I think Gibson should rebrand it’s overseas “inspired by” production and work on reviving epiphone and have 2 distinct lines of guitars. Gibson hasn’t been a great steward of the epiphone name for a long time. I think there’s a lot of history there to bring it back. The uneducated comments below are proof that the Epiphone name has been destroyed by Gibson.
They have to be able to SELL the American Epiphones, in order for them to consider making them. I'm seriously considering the Frontier, as a Dove alternative (Guild should also make a D-55 in maple)
I owned one of the original Epi Frontiers with the adjustable bridge and Chickering finish. That guitar was awesome! I bought it in1968 from World of Music in Cupertino California. I had fellow musicians with Martin D35s and Gibson J200s and this guitar smoked them all to the astonishment of their owners. I paid $350.00 for it brand new. I have always hoped that Gibson would finally do justice to this model and it looks like they have! Mine got stollen in 1979 and I have always dreamed of getting another. Thank you Gibson!!!
I just got a owner closet kept 1965 frontier. Not one mark on it, brand new. Got it for 4k. Best guitar I have ever heard. Brazillian rosewood fretboard and bridge saddle too.
Dear Pete, It's just the opposite buddy. Each line represents a year of growth. The closer, or tighter the lines are the slower the tree has grown. Could be due to lack of rain, hard winter etc. The marks across the grain are Medullary lines, or "rays". They carry nutrients and other chemicals from the outside and feed the core of the tree. CF Martin_1 always liked the tight lines to the outside and narrower ones in the center. More Medullary lines indicates a healthy tree. Those sound great!! You and Ben also sound great playing them!!! Thx much!! 8) --gary
Epiphone was sold to Gibson in 1957, not the thirties. In the 30's, Epiphone was Gibson's biggest competitor especially in archtops. In 1943, the driving force of the company, Epi Stathopolou died from leukemia, and while the company managed to go on for a few years, the brothers of Epi did not get along and eventually their fortunes and quality went down. Gibson was looking to buy Epiphone's bass tooling which Gibson lost during the war. They ended up getting all the tooling for guitars also, as well as leftover parts. From 1958 until 1970, Epiphone was made in the USA, the equal of Gibson. After that, they changed Epiphone to an import brand. These USA guitars are bringing back what Epiphone was for many years, a top quality made in the USA guitar. So before some people comment about spending so much on an Epiphone, remember that Epiphone has a history and heritage equal to Gibson and others. Steve Marriot used the Frontier as his main acoustic
@@MichaelEdelman1954 If you look at a lot of the old clips of the bands of the British Invasion of the 60's, aside from the Beatles, lots of bands were playing Epiphone guitars.
I was in the store the other day and I played the one Pete is holding. It sounded great, but I’m in the market for a Gibson Dove or J200. I also met one of the aforementioned Paul’s as well, and he also mentioned that he works with a fella called Paul, to which I replied that I’m Paul as well! Anyway, that new Guitar Gallery section in the store is heaven for someone like me who likes the higher end stuff. Cheers!
@@patriciogoyenecherojas2971 no, it looks and feels great on the Masterbilt. I apply fret lemon lubricant every other string change and looks as good as new. Just replaced the white string pins with TUSQ and raised nut slightly on low E side and plays even better.
These are amazing looking and sounding Epiphone guitars. The US custom shop version is more than I can afford to pay though but I'll definitely be looking at their Masterbilt series of the Frontier. It's got to be one of the nicest production line guitars out there.
Love to hear this against a Texan, Hummingbird, D-18 and D-28. Re the Hummingbird, it's good sometimes to hear something very different, to really help appreciate the individual qualities of the others.
Definitely. What Gibson did to Epiphone in the past few decades hasn’t been pretty sometimes. It’s good to remember what a great brand it was, with its own models. Call the cheap Gibson models Gibsons. Let Epiphone be Epiphone again.
One small fact to Pete: Wider grains mean thet the wood has grown faster, not slower. One grain is grown every year, and if they are wider, the yearly growth has been faster. I think it’s more flexible top.
The Texan version plays like a dream. But cmon, so does a J45 or even a J45 studio. And after years of diluting the Epiphone marque, ya cant charge inflated Gibson prices for these guitars.
@@DenKulesteSomFins I believe the customers who would be into these guitars would be the individuals who have wanted one of the old USA Epiphones, but did not want to pay the price of a vintage guitar.
@@DenKulesteSomFins I'd imagine some people prefer the sound of this. It's a different scale length and materials. It's beneficial to us as consumers to have as many good options available as possible. As far as I'm concerned, it's a Gibson USA acoustic made to original epiphone specs.
That maple back and sides is simply gorgeous. I’ve never cared for the dove and hummingbird scratch plates. Too big and busy. A simple tortoise shell guard would look really nice on either of those models.
I know this is 3 years old, but a Gibson Dove shoutout would’ve been cool. They should sound the same since they’re the same spec wise, but it’d be cool to hear the subtle differences.
If you look at the specs it seems it's a Gibson Dove your paying for with a different neck, headstock, and pick guard. Maybe that's why the price is so high? The specs for the Masterbilt model says it's a "Frontier body" shape....is there any difference in the Frontier shape vs Dove shape? Is the bracing any different? It makes you wonder if the Masterbilt is actually built closer to spec than the USA version (did they just take a Dove body and slap the rest of the stuff on and cal it a Frontier?). Who knows, but the Mic setup here makes this thing sound huge.
I hope you can make a video where you compare Epiphone excellente and frontier with the others «inspired by gibson». I love the design of all these guitars and Im trying to figure out which of the different ones suits me best.
