Absolutely. Epiphones’ entire point of existing was to provide the means of affordable alternatives for people who wanted to get into Gibson brand. I understand inflation affects pricing but Gibsons’ decision to raise prices is pushing people out. There are much better guitars to be bought for the cost of a modern Epiphone.

The Mustaine prices have fallen through the floor. £1,000 in the UK now, and the same for the latest Adam Jones. Lol, the market has told Epiphone they are too expensive.

I think part of the reason the Adam Jones Les Pauls aren’t moving anymore is the choice of graphics on the last two…they don’t seem to be well liked and I share that sentiment.

I paid less than $2k for all of my Gibson's, including new ones, with the exception of the '82 Les Paul Custom Silverburst that I bought for $2.5K 5 years ago. I know it's hard to get a new Gibson for $2K now, but $2K for a Chinese made Epiphone would be insane, IMO. I hope you're wrong, but your record of being right speaks for itself.

I think I’d rather have a Tokai or burny :)

@shanewalton8888

Жыл бұрын

Tokai is so much better than the crap Epiphone puts out.

@davepatterson4774

Жыл бұрын

❤ I couldn't agree more! Tokai, Burny, Greco, Orville (Gibson family!), Edwards, Cool Z and Aria Pro ii, etc. All of them that are/were made in Japan are a serious and viable alternative to Epiphone. Their Chinese versions can be hit and miss, but I love the Japanese ones.

@kimseniorb

Жыл бұрын

yeah at least they got the shape/pickup placement right, epiphone is notorious for wrong dimensions

@StevieZero

Жыл бұрын

Bought a Burny Les Paul Custom last week...£550 ,,,,Beautiful guitar...

At the same time the eppiphone gjost horse is phenomenal value, £640, you get a bound ebony fretboard, burstbuckers and a floyd rose

@reverendknox

Жыл бұрын

I have one and it’s phenomenal. Excellent value for what’s under the hood

Greedflation is rampant across all industries now. I bought a Brompton bike in 2002 for £600, in 2020 they were selling them for £1000, ie a 70% increase in 18 years, yesterday I saw them in a bike shop for £1400, ie a 40% increase in 3 years. Wages where I live have increased abot 30% in the last 20 years. Semi budget guitars are now on par with basic USA made guitars as they were priced 5 years ago.

I think my biggest issue with Epiphone (besides the ever-increasing price) is the fact that they don't guarantee the specs they list. They'll say a guitar is made of mahogany, but the guitar they give you will be basswood or something similar with thin mahogany or sapele veneers on the top and back. I watched a video of a fella refinishing an Epi G400. The specs listed the guitar as being all mahogany. When the thick poly cane off, the guitar was blindingly white grainless wood with paper thin veneers.

Can buy American fenders for less than some epiphones these days. I’m sure they’re quality and great etc, but when a mustaine v is as much as American professional 2, or as much as a second hand Gibson les paul, something is deeply wrong imo. Gibson pricing is ridiculous also because if their price increases (I considered 2400 a pricey but fair price for the les paul standards). The company has lost touch. While fender are struggling with qc according to some, and are far from perfect, I would argue that their vintera or player plus models are far better value than the Adam jones les pauls. I was planning on buying a slash les paul recently, but the price rose on Thomann by like 700 quid. Blows my mind.

@pads-zr9ln

Жыл бұрын

I brought an am pro 2 last year as a 40th birthday present, its a lot of money to spend, to spend that on an epiphone didn't cross my mind

Experienced shock and awe today with the Lifeson - you did warn us 😂

I believe the pricing makes sense… You said Slash LP is $899… the Gibson is $3,200… play them both and you’ll likely see that the Gibson is bettet - but 3 times as good? I don’t think so..

