Squier or Epiphone - What brand has the best value?
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- čas přidán 12. 08. 2021
- Baxter and Jonathan talk Made in Mexico Fenders, Squires and Epiphones in todays episode. With rising prices across the lines, how much are you willing to pay for a MIM Guitar Vs a MIC guitar. We also discuss if Gibson needs a made in Mexico guitar as well.
I'm a Fender fanboy and the thing that I like about Squier is their offerings of non standard colours and shapes. They're willing to take more risk given the lower cost. Look at the Paranormal line. Epiphone doesn't seem to be willing to take the same risks.
To be fair, I think Epiphone with the Jared James 1 P90 and the whole modern line is somewhat willing to go new directions. It's not like Squier doesn't rely on the classic models.
I have a Vista Series JagMaster from Squier my Wife bought me for Christmas years ago.
Me, a jazz alike with HB's. It was based around a 'time' (killer axe, btw). Some Gavin guy ;)
I can't imagine Epi doing this.
Fine by me.
Wait,,,JJN. Pretty sweet little 'Paul.
I did the waiting game for a TSB Lp Jr.
Again, i'll skip the music.
Really don't care either way.
Epiphone is taking risks, but very small. The prophecy series last year, the modern series, and most of their signature guitars are very innovative and very 'non-Gibson'. But yeah, Squier is definitely frontlining that "modern"/non-standard guitars production.
This^
@@glenkepic3208 I sold my vista series jag master back in the early 2000's, what a mistake that was! Such a good guitar!
Here in Japan, major guitar retailers carry Squiers (Indonesia), made in Mexico Fenders, made in Japan Fenders, and made in U.S.A fenders. The prices go up in the same order as I listed them so there are lots of options and price points in Fender’s lineup. They also carry Epiphones and Gibsons, but there is a HUGE gap in the price points between those two. Seems like Fender makes it much easier to own a Fender. 🎸
much the same in australia. the epiphones just don't cover the range of the squires & mexican fenders.
maybe gibson should build epiphones in mexico?
Here in America a squier 70s vibe strat is 500 while a Epiphone Sg standard is 450.
@@dirtydanthesecretsauceman8519 Yeah, those are pretty reasonable prices for what are most likely pretty good guitars. What’s the jump between the Epiphone SG and the Gibson SG? I don’t personally don’t know exactly, but I’m assuming that Fender has a few guitars that you could buy in between those two SG prices. Hopefully, people who want to play guitar can find something decent at a price they can afford. People can also buy used or save up though, like I did when I bought my first guitar. 🎸
@@mattjackson7859
800 for Epiphone Sg custom, 800-1000 for a p90 satin Gibson SG, 1500 for a Gibson SG standard.
@@dirtydanthesecretsauceman8519 Apparently the guitar shops I have been frequenting to purchase strings and picks aren’t carrying these intermediate price point Epiphones and Gibsons. My initial comment isn’t holding up well. Thanks for the info, have a good one. 🎸
Godin is highly under rated Canadian Guitar company
That must be true. You never hear anybody talking bad about those guitars.
I have been impressed with most of the godin guitars I have played.
@@daviddawson1718 Their use of Piezo's is far superior to many more Noted brands, shame people judge Guitars like they do People by their Prejudices and not Actual Performance
@@homegrownson that's true, my local music shop is a Godin dealer, and it used to make me angry that people are all over fender acoustasonic or telecustic which sound like shit from a casio keyboard.
Godin is the biggest guitar maker in North America. Bigger than Gibson and bigger than Fender USA.They are also the biggest in Europe because their European guitars are made in Berlin.
Thank you Derek for your videos. Your work is impeccable!
This really show hit home with me on a lot of levels. I am a single, no children, 48yo male that got into music relatively late in life so I came into the with adult money. I started out with a cheap Yamaha and then immediately bought a MIM Nashville Telecaster that was NOS from 2001 for $495. It seemed like a lot of money but it was more guitar than I thought I would ever need. You know how this story goes. Then a new Gretsch Streamliner, then another new Gretsch Streamliner. Then a 1986 Japanese Tele. I bought lower end import guitars that reviewed well across multiple platforms. I went with trusted names instead of smaller companies. At first I was anti Squier because I remember people in the 90s talking bad about them. I wouldn’t consider anything below a Mexican Fender. But after watching enough videos from y’all and Puisheen I decided to try one. I bought a new CV Jaguar for $399 and then threw in another $150 for an American locking tremolo and a professional setup. Easily my favorite guitar now. Fun to play and it sounds great.
What I have discovered is that I just really like Cort guitars with fancy names on them.
Baxter's reaction to Jonathan when he mentions Harley Benton and Firefly. Hilarious!
Absolute junk. Unless you are a certain Canadian CZcamsr;)
Lol yeah, I love my firefly. It plays beautifully
@@Sorakorra umm lol congratulations lol? Am I speaking millennial yet?lol omg.