Pete ist wrong with the groth of trees for the top. The wider the distance between the dark lines, every line representing one year of the age of the tree, the faster the tree had grown. Best european spruce for guitartops comes from the european mountains where the trees grow very slow with very little 'flesh' between the year rings.
Yes I agree. Pete’s statement on spruce grain is bass-ackwards. A tight grain indicates a slower growth rate. It doesn’t seem that the wide grain on that guitar has any negative effect on its tone however. They both sound amazing!
I hope the value of the guitar reflects the amount of work and quality of the build. If they really are made in the custom shop then this may justify the cost. This is a guitar that really needs to be played in store (Like all guitars). I've visited Andertons and they are super helpful and leave you alone to bond with a guitar.
I agree, I'm very content with my frontier made in Indonesia. It's has solid maple back and sides with sakita spruce on top. It sounds marvelous. It made no sense to me why I'd purchase the same guitar and pay 4000 more for it. Just because it was made in the U.S.. If there were a significant difference and the sound perhaps but there is not.
You’re footing yourself ! I bet yours doesn’t sounds nearly as close as the USA made. There is a Huge différence but your heart wants to believe the opposite.
Hey Guys - always a treat to follow your tests. These classics no exception. A comparison ? Why not go for the obvious - the mighty Dove, , , or even the majestic Acoustic Firebird. Look forward ^ Cheps
I'm in no way a brand-snob, but the minute you want to charge £3,600 for an acoustic then you can't have Epiphione on the headstock. I foresee these at £2,600 in the winter sale......
I mean if you are a brand snob rather than a guitar player, sure I’m pretty sure everyone at Gibson and Andertons know that this is for people that know their guitar history, so they’re not doing too many
@@ciggy_ I think everyone knows that history, just when you spend decades relegating a brand to the 'value version of...' you need to build up slowly before dropping something like this. They do sound lovely though.
I would love to see a comparison with one of these and the lower cost Masterbilt version! I have one of those and wonder if this is worth trading up for the price difference
The Masterbilt version sounds a lot warmer, not as boomy and full as the USA Bozeman Montana. I would 100% trade up to this guitar if you can as it will hold value better over time than the Masterbilt Indonesian version.
I agree, Personally I think the craftsmanship are very close. Between the Indonesian and USA guitars . I just purchased the Indonesian model. I'm totally impressed with the quality and sound as well as aesthetically .I'm curious to hear them side by side giving them both a rigorous comparison.
I have Masterbilt version and slight difference when I played USA version in store. I upgraded my cheap bridge pins to TUSQ and put Elixir strings on that made it sound even closer. I may upgrade the nut to TUSQ.
A shootout with the dreadnoughts you think are wearth lookin' at it (would you like it blindfolded or not) would be highly appreciated !!! To refresh the happy followers :)
I know it's crazy, but everytime I pick up one of my Gibsons there's a bit of pride that I feel. Especially when I see other guitar players drooling and wishing they also had one. And that feeling makes me play better. I'm in the big league. I'm in good company. Right now I'm saving for another guitar I always wanted, the Martin D-18. I'd go insane with a guitar like that in my hands! I KNOW these Epiphones are great. But there's no way these guitars could give me that same feeling. Sorry guys, it's me.
@Ashton Heston : How brave of you to call me a snob. Very mature. I didn’t tell the whole story though. I’m talking about chasing dreams. Everyone has dreams, even the very best guitar players. If playing the classic guitars, made by the classic brands makes you a snob, then as good as every great guitar player I know is a snob, because they all have them. The desire to play an instrument that helped shape the sound of so many genres of music and that have been played by all of your heroes is real and it’s real for a good reason. This doesn’t mean that literally everyone has the urge to pick up one of the many classics (even though this group of players is rare) and it doesn’t mean you can’t have a couple of odd balls in your collection of guitars and eventually find your main voice in one of those. I mentioned the Martin D-18, because that has always been one of my dream acoustics, among a couple of others. However, I’m an old guy. I play the guitar for 40 years now and I’ve done well. I’m not a ‘star’, but I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. I’ve played electrics almost exclusively. My first guitar was a Maya (how snobbish is that, huh?). Then, when I worked hard and when things started to become serious, I bought a Fender, then another Fender and then a high end Gibson and then a few more. They weren’t necessarily the most expensive or the best guitars on the market, but I loved each and every one of them. But I’m not a guitar snob. In fact, when I didn’t have all of the above mentioned guitars, I thought I could never have enough guitars. I could see myself with a collection of 40 Stratocasters alone. In reality, when I had that Maya, a couple of strats and that one Gibson, I remember looking around and thinking ‘why on earth would I want another guitar?’ That was when I started to play some odd guitars and sell a few of the old ones. I’m not ashamed to play unknown brands, or cheaper brands, or home made guitars. However, I’m relatively new when it comes to playing acoustics. I had the luck that I could shop for a good and expensive guitar. The Gibson J-45 was my dream guitar. Again, all of the greats have one, so you know it must be at least an okay guitar. And it’s a guitar you can’t hide behind. When you play like shit, there’s no way that you can blame it on the poor quality of the guitar. And now, like I wrote, I’m saving for another icon. That doesn’t mean I’m not happy with my Recording King that I bought for 178 euro. Recording King is known for producing cheap, but fun guitars. 3500 pounds is not an amount of money that I spend every day. So when I finally saved up such an amount of money, then I want to buy the guitar of my dreams. Not a high end Recording King, no matter how good that one might be. Maybe when I have a couple of the iconic guitars I might want to save up for something completely different. But not now. Off course, I’m not a REAL guitar player and I’m a snob. Sure. Then Jeff Beck is not a real guitar player either. That snob! By the way, when was the last time your face appeared on the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine?
