I have been playing Epiphones since 1965. My first electric was a Gibson ES 150, bought in 61, never played. No whammy so you'd depress the trap with elbow. Nut bends were effective , too; bone !!. Also had a J45 that I was happy to send to a new home after a master mechanic looked at me sadly and said he'd recommend putting that pup down. Gibson was not very sympathetic. Returned to factory at my cost. Came back with same neck twisty warp problem. They'd removed the fret board, did a sloppy re-glue, and on return also had a split in the top which Gibson swore was there on receipt and there was no work order to repair that. ???Traded , gave away, for a cadillac, big hole in the wallet, level Martin. Keeping strings intact for a whole gig was a problem and I never got a feel for the neck. Not to dump on Martin, at all. I played a small body 50's Martin that belonged to Hank Snow for a while. He gave it to my aunt. That was a very sweet guitar. Booming projection. But the neck also felt a bit thick for my taste, and the contour awkward. If I was looking to buy a guitar and questioning the quality of Epiphones I'd check what working musicians are using, touring and studio, well knowners. Some of the very best are playing out of the box Epiphones. Say without reserve that Epi's are their go to guitars. PRS has really dropped from the pinnacle among those players. Want a PRS, buy used, ghosts worked out, bargain basement prices. Never owned one. Only know what the players say in the trade papers. Slash says if your ego requires Gibson across the headstock , then that's the only good reason you don't want to buy an Epiphone. There is always some garbage that sneaks past customer control across all brands. Craftsmen were building mind boggling musical instruments across Asia, including China, 5000 years ago when our ancestors were still scratching on a piece of slate with a stone. They always said don't buy a Monday or Friday North American built car. My buddy plays an old 2nd's Gibson 335; stamped so on back of headstock. He bought it new in a generic shop. A bit of electronics jimmying and it was as good as the best ever made. He's a killer guitarist. In my stable I also have a 66 solid body Hagstrom Mark 11. It sounds as good unplugged as any premium acoustic; no projection of course, but sweet beyond description. Unplugged and mic'd it's crazy. A freak of wood for sure. There are real players who can afford the ,"best", and have them for show, who are using Epiphone Les Paul Special 11's in the studio, and swear they're the best value out there. They just walked in a store and picked up the box. No customizing. There's no way around it, it's the guy behind the guitar, not what's on the headstock, that makes the guitar. The myth that it's the gear, beyond a certain sanity point, only serves to keep an insane industry lubricated. Buy a guitar and spend your time and money learning how to play, if that's your passion.