@TheEgg Man and @ Sota Korra From my $120 Donner Tele to my 4K Gibson Songbird Deluxe acoustic. Each guitar gives me that special mojo in its own way😁
@@jamesshaw476 completely agree. 🤝
I have to say I have three MiM strats and I love them. The classic series are brilliant, with a nitro 60s Strat and a 60th anniversary being my two favourite guitars.
I saw Strange Brew in the theatre with my dad when it came out. Hilarious. Can’t believe you mentioned it, this is by far your best movie reference to date. 🍺🇨🇦🍺
Right on!!! One of the best I have to agree:)
Haha! The Mackenzie brothers!
Super Hoser. Loved that dog.
Putting aside preferences of sound, feel, playability etc I think it does make a huge difference that when you buy a MIM Fender it says FENDER on the headstock, but when you buy what would be a comparable offering (price-wise) from Gibson it says EPIPHONE...
I can't count the amount of times I've read folks complaining that Gibson don't offer any affordable guitars...well they do, but they're branded Epiphone...seems as if no matter how good the value is on an Epi people just will never think of it as a Gibson due to what's on the headstock...while on the other hand you may be playing a MIM Strat, but when you look down you get the satisfaction of seeing that FENDER logo...
It seems to make the world of difference to guitar players, and I think it's easy to understand why
Sadly I just purchased an Epiphone Les Paul it was made in Gibsons plant in China. Just like I hate buying Apple products. I also understand the ultra high cost of doing business in the USA with the EPA OSHA and federal bs plus tag on states like CA WA OR and PA….
Fortunately I do believe Gibson when they claim to not use forced labor (Lying on investor calls is criminal)
They still benefit from it in a tangential way.
There’s a huge difference in being made in genocide slave holding organ harvesting Covid generating China and most of the countries in the world.
With all that said I am very satisfied with the fit and finish of my guitar and it inspires me to play.
D P: it's interesting you say that about the Made in Mexico Fenders,
there's a reason the name Fender is on the headstock as opposed to Gibson not being on the headstock of an Epiphone.
that's because Leo Fender himself went to Mexico to open up a plant, people who couldn't afford the American Standard Stratocasters and Telecasters at the time could buy the Mexican version for less money.
but because the name Fender was still on the headstock, it still wasn't a cheap guitar,
it was just not as expensive as the American Standards.
that's when Fender went to other markets to create Squier we know of today.
with Epiphone you couldn't put the name Gibson on the headstock without paying a premium, but i get what your saying though.
there is something to be said about the name Fender on a MIM version,
that's because it says Fender on it.
but people didn't buy it because it says Fender, they bought it because cheap guitars at the time were crap. if Squier wasn't looked at as the cheap man's guitar back in the 80's and 90's, most people might not look at Mexican Fenders as much.
Squier was the main reason why most people took a chance on the MIM Fenders, because Squier wasn't that much different from other cheap guitar brands at the time. Epiphone was always looked at differently than Gibson when it came to electric guitars at the time, because they were seen as the poor man's Les Paul.
Epiphone was mainly known for there Acoustic guitars,
but the one positive about Epiphone was that, if the guitar didn't turn out that great you didn't get this feel of being let down. if the guitar actually turned out to be good,
now you get a sense of wow this guitar surprised.
you can't do that with a Gibson, because with a Gibson you do get a solid guitar most of the time. even the Gibson Les Paul Tribute which has been there entry level for years was still a pretty good guitar. the Les Paul Studio was the one closest to the Standard.
but unlike Epiphone your expectations for Gibson to put out a good guitar are higher,
anything less than that your gonna be disappointed lol.
@@markntexas8265 prices arent even that bad in the US, in Europe they are even more expensive
I want to show some love for Epiphone. I bought my wife a Dot about 20 years back (Korean made), and then a Nighthawk maybe 10 years ago. The Dot got a set of pickups and a nice switch for them. The Nighthawk is left absolutely stock. Those guitars are beloved keepers for us.
I still have a business card from you guys when I was there almost 5 years back, had no idea you guys ran a CZcams channel. Actually was planning to apply at the store when it looked like I was moving into the area
Guitarist for a long time..owned and played the best stuff over 40 years. After seeing so many positive experiences - now concentrating on Epiphone and Squier instruments to add. Obtained a Fiesta Red Classic Vibe 50's Stratocaster - lord yes! Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute Plus - my gawd! It contains Gibson 57 Classic pickups with series/parallel push-pulls on both. CTS Pots - nice hardware. Epiphone Les Paul Custom black beauty - Kalamazoo headstock, gold hardware, binding ...the whole deal - under $700. Just stunning. Epiphone SG Classic with P90's - kick tail rock machine in Inverness green at $400. I added these three over the year and am blown away and back again at how nice they sound...and their build quality is on it. Have a Prophecy SG in the works - can't get it - ordered in December '20. Just doesn't fit in my view of the cosmos to see Gibson guitars made in Mexico...for the same reasons you guys mentioned. No other particular reason - just doesn't fit
You guys should make a video explaining why Fender Japan is pretty much independent from Fender USA. It's kind of mysterious how Fender Japan operates but I love seeing all their special Japan only models. I'd like to know more about the relationship between them and the main branch of Fender.