Compared to the Indonesian Masterbilt reissues of these guitars now available these American versions of the guitars are nicer (mainly because of the nitro finish and greater flame) however, they cost literally 3 thousand more, they aint that much better!!
@@marksvideochannel3592 The price of them in comparison, is nothing short of ridiculous. I just dont get who out there is paying so much more for what is at best a 10% improvement.
@@Edward1312 I get what your saying but my Gibson LP was "maybe" a 10% improvement possibly less on my EPiphone LP.....I didn't pay full price so I'm not fussed BUT a lot of people do. So maybe they figure the same can happen. Of course that's discounting the fact it's still "just an Epiphone". Resale on an Epiphone has to be significantly reduced versus a Gibson branded guitar...
Wow Men !!!!!! Really a great cool "format" in this video, seeing and listening you both play acoustics, and talk about them !!! There's something definitely interesting in this kind of videos : not at all saying Ben video's aint great (they're really really good!!) but there's really something more when there are interactions between players that can let the rig run down and let it flow !!! Great ! Thank U !!! (from France)
anyone out there know how do you change the battery on them for the pickup? im thinking of buying one but its unclear about how to change the battery, or even how to operate the pickup itself, thank you
After all the hard work and quality instruments that Epiphone has brought about over the past decade or so, it only seems right that Gibson should swoop in and steal the love that Epi gained from players world wide. NOT! I'm sure these play very nicely, but I'm sitting here with my Epi Masterbilt DR-500 and I cannot detect three G's worth of difference. Mine also has solid woods, same scale length and quality build. And even though I'm no player like Ben or Pete, my Epi always make me sound goood! Hot Dang! Let's commence ta pickin!
Great sounding guitar, but a month ago I bought a $170 Epiphone PRO-1 that still plays and sounds better than my $1000 Martin. I don’t see who would pay that much for any Epiphone. Gotta be solely for studio people that really don’t care what the headstock says.
The biggest change I would like to see from Epiphone is the creation of a new top bracing pattern. Broadly, I have found that acoustic manufacturers' products all sound similar and that the greatest difference in sound is across brands. It's the reason I own acoustics from 4 different makes. Right now Epi's sound like what they are- long scale Gibsons (slightly better sustain and a narrower envelope) but if they developed an entirely new sound that might be reason enough for me to reconsider the brand. In short I think it's time that Epiphone does it's own thing again.
The smaller the grain the slower the tree grows the bigger the grain it grows faster and that all depends on the growing season of the years that caused that like dry weather or moist weather
For me, it can not be the perfect guitar when it has the narrow nut width. I will not buy another guitar with the 1 11/16 nut width. Sounds and looks great though. Nice job on the video.
"Yeah, yeah, it sounds good but it's got Epiphone on the headstock so it should cost, errrr, let me count, hold on...er, yeah £2.50!". Right. So a Fender Custom Shop instrument should cost the same as the cheapest import model because they've both got Fender on the headstock?
@@jeramym9506 that was the point of his post. Anyone with half a brain was able to work that out with out you throwing in the definition. Good job mate, but the remedial classes are across the hall.
Gotta love youtube. I was making a joke about this guy being offended that someone would use the word lasso when it’s technically correct. And now I’m being insulted over it. My friend, there’s more to life than arguing with strangers on the internet over nothing. Much love. Peace.
Why is that Bob guy to the right SHAKE his guitars like crazy? Is that a Tick he's suffering from? No - itś not. That's the latest silly trend pretentious amateur guitarist use. But Bob is a Truly Fantastic guitarist - so why does he shake the guitars like crazy? He don't need that. Also - there is a slight distortion coming from the guitarist to the left. His Frontier is plugged in - maybe the volume is slightly turned up - with dist on. Anyway - I had a Frontier Sunburst 1963 Bozeman Montana that sounded so wonderful that when I, just for fun, brought it along to a couple of music stores here in Stockholm, Sweden - people came up to me shaking their heads wondering what a beast I was playing. That Frontier had the small nice head, the back was ONE SINGLE PIECE of maple and it had a DeArmond "Toaster" pu installed in the soundhole, also volume and tone controls mounted at the pointed and of the Cactus pickguard. All that looked factory installed, totally professional. Have You ever heard of a Frontier like that?
They should’ve just made this the same price as an epiphone hummingbird I don’t see this selling very well even if it’s made in the us everybody sees epiphone as a cheap brand and i think if your paying 3600 bucks for an acoustic you’d want a reputable brand on the headstock
These guitars sound lovely but pricing them at $3k right out of the gate is a BAD mistake . Price point should have been around $1000 to $2000 . Guitar prices are getting out of hand . $800-$1000 use to be the starting point for USA made guitars . Not anymore . Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hr in the US . Most musicians struggle cause in order to play Friday and Saturday evenings you have to have a job that pays enough but allows you to have time to practice and gig . Most factories want to work you 70+ hrs and pay $10-$15 an hr if you're lucky . It's tough right now . Inflation and the cost of living is killing the working class .
These aren't priced for someone earning minimum wage, like some kid purchasing a Chinese made Epiphone Slash LP who works at McDonald's. These are handcrafted instruments made by craftsman in the US. The market is flooded with $199 Yamaha Chinese acoustics if earn $7/hr.