3CD, 100% agree! I've always been a big Epi fan, have several, also several Gibson's, PRS, Fender's. I'm old as some food stuck in Billy Gibbons beard! (yours is lookin close!) The last one a sprung $ on was the bone white Cantrell, the main reason was it has ebony and the Fishman electronics which nothing else in my collection does. However, the place I got gives rewards & Birthday cash points, so beside that and some haggling I ended up getting $200 off + the BDAY cash & points I had ended up out of pocket $750 USD! So I felt a need to get it. If they keep it up though I think they'll start losing a BIG share of the market, JMO. Thanks for your shows! Cheers!

Dude I had the Slash Anaconda, the Cantrell Wino and the 1959 LP Standard Outfit ADB and I have returned all of them because they had inconsistencies. The Slash and Wino had pickups that interfered with my high gain channel on the amp ( playing thru a peavey 6505 ) and the 1959 LP Standard Outfit ADB had major fret issues. Now I know prices have gone up in recent years but I also recently bought a LTD EC 256 (that cost way less and it's made in Indonesia) and had none of those issues. I don't understand how Epiphone can charge such big amounts of money for guitars that will require at some point new pickups or luthier work. The case and name associated with some of the models isn't worth what they are asking. IMHO next time I want something that looks familiar with a classic Gibson I am going to buy and FGN Neo Classic LC10 made in Japan. wishing good luck with their purchases to all the Epiphone fans. Cheers!

Epiphone’s Gibson Inspired series is fantastic, the build quality is on point above the other Epiphones, and they are spec’d out. The have become the MIM version level for Gibson, and I would gladly pay (and have) for the higher than normal Epiphone prices.

@riffmania

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, you get it

@reddsshaker3477

Жыл бұрын

Agree 100%. I just bought the new $1300 Epi ‘58 Korina V, and it’s a phenomenal guitar. Great spec, excellent build quality, Gibson tone. And it comes with the vintage style case. A bargain, if you ask me, especially in today’s economy.

I just traded my prs dgt core wood library for 3 eppi’s the Adam jones berserker. The red alex lifeson and a gold Jared Nichole’s…..I’m so happy with what i have, I’ve noticed artist eppi’s are a step above the rest of the line. I’ve been playing for 20 years and at this point i sound like me on anything so having 3 new guitars that are all a bit different and i don’t have to worry about dings like the prs and they eppi’s will keep appreciating in value. More Epiphone for me is what I’m loving about it.

The artist range by Epiphone is getting crazy prices! The new Alex Lifeson and Dave Mustaine models are off the scale. The DC Pro is a great guitar for the money, so it looks like avoid the artist models from Epiphone. If they hava a greeny model they will go for a high price, so far Gibson have really cashed in on Greeny models and they will try again on the Epiphone model. If you want a greeny look at the vintage brand, they have some very nice artist inspired models at decent prices. Cheers for another great post Dave.

Yes. I bought my epiphone les Paul custom 1 year ago from Andertons for £550, now they want £799! I could never have justified that.

Love the video Dave my Epiphone zakk Wylde camo Les Paul is off the chart I love it so much the real one was 5 grand and I paid 899 those were the good old days

The recent hikes in the epiphone pricing is why I switched to squire (jazzmaster) and esp (EC ARTIC METAL/87 NT). Esp for less than a 1000 usd you just get more. Being a weekend warrior, I want a reasonably priced player grade guitar. I loved epiphone for what that brought to the table. Now they are straying away from their original customer base.

They're not "messing up". Their quality has improved DRASTICALLY. They still have more affordable guitars available. But you get what you pay for. My Epiphone Adam Jones LP Custom and my '50s Standard were worth every penny. Besides, if you haven't noticed, all the major guitar manufacturers have increased prices.

my opinion on this is that they still make budget guitars, they are just now making more expensive ones too. like the dave mustaines custom v is based on the 6000$ gibson custom so asking a 6th of the price in my opinion.

So, Cesar was basically saying "you aren't good enough for Gibson if you think price is an issue". I hope that A-hole style business model implodes in his face so we can have another Gibson bankruptcy rescue with lower prices and better guitars 😂

@Eric_01

Жыл бұрын

To play the devil's advocate, he's basically right. They're not marketing to the people who can't or won't spend that much money. They know full well that there are plenty of buyers that will.

