Bought a used Epiphone SG Pro, loved it, and it made me want the Gibson SG. I bought the Gibson SG 61' Reissue. I bought a new Epiphone Les Paul Custom, loved it, and once again it made me want to the real Les Paul Custom. I ordered the Gibson Custom Shop LP Custom from Sweetwater today. Love the Epiphone and Gibson. An Epiphone is in different class of guitar and great for what it is. I will use both my Epiphones and my Gibson guitars. It completely depends on the quality of the venue I'm playing.
Great review, I own both and have gig with them. The biggest difference to me is in the neck. The thicker neck of the Gibson is more comfortable over a long gig than the thin neck of the Epiphone. I also had to work on the frets of the epi But did not have to with the Gibson, due to the plec. That said once the Epiphone was properly set up it plays very nice. If the tributes were still available from Gibson, I would get another one.
Great playing demo! Like to also note that the Gibby has plekked frets. Agreed it's best to try before buy, even within the same model from one individual to another there's bonding for one and not the other. I'm a sucker for Gibson natural grain body woods (LP and SG) and I'm ok with nitro satin but I try to only buy used as new Gibson prices in Canada are unaffordable. About the neck flexibility, SG neck tenons are really too short in general though Gibson has slightly longer ones for some models, maybe Epi SG tenons are particularly short.
I’m in Canada as well… so agreed on the price increases! I just got a new Gibson SG 61 with Maestro Vibrola and that one really killed the wallet! It’s sad that American Fender and Gibson price increases come at $200 each time they do increases! Cheers -Ryan
I have the Tribute, this confirms my feeling that it's biggest weakness is the 490T in the bridge! It's a bit gutless and harsh to my ears. Otherwise it's great, I really like the satin finish and the super smooth maple neck.
Hey you're right on target regarding the comments. Thank you posting this. You once said, that you didn't like Epiphone Guitars. I have the SG '61 Re-issue, and the SG Special Ebony with P90s. Love those guitars. I wanted to get an Epiphone, but I don't know, It's been a while since I tried Epiphone guitars. What I found is that based on what I played their pickups are cheap. I've played an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and a Gibson Les Paul Studio, and I can honestly the Gibson sounded and felt better. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio I feel it's like the little train that could: I Think I Can, I Think I Can. But No. The clarity and sound was better on the Gibson. Is it worth the $1699 that I paid for it? Probably not. Thank you for doing the comparison.
Yeah Epiphones feel like they have hollow necks to me. I’ve always thought I was nuts… but I still feel that way. They are great guitars… just not for me. But at the same time I get asked about them all the time. So I’m trying to rent as many as I can do I can give a more accurate opinion on them. I believe at this point I have 7 Gibson SGs… current favourite would be the Standard ‘61 with Maestro Vibrola. Cheers -Ryan
The Gibson T SG seems to have more mid range growl. I think I would give the edge to the Epiphone sound in this comparison. It would likely come down to feel for me.
If one were looking for a 50-100 wart combination amp, playing the style such as you do (which is similar... but not as good as yours), what amplifier would you recommend? ORANGE, MARSHALL, PEAVEY, ETC? MAKE:? MODEL:?
Just my opinion. The Gibson sounds better in the clean, but where the rubber meets the road, its the Epi with it's stronger mids that cuts thru better in the mix when yer playing with any amounts of gain. The Gibson in compariaon gets more and more muddier as ye add more gain. My pick is the Epi, especially if metal is in the playlist. Whilst the Epi may not have a sweeter voice for the cleans, I can work with it thru the use of some pedals, like an EQ.
Excellent original riffs as always. The Epi gives the Gibson a run for their 💰 sound wise. Obviously fit and finish are where the Gibson runs away with the blue ribbon
I know what ye mean, mind ye this is with some Strats. I have a lot of Strats, but the surprise is that the 3 Strats I bonded to the most are not the ones one would think are premium guitars. My #1 Strat is a 1980s Stage CS-327 Strat Copy. My #2 Strat is a 2003 Squier SE Stratocaster. My #3 Strat is my 2000 Fender Starcaster S1. My 1992 Fender Mexican Standard Stratocaster and my 2010 Fender Japanese Standard Stratocaster are #5 & #7, respectively. What's #6? My 2008 Squier Standard Stratocaster.
