JB Epi quality issues

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A broken neck issue would be from the shipper,I used to work for a major Shipper part time( 5 years)...and if I told you guys how we were forced by management to throw the boxes onto and into the trucks or containers for their quota(many fell off ,onto the floor,broken)-you would not order online!

If you did not comply you were fired.......once an expensive Harley replacement motor fell of the belt.....oil,scrapes nicked up...it was a sad site!

FRAGILE  meant nothing especially around Xmas time when they hired extra help for the demand they had to meet... !

(Why do think all of those peanuts and foam/packing etc inside of the box for...(cushion the shock factor of being dropped/kicked/thrown etc)

So in reality it's not the manufacturing end of it... SO don't blame Epiphone or any other Guitar manufactor !~

If the guitar is not properly packed inside the case (which it's normally not) it'll still get damaged in shipping. Putting FRAGILE on a box only tells the handlers to chuck it even harder.

Les Pauls are naturally flawed in design. (Let's not get into the Ed Roman debate though).
That neck angle is prone to breakage far easier than so many other guitars.
I'm not saying this is happening every which way...but I could see this happening a lot.
It's something I like though...its the flaws like an imperfect flame that make a guitar personal.

I'm not sure about the control issue going on here, but I'd imagine if even the slightest thing was wrong, JB would be on to it quicker than 'snapping' your fingers.

I'm 2 for 2 on busted headstocks.

After really looking and thinking about whats happening,1st off I really think Rythm is on the right track. The strings are tite,I don't think they should be shipped that way. They shouldn't in my humble opinion be shipped in the case without being cushioned better,headstock bubblewrapped,foam donut around the switch,etc.. Both of the ones I recived are lose fitting side to side,not alot,but enough to cause a snap if it was to be thrown hard enough,which after looking at the first box I really think happens. That brings us to the case inside the box,mine had a peice of cardboard fit to shape over the top of the case,and one peice of rolled bubblewrap on each side,about 1/4 the size they should be,the case still had room to move about. The 2nd outside box on my first one,bad. Lots of movement,no wonder it was broke,because of that alone. That was the Zzounds guitar. The second one that came today,everything was the same ,except the outer box. Seems they didn't have the right size outer box so they used one just a tad shorter and just taped it closed. REALLY

Like I've said in an early post,a few years back when the Lynard/Skynard Goldtops came out my son ordered one. The shipping was impecable,the whole axe was wrapped in bubble wrap,foam donuts around every knob and switch,it came in a gigbag,in a fitted box,inside another that was filled with peanuts. It came from Korea,maybe thats the differance. Maybe it cost cutting by Epipy,who know's.

I still want and will get one of these in one peice,mark my words. I really think this guitar that Joe's had his hand's in on,will be awesome. I don't think it's Epipy's fault as far as the build goes,I think it's the shipping dept. fault. Why should they care as much as the Craftsman,who actually puts them together,you find that in any factory.

Joe if you read this I totally thank you for taking the time and effort into making these Epipy's happen,not all of us can shell out the big bucks for the Gibby's. Your a busy dude and it means alot.

Received one on Wednesday, perfect condition.  Did I mention perfect?

Rock ON & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
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"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

Les Pauls are the guitar design most susceptible to damage via shipping.  They just are.  The body isn't flat when you lay it on a table or bed.  The headstock angle also adds to the fun.   Everyones' heart was in the right place from the get-go, here.  Joe's, Gibson/Epiphones, etc, right down the line.  The upgraded case is intended to look like the USA one, but that's where the similarity ends.  You need an ATA or SKB type case that has dual cradles for the neck, not a single cradle that these cases have.  There must be adequate padding for the body backside to be held firmly,  the body end and sides also need padding on the wall of the case.  The headstock needs to float and not be able to impact the cases at all.   Even after all of that, you need to pack a guitar "into" the case.  Bubble tape it in there until it doesn't move, jiggle or rattle when the case is shaken with it inside.  When you feel comfortable dropping it from shoulder level it's getting close!    Now, you have to do the same kind of packing job with the case going into the shipping container.  Nobody does this correctly.    The manufacturers dont, they intend for the  guitars to ship in a container on a ship, not individually.  Also, the packaged guitar/case is a very cumbersome carton to handle.  Not heavy, but hard to grasp, esp. when carrying all the crap a UPS or Fed Ex (or whomever) driver will have with them.
  I have 2 Les Pauls, a vintage sunburst Gibson Tradtional Pro and a '56 reissue Epi Goldtop, both were purchased with broken off headstocks, so I got them cheap.  I made them both new Gibson style headstocks and made the Epi Goldtop "My JB" guitar.  It had p-90 pickups, so I had to route it out for humbuckers.  It has the same Burstbucker pickups, CTS and Switchraft innards and black trim stuff, so it's like a USA in looks and playability/sound, but I have less then $400 into it.  I have under $700 into my Gibson.  I keep them in nice SKB ATA cases!    I wanted to get in on the Epi JB guitars, but I have no patience and went the other route instead, cuz I knew waiting would kill me.  Maybe I'll see a broken one on ebay that I can get cheap.  They are weakest at the scarf joint, and the area between the low E and high E tuners near the truss rod route.  There simply isn't much wood left after they drill and route it all out.  All things considered, the Epi hangs with my Gibby all day long, in every way.  They both have the same pickups and guts in them and I think I prefer the Epi's neck carve, truthfully.
Guitars are like shoes to me, they need to be "tried on" and as such, I couldn't really buy another without playing it first, and I'm scared to have one shipped, too.

...tumble weed.

That is great...I hope it goes that way for the rest..

..but I'm getting the feeling that this is cropping up a fair bit more than it should. Shipping? Cases? Lastly, guitars?

Just wondering if the busted epi's are within a certain serial number range? If so then others that are currently being used with in that range could possibly fail the owner further down the road. But, Let's hope not!