I picked up a "not for export" 1990 's MIJ Stratocaster recently . One of the best necks I've ever seen !!!
Japan is super racist. Foreign market too, giant tariffs and sometimes just government orders for stores to just not display foreign products in hopes of killing them.
Also with that is them back then basically being China except they had a culture of honor and work ethic which meant they were producing a ton of cheap knockoff products that were ironically better quality and design than the original ones. So combined, that was bad. Fenders were way overpriced and whatever knockoff Japanese strat was probably way better than the US ones. Which meant that Fender literally couldn’t compete, they were outmatched in quality and price. So to get around all that bullshit they decided to give in and make Fender a Japanese company by buying out all the Japanese copy builders and doing a joint venture.
MIJ guitars rn are either vintage focused or hybrid modern in aesthetic. They’re not anywhere as modern as the US models in terms of features and like to use basswood a lot. But it’s always a hybrid somehow with a bright pop body color or a pickup “designed to provide a modern feel to a vintage tone.” But that’s all. Its normal guitars pretending to be more progressive. It’s not terribly interesting at all aside from the artist models which are the most modern or unique ones (fender katana reissue) compared to the US counterparts. I suggest you find their web link on their own channel. Their stuff is just… wow.
Funny enough MIJ is the only Fender that is reasonably priced in that country. MiMs and MiA’s are either considerably so overpriced you just should consider a MIJ or so exorbitantly priced to the same number as a custom shop price tag that you will just swear by an MIJ. So the Japanese monopoly still works and Fender gets their cut.
@@kennethchou4384 wow, your last name explains your post perfectly… talk about racist
@@bizzzzzzle this is just how japans economy works. and if not now, did.
I like supporting local businesses, and American jobs in general. I would never want Gibson to have a model that’s made in another country. Being made in the U.S.A. is an integral element of the Gibson brand.
I'm returning to playing after many years away. Started re-stocking in spring 2020 with a Performer Fender Strat. Then an Epiphone Casino and Epiphone 59 Les Paul. All quality instruments that play well and sound great (helps to have an AC30 with blues!).
I'm on same path my friend..13 years away and 11 months back in I have a fender player stratocaster HSS...a PRS custom 24 se..epi es339...an epi Les Paul special 2..and my Gibsons...SG standard and my Les Paul studio...inward man.. playing best stuff of my life.
Some of the other brands make great inexpensive lines. Gretsch has the streamliner line and it is pretty fantastic value for money.
As an owner of several Gibsons I can honestly say that the new Epiphone 335’s are tremendous. I bought a 2021 army green Epiphone 335 with P90’s and it sounds and play excellent. Best value in a guitar that I’ve purchased as new in a long time at $400. It won’t ever be worth a lot of money but it looks and plays great. Epiphone have upped their game. I have yet to try new Fender Squiers. I have heard they are also wonderful for the price point!
Love my CV Strat. Just ordered an Epi 335 to check out.
My Gibsons are heirloom guitars that will be cherished Forever!😀
I'm watching the video in my office and paused it for a moment to speak with a co-worker who poked their head in. The video was paused with a close up of Baxter and my co-worker, a she, asked if that was Donny Osmond! Baxter, she said she would love you more if you could also sing Puppy Love. What a wonderful start to this Friday morning!!!
If Baxter and Jonathan soon get divorced by their wives, they can shack up and become the new Odd Couple. That would make for a priceless reality series!
They should do an episode where their wives dress up as them and host the show.
Goodness gracious y’all got some ideas…🤣🤦🏼♂️
Jonathan as Oscar and Baxter as FU
Kate…I’ll drink to that ..👍🍺
Love to tune in….As entertaining as older videos of the Captain and Chappers!
Squier is killing it right now!
Been a long since i visited a guitar shop but have 2 Sq,s 20 Anniversary Fat Tele and a Vista JagMaster.
Man, i wanted a black and chrome Tele or Strat but finding one that played worth buying never happened. Even the Tele needed work.
On the other hand, i played a few Super Sonics then i dug. The flipped over Jazzmaster inspired by Jimi.
Like to think quality is better now.
See the beauty of the Epi/Squire thing is, you can get two guitars for less than the price of one U.S. made Gibson/Fender.
I’d rather have one great guitar than two average guitars. There are great epiphones and squiers but they are usually the most expensive.
@@chrisshaw2754 And you can still get both for the price of one U.S. made Gibson/Fender
The Epiphone 50's standards are high end look at the specs a build quality this is why I just bought a 2021 waiting on it now it's on back order I paid $650.00 for it but don't hold your breath on that price Rumors are already circulating they will be $850.00 in 2022
I have a G&L Doheny tribute that was well worth paying a bit out of the squire range. I really can't understand why that whole line gets over looked. one thing they did visually that I like is it still says g&l on the headstock. not that a name matters but when you are on a budget and buying something new it at least makes you feel like you are moving in a better direction
Love my Doheny tribute in off white , boy did it need a fret job and setup . Also the bridge pickup was dead on arrival . All set up though it's one sweet rocker with a unique sound and look . But the QC at the factory is kinda' ify' .
