I played several Les Pauls in your store a few weeks ago and I ended up taking home the Dirty Lemon Burst Heritage H-150. Best single cut I think I've ever played!!
@@srh361 Those are almost always individual guitars, if you'd check into one. Sweetwater has been trying to sell those same peach colored abominations for over 3 years now. Nobody will pay even $749 they're so bad. Makes me regret selling the one good cherry one I'd found early in production. It was a bit heavy at 9lbs 4ozs. but had the color and burst done very well. Still have an ASFB one though, and it's extraordinary. The cherry is the hardest color to get "right". There's great examples out there, if you search hard enough.
I had a Gibson and Epiphone LP. Not specifically these models, but they were LPs. I used the Gibson for shows and the epi for practice. Sound wise, you can barely notice the difference (I play with a lot of distortion though) The only thing is that after a few years the electronics on my epi started acting up. Keep in mind though that my epi had way more miles than the Gibson. IMO if you don’t have the money for a Gibson or you don’t want to spend as much, and maybe you just mostly play at home. You will be totally fine with an epi.
To my ears from this video the Epi sounds really good as it should for $1K but the Gibson souned much more dynmic and open... Though I don't know if it's worth the extra price just foor the sound... Which Live in a band with a crowd I don't think I could hear it and defenatly most listeners won't etheir... But for recording Hi-fi studio stuff absolutely would that gibsoin be worth it if you could afford it.
@@automatoncollectives7237 and supposedly no veneer on the back of the body. While the previous model was awfully good, this new "upgraded" 2024 looks stunning on paper. I still have to play one to make sure it's as good as it should be 🙂!!!
@@Trial212 I’m happy with mine. Whatever this weird VOS (vintage sheen) is, it seems nice. I can actually see the word grain better now. It’s the neck profile that seems most different: the one I have feels like a 60s rounded C neck; the older version of mine had a baseball bat D-ish shape, which I struggled with. The new one plays like a breeze.
The reason for the Price drop is because this version of the Epi 59 has been discontinued because an upgraded Epi 59 has been released which has Custombuckers instead of Burstbuckers and 1 piece neck instead of a 3 piece neck as well as the Gibson Headstock . So the original Epi 59 will only continue to go down in price . So there will be great deals to be had on the first version
Here's the specs of the 2021 Epiphone modern figured Sgs.. using as an example as you see it's high end with maple caps premium electronics hardware and build..the Pro buckers are highly acclaimed pickups made the same exact same way as the Gibson burst buckers...so there you go.....Body: Material: Mahogany Top: AAA Flame Maple (3/4") Neck: Neck wood: Mahogany Profile: Asymetrical Slim Taper with Contoured Heel Fingerboard: Ebony with Pearl "Trapezoid" Inlays Scale length: 24.724" Number of frets: 24 Hardware: Brige: LockTone ABR Tailpiece: Stopbar Knobs: Clear Top Hats with Ridge Tuners: Grover Locking Rotomatic tuners with Tulip Buttons with an 18:1 ratio Electronics: Neck pickup: ProBucker-2 humbucker w/coil-splitting and phase switch Bridge pickup: ProBucker-3 humbucker w/coil-splitting and phase switch Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, CTS electronics
Im thinking it's actually funny how these RU-vidrs are trying to make it sound like the 2024 Epiphones are only the high end Epiphones when all you have to do is look at the specs of the 2020 Epiphones and it's the same.. the Gibson Headstock has absolutely no tone advantage over epiphone Kalamazoo headstocks.need to start doing research first before making claims
@@Myfingersstinklikefish Hmmm, there are three differences between the 2020-2023 Epiphone (Inspired by Gibson) Les Paul and the new 2024 model. One is huge and the other two "might" be. First the huge change. The first version had Gibson Burst Bucker 2 & 3 pick ups. The new model has Custom Buckers!!! While pick ups are very subjective, I have found that the Custom Bucker is better than the Burst Buckers. It's close, but I think they have a bit more clarity. It was only 2 years ago that Gibson didn't sell Custom Buckers. You got them by buying a R-9 or R-0 custom shop LP. Secondly the 2024 has a one piece mahogany neck (Some folks think it's better than the 3 piece) and lastly there is no veneer on the back of the 2024. It really does appear to be a two piece mahogany body. The earlier version is veneered and who knows how many pieces are under that hood. So, sorry to burst your bubble, but the 2024 is a better constructed guitar.