There's a reason (or two) why Fender/Squier is outselling Gibson/Epiphone these days. They're more affordable and considered to be somewhat more fashionable (at the moment, at least). I will always love Les Pauls, but I'm also older.

A 94 LP, 21 p-90 SG special (pelham blue, like Dave) and a 22 Casino. I agree with Dave favorite brand for the money. Raising prices might backfire. Hard to go back.

I have the 3rd adam jones les paul and joe bonamassa es-335 epiphones. Great guitars, but i think thats about my limit on pricing. I dont spend more then $1500 on any guitar.

I got an epiphone coronet for £295 great value and tremendous guitar 🎸

Umm heck’s yeah I agree with Dave. Three Chord Dave for Epiphone and Gibsons president!

this is a good point. the best part about them now is the electronics. which...you can get in the States. along with quick-plug adaptors and an SG/LP body for about $120 dollars. Most people reading this likely have a guitar neck. and their favorite pickups. and aluminum foil/cans. See where this is going?

So right

The 59 les paul and 61 sg were resonably priced, if im paying £1200 for a guitar il walking past the eppiphone and buying a gibson studio or a shecter or esp

The problem is other companies are making similar guitars in the same factories more often than not with better specs, the same quality if not better for much less money....

I lucked out last week,got a brand new Slash with case for 499 at GC.

You can buy almost everything for that prices, for sure there are better choices, sometimes you can buy two for the price of an Epiphone. The mid - low price tier is full of nice guitars, why should I pay 1700 euro for an Epiphone when I can buy two used (also new) LTD ec1000 as instance?

So you're saying you like the Pelham blue Epi SG? Is that what you're telling us? 😆

, three-chord Dave I have five epiphone's and I will not spend over $500 on it Epiphone ever

Well, I did buy the first two Adam Jones Epiphones because, as many of us tried to figure out from the blurred photo, I could tell which ones I wanted and then I would be done. Lucky for me, those two came out in succession, and I'm done. No regrets, they are really very great playing guitars in addition to the marketing art. That was a pretty expensive endeavor, and at the time I thought it was a one-off. I'd also bought the Jerry Cantrell signature Epiphone for only $850 at around the same time. That still felt a tad high, but it also is very, very nice. But, like most people, the last few signature offerings have been a hard pass for me. I think we, the consumers, can simply say no and send a message. It's too bad that there is always just enough people willing to be screwed that sticks it to the rest of us.

@MercyNoMore

9 ай бұрын

I guess I'm wrong but I still like the old Epi headstock.

Any news for left-handed from Epiphone ?

My cheapest Epis are an early 2000s LP and my Wilshire (w/full-size humbuckers) that each cost around $250 each. All of my other Epis are the KISS signature models that only cost no more than $800 each. To me, those were already expensive. As bad as I want the classic korina Flying V, it's just insane to pay over a grand for an Epiphone. Gibson already charges too much for their guitars, as the headstocks are snapping off unlike the budget models. I think now that the guitar community is starting to be better informed, and the market is changing, Gibson is trying (badly) to capitalize on people shopping smarter. For years, the adage was "Buy an Epi and switch the pickups to get a Gibson." Then, we got the '58 Epi Les Paul and the word on the street was "Gibson who?" Fender has been wise to fan the flames with Squier and letting it ride.

I have owned a few epiphone les pauls and wouldnt pay over £200 when i used to buy them had a gold top,nuclear extreme but i did pay around the £500 for a epiphone joe perry boneyard new only because the specs warranted the price.The prices seem to get higher every time they issue a new guitar, i picked up amint Gibson 2019 tribute for £350 that will do me.

When Epiphone guitars reach about £600 I stop thinking about buying them. Epiphone have enabled me to get into ES 175, 335, les paul custom, les paul jnr type guitars but at a great price. If I was thinking of spending more than £600 I would look elsewhere as I don't think Epi's are good value above that price IMHO.