I can't understand why all G&L lines get overlooked. They are all great guitars from top to bottom.
@@brrblack497 my neck and pick ups are good the only thing that's weird to me is that the string tension seems to change , almost like the bridge settles a bit after playing. I love the tone controls and general versatility
Watch your stuff whenever I can. You guys are halarious!
Lastly, I have a 2003 MIK Epiphone Black Beauty (3 pup) made in the Saein factory. This guitar has been one of the Epi's I have kept because it is so freaking good. Plays like a dream and the pickups are fantastic.
Doug in Atl. Stimulus check got me a vibe 70s squire strat a year ago. Recently had a sustainiac installed, I'm in heaven! Play thru kitana 50, I'm 65, NEVER too old, children..
I was gonna originally buy a MIM Fender in January as my first instrument but being left handed and price increase you mentioned in one of your videos; I ended up with an American Professional 2. While its double the price, you get a hardcase and Posiflex graphite rods in the neck and will retain its value.
Another Little known Canadian legend is Garnet Amplification from Winnipeg.
"Bootoque" - potential Canadian boutique guitar builder name.
I had one of those $99 Gtrc Les Paul Special I's with the P90s. Not a great guitar by any means, but it was one of the most fun guitars I've ever owned. I found myself picking it up all the time.
Got me a 50s cv and an epi 339 with p90s. Love them both. They both do everything I need
Have you tried the Sterling (Music Man) CT50 Cutlass? I'll put it up against Fender Mex. Locking Tuners, roasted maple neck. It sounds great. $499.
My 2019 Epiphone Exclusive Deluxe G400 Sg pro limited run was crafted the exact way as the the Gibson Sgs in the early 1960's it's also has gone up in Value on the used market
the serial number on my SG is 19 ect etc....dude Epiphone NAILED it in 2019/20/21
@Richard Moore no its reality buddy maybe if would take time and do research first you wouldn't look like fools😁
@Richard Moore so whose the pile of shit now Smart guy🤣😂🤣😂
@Larry Tomato head preach it brother!
I’m not going to criticize Epiphone because they really have improved in many ways in the last several years.
However, I think it is significant to point out that “right now” ALL recent used guitars have increased in value.
I don’t think any of us can say that this guitar or that guitar regardless of model or brand is going to hold its value long term until the market normalizes post COVID.
I bought myself an Epiphone Dove pro acoustic last year and it's one of the best out of the box acoustic guitars I've ever played for the price. $350 from Sweetwater and it plays like something you'd find around the 8-1000 range. The fishman pickup is fantastic and crisp. I justified buying it sight unseen because of how awesome my friends Epi 335 style plays.. him and I are both fender guys if that carries any weight in this discussion. Very quality stuff coming outta there these days.
Here’s an idea for a topic. Custom shop builders vs specific boutique builders. Fender seems to expose more of their custom shop guys to the public than Gibson does other than Tom Murphy. I don’t know if you can pick a specific person to make your Gibson custom shop guitar.
I bought an Affinity Tele this spring. Plays great, looks beautiful, sounds pretty good, stays in tune fair. The neck is like butter. For $229 I could just leave it in the gig bag if I didn't like it.
I bought an affinity Tele for $169 back in 2006 and played it for 10+ years.
Epiphone and Squire definitely have become quality products.
Some killer products from both!
I have a hard tail Vintage Modified Jazzmastwr I bought a while ago that's fantastic. I bought it from a guy for 250 dollars and it plays like a quality guitar that costs much more. I dont buy or really own budget guitars anymore but I've never been able to part with this one.
I wish Epiphone offered a line of 3 piece maple neck lp customs. Some of my favorite players from the 80s used those customs. I know it is not vintage correct, but the risk of a headstock snap would be reduced a little, and I like the stability of maple over mahogany.
BTW, 2018 Gibson Tribute LP (non weight relieved) is an excellent deal.
I have a Firefly LP just to see how it plays. At first I had some pretty bad pain from it, then it just stopped and now its pain free idk why lol. Besides the constant constant tuning issues, its a good guitar, action is great and neck is great. Looks amazing and for $300 its pretty cool.
When I was younger, I spent thousands of dollars on cheaper guitars because the only thing that mattered to me was the way they felt and played.
I lost thousands on all of those guitars made in Indonesia, Korea, and China. I've been lucky to resell a mint guitar for 40% of what I paid.
My American guitars have held all of their value. Gibson, Fender, Martin. I've literally played these for years and they are worth, at minimum, what I paid for them new.
I kind of look at it as an investment that I can play with. Its like Scrooge Mcduck swimming in his money vault. He can build a pool with water, chlorine, and maintenance but thats a fun EXPENSE. Doing your swimming in gold coins that just increase in value? That, my friend, is a fun INVESTMENT.
I don't think one should think of guitars as an investment.
It's an Instrument, not a stock.
