Epiphone Jerry Cantrell troubles. 850 dollar guitar. Not my video.

[mjross]

$850 is A LOT ($925 with tax) for a hit or miss MIC Epiphone.

Send it back!

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

With that title one would think it's your guitar you're posting about, not some random YouTuber yelling at a cloud

 

[customguitars87]

Bleh.

There's probably what, a gagillion Gibsons out there?? If five disgruntled TGPers wanted to share their poor review here then people would still say "oh that's a lot" and think Gibson still sucks..

Somebody needs to come up with a joke of how five TGPers walk into a music store to buy a Les Paul..

It's not 5 people with problems though, it's thousands...no matter what the apologists who are cool with major build flaws on $6K guitars wanna say, Gibson is infamous for QC issues to the point where nowadays its become a running joke. Very hard to deny that or explain it away, but some people will work up a sweat doing it anyway like Gibson's paying their rent. There have been several ultra high end Gibsons with major QC issues posted here on TGP in just the last several days alone. Some of these threads get removed/deleted because people start acting crazy in them and they have to get shut down, so you're seeing way fewer of them when you look than there actually are.

And lest anyone think I'm hoppin' on any bandwagons - I've owned numerous Gibsons over the years going up to about the $3K new mark and more of them had issues than didn't...poor fretwork, nuts that needed replacing, etc...so that's my direct experience informing my opinion of the brand. If I had a bunch of flawless ones like some folks here do maybe I'd think differently, but that's just not how it went.

I don't know how many CS guitars are produced annually, but even if it's just 5 guitars out of 5,000 that have an issue, I still think a $6,000 guitar having an easily noticeable major flaw is absolutely ridiculous. That mistake not only has to be made during a process making an ultra premium guitar but it then also has to sneak past anyone and everyone involved in inspecting it, final setup, etc. to make it to the store shelf and be sold to a customer. You will never see that kind of QC fail from any other brand on guitars that expensive.

 

[datguytim]

I don’t understand why so many people buy guitars without actually PLAYING them first?!? Maybe because I’m older, but I can’t fathom purchasing something so personal as a guitar without holding it, playing it, feeling it out, visually inspecting it, etc.

 

[customguitars87]

I don’t understand why so many people buy guitars without actually PLAYING them first?!? Maybe because I’m older, but I can’t fathom purchasing something so personal as a guitar without holding it, playing it, feeling it out, visually inspecting it, etc.

Pretty simple really. I don't think I've played a guitar before buying it in the last decade or so. Firstly with many guitars they're not readily available in stores to begin with, so you can't really just take a quick drive and try it out...so your option is either to buy it online from a place with a good return policy or just not buy it at all. If people limited themselves to only buying guitars they could try, they'd be cutting out 98% of all instruments out there. Even in the huge city I live in with millions of people, local shops only have so much...so I can imagine the selection is almost non-existent for anyone living outside of there.

Another reason so few people try guitars before buying nowadays is the super generous and simple return policies that exist...they make it very easy to hand a guitar back if it's not what you were after. I buy from GC Used all the time, they let you return a guitar within 45 days of purchase and it couldn't be easier to do it. Many shops have made returns super simple and risk free, so buying online is pretty much the norm nowadays. You can and do hold it, play it, visually inspect it, etc. when it arrives...and if there's an issue, you can easily get a refund.

 

[BDUbs]

I found a video. I was not looking for it either. I was sort of taken back buy it. He paid 850 dollars for it and called it a turd. He is sending it back and loosing his rewards points. He said the frets are cheap and junk. He is unhappy.

So dose Epiphone frets suck that bad, is his complaint valid or did he get a bad one ? He said they were worse than a cheap low end Squire. Is he right? And has other people had the same issue with this new model Epiphone put out?

Is current Epiphone all that bad? No I do not own any currently made Epiphones. I'm asking because on a 850 dollar guitar I would expect better. And did he get a bad one or does epiphone really have issues? Or was his expiations to high?

Guy sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about. I have a hard time listening to criticism from a guy who has enough points at GC to help him buy this guitar. That alone makes his dissatisfaction questionable.

 

[datguytim]

Pretty simple really. I don't think I've played a guitar before buying it in the last decade or so. Firstly with many guitars they're not readily available in stores to begin with, so you can't really just take a quick drive and try it out...so your option is either to buy it online from a place with a good return policy or just not buy it at all. If people limited themselves to only buying guitars they could try, they'd be cutting out 98% of all instruments out there. Even in the huge city I live in with millions of people, local shops only have so much...so I can imagine the selection is almost non-existent for anyone living outside of there.

