. i know i cant, and even if i had the extra cash, my abilities as a player are not good enough to justify such a purchase.

gibson guitars are among the highest quality around. i think we all agree on that for the most part. they are a good investment because they do hold thier value better than most. however, this is not really a factor for you if you do not have the money.

i have an epiphone LP custom flametop with a duncan paf and a duncan jb4. i have had it for about 12 years and i have been well satisfied with it. even with the stock pickups it sounded fairly good to me. i have played gibsons that felt and sounded better, and i have also ran across a few that werent any better at all. unless you are a professional musician, it is very unlikely that you will notice enough difference to justify the difference in cost. my point is not that one is as good as the other, because that isnt always true. my point is that if you like the gibson look, sound, feel,ect. you can get in the ballpark with an epiphone, especially one of the higher end models.

i think that epiphone represents gibson better than squire does for fender.

and above all, please remember that you are buying a guitar for your use and enjoyment, not for somebody else. you must spend your money in a way that is going to satisfy you and let everyone else do the same. everybody has an opinion, but they arent going to be there with you while you are spending countless hours trying to master the art of playing guitar.

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I think it would be cool to sit some people down, blindfold them and hand them Gibsons and Epiphones and ask them which is which while they play them. I think the results would be interesting.

i agree with that. i think some people would be surprised with the results. i would say that after all is said and done gibson would be preferred my the majority, but i bet the difference wouldnt wind up being as dramatic as some people make it out to be.

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I never meant to imply that Eppies are not functional, useful guitars. A blind test would be interesting but then who would be qualified? Younger players (not age but in experience), I would submit, do not have the experience to tell the difference between almost any brand yet. Older players have probably played their share of Gibsons and Eppies.

Anyway, back to the point. I hear a LOT of guys saying "I want a Gibson but can only afford an Eppie".. In my never too humble opinion what they are really saying is. "I have the money for an Eppie and I want It NOW not 6 months from now when I could afford a Gibson".

As an aside.. BradZILLA: I have had the opportunity to go though the custom shop a couple of times. Still pretty much CNC and assembly line guitars. More handwork than a "production" Gibson but still a LONG way from "handmade". While CNC is not a bad thing there is no substitute for hand finishing on the frets, final neck carve, etc. That just isn't happening with a Gibson custom shop or no.

i was under the impression of few of the replica's that Gibson makes are done by hand. In fact there is a guy in my town that works (i'm not sure if he still does) on Fender guitars and puts the final scratches etc. on the guitar.

dude get a Gibson if you get the Epi it will be cool but you will always think what if i got the Gibson, go all out man if i had the choice i would get the Gibson because i love guitar and i would want the full quality and beauty of a Gibson

I too wanted a Gibson, A 335 actually, I bought a Sheraton and I'm quite happy with it ,Thank you. Is there a difference, I'm sure there is, will it affect my happiness with the Epiphone, I don;t think so.