I had a 1972 Gibson Gold Top and loved that guitar and wish I still had it. I recently purchased a used 1996 Epiphone LP Standard and absolutely love it. Has those nice warm tones similar....notice I said "Similar" LOL, to Gibson. The Epi, is certainly not an Elitist, but it's a damn good guitar.

I have a friend that has some newer Gibson's and a few Epi's as well. The Epi's are Elitists and from talking with him, you can see that quality went into the Elitists. From him, you can see where the $2000.00 TO $3000.00 Gibsons have little flaws that were described to me as "Mass produced" finishes. They still sound great however.

Myself, I wouldn't bat an eye about buying another Epiphone. I would say for the money, Epiphone would be the next best thing.

Just my opinion.

There are "gems" everywhere. If you buy online, you will never really know, but if you spend time looking for a guitar it will become apparent very quickly.

Go to the music store and find a mid priced guitar that the store has a fair stock of. (5 - 10 of the same model.) Now, play each and every one of them. You'll find that one or two of them clearly outshine the others. This is even more apparent with acoustics.

These may be "production line" guitars, but there are distinct differences that can't be controlled by a production line. The body, even if the same wood, will have a different density, even the grain makes a difference. Same for necks and heads. This is what makes it even more pronounced with acoustics. And for acoustics, there are even more details that can affect the sound. The glues used and if it's a clean glue job come into play as well as the quality of the finish.

Price and playability often do not compliment each other, BUT...

Generally the more you pay, the better the playability. Just consider that for every 10 mid priced guitars one or two will stand out as being extra good and for every 10 higher priced guitars, one or two will not be as good as the others. So, with a little time and effort, you can find a really good mid priced guitar that compares favorably with a higher priced model.

The key to it all is "Play before you pay!"

To me, play what feels right. The biggest benefit of Gibson over Epiphone is that their parts are of higher quality, meaning they can take more wear before screwing up (e.g., pots) and that they have more attention to detail and don't mess up the simple stuff as often (e.g., frets). but, I have one of each. I like them both. My gibson has held up better (i.e., the wiring for the pickups on my epi is messed up and the pots need cleaning), but as far as sound and playability go, they're equal; they have different sounds and they are great at what they do.

I have both an epiphone lp and a gibson sg, and although ultimately the gibson is a better guitar to play....i definitely agree with you that epiphones are not squires, they are very good guitars in their own right.

almost ten years back I looked at getting a Gibson ES 355 in the UK, I sat and played it and then the Epi ES335 Dot and ended up buying the Epi because the modern Gibson didn't sound or feel that different to the cheaper guitar. I think I paid 300 quid back then for the Epi and the Gibson was wanting about 1500 quid. sadly I had to sell the Epi ES355 but I would buy another one for sure.

I have had a few Epi LP's but not one of compared at all to my mates Gibson 58 Gold Top so i sold them all.

I had some issues with Epiphone when I worked at Grandma's Music. Several models were prone to humidity-related problems, and I had to send many back and many others to the luthier that handles our repairs.

These same issues were common on many Korean guitars of that time: neck/fingerboard shrinkage, malfunctions in the(cheaper) switches and pots, and even major adhesive faiures due to the glue just drying out very quickly.

New Mexico- the ultimate test of wood seasoning!

I'll say that may of the better Epis (I left just as the Elitists came out) have seemed to address these issues very well lately. Still, when somebody asks me whether to get the high-end Epi LP or the Gibson Les Paul Studio...I'm still pointing to the Gibson.

I am not a Gibson guy, but have played a few in my day (never owned). Some years back I played an Epiphone Les Paul and the tone was horrendous - turned me off from Epiphone. Maybe they have gotten better since but I heard enough to look for another brand.

I like the "Gibson" name...

I've been contemplating getting an Epi Les Paul because the overall feel and tone are great. Especially consedering the price. Also I think the people at this particular shop take time to set them up before putting them out on the sales floor. I know one of their employees was trained at gibson to do setups.

When I go to Guitar Center their Epiphone Les Pauls don't feel the same, even though they come from the same factory. So it's alot more hit and miss there. But at my local (reasonably small) shop, (they've been in business for over 30 years) they feel and play way better.