I find I get a little weird with Strats. I love them to death! But I tend to stick with the American Standard/Series/Professional/Professional II. Out of the 12 Strats that I own… 9 of them are American STD/Pro/Pro II. I like the Deluxe and Strat plus that I own and the Rarities Quilt Maple Strat I have is fantastic… but I just gravitate more to the STD/Pro/Pro II. I’d love to bond more with the AVRI/AVII/Originals, but they just feel like there isn’t enough tension in the strings for me. But what works is what works! Cheers -Ryan
Always tune up to pitch, never down. Once you have tuned it… tug on your strings. That will pull them flat. Tune up to pitch once again. Do that about 3 times and that should solve the tuning issues. The issue is generally with slack around the posts or the string isn’t seated properly in the nut. People make a huge deal out of the break angle of the string… but they usually tune down to pitch, rather than up. Tuning down leaves slack around the post… which means once you bend the string it will go flat. Doesn’t matter that brand of guitar you have… just the way it goes. Cheers -Ryan
@@Crypticmaskguitar Hi! I have already tryed to tune it up to pitch and tug the strings. Its still getting out of tune anyway. Its not good. I have stopped to play guitar. Im thinking about to buy a Gibson but Im not sure if it is more stable at tuning. I have to try some. Anyway thanks for the videos. You play very cool riffs. And you show the real sound of these guitars. Awesome 🙂😉🤟
My Epi Les Paul did that. Took it to a very good techie for a setup. Nut slots were tight, string binding. He filed. Stays in tune now, 4 years and counting.
My take on it is epiphone guitars are good enough if you don’t have the budget for a Gibson. I don’t know why they’re built Epiphones in China 🇨🇳 because Indonesia 🇮🇩 is the best place for affordable Far Eastern made guitars that do rival the quality of USA made guitars. The bottom line is the two guitars being reviewed today will need some work to get them perfect and I’ll take a low end Gibson over high end epiphone any day of the week.
They sound equally awesome to me so I showed this to my friend Jimmy Page and Jimmy said he couldn't tell them apart either. Then w e took some heroin and worshipped Satan who also plays an SG btw, a black one of course. Then me and Satan and Jimmy sat around talking guitars for a while. It was fun.
Same here. I wanted to love it so bad but I just couldn’t. And I absolutely love every Gibson SG I’ve ever played. I have a worn cherry SG Tribute on order right now and I hope to fall in love with it when I get it.
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Takk!
Bought a used Epiphone SG Pro, loved it, and it made me want the Gibson SG. I bought the Gibson SG 61' Reissue. I bought a new Epiphone Les Paul Custom, loved it, and once again it made me want to the real Les Paul Custom. I ordered the Gibson Custom Shop LP Custom from Sweetwater today. Love the Epiphone and Gibson. An Epiphone is in different class of guitar and great for what it is. I will use both my Epiphones and my Gibson guitars. It completely depends on the quality of the venue I'm playing.
Great review, I own both and have gig with them. The biggest difference to me is in the neck. The thicker neck of the Gibson is more comfortable over a long gig than the thin neck of the Epiphone. I also had to work on the frets of the epi But did not have to with the Gibson, due to the plec. That said once the Epiphone was properly set up it plays very nice. If the tributes were still available from Gibson, I would get another one.
Got an Epiphone sg Inverness green with p90s about 2 yrs ago. It's open grain wood finish. Absolutely love it....
I think the main differences in sound are due to the Alnico 2 Gibson and Alnico 5 (probably) Epiphone pickups.
You have some very good riffs, throughout your channel. Great timing and imagination.
Great playing demo! Like to also note that the Gibby has plekked frets. Agreed it's best to try before buy, even within the same model from one individual to another there's bonding for one and not the other. I'm a sucker for Gibson natural grain body woods (LP and SG) and I'm ok with nitro satin but I try to only buy used as new Gibson prices in Canada are unaffordable. About the neck flexibility, SG neck tenons are really too short in general though Gibson has slightly longer ones for some models, maybe Epi SG tenons are particularly short.
I’m in Canada as well… so agreed on the price increases! I just got a new Gibson SG 61 with Maestro Vibrola and that one really killed the wallet! It’s sad that American Fender and Gibson price increases come at $200 each time they do increases! Cheers -Ryan
I have the Tribute, this confirms my feeling that it's biggest weakness is the 490T in the bridge! It's a bit gutless and harsh to my ears. Otherwise it's great, I really like the satin finish and the super smooth maple neck.
Gibson SG Tribute for me.
Hey you're right on target regarding the comments. Thank you posting this. You once said, that you didn't like Epiphone Guitars. I have the SG '61 Re-issue, and the SG Special Ebony with P90s. Love those guitars. I wanted to get an Epiphone, but I don't know, It's been a while since I tried Epiphone guitars. What I found is that based on what I played their pickups are cheap. I've played an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and a Gibson Les Paul Studio, and I can honestly the Gibson sounded and felt better. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio I feel it's like the little train that could: I Think I Can, I Think I Can. But No. The clarity and sound was better on the Gibson. Is it worth the $1699 that I paid for it? Probably not. Thank you for doing the comparison.
