Bongzilla wrote:
Epis rule. The bottom rung models aren't for pros though IMO ( the 100-ish dollar ones w/ bolt-on necks) and are barely suitable for beginners. They're perfect for you're-not-sure-if-your-kid-will-even-keep-playing gifts though..
The mid-level ones are pretty decent--I like 'em better than, say, the Gibson "faded" series ("the quality has faded" nyuk nyuk) and the high-end Epis are better than the standard Gibsons, and in some cases better than the Custom Shop models.
It pains me to say it, but fuck a bunch of modern-day Gibson.
The Epi Custom Shop stuff is unreal. A couple of years back, i'd got an Epi Les Paul Junior Custom Shop sunburst (P-100, though i'd put a Lollar P-90 in there) for $300 bucks new, and I don't think i've laid down a better 300 bucks in my lifetime--gear wise, at least. If one wasn't looking at the headstock, i'm sure most people would agree that it plays like a $1000-$2000 dollar guitar. The fit and finish on it--for a 300 dollar guitar-- has to be one of the best that i've seen. They'd stopped making those a couple of years back, but I don't see why those won't be highly sought after in the future.
I'd got an Epi Hummingbird back about a year ago, and aside from some minor finish issues and maybe the detail only being maybe 90-95 percent there, the tone and playability of it is unbelievable. I'd put in a Tusq nut which improved it a bit, but in stock condition, aside from the nut being a bit high for my liking, it's almost perfect. For $500, with a better nut and lowered action, you're getting something better sounding than Gibsons--i'd rented, I think, a Gibson J-45, and I liked the Hummingbird better....thought it had more body to it's sound and better overall resonance. And for $2000 less!