Play it for the sake of playing it, maybe play it forever, (and really feel if it's the one you want before buying it.) Instead of constantly buying and selling them
@@jamiewhichelo9983
@@jamiewhichelo9983 Depends on which stock yoru talking about . One share fo Apple is a lot different then one share of game Stop,..and fi your actually read what he wrote hes saying his American made guitars have held their value as opposed to the ones make in places like Indonesia & Korea. Therefore they've proven to also be worthy place holders of money considering that face.
Certainly better then one Game stop,..LoL
@@terryshrk That kind of wasn't the point I was trying to make, sorry.
What I meant was that guitars aren't just there to be a form of asset or money, but (as an instrument) be something you have a emotional attachment to. It's kind of like your favorite t-shirt. Do I care if it's made by Walmart or by Gucci? Or do I care more about the design, the feel of it
I’ve always advocated saving up for a really good guitar instead of hurrying and getting a cheap guitar- I’m flat broke, But instead of buying a squire immediately, I saved for a really good top Fender. The word budget means in a hurry. Patience is rewarded with a superior instrument.
Love my Affinity Squier, but it has a Dylan loaded pickguard. What's not to love?
I reckon 500 to 1000 is perfect range for working guitars.
I truly believe that we live in a golden age for guitar player, the vast array of options and price points is staggering and there is definitely something for everyone.
That being said I also believe that prices at the mid to upper end are getting ever more ridiculous. I know plenty of guys who have guitars which they are terrified to take out of the case not to mention the house, which to me is very sad.
The best fender I own is a 2014 60's baja tele, which is way better than any overpriced MIA models I've owned.
I can take this and my American special strat anywhere and not worry too much about them.
If Gibson goes with a Mexican line they need to revive on the the old names like Kalamazo, Orville, Maestro, etc and not call them Gibsons
that WOULD be cool.... not going to happen but would be WAY cool.
Gibson used to make a series called "faded". Those guitars were right in the price range of what MIM Fenders currently cost. Maybe just bring those back?
I got one a 2016 model. Although I love it now, the frets were horribly sharp. The setup was terrible.
Considering that some of the Mexican made Fender signature models are $1,500 and some Vintera series models are $1,100, I think Gibson’s Les Paul Tribute at $1,200 is a great value and Jr.s and Specials are even less expensive.
Gibson is an aspirational brand. Any labor savings gained by moving to Mexico would be lost in brand value.
Gibson is an aspirational brand mostly for 50 year old men. Just ask any dealer.
@@joebryant8500 50 year old men have the money to pay, and we never run out of 50 year old men. There is a new batch every year
@@jeffmckinnon5842 Half of all guitars sold in the last few years were from a Fender brand, and the buyers were mostly under 30. Gibson doesn't come close.
Thanks for playing.
@@joebryant8500 I did not know that statistics like this were being collected. I don't really disagree with you, but I would love to see where you got those numbers from...
@@jeffmckinnon5842 Reverb articles, YT videos from large retailers such as Andertons UK (biggest by-volume retailer in the UK), research posted in business journals, UK music industry analytics.
This is why I put up with your, um, "personalities" - you've made me think & you're right. Pity we care about re-sale or co of origin, but we do....
Hi, will you please do a blind 335 comparison with an INSPIRED BY GIBSON EPIPHONE and a GIBSON? I got a 2020 335 Epi 335 and I think is freaking amazing! got it from Wildwood Guitars and it came all the way to Riverside California on perfectly set up and in tune! cheers, great content, love your channel. maybe my next 335 will be from Casino guitars.
value wise I think classic vibe wins because it cost me just below 600$ whereas the Epiphones are 1100 and change. I think the squire is every bit as good as the EP Les Pauls
I have played Epiphones for over 20 yrs, along with fender, gibson, gretsch huss and dalton. For the money Epiphones are incredible value. Especially the Korean made ones from the 1990's. I have a Sheraton II I would put up against a gibson 335 any day. Fender and Gibson have really pushed themselves out of reach with the every player that wants to upgrade and still pay the rent. Gretsch has done an awesome job of getting players from beginners to pros into their product line. Fender with Squier, though I think that Squier is almost a separate company from Fender now and bravo. Epiphone has come a long way since the 1980's
Epiphone really stepped up the quality again a few years ago, bringing back many of their legacy models at the same time. Win Win.
Squier classic vibe for me every day of the week! Have both a S and T ... have tried a couple inspired by Gibson Epiphones and in both instances, the fretwork was so bad that I just returned them immediately
The best value guitars for me are the PRS SE line, more specifically the SE Standard 24 and SE Standard 245.
These are clearly the cream of the import crop. PRS has very high standards across the board.
@@beatmasterbossy The PRS SE line are the cream of the crop for imports and they are the best value guitars. The PRS SE Standard guitars are very affordable.
@@314jrock but if I'm gonna buy a PRS I'm going to buy from the core models.
But that's because I like knowing it's top of the line.
@@beatmasterbossy Everybody wants a core model PRS, but everybody don't have the money for it. This video is about best value guitars, not expensive top of the line guitars.
@@314jrock to which I would argue they have the best value for their high price.
It is just an aside. I agree about PRS SE
I just really like the fancy ones.
People spend huge amounts of money on all kinds of useless shit, why not a guitar?
