OT: How are the Epiphones these days?

[Dave L]

I haven

[Johnny Z]

I have a couple knock around Epi's a LP and SG and like them. The quality is pretty good, I can't tell the difference in tone from a Gibson. The necks are a tad thinner so I like that about them.

[Dave L]

Are they still made in Korea, or has manufacturing moved on to Indonesia, Vietnam, China...?

[this is paul]

Something about mine really bothers me, but it is a nice guitar. Never played one with a floyd.

[thenakedarab]

I have a couple knock around Epi's a LP and SG and like them. The quality is pretty good, I can't tell the difference in tone from a Gibson. The necks are a tad thinner so I like that about them.

 

 

To me at least, they're not as comfy as Gibson necks and feel unergonomic compared to my '75 LP, or most any other Gibson or copy I've played to tell you the truth. Kind of blocky IMO.

 

I'd get a Gibson studio before getting a top line Epi LP.

[Dave L]

I'd get a Gibson studio before getting a top line Epi LP.

 

 

If they offered a Studio, Standard Faded or something along those lines with a Floyd I wouldn

[Johnny Z]

To me at least, they're not as comfy as Gibson necks and feel unergonomic compared to my '75 LP, or most any other Gibson or copy I've played to tell you the truth. Kind of blocky IMO. I'd get a Gibson studio before getting a top line Epi LP.

 

 

What ever. I've owned both Epi's and Gib's for several years, won't mention all the other guitars. I like the Gib LP's with the 60's neck, but the ones I've played at GC such as the Studio and Faded, had fat chunky necks and didn't feel as good to play IMHO. My friend bought a $3500 Gib LP '56 Goldtop, the neck feels like a 2X4 compaired to my Epi '56 Goldtop which I find way easier to play with my arthritis, and his weighs about twice as much. When I was younger it didn't matter as much but trying to do a 5 hour gig with 20 pounds pulling on your shoulder doesn't do me much good at 60. We compaired them side by side and they sound about the same. Who'd ah Thunk.

[Johnny Z]

Are they still made in Korea, or has manufacturing moved on to Indonesia, Vietnam, China...?

 

 

Some are made in China, the letters on the the serial number tell where it's made and at what factory. Mine are MIK. I also have USA Epi from the early 60's.

[guitarman3001]

Epiphone is horrible and evil. They are nothing but cheap asian copies of gibsons.

















sorry...couldn't help it....just trying to fit in here at the mapz forum.

[blinktwice2x]

I have have an epi les paul custom that was made in Korea and there is absolutely no sound difference compared to my gibson les pauls. I also have an epi sg les paul custom that was made in China that sounds phenomenal.

 

 

[twangr]

I currently own 2 Epiphones...an Sg and an Emperor. Epis vary in quality but are in general good instruments. The ones from the Korean plants have a well deserved reputation for for a higher quality often rivaling that of the parent company, Gibson.

 

Epiphone has altered it's serial numbering system and it is now not so easy to quickly discover where the instrument was made. Yes, some are now being made in Indonesia. I'm not certain about Vietnam.

 

This info comes from the Epiphone forums and was put together by a number of the members there:

 

last update = 02 December 2009

To find the i.d. of your Epiphone either:

1. Use the "keys" and factory letter/number identifiers below or,

2. use the guitar dater project ---disclaimer: the guitardater project does not keep serial # log files of Epiphone products, it is simply a decoder program that uses the same codes keys as below to decifer the number entered by a user and as such it cannot verify the authenticity of any Epiphone guitar

link --->guitar dater project website

if the link fails, then copy/paste into your address bar ---> http://www.guitardaterproject.org/epiphone.aspx

 

the four serial # code keys

 

YYMMFFRRRRR -- new model codes, no letter prefix

Beginning 2008-09 models are appearing w/o a letter prefix to i.d. the factory. Based on what is reported so far, it appears that the serial code may be:

YY = first two digits = year of manufacture

MM = second two digits = month of manufature

FF = third two digits = factory i.d. where made -- the factory code #s identified so far are shown in red print below

RRRRR = remaining digits = ranking number

-- example 08121520333 was made in December 2008, factory 15, 2 unknown significance, 0333 unit produced

[NOTE - pre 1993-94 productions also frequently omitted factory letter codes and appeared as all numbers e.g. 023849354 -- these are Asian made (Korea, Japan, Indonesia) but again the exact factory origin is not usually available from guitardater project or other sources.]

 

FYYMMRRRR

F = factory code (this can be 2 letters as well)

YY = year of manufacture (this can also be just 1 digit for '90s models)

MM = month of manufacture

R = ranking number (may be more or less digits, not necessarily indicative of total units produced)

Example - S02021234 was made in Feb. 2002 from the Samick Korea factory, unit 1234.

 

Another code used on some current Epiphone models

FYYMRRRR

F = factory code

YY = year of manufacture

M = This will be a letter code corresponding to the month (A=January, B=February, etc...).

RRRR = ranking number

Example - R03D0263 was made in April 2003 at the Peerless Korea factory, unit 0263.

 

Epiphone Elite/Elitist models

FYSSSS

F = factory code (this code will be an "F" or "T")

Y = year of manufacture (2 = 2002, 3 = 2003, etc.)

SSSS = sequential ranking number

Example - T41234 is a 2004 Elitist model made at the Terada factory, production rank 1234th unit.

 

FACTORY LETTER CODES

For Epiphone serial numbers that begin with a letter(s), this list identifies the factory (& country) where produced:

B Boh

[mmorse]

I just bought an EPI LP Custom. I needed something that was lighter than my '73 goldtop. So far so good. Plays every bit as good as my Gibson and is much better for my back! Close in tone to my Gibbie but not quite there. I did have to play a ton of them before I found one I liked though. Mine was made in Indonesia.

[Dave L]

I just bought an EPI LP Custom. I needed something that was lighter than my '73 goldtop. So far so good. Plays every bit as good as my Gibson and is much better for my back! Close in tone to my Gibbie but not quite there. I did have to play a ton of them before I found one I liked though. Mine was made in Indonesia.

 

 

I suppose that is the main problem right there. Living in the middle of nowhere I won