You can still buy a gig worthy guitar for under $1000 / £1000... there's plenty on the Andertons website (e.g. www.andertons.co.uk/brands/taylor-guitars/200-series-acoustic-guitars/taylor-214ce ). Clearly these guitars are for people who have the resources to spoil themselves... console yourself with the thought that for most of the people seriously considering a purchase, owning an Epiphone Frontier will not be as much fun as having a head full of hair or being able to fit into a tight pair of jeans. ;)
@@MichaelEdelman1954 there ain't no car you can buy for 4 grand anymore, unless it's old. even then some cars hold there value, my 02 Tacoma cost 9500 and i bought it like two years ago. guitars are the same way, when you think of it in technical terms, your buying a piece of art. but there's a difference between producing something people can enjoy, versus corporate greed. there was a time when guitar playing was most important, today it's turned into a cash grab, and that all starts at the top. but i hear ya though, guitar prices back then was still in that relm of availability. A Gibson Les Paul Standard back in 2002 would cost you roughly 1399 depending on where you shop, i bought mine my first Gibson in 04, and that's about what i paid. that's still relatively affordable in some ways, but that was considered somewhat pricey to some degree. that being said there are other reasons prices on guitars have risen so much, and it has to do with nature itself. you need wood to make guitars, but where alot of companies get there wood from are from tropical places. certain species take time to grow, Rosewood is one of the most vulnerable right now, because of how much has been harvest. so that plays a role, we all like rosewood but companies never bothered trying other types of wood because customers want it. so it's a little both, i definitely think were over paying for name brands, what's sad is it's also starting to trickle down into budget brands like Epiphone and Squier. i say Squier because I've seen a few of there guitar get up to that 450 area, that's about what an old Mexican Fender Standard would've cost, the American Standard was around 899 or 999, that's a little pricey for a Squier. specifically the Classic Vibe range. now you got Epiphone hitting close to 900, some are even over a 1000.
![Diggy Graves - Red Vineyard [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Ro085T0mnQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I think Gibson should rebrand it’s overseas “inspired by” production and work on reviving epiphone and have 2 distinct lines of guitars. Gibson hasn’t been a great steward of the epiphone name for a long time. I think there’s a lot of history there to bring it back. The uneducated comments below are proof that the Epiphone name has been destroyed by Gibson.
They have to be able to SELL the American Epiphones, in order for them to consider making them. I'm seriously considering the Frontier, as a Dove alternative (Guild should also make a D-55 in maple)
The reason Gibson bought the Epiphone company in the first place was to get rid of superior competition.
I agree.
I owned one of the original Epi Frontiers with the adjustable bridge and Chickering finish. That guitar was awesome! I bought it in1968 from World of Music in Cupertino California. I had fellow musicians with Martin D35s and Gibson J200s and this guitar smoked them all to the astonishment of their owners. I paid $350.00 for it brand new. I have always hoped that Gibson would finally do justice to this model and it looks like they have! Mine got stollen in 1979 and I have always dreamed of getting another. Thank you Gibson!!!
I just got a owner closet kept 1965 frontier. Not one mark on it, brand new. Got it for 4k. Best guitar I have ever heard. Brazillian rosewood fretboard and bridge saddle too.
That natural one especially sounds unbelievable. I really have never seen a guitar come across as sounding so good in a video.
Dear Pete, It's just the opposite buddy. Each line represents a year of growth. The closer, or tighter the lines are the slower the tree has grown. Could be due to lack of rain, hard winter etc. The marks across the grain are Medullary lines, or "rays". They carry nutrients and other chemicals from the outside and feed the core of the tree. CF Martin_1 always liked the tight lines to the outside and narrower ones in the center. More Medullary lines indicates a healthy tree. Those sound great!! You and Ben also sound great playing them!!! Thx much!! 8) --gary
Epiphone was sold to Gibson in 1957, not the thirties. In the 30's, Epiphone was Gibson's biggest competitor especially in archtops. In 1943, the driving force of the company, Epi Stathopolou died from leukemia, and while the company managed to go on for a few years, the brothers of Epi did not get along and eventually their fortunes and quality went down. Gibson was looking to buy Epiphone's bass tooling which Gibson lost during the war. They ended up getting all the tooling for guitars also, as well as leftover parts. From 1958 until 1970, Epiphone was made in the USA, the equal of Gibson. After that, they changed Epiphone to an import brand. These USA guitars are bringing back what Epiphone was for many years, a top quality made in the USA guitar. So before some people comment about spending so much on an Epiphone, remember that Epiphone has a history and heritage equal to Gibson and others. Steve Marriot used the Frontier as his main acoustic
Superb post.
@@MichaelEdelman1954 If you look at a lot of the old clips of the bands of the British Invasion of the 60's, aside from the Beatles, lots of bands were playing Epiphone guitars.
I was in the store the other day and I played the one Pete is holding. It sounded great, but I’m in the market for a Gibson Dove or J200. I also met one of the aforementioned Paul’s as well, and he also mentioned that he works with a fella called Paul, to which I replied that I’m Paul as well!
Anyway, that new Guitar Gallery section in the store is heaven for someone like me who likes the higher end stuff. Cheers!
Be nice to see a comparison between this MIA Frontier and the cheaper Epiphone Masterbilt version.
Agreed
Played both side by side this past weekend and not much difference at all beyond the more polish/workmanship
@@johntremblay6552 is the indian laurel fingerboard too dry? is the only spec of the masterbilt that i don´t like me. Thanks!
@@patriciogoyenecherojas2971 no, it looks and feels great on the Masterbilt. I apply fret lemon lubricant every other string change and looks as good as new. Just replaced the white string pins with TUSQ and raised nut slightly on low E side and plays even better.