I own a Squire Bullet Strat, and an Epiphone Les Paul Special II.
Both are really fun to play, and far better than any budget guitar we could have got 40 years ago.
Would be neat to see how John thinks the current range of say a 50s or 60s classic vibe squire against a 50s or 60s tribute epiphone feel. The epiphones are in the 600 dollar range and a bit above the squires but I think they sit in the same catagory of products.
Yeah, Jonathan you do have to watch Strange Brew. Lee Anderton suggested when referring to the "Inspired by Gibson" line that they should be Gibsons, the international lower priced Gibson line. Same name, same headstock shape. But then what do they do with the Epiphone brand? Leave that for the very low cost guitars like the Epiphone SL? I have one, the frets bite. As an Inspired by Gibson LP owner that does aspire to own a Custom Shop LP one day I'm conflicted by the idea. Would I like my Epiphone more if it has the right headstock shape and said Gibson? Yes. Would I still want a Custom Shop? Yes.
Thank you for encouraging Johnny boy to see proper cinema! And great points there. Tons of thanks for sharing:)
@@CasinoGuitars One of the greatest movies of all time. Take Off, Hoser! Maybe you should start giving refunds in the alley.
While I've liked almost every brand I've tried, with the exception of Ibanez, and Donner puts out some surprisingly great stuff, but if I had to choose epiphone or squier I'd probably go squier. My first guitar back in 2003 at age 15 was a Squier Affinity strat with the smaller headstock, and I absolutely loved that thing.
I love my Fender Champion 50XL. Just enough effects and the speaker is so wonderful
Thanks for bringing up labour conditions. Not enough Guitar YT channels talk about that element when reviewing overseas guitars. Also - if they made Gibsons up here in Canada they would likely cost more than the US ones. Although, many of their cases are already made in Canada. Anyway - I enjoy this channel. I'm really not sure why, but I do. Cheers and enjoy Strange Brew.
I remember back in 2009, I always go to Guitar Center Hollywood and I saw a Gibson DSM Songmaker acoustic guitar and it’s Made in Canada for under 1000$.
I took a Squier Mustang - for $129 on sale a couple of Christmas’s ago - and put a P90 in the neck & an Alnico II pup in the bridge. I also had to perform fret end work & put better tuners on it. It’s a really great guitar now.
You buy a Gibson if you want a quality, one-size-fits-all guitar.
You buy a boutique if you want a quality guitar but want something to suit your needs.
Looking at it like that it make sense for the former to have a higher resale value.
I love my MIM Telecaster Special Edition more than all my other guitars… Perfect sound, perfect look; perfect guitar.
I have several Gibson, fender and squire, I bought a epiphone earlier in the year and now I own several epiphone’s, those guitars are top notch now I was blown away
Hey here’s a question, will the prices go down when we go back to normal? I doubt it.
I feel like as long as prices rise with inflation while salaries don’t
normal people won’t be able to buy a fender or Gibson at all
Usee market still exist. Just might need to do a bit more work and wait a little longer.
First, I'd just like to say that I just recently found this channel and you both are like what Chappers and the Captain used to be back a few years ago. I love it, keep doing it as long as you can please. lol
So I'm an Epiphone dude. I love Epiphone. I 100% agree with you on the lower end stuff. They have the potential to be something different if you can get a good one to begin with, but otherwise they are not good at all. I scour the used market and find some AWESOME Epiphones for great prices all the time. Look at about the $300 range one the used market and you'll get some serious bang for buck Epiphones.
Some models of Harley Benton guitars are made in the same factories as the Epiphone models. The Squier Classic Vibe 70s Thin Line with the Wide Range humbucker pickups and the Classic Vibe 60s Custom with the Rosewood fretboard and double bound body were good guitars and are just under $500.00. They're fine as gigging guitars. I've had 2 Epiphone Les Pauls in the early 2000s that were $350.00 new then. They were fine guitars and definitely usable for gigs too. They're priced well over $500.00 now. The quality of these brands depends on which factory in Korea, China or Indonesia is making certain models at the time.
I spent like 2 hours in a music shop the other day comparing Fender lines to Squiers and I was very surprised…
The Squiers (Classic vibe and Contemporary) played and felt better than all of the Mexican guitars (Vintera etc) and one Classic Vibe even felt better (especially after looking at the price tag) compared to the American Pro II! :O
So I have a lot of guitars…and I thought that I wanted a high end Fender but now I guess I can just buy a Classic Vibe and mod it with what ever if I would want to down the line.
Strange times.
I just bought a black classic vibe Jaguar bass and it has better features than the fender version for $300 less (real bone nut, block inlays, stacked knobs and cooler colors than the fender). Its fk'n beautiful !
I bought a Squire paranormal offset Telecaster (surf green) a couple of years ago. Due to the pandemic, I’ve had to put-off having my gut set-it up & sink a couple of Texas specials in it, but it’s a really nice guitar.
