Reasons to choose Epiphone over Gibson

Reasons to choose Epiphone over Gibson

Epiphone is an American musical instrument manufacturer founded by Anastasios Stathopoulos, currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1957 Epiphone, Inc., of the city of New York, was purchased by the Chicago Musical Instrument Co. (CMI, this is the same company that bought Gibson in 1944) and received the name of Epiphone, Inc. of Kalamazoo, Michigan. CMI took major steps to keep Gibson and Epiphone separated in different buildings, each with its own management team. Epiphone was Gibson's main rival in the archtop market before its acquisition in 1957. His professional archtops, including the Emperor, Deluxe, Broadway and Triumph, rivaled those of Gibson. In addition to guitars, Epiphone also played double basses, banjos and other stringed instruments. However, the company's weakness after the Second World War allowed Gibson's father, CMI, to absorb it. Gibson and Epiphone are two of the oldest brands in the history of guitar production, especially when it focuses on electricity. The two companies were competitors in the archtop market in the 1930s and during the development of the first electric models. In 1957, Gibson bought Epiphone and used the brand as a way to expand its distribution network and, eventually, expand production beyond the United States. It's a long and intertwined story, but for most modern players, Epiphone is primarily seen as the current bass of the broader Gibson catalog. The division is considered cheap versus expensive, imported compared to the US, and in essence, it is budget friendly versus historical quality. There are definitely some reasons why someone prefers an Epiphone over a Gibson. First of all, Epis are beautiful guitars. They look a little like Les Paul, up to the shiny chrome hardware and the vintage tuning pegs and the rapper. As stated earlier, do not let the name on the pegbox decide here. What other people think does not matter. Secondly, I am a firm believer that your hands and style have a great influence on your tone. Do you think that Eddie Van Halen or Yngwie Malmsteen would sound wrong interpreting an Epi? Of course, no. So, if you want to understand it, a guitar is just a tool to express yourself. Why pay several big when you can get an effective tool for a quarter of the price? Finally, each guitar has its own personality. Some Epis sing as sweet as any Gibson, and some Gibsons sound like the worst Epi. If you can find the right Epiphone, it's like hitting gold. Sure, you have more chances to find that gem in the Gibson lineup, but that price is again. Do not count the Epi until you have tried a group and be convinced that you will never find one that you like. And Epiphone does not stop with the standard Les Paul model. They also feature high-end guitars such as the Les Paul Ultra III, an improved ax with an even lower price than a Gibson.