So awesome! Epiphone is back!!
Definitely my kind of guitar, and made in the USA. I also have maple guitar - Ibanez Concord from the '70s and it's quite nice - full and bright.
Sweetness! You guys are sounding fantastic together, please keep this a duo show!
Totally agreed.
Agree. But on behalf of the worlds quieter folks, please leave Ben a little more room to speak!
These are amazing looking and sounding Epiphone guitars. The US custom shop version is more than I can afford to pay though but I'll definitely be looking at their Masterbilt series of the Frontier. It's got to be one of the nicest production line guitars out there.
Very much agree with Ben
Maple backs are 🙌
Love to hear this against a Texan, Hummingbird, D-18 and D-28. Re the Hummingbird, it's good sometimes to hear something very different, to really help appreciate the individual qualities of the others.
Been waiting on a hummingbird for months. Would love to see them head to head. May change my purchase decision
Man the natural finish one looks sweet!
Ben... He's just bloody brilliant and that is the first guitar I've heard through a mic and thought wow!
Tom Petty, Steve Marriott, Keith Richards, Gram Parsons, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, Jared James Nichols, all favored the Epiphone Frontier.
I get it. They're pulling the integrity of the brand upwards. I respect that.
Definitely. What Gibson did to Epiphone in the past few decades hasn’t been pretty sometimes. It’s good to remember what a great brand it was, with its own models. Call the cheap Gibson models Gibsons. Let Epiphone be Epiphone again.
Beautiful! Great show guys!
One small fact to Pete: Wider grains mean thet the wood has grown faster, not slower. One grain is grown every year, and if they are wider, the yearly growth has been faster. I think it’s more flexible top.
The Texan version plays like a dream. But cmon, so does a J45 or even a J45 studio. And after years of diluting the Epiphone marque, ya cant charge inflated Gibson prices for these guitars.
Lol I was wondering if you gig with an Epi USA if thieves would bother stealing it 😅
It’s made in the USA. It’s basically a Gibson.
@@MichaelEdelman1954 exactly. So why would you buy it when a j45 plays as well and is the same price?
@@DenKulesteSomFins I believe the customers who would be into these guitars would be the individuals who have wanted one of the old USA Epiphones, but did not want to pay the price of a vintage guitar.
@@DenKulesteSomFins I'd imagine some people prefer the sound of this. It's a different scale length and materials. It's beneficial to us as consumers to have as many good options available as possible. As far as I'm concerned, it's a Gibson USA acoustic made to original epiphone specs.
That maple back and sides is simply gorgeous. I’ve never cared for the dove and hummingbird scratch plates. Too big and busy. A simple tortoise shell guard would look really nice on either of those models.
I know this is 3 years old, but a Gibson Dove shoutout would’ve been cool. They should sound the same since they’re the same spec wise, but it’d be cool to hear the subtle differences.
Damn ben look in good shape congrats
It sounds absolutely incredible in this video!
GREAT DEMO!
☆☆☆☆☆
😎
I want to hear this USA Frontier up against the Dove please. Maple v Maple!
Great video guys, thank you. I wish I had money to buy all the guitars I fall in love with
11:36 - this scene shows so perfectly what a unique social interaction making music together is 👍
Could you compare the Epiphone USA Frontier and the Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier? This comparison would be really awesome.
ruclips.net/video/JLD9McY-NQ4/видео.html
Gibson bought Epiphone in 1957, and they've been doing great ever since. Their quality when it comes to instruments is 100% better than before.
I could listen to pete and ben jam on these all day long
Sooooo could I !!!!! Eat your heart out Rob "acoustic guitar...errrr boring" Chapman. You simply don't understand what you're missing.
If you look at the specs it seems it's a Gibson Dove your paying for with a different neck, headstock, and pick guard. Maybe that's why the price is so high? The specs for the Masterbilt model says it's a "Frontier body" shape....is there any difference in the Frontier shape vs Dove shape? Is the bracing any different? It makes you wonder if the Masterbilt is actually built closer to spec than the USA version (did they just take a Dove body and slap the rest of the stuff on and cal it a Frontier?). Who knows, but the Mic setup here makes this thing sound huge.
I hope you can make a video where you compare Epiphone excellente and frontier with the others «inspired by gibson».
I love the design of all these guitars and Im trying to figure out which of the different ones suits me best.
Pete ist wrong with the groth of trees for the top. The wider the distance between the dark lines, every line representing one year of the age of the tree, the faster the tree had grown. Best european spruce for guitartops comes from the european mountains where the trees grow very slow with very little 'flesh' between the year rings.
Yes I agree. Pete’s statement on spruce grain is bass-ackwards. A tight grain indicates a slower growth rate. It doesn’t seem that the wide grain on that guitar has any negative effect on its tone however. They both sound amazing!
Ben is my new favourite. He plays with his whole body, he seems to enjoy every moment of every jam
I hope the value of the guitar reflects the amount of work and quality of the build. If they really are made in the custom shop then this may justify the cost. This is a guitar that really needs to be played in store (Like all guitars). I've visited Andertons and they are super helpful and leave you alone to bond with a guitar.
Lovely guitars! That price though... ouch! I'm VERY content with my Epiphone Texan Masterbilt.
I agree, I'm very content with my frontier made in Indonesia. It's has solid maple back and sides with sakita spruce on top. It sounds marvelous. It made no sense to me why I'd purchase the same guitar and pay 4000 more for it. Just because it was made in the U.S.. If there were a significant difference and the sound perhaps but there is not.