I've got a cheaper fmt affinity. My frets were pretty perfect. Just needed a light buff to play like glass. My local GC has so much fender fret sprout it's ridiculous. Player and plus guitars over 800 and the necks were terrible. I also have an active jazzmaster Squire and wow there is a level of quality I didn't expect for 240$ used.
I'm a lefty, so I don't have the luxury of trying out a bunch of guitars, but I got a CV Strat as my first electric guitar, other than some issues with how the nut was cut, and expected issues at this price point with sharp frets (not sprout, just needing rounding over), it is amazingly solid. I also got a Player Tele a year later, and I immediately fell in love with the neck on it, and don't regret spending the extra money on it, but the fret issues are the same, and surprisingly to me, the Squier got the electronics right (correct left handed pots), and the Player didn't (still need to swap those out with reverse taper pots). The Indonesian factory seems to be doing a great job. Great value for the money (though I will still point beginners at the Ibanez AZ Essentials for a top bang for buck beginner guitar).
Why not have a Gibson plant in 🇧🇷 Brazil. They can have models made with exotic woods.
To be honest I haven't played that many epiphones, but the ones I played were and acoustic, a thunderbird bass, and a few electrics here or there. The acoustic was polished and fancy looking hummingbird model and it was average sounding not bad. The bass was awesome and looked incredible. The solid body guitars I played always seemed dead when unplugged, but we're manageable. Squires on the other hand have always felt nice to me, at least in the past 10 years. When I was 20 my friend had a crappy squire strat, when I was 30 I found it at my mom's and fixed it up a bit, added some mods, and now it's incredible.
You’re right about the low-end epiphones not comparing to the low-end squiers. The epiphones are pretty much crap, and I’ve bought a couple years ago hoping they would be as good as my $400 epiphone and I was disappointed. Haven’t played any recently but I assume that anything that epiphone makes that’s bolt-on is not worth messing with. Low-end squier scan be perfectly playable.
@Larry limblost I’m playing a ‘95 Epiphone Les Paul Custom in my profile pic, numbnuts…
Seriously though, I said bolt-on epiphones are crap compared to the set-neck epis that I’ve owned. I’ve owned and played quite a few of them, the higher-end epiphones are some of my favorite guitars ever.
I have a 90s Epi LP that is great and also a recent Epi acoustic that is surprisingly good. Had mixed results with early 2000s lower end Epis. No personal experience with Squier but seem solid. Have had and still have multiple MIM Fenders that are great.
Speaking of boutique, I bought for first Novo, a Serus J. In Ice Blue Metallic with Lollar Mini HBs/Mastery Trem. Got one of the last non distressed that they built. I believe XL distress is the lightest they'll do now. With that said, I have absolutely no regrets with what I paid for it, worth every dollar.
JONATHAN - you must watch Strange Brew tonight. It is the GREATEST re-telling of Hamlet EVER!
We don't know, but... It never stopped us from answering. 😁Classic!
I went with an inspired by Gibson 2021 Epiphone Les Paul Custom in black. It is so nice.
Awesome, perfect name for a financial advisor!
I have four Squire guiars. Each one is a great quality guitar, I have a JMascis Jazzmaster a Classic Vibe 70's Jaguar a FSR Affinity Tele(fantastic guitar) and a new Paranormal Cyclone which I have fallin' in love with. All in all beautiful machines for a far price. Thanks boys for the knowledge and conversation.
I have a Squire Classic Vibe Thinline Tele and it’s one of my favorite guitars ✌️
I have a mim strat from 2006 and an epiphone masterbilt aj45me and I love them both. I’ve always wanted a Gibson J45 but to be honest I can’t really justify the money when my epi sounds, feels and plays so good.
I had some "disposable income" (which is rare) sooo..I went to Guitar Center and bought a Squire Bullet $ 179.00 and an Epiphone Les Paul Junior $ 149.00 ...took them home and immediately got online and bought a set of Grover Tuners for the Epiphone and a set of Fender locking tuners to modify each .. added Seymour Duncan PG humbuckers to each . I nearly cracked $ 340.00 spent on each guitar in the end ..These are now my two favorite stage guitars with minimal upgrades ..much more fulfilling to do that ,for me, than buying a $ 3000.00 instrument..Love your guys content on this channel
My ‘99 silver sparkle Squier Jagmaster has the best feeling neck of any of my guitars (US Strat, MIM Strat, MIM Tele, Epi Dot Dlx) and it surprises me every time I pick it up. Fun fact: my Casio MG-510 is a close second.
If it says Gibson on the headstock and isn't made in the USA I would never buy one. I've paid less than a grand for a Gibson and its great
Sterling Cutlass CT50. Nothing beats that in value for money.
Bought two squire classic vibes and two epi inspired by Gibson's last year. The epis look great fit and finish, but the squires definitely hit the mark on sound, whether you play them through tube, solid state, modelling whatever.
In the case of the MIM guitars, it's not that $800 is too expensive for a starting point. It's just that US wages have been suppressed for 30 years (or more). If workers made, say, even 50% more nowadays, $800 becomes more palatable. It's not the price, it's the "underfunded" disposable income. My opinion, anyways.