Another reason so few people try guitars before buying nowadays is the super generous and simple return policies that exist...they make it very easy to hand a guitar back if it's not what you were after. I buy from GC Used all the time, they let you return a guitar within 45 days of purchase and it couldn't be easier to do it. Many shops have made returns super simple and risk free, so buying online is pretty much the norm nowadays. You can and do hold it, play it, visually inspect it, etc. when it arrives...and if there's an issue, you can easily get a refund.

I live in SoCal, and have lived in NYC, so I never had that issue. Many great guitar shops in both cities over the last 40 odd years that had everything you could think of in stock.

 

[customguitars87]

I live in SoCal, and have lived in NYC, so I never had that issue. Many great guitar shops in both cities over the last 40 odd years that had everything you could think of in stock.

Not for me, and not for many other people. Depends on what you’re looking for though, if all you’re seeking is a basic strat or a basic LP then yeah, plenty of those in stores…but for anyone seeking stuff outside the typical it can really be a challenge finding anything in shops. Not to mention the insane overpricing at most NYC shops…I’ve seen guitars worth $1000 priced at almost double that many times. Finding a good deal in one of those shops is nearly impossible.

 

[datguytim]

Not for me, and not for many other people. Depends on what you’re looking for though, if all you’re seeking is a basic strat or a basic LP then yeah, plenty of those in stores…but for anyone seeking stuff outside the typical it can really be a challenge finding anything in shops. Not to mention the insane overpricing at most NYC shops…I’ve seen guitars worth $1000 priced at almost double that many times. Finding a good deal in one of those shops is nearly impossible.

You must be pretty young, as that’s not my experience at all. Independent shops have had great deals on axes the past 40 years I’ve been on the hunt.

 

[MrTAteMyBalls]

I found a video. I was not looking for it either. I was sort of taken back buy it. He paid 850 dollars for it and called it a turd. He is sending it back and loosing his rewards points. He said the frets are cheap and junk. He is unhappy.

So dose Epiphone frets suck that bad, is his complaint valid or did he get a bad one ? He said they were worse than a cheap low end Squire. Is he right? And has other people had the same issue with this new model Epiphone put out?

Is current Epiphone all that bad? No I do not own any currently made Epiphones. I'm asking because on a 850 dollar guitar I would expect better. And did he get a bad one or does epiphone really have issues? Or was his expiations to high?

The Epiphone frets are bad.

I bought an "inspired by Gibson" es 339 last year. Unplayable after a setup due to completely unlevelled frets. They were also very small for what was supposed to be medium Jumbo. The nut was also not cut at all....just installed. Over the first fret was way way too high.

I levelled them myself and got it playing OK, but that left the frets TINY. vintage style.

So I paid 350 bucks for a total re-fret with Jumbos and a hand carved bone nut from the best Luthier in these parts!! No regrets. It plays amazing now. It already sounded great. Epiphone really fixed the pickups with these latest models. It's a fantastic guitar now that I absolutely love.

I bought it for 450, add another 350 and it still punches above it's weight for 800 bucks.

 

[customguitars87]

You must be pretty young, as that’s not my experience at all. Independent shops have had great deals on axes the past 40 years I’ve been on the hunt.

Guess it depends on your definition of "pretty young", I'm almost 40...but most of what I've seen in local NYC shops in the last 10 years has been either just above typical market value or much higher. You certainly will not find anything at anywhere near the kind of deals you can find shopping places like GC's Used site online where I've caught guitars for 50% less than they should've been priced at on many occasions.

 

[vintagelove]

Wouldn't surprise me. I just got the most expensive ibanez hollowbody they make, it had NONEXISTENT fretwork.


I literally hope it was just left in a corner and forgotten about rather than had actually passed through their QC.

 

[USMarine75]

The guy that made the vid is a noob idiot. That’s a terrible review and I’ll never waste time watching another video by him.

That said… I have 6 or 7 of the newest models (2019+) and they are all really good to great. Epiphones stock pickups are really good.

A hidden gem is the Lazarus. My only complaint is many of the tops I’ve seen including mine are meh for being “4A”. But it comes with Gibson BB2 and BB3 pickups, upgraded vintage wiring, a long tenon one piece mahogany neck, and maple veneer over mahogany body. It sounds great and plays even better. What would I change? Well I’d make it nitro with a better figured top lol. This is a daily player for me (over guitars like my Private Stock PRS, custom shop Gibson, CS Wolfgangs, etc). It sounds good with every OD pedal and amp.