@@bodijisattva9333 I have both and actually there is a huge difference !!!! The USA made frontier sounds way way better .
You’re footing yourself ! I bet yours doesn’t sounds nearly as close as the USA made. There is a Huge différence but your heart wants to believe the opposite.
You Guys Definitely Have Awesome Demos 👍👍🎶🎶🎸Beautiful Acoustics 🤘
This is history ! Guitar for the right people !
That pick guard is called rope and cactus
That guitar is fantastic...
These sound stunning
In the first sec I was waiting for "I used to love her, Gn'R song"
I wish I could get a Tele pickguard like those.
Over 3.5K for an Epiphone Acoustic? Mental.
The Texan, and the appropriate Martin, Taylor, and Gibson models.
Wow that thing sound great
Guys, before you run out of stock, could you compare the Frontier and the Gibson Dove ? I'm on the market for a Dove, change my mind :)
I have a 2024 dove. It’s a great guitar, but I personally reach for my hummingbird more 🤷♂️
please more demo after guitar spec.
we love u guys play.
Hey Guys - always a treat to follow your tests. These classics no exception. A comparison ?
Why not go for the obvious - the mighty Dove, , , or even the majestic Acoustic Firebird.
Look forward ^ Cheps
I'm in no way a brand-snob, but the minute you want to charge £3,600 for an acoustic then you can't have Epiphione on the headstock. I foresee these at £2,600 in the winter sale......
I am a brand snob and the price insulted me
I mean if you are a brand snob rather than a guitar player, sure
I’m pretty sure everyone at Gibson and Andertons know that this is for people that know their guitar history, so they’re not doing too many
@@ciggy_ seems like everyone in the comments section wants a Ferrari for the price of a Toyota Tercel.
Aïe, it’s mistaken the Epiphone story. Don’t forget this is not an epiphone from china, this is HISTORY.
@@ciggy_ I think everyone knows that history, just when you spend decades relegating a brand to the 'value version of...' you need to build up slowly before dropping something like this. They do sound lovely though.
I'd be more likely to pay 3 grand for an accoustic than I would for an electric.
Always way more craftsmanship in an acoustic guitar.
You can pick these up brand new now for around £650 😂 I feel sorry for anyone who paid full whack 🙄
Should I get this or a Yamaha Red Label FGX5 ?
I need one of these.
One of the best sounding guitars I've heard.
These do sound great!!
I would love to see a comparison with one of these and the lower cost Masterbilt version! I have one of those and wonder if this is worth trading up for the price difference
The Masterbilt version sounds a lot warmer, not as boomy and full as the USA Bozeman Montana. I would 100% trade up to this guitar if you can as it will hold value better over time than the Masterbilt Indonesian version.
I agree, Personally I think the craftsmanship are very close. Between the Indonesian and USA guitars . I just purchased the Indonesian model.
I'm totally impressed with the quality and sound as well as aesthetically .I'm curious to hear them side by side giving them both a rigorous comparison.
I have Masterbilt version and slight difference when I played USA version in store. I upgraded my cheap bridge pins to TUSQ and put Elixir strings on that made it sound even closer. I may upgrade the nut to TUSQ.
Hello My Friends
Could you give me the 2 measurements of the width of the shoulders and the bottom of the guitar?
Kind regards
Anna
Would it be redundant to pair this with a j200? Both spruce with maple back and sides.
A shootout with the dreadnoughts you think are wearth lookin' at it (would you like it blindfolded or not) would be highly appreciated !!! To refresh the happy followers :)
What's the difference with masterbilt hummingbird and masterbilt excellence?
Masterbilt vs USA blind test please!
They should make the sixties Sheraton (the one with the long headstock) again!
Thank you.
I seem to recall sometime ago you said you will be doing a shootout on various acoustic amps, is that in the works or did I miss it!
Oh. I mean they look and sound great and all, but I have to admit I was expecting them to be about 10-20% of the price.
I’ve only made it to the intro jam before I seen your comment,I hope when I get to the end of this video these aren’t like three grand 🤣🤣🤣
@@Mick-Dempsey Underestimated.
Made in the USA no the PRC
Great jamming, BTW.
Shoot it out with other songwriter guitars. The Gibson Dove and Songwriter, Taylor 514, and the D-28.
I know it's crazy, but everytime I pick up one of my Gibsons there's a bit of pride that I feel. Especially when I see other guitar players drooling and wishing they also had one. And that feeling makes me play better. I'm in the big league. I'm in good company.
Right now I'm saving for another guitar I always wanted, the Martin D-18. I'd go insane with a guitar like that in my hands!
I KNOW these Epiphones are great. But there's no way these guitars could give me that same feeling. Sorry guys, it's me.
@Ashton Heston : How brave of you to call me a snob. Very mature.
I didn’t tell the whole story though. I’m talking about chasing dreams. Everyone has dreams, even the very best guitar players. If playing the classic guitars, made by the classic brands makes you a snob, then as good as every great guitar player I know is a snob, because they all have them.
The desire to play an instrument that helped shape the sound of so many genres of music and that have been played by all of your heroes is real and it’s real for a good reason. This doesn’t mean that literally everyone has the urge to pick up one of the many classics (even though this group of players is rare) and it doesn’t mean you can’t have a couple of odd balls in your collection of guitars and eventually find your main voice in one of those.