But if workers are making more then labor costs go up and the price of goods also goes up. There are times when either workers or consumers benefit in the short term from inflation but there’s only one group that wins long term and it probably isn’t you and definitely isn’t me.
Good opinion and thanks a ton for sharing! We also have noted that wages have risen steadily but unfortunately costs of good..well, you know...and don't even get me started on houses...for jimmies sake:)
@@Dram1984 I should have elaborated on the vast redistribution of wealth in this country over the last 30 years also. There is only a very few individuals in this country enjoying the spoils af the vast capitalistic advances this country has made.
My first good guitar was a Peavey T60. I was earning 2 dollars an hour (1979) and it cost $299. In today's money that would be above 1ķ. With inflation the $799 price is not so bad when kids can get$15 an hour for entry level jobs. I love my CV Tele and contemporary strat, Squiers are fine guitars. Ì guess a Mexican Gibson could fit between the Epi and USA lines if the price was right.
Hey guys, I love your shop and you have been putting out great topics on these videos. I got my 000-18 from you too! Totally support your shop. The casual feel of these videos is cool, and getting off topic makes it feel like a real conversation. You may consider reducing the off topic conversation time in these videos. I love watching them, but 8 minutes in when we get to the 3rd off topic commentary you start to lose me.
I got a bolt on Epiphone SG for $180 and it is frightening how good it is. I just wanted a live beater for an industrial project and I was pleasantly surprised. It's Awesome! 😉
I just bought the same thing, the sg special in walnut satin. Contrary to what they said in this video mine had no sharp fret ends and after a proper setup it's amazing how good it is at the price point. Being in Canada they're a bit more but for a sub $300 guitar the thing is way more impressive than I thought it would be. I did put grover locking tuners on it and a tusq nut and some may argue that it's a waste of money on a "cheap" guitar but it's not something I plan on flipping, I'm gonna keep it and play it. I've been a squier guy for a long time and have had pretty much every model they make at one time or another and wanted to expand my horizons a bit and always liked sg's. This was a great way to get into the epiphone world and I can say with some certainty from past squier experience that it won't be my only one hehe....
I 'm not sure I understand what you mean with your comment on Harley benton guitars and the working conditions of those who makethem. I would imagine that they are made by the same factories that make tons of guitars, even the "cheap" models of big brands like PRS, Gretsch. Is there something I have missed?
I have two Squier Standard model strats (one SSS and one HSS) and to me they play and sound as good as the MIM Fenders. I bought an Epiphone "Inspired By Gibson" Les Paul Custom last year and I have to say it plays really well but, has a more tame sound than a genuine Gibson because of the pickup differences. I like the Epi's flatter neck profile also. All three guitars are a good substitute vs American made instruments although if based on price alone, the Squiers are half the cost of the Epi. I like them all for different musical styles so it's kinda an apples to oranges comparison on that level. Still even the cheaper guitars are leaps and bounds better than the crap we had to learn with back in the early 80's, my first guitar was a $60 sunburst Kay that doubled as a cheese slicer lol.
You guys have won me over on the relic guitars. I recently got a new MIM road worn tele and it's a great guitar. Only two complaints -- the set up was horrible and the wires had been sprayed with the antiquing varnish and were really sticky. Best value I've seen in the past few years is from Yamaha.
The setup on every MIM is horrible. Good guitars, horrible setup and all MIM fender have sharp frets (squiers do not).
I am stunned at the craftsmanship of my Chinese Epiphone SG Modern with tiger stripe top, locking tuners, and pickup variations via push/pull pots, about $550. Considering that I can get a single pickup slab body LP Junior for a mere twice the price....
I purchased 2 epipiphones last year one for me and one for my dad.
I got the 1960' spec ebony... and it's amazing
My dad has the 1950' spec burst and it is beautiful.
Definitely worth 500
I’m American, but moved to Canada as my wife is from here. My only reference for Canadian culture before coming was Letterkenny, and it all 100% holds up. Super accurate representation. Having said that, Canadian labor costs are comparable to the US, so there wouldn’t be much saving there. One thing Canada does a great job of, is using Canadian resources. All the McDonald’s here use Canadian meats and veggies, most of the grocery stores stock Canadian produce, so I would imagine that Gibson Canada would be all about using locally sourced woods, which may save cost and would definitely be cool
The playability difference between brand premium lines and entry lines can be surprisingly small compared to the price in many companies IF you do a proper setup. Differences in material and trim aside, that can make the lines cheapest guitars as much fun to play as stupid expensive ones.
The real key is sonic qualities. I have cheap and expensive and each has their own voice, particularly my
I’ve got an “Inspired by Gibson” ES 335. Out of the shipping box and straight to a Luthier. I never gave it a chance out-of-factory, but… after professional setup & fretwork it IS now a monster. I’ll pass on the same advice I got. Get any IBG Epiphone, have a Tech address the fretwork, neck, and set it up. You WILL love the results, especially if you’re gonna play it through a nice tube rig.
love my Epiphone LP standard, i learned on it, i feel it, its great. Even tho I have 2k shecter stuff now, i still play my 400 bucks Epiphone multible times a week