Max price I would pay for an Epi is about 800-900 €, and that would have to be something special, like the inspired by Gibson models. Anything beyond that is an absolutely nope for me.

Maybe we'd be a little more accepting on Epiphone pricing if they would just make them with the correct open book headstock already.🤷‍♂️ In my experience, the quality has vastly improved. They have a great sound and feel. Yes, there are plenty of cheaper and better spec'd guitars for the money. But, brand association is strong for some people and it is the closest to Gibson, if you wanna keep things "Authentic".😉🤣

It's absolutely a mistake. We're in a time when other companies are making equal to superior guitars for less and less. Deciding the best way to fight back is to jack up prices? Really, Epiphone?

Oh, and you nailed the Slash LP. The specs were the absolute basic Epi LP. There was nothing but his name. Just weird.

In my opinion, I think the Adam Jones series is just coming out too fast. If you wanted to collect them all, you just can't recover fast enough between them. Aside from wanting the whole series, it only takes a couple of them to realize they are the exact same guitar being released over and over except for art on the back. That's it, just the back is different and you're just not going to get a lot of people wanting to buy the same one repeatedly. It really just comes down to the art and if the offering at any given time is going to be widely appreciated or not. Personally, after the first two, I'm just not interested in the art recently. I think their will be one more Frazetta that will probably do well, but two Heffernan's back to back was a mistake.

@williamtm1965

Жыл бұрын

Last two graphics on on Adam Jones were just horrible, that scary looking woman with anorexic bare chest does not look appealing to most guitar players.

Less whining more playing .

Trying to make Gibsons seem reasonably priced, maybe?

@Eric_01

Жыл бұрын

If Gibson didn't raise their prices, too, then maybe that psychology would work.

I don’t think Epiphone is doing anything wrong. The US Dollar is shit. Blame the politicians and the bankers.

One thing I can count on you, Dave, being right on guitar predictions!

Dig you 3cord but the almighty algorithm hasn't been working in our favor. I'll have to actively search you to keep you on my TL. Epiphone has and is making great guitars for the average person. However they are owned by a corporation that bears the "coca-cola" name of guitars and have decided to cash in on that extra recognition. It appears they are squeezing out the extra value of Epiphone and Kramer to the point these are not for average persons to purcare at that level. The cost of everything has gone up globally but the majority of that increase is just greed. Unfortunately Epiphones are not going to come down in prices and there won't be any more value added moving forward. So it sucks as they make a great average person guitar worthy of being a starter instrument working into a gig axe. Maybe when my bosses want to relinquish some of that profit to provide me a raise so I can purchase a new guitar, but that isn't happening anytime soon as the corporate calendar ends next year.

High priced Epis are a mistake IMO. I’ve played a few and prefer the Specials Classics and Standard ranges.

I'm telling you if the adam jones realesed on the same day... 2 days all gone! Give people time to realize the world didn't end when they didn't get one. And nobody cares. Lmao that was a disaster of marketing. I was kind of wanting a plain one. Which if they realesed it today i wouldnt really care. Maybe they did i dont know. The price, the fact they have them sitting there not selling, its gonna be a pass for me. (As well as everyone else apparently) I'm not really a adam jones fan i just kind of liked the color, but they beat it to death and now its DEAD lol. As a big epiphone fan. I hope they real in their pricing and stop trying to compete in the wrong price range especially with gimmicky screen printing peices..sorry i meant art lmfao.......Lets hope thats acid reflux but we all know its vomit. If anything they should have been $50 cheaper then the regular guitar. Imho. Hopeful for epiphones future they were killing it for the last 4 or 5 years now there just killing the brand.. COME ON EPIPHONE! BE YOURSELF! done with rant

I think gibson make more mistakes

Made in China doesn't get that much from me. Sorry, not sorry.

Epiphonies have always been crap guitars, now they are overpriced crap.

@Eric_01

Жыл бұрын

I must strongly disagree with that.