I mentioned the Martin D-18, because that has always been one of my dream acoustics, among a couple of others. However, I’m an old guy. I play the guitar for 40 years now and I’ve done well. I’m not a ‘star’, but I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. I’ve played electrics almost exclusively. My first guitar was a Maya (how snobbish is that, huh?). Then, when I worked hard and when things started to become serious, I bought a Fender, then another Fender and then a high end Gibson and then a few more. They weren’t necessarily the most expensive or the best guitars on the market, but I loved each and every one of them. But I’m not a guitar snob. In fact, when I didn’t have all of the above mentioned guitars, I thought I could never have enough guitars. I could see myself with a collection of 40 Stratocasters alone. In reality, when I had that Maya, a couple of strats and that one Gibson, I remember looking around and thinking ‘why on earth would I want another guitar?’ That was when I started to play some odd guitars and sell a few of the old ones. I’m not ashamed to play unknown brands, or cheaper brands, or home made guitars.
However, I’m relatively new when it comes to playing acoustics. I had the luck that I could shop for a good and expensive guitar. The Gibson J-45 was my dream guitar. Again, all of the greats have one, so you know it must be at least an okay guitar. And it’s a guitar you can’t hide behind. When you play like shit, there’s no way that you can blame it on the poor quality of the guitar. And now, like I wrote, I’m saving for another icon. That doesn’t mean I’m not happy with my Recording King that I bought for 178 euro. Recording King is known for producing cheap, but fun guitars. 3500 pounds is not an amount of money that I spend every day. So when I finally saved up such an amount of money, then I want to buy the guitar of my dreams. Not a high end Recording King, no matter how good that one might be. Maybe when I have a couple of the iconic guitars I might want to save up for something completely different. But not now.
Off course, I’m not a REAL guitar player and I’m a snob. Sure. Then Jeff Beck is not a real guitar player either. That snob!
By the way, when was the last time your face appeared on the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine?
Reading all the (similar) comments; I think people that are willing to spend this amount of money don't really care about the name on the headstock.
Want to get it😻
Compared to the Indonesian Masterbilt reissues of these guitars now available these American versions of the guitars are nicer (mainly because of the nitro finish and greater flame) however, they cost literally 3 thousand more, they aint that much better!!
I LOVE My Masterbuilt. Very happy with it. I'd like one of these but not at that price.
@@marksvideochannel3592 The price of them in comparison, is nothing short of ridiculous. I just dont get who out there is paying so much more for what is at best a 10% improvement.
@@Edward1312 I get what your saying but my Gibson LP was "maybe" a 10% improvement possibly less on my EPiphone LP.....I didn't pay full price so I'm not fussed BUT a lot of people do. So maybe they figure the same can happen. Of course that's discounting the fact it's still "just an Epiphone". Resale on an Epiphone has to be significantly reduced versus a Gibson branded guitar...
Wonderful
Wow Men !!!!!!
Really a great cool "format" in this video, seeing and listening you both play acoustics, and talk about them !!!
There's something definitely interesting in this kind of videos : not at all saying Ben video's aint great (they're really really good!!) but there's really something more when there are interactions between players that can let the rig run down and let it flow !!!
Great ! Thank U !!! (from France)
It's nice, but I like my acoustics with just a bit more pickguard.
Like the old J-180 Everly brothers' model, which basically had a similar pickguard....
except it had one on each side of the soundhole!
@@charlie-obrien Haha, exactly. Why not just have the entire top be one giant pick guard? Tone wood shmone wood ;)
@@400_billion_suns
Could be the coming thing.
Check a beautiful sounding J-80 here;
ruclips.net/video/75R9tqiCvxs/видео.html
@@charlie-obrien Wow, you weren’t kidding! A very nice guitar indeed though, and it does sound great. Thanks for the link! :)
What amp are these guitar being played through?
Simply mint🎸👍❤️
anyone out there know how do you change the battery on them for the pickup? im thinking of buying one but its unclear about how to change the battery, or even how to operate the pickup itself, thank you
After all the hard work and quality instruments that Epiphone has brought about over the past decade or so, it only seems right that Gibson should swoop in and steal the love that Epi gained from players world wide. NOT!
I'm sure these play very nicely, but I'm sitting here with my Epi Masterbilt DR-500 and I cannot detect three G's worth of difference. Mine also has solid woods, same scale length and quality build. And even though I'm no player like Ben or Pete, my Epi always make me sound goood!
Hot Dang! Let's commence ta pickin!
WOW!
Great sounding guitar, but a month ago I bought a $170 Epiphone PRO-1 that still plays and sounds better than my $1000 Martin. I don’t see who would pay that much for any Epiphone. Gotta be solely for studio people that really don’t care what the headstock says.
The biggest change I would like to see from Epiphone is the creation of a new top bracing pattern. Broadly, I have found that acoustic manufacturers' products all sound similar and that the greatest difference in sound is across brands. It's the reason I own acoustics from 4 different makes. Right now Epi's sound like what they are- long scale Gibsons (slightly better sustain and a narrower envelope) but if they developed an entirely new sound that might be reason enough for me to reconsider the brand. In short I think it's time that Epiphone does it's own thing again.
The smaller the grain the slower the tree grows the bigger the grain it grows faster and that all depends on the growing season of the years that caused that like dry weather or moist weather
Ben lookin good
Indeed. Nevermind the guitars... Ben has been doing some work. Good for him.
I wish I could get a lesson on the picking pattern there at 14:17.
I've just put it up on my Instagram for you @bensmithguitar 👍🎸🎶
@@bensmithguitar Sweet!!
Whos that other person with Pete and what happend to Ben ? :D :D :D
Nice guitar veery nice sound santa claus needs to give me 4000.00 to get one definitely worth 5he money
Nice!
For me, it can not be the perfect guitar when it has the narrow nut width. I will not buy another guitar with the 1 11/16 nut width. Sounds and looks great though. Nice job on the video.