Yeah Epiphones feel like they have hollow necks to me. I’ve always thought I was nuts… but I still feel that way. They are great guitars… just not for me. But at the same time I get asked about them all the time. So I’m trying to rent as many as I can do I can give a more accurate opinion on them. I believe at this point I have 7 Gibson SGs… current favourite would be the Standard ‘61 with Maestro Vibrola. Cheers -Ryan
The Gibson T SG seems to have more mid range growl. I think I would give the edge to the Epiphone sound in this comparison. It would likely come down to feel for me.
If one were looking for a 50-100 wart combination amp, playing the style such as you do (which is similar... but not as good as yours), what amplifier would you recommend? ORANGE, MARSHALL, PEAVEY, ETC?
MAKE:?
MODEL:?
Just my opinion. The Gibson sounds better in the clean, but where the rubber meets the road, its the Epi with it's stronger mids that cuts thru better in the mix when yer playing with any amounts of gain. The Gibson in compariaon gets more and more muddier as ye add more gain.
My pick is the Epi, especially if metal is in the playlist. Whilst the Epi may not have a sweeter voice for the cleans, I can work with it thru the use of some pedals, like an EQ.
Tribute alnico 2 magnets more suitable for cleans and lowgain.
Excellent original riffs as always. The Epi gives the Gibson a run for their 💰 sound wise. Obviously fit and finish are where the Gibson runs away with the blue ribbon
I know what ye mean, mind ye this is with some Strats. I have a lot of Strats, but the surprise is that the 3 Strats I bonded to the most are not the ones one would think are premium guitars. My #1 Strat is a 1980s Stage CS-327 Strat Copy. My #2 Strat is a 2003 Squier SE Stratocaster. My #3 Strat is my 2000 Fender Starcaster S1. My 1992 Fender Mexican Standard Stratocaster and my 2010 Fender Japanese Standard Stratocaster are #5 & #7, respectively. What's #6? My 2008 Squier Standard Stratocaster.
I find I get a little weird with Strats. I love them to death! But I tend to stick with the American Standard/Series/Professional/Professional II. Out of the 12 Strats that I own… 9 of them are American STD/Pro/Pro II. I like the Deluxe and Strat plus that I own and the Rarities Quilt Maple Strat I have is fantastic… but I just gravitate more to the STD/Pro/Pro II. I’d love to bond more with the AVRI/AVII/Originals, but they just feel like there isn’t enough tension in the strings for me. But what works is what works! Cheers -Ryan
I like guitars
Hi! My Epiphone Les Paul is always out of tune when I bend the G string. Its horrible.
Always tune up to pitch, never down. Once you have tuned it… tug on your strings. That will pull them flat. Tune up to pitch once again. Do that about 3 times and that should solve the tuning issues. The issue is generally with slack around the posts or the string isn’t seated properly in the nut. People make a huge deal out of the break angle of the string… but they usually tune down to pitch, rather than up. Tuning down leaves slack around the post… which means once you bend the string it will go flat. Doesn’t matter that brand of guitar you have… just the way it goes. Cheers -Ryan
@@Crypticmaskguitar Hi! I have already tryed to tune it up to pitch and tug the strings. Its still getting out of tune anyway. Its not good. I have stopped to play guitar. Im thinking about to buy a Gibson but Im not sure if it is more stable at tuning. I have to try some. Anyway thanks for the videos. You play very cool riffs. And you show the real sound of these guitars. Awesome 🙂😉🤟
My Epi Les Paul did that. Took it to a very good techie for a setup. Nut slots were tight, string binding. He filed. Stays in tune now, 4 years and counting.
wow the gibson sounds cleaner.
My take on it is epiphone guitars are good enough if you don’t have the budget for a Gibson. I don’t know why they’re built Epiphones in China 🇨🇳 because Indonesia 🇮🇩 is the best place for affordable Far Eastern made guitars that do rival the quality of USA made guitars.
The bottom line is the two guitars being reviewed today will need some work to get them perfect and I’ll take a low end Gibson over high end epiphone any day of the week.
If you got money get a gibson. If you dont, get a epiphone special II and save... Simple.
Is the body exactly the same size and shape and thickness?
Exactly identical
Sounded as near as makes no difference the same to my (tin) ears. Great playing mate
They sound equally awesome to me so I showed this to my friend Jimmy Page and Jimmy said he couldn't tell them apart either. Then w e took some heroin and worshipped Satan who also plays an SG btw, a black one of course. Then me and Satan and Jimmy sat around talking guitars for a while. It was fun.
I have nothing against epiphones, but I also didn't bond with an Epiphone SG I bought a few years back.
Same here. I wanted to love it so bad but I just couldn’t. And I absolutely love every Gibson SG I’ve ever played. I have a worn cherry SG Tribute on order right now and I hope to fall in love with it when I get it.
Epiphone has some undesirable boomy lower-mid frequency to my ears. Gibson 490 pickups sound very balanced and yet ballsy at the same time.
just swap your epi pickups.
A guitar that doesn’t stay in tune is *not* a good guitar. Period.
Epiphone лучше!