I also have the Black Beauty. The appearance is 10/10. Only complaint is the stock pickups have a weird midrange honk that I don’t like. I bought SD Amos HB pickups to put in it at some point.

I have a Tommy Thayer Blue Sparkle. If you like blue sparkle it has more blue sparkle than you could possibly imagine. The stock pickups are 10/10 IMO - SD JB one covered one uncovered. It is perfect for late 70s early 80s rock as you’d expect. Can’t say enough about how great this guitar is. Only thing I’d change is it still had the old Epiphone large headstock.

I have the Slash Anaconda too. I like the stock overwound pickups so much I haven’t even installed the SD Slash pickups in it and probably won’t. Only complaints are the top is meh - looks like a fotoflame top. Also the clear coat cracked around the nut on both sides. Maybe from AC blowing on it? Prob not the manufacturers fault. But it plays super fast with super low action and is a daily player.

I have an older Tommy Thayer Explorer. The stock nut was replaced. It plays amazing and looks like an old Ibanez Destroyer (with a mirror pickguard lol). Has SD JB pickups and I bought it to look and sound like EVH’s old Destroyer before he destroyed it (I’m not a Tommy Thayer or Kiss fan lol).

I also have the newest Lucille. Hands down a best bang for buck guitar. It rivals my Eastman and is as good as any Gibson I own or have played. Sounds great, plays great, and looks killer.

I have the Alex Lifeson Axcess one too. I haven’t bonded with it yet but talk about a bang for buck guitar. Decently figured top, piezo with blend, dual output, ceramic neck pickup sounds great, series/parallel wiring, and the FR. The first one I got was part of the mass factory defect run. Sweetwater replaced it with a mint one. So I can’t complain. Just haven’t had time to play it to bond yet. But no issues. Initial playtime and it stayed in tune and sounded good.

Now for the real complaint. I’ve posted in other threads about this. Every single one of these I bought new (not the Explorer) gave me grimey fingers that looked like I played with graphite. Not sure if it’s fretboard dye, rust, fret polish that wasn’t removed, etc. But it seemed to come from everywhere - fret, strings, and board. Also, the frets were scratchy and rough. And the factory setups were garbage which I don’t care about. But I had to clean the boards, oil them (they were super dry), polish the frets, put new strings on, set truss/action/intonation to make these “playable”. So I see where the YouTuber is coming from, but he’s an idiot lol.

TLDR for $800 with the LP cases these are steals IMO. Spend 10 min setting them up, or pay for an initial setup when you buy, and they’re really good to great. I’m thinking about getting a Sweetwater plek on the Wino I have ordered.

 

[Yamaha 350]

Blah blah blah guitars sucks I'm posting a video knocking every make and I'm coming on here to prove my point.

This is not my video. I was asking about what the person said about the frets. And wanted to know if all current Epiphones has bad frets?

 

[Yamaha 350]

He probably doesn't know how to change strings.

Who knows?

 

[Yamaha 350]

You’d think so but for some reason this forum is littered with people who think Epiphone is as good as Gibson

A few are. You get a unicorn sometimes.

 

[Yamaha 350]

That guy sounds like a beginner, frankly.

Don't listen to what random youtube complainer videos say

Just asking about Epiphone current fret quality.

 

[Yamaha 350]

With that title one would think it's your guitar you're posting about, not some random YouTuber yelling at a cloud

I fixed it. But also explained it was not mine in the post. Did you read it?

 

[USMarine75]

The frets themselves are fine. Fret sprout happens with any guitar that’s not properly cured and even then it still happens.

If you read what I posted above I think I have a decent sample size to speak on this. The frets appear not to be fully polished and cleaned AKA they’re dirty and need to be cleaned. I’ve had the same problem with my 2020+ Squiers. Music Nomad sells a polish kit for like $10. Take 10 minutes to wipe them down with the polish and rag. Oil the fretboards (most guitars need this anyways). And put new strings on. Like nearly every guitar it needs a setup. If you’re not comfortable with any of this I know sweetwater offers a full setup. They’ll usually give you 15% off the guitar so you can put that money towards a setup or plek.

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

I fixed it. But also explained it was not mine in the post. Did you read it?

Yes, reading your post is how I knew it wasn't your guitar.

Didn't watch the video tho.