"Yeah, yeah, it sounds good but it's got Epiphone on the headstock so it should cost, errrr, let me count, hold on...er, yeah £2.50!".
Right. So a Fender Custom Shop instrument should cost the same as the cheapest import model because they've both got Fender on the headstock?
Lot's of idiots in the comments. Can you HEAR these guitars??? I've never heard a better new acoustic. When I can afford one, I'll get one.
Agreed! Awesome guitars. 👍
Wonder woman had a lasso. Cowboys use a lariat.
Just to one up your pedantry, a lariat is a type of lasso.
@@jeramym9506 that was the point of his post. Anyone with half a brain was able to work that out with out you throwing in the definition. Good job mate, but the remedial classes are across the hall.
Gotta love youtube. I was making a joke about this guy being offended that someone would use the word lasso when it’s technically correct. And now I’m being insulted over it. My friend, there’s more to life than arguing with strangers on the internet over nothing. Much love. Peace.
@@jeramym9506 Actually a lariat is used to lasso... :)
Some of this playing definitely sounded like it was a Tribute….
Let’s see some more affordable Epiphone acoustic shootouts, we all want a Gibson, but we all ain’t gonna get one 😉
Abit of GnR patience at the start 😎
I’d love to see Epiphone only USA models like the Scroll
Why is that Bob guy to the right SHAKE his guitars like crazy? Is that a Tick he's suffering from? No - itś not. That's the latest silly trend pretentious amateur guitarist use. But Bob is a Truly Fantastic guitarist - so why does he shake the guitars like crazy? He don't need that. Also - there is a slight distortion coming from the guitarist to the left. His Frontier is plugged in - maybe the volume is slightly turned up - with dist on.
Anyway - I had a Frontier Sunburst 1963 Bozeman Montana that sounded so wonderful that when I, just for fun, brought it along to a couple of music stores here in Stockholm, Sweden - people came up to me shaking their heads wondering what a beast I was playing. That Frontier had the small nice head, the back was ONE SINGLE PIECE of maple and it had a DeArmond "Toaster" pu installed in the soundhole, also volume and tone controls mounted at the pointed and of the Cactus pickguard. All that looked factory installed, totally professional. Have You ever heard of a Frontier like that?
They should’ve just made this the same price as an epiphone hummingbird I don’t see this selling very well even if it’s made in the us everybody sees epiphone as a cheap brand and i think if your paying 3600 bucks for an acoustic you’d want a reputable brand on the headstock
Epiphone not reputable are you serious!?
Look nice, but because of Gibson when I see an Epiphone headstock I think $350-500 Gibson remakes.
Sounds like early Rod Stewart
These guitars sound lovely but pricing them at $3k right out of the gate is a BAD mistake . Price point should have been around $1000 to $2000 . Guitar prices are getting out of hand . $800-$1000 use to be the starting point for USA made guitars . Not anymore . Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hr in the US . Most musicians struggle cause in order to play Friday and Saturday evenings you have to have a job that pays enough but allows you to have time to practice and gig . Most factories want to work you 70+ hrs and pay $10-$15 an hr if you're lucky . It's tough right now . Inflation and the cost of living is killing the working class .
These aren't priced for someone earning minimum wage, like some kid purchasing a Chinese made Epiphone Slash LP who works at McDonald's. These are handcrafted instruments made by craftsman in the US. The market is flooded with $199 Yamaha Chinese acoustics if earn $7/hr.
You can still buy a gig worthy guitar for under $1000 / £1000... there's plenty on the Andertons website (e.g. www.andertons.co.uk/brands/taylor-guitars/200-series-acoustic-guitars/taylor-214ce ). Clearly these guitars are for people who have the resources to spoil themselves... console yourself with the thought that for most of the people seriously considering a purchase, owning an Epiphone Frontier will not be as much fun as having a head full of hair or being able to fit into a tight pair of jeans. ;)
USA guitars cost $1000 when you could buy a car for $4000.
@@MichaelEdelman1954 there ain't no car you can buy for 4 grand anymore, unless it's old. even then some cars hold there value, my 02 Tacoma cost 9500 and i bought it like two years ago. guitars are the same way, when you think of it in technical terms, your buying a piece of art. but there's a difference between producing something people can enjoy, versus corporate greed.
there was a time when guitar playing was most important, today it's turned into a cash grab, and that all starts at the top. but i hear ya though, guitar prices back then was still in that relm of availability. A Gibson Les Paul Standard back in 2002 would cost you roughly 1399 depending on where you shop, i bought mine my first Gibson in 04, and that's about what i paid.
that's still relatively affordable in some ways, but that was considered somewhat pricey to some degree. that being said there are other reasons prices on guitars have risen so much, and it has to do with nature itself.
you need wood to make guitars, but where alot of companies get there wood from are from tropical places. certain species take time to grow, Rosewood is one of the most vulnerable right now, because of how much has been harvest.
so that plays a role, we all like rosewood but companies never bothered trying other types of wood because customers want it.
so it's a little both, i definitely think were over paying for name brands, what's sad is it's also starting to trickle down into budget brands like Epiphone and Squier. i say Squier because I've seen a few of there guitar get up to that 450 area, that's about what an old Mexican Fender Standard would've cost, the American Standard was around 899 or 999, that's a little pricey for a Squier.
specifically the Classic Vibe range. now you got Epiphone hitting close to 900, some are even over a 1000.
@@Jeymez I think you misunderstand what I was saying. I should have phrased that as “back when you could buy a car for $4,000…”