@@Trial212 here's the specs of a 2021 Epiphone custom koa Les Paul with a real koa top all premium electronics hardware and build...I don't want to hear anymore bs from any of you.....Les Paul Custom Bound All-Mahogany Body w/ Koa Top 24.75" Scale Rolled Mahogany Neck w/ Ebony Fretboard & Pearloid Inlays Dual ProBucker Humbucker Pickups Era-Appropriate Wiring & CTS Potentiometers Fixed Bridge, Graph Tech NuBone Nut '60s Style Kalamazoo Headstock & Grover Rotomatic 18:1 TunersThe new Epiphone Koa-topped mahogany body Les Paul Custom is part of Epiphone’s Inspired by Gibson Collection and honors the 1950s classic designed by Mr. Les Paul himself in 1954 as the “tuxedo” version of his groundbreaking solid body masterpiece! Featuring the traditional Custom bound all-mahogany body, 60s SlimTaper™ neck profile, ebony fingerboard with block inlays, gold Epiphone LockTone™ Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece, a pair of critically acclaimed Epiphone ProBucker™ humbuckers, and Custom split-diamond inlay on the headstock. This Epiphone Inspired by Gibson model also has the 60s style Kalamazoo headstock, rolled neck for a comfortable feel, Graph Tech® NuBone® nut, era-appropriate wiring, and CTS® pots.Body Type: Solidbody Body Shape: Les Paul Custom Body Material: Mahogany Top Material: Koa Body Finish: Gloss Color: Natural NECK Neck Material: Mahogany Neck Shape: Slim Taper Neck Joint: Set Neck Radius: 12" Fingerboard Material: Ebony Fingerboard Inlay: Pearloid Blocks Number of Frets: 22, Medium Jumbo Scale Length: 24.75" Nut Width: 1.693" Nut Material: Graph Tech NuBone HARDWARE Bridge/Tailpiece: Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic Bridge with Stopbar Tailpiece Tuners: Kidney-style Tuners ELECTRONICS Neck Pickup: Pro Bucker 2 Humbucker Bridge Pickup: Pro Bucker 3 Humbucker Controls: 2 x volume, 2 x tone Switching: 3-way toggle pickup switch
@@Jamesmc79 well maybe you should have researched the specs on epiphones before you ran your mouth instead of speculating Assuming and lying.. nothing overpriced about epiphone they are only overpriced to the ones who can't afford them...
@@MoeVanprick Agreed. Having owned the old version and the new version, they feel and sound like two different guitars. And how could they not: Custombuckers and a new rounded C neck profile. Better sound and feel.
Wouldnt it have been better to compare to the new 2024 Epiphone 59 inspired by custom with the Gibson custombuckers & gibson headstock. This comparison is instantly 5 years out of date unless the purpose of the video is to offload the surplus 2019 model.
Absolutely, there is a new Epi Gibson Customer shop collaberation with the Gibson Headstock shape with custom bucker pickups. Assume he was joking about Lee Anderton having a small RU-vid channel.
@Alamo Music Center there are new 2024 Epiphone 59's with custom burst bucker pickups and gibson headstock that are $1400 and the old ones are $900, that is why you are see the two prices.
The custom-shop prices make me wince compared to Heritage and standard Gibson. I would sooner save and let a guitar age normally, even if I won't be around to see the true relic look.
I freaking love the sound of a Les Paul. It's in my DNA. My first guitar was a black Epiphone Paul and I was in my mid 30s before I finally saved up the loot to buy a "real"one on consignment at my local music store. It was a 100th birthday model with a brass nut. It sounded amazing but had an ugly chocolate brown flame top. Still, looks aside it was the only way I was gonna get it and I loved the guitar. But last year as I continued to pick up the pieces of the post COVID financial life I had to let her go after a decade or so of ownership. I had finally gotten down to that point so it's just the way the cookie crumbled no room for regret. And now to be honest I don't foresee me ever bekng able to afford to replace it. I long let go of that Epiphone and so I decided to think outside the box. I bought myself a Les Paul style kit from Stew Mac and put real Gibson pick-ups and hardware in it and I have to say it is amazing. It even looks legit excluding the headstock. So while I don't begrudge Gibson and what they charge and he'll I am usually one of the few defending them on the internet _ where there's a will there's a way and even if I never own another "real" Les Paul that's the sound that you'll always hear me play. Anyways, thanks for the video. Cheers
I have a couple of Epi 59s where I swapped out the Burstbuckers for Custombuckers and they sound very close in Tone to my custom Shop R8s with the same pickups.
You are behind the curve guys, the Epiphone 59 guitar you feature has now been discontinued and has been replaced by the new Epiphone 59 LP with Gibson headstock and custom buckers.
My new Epiphone 1959 standard came with the Gibson custombuckers. I dont understand why you are saying they come with the other pickups. You need to check your spec sheet. I am talking about the New Epiphone Les Paul Standard 1859 and paid 1299.00 The guitar is awesome to play and sound great
Id like to hear a comparison of a Gibs. Murphy lab r8 or 9 at $10,000 plus compared to an entry level vos r8 r9 custom.. Can't seem to understand why there is such a price jump
I agree. I'd love to see that comparison. My opinion is that we're paying for the "Murphy" name. Gibson is cashing in big time on the idea that he was the "original pioneer" of relicing or aging a guitar. I don't think he was the "first", but his work is apparently very authentic. BUT, think about this. He's only one man. He can't possibly be doing all these guitars himself. He now has a team. I personally would rather relic/age the guitar myself. I'll take that extra money and buy another guitar or a nice amp!!
From the Epiphone website, it looks like if you get the Inspired By / Gibson Custom 1959 LP Standard with the Epi headstock and Burstbucker 2/3 it's $999 but if you want the one that has the headstock shaped like the Gibson headstock and Custombuckers it's $1299. Calling them the same thing is very confusing. I would guess that they're going to discontinue the cheaper one.
Why does everyone keep saying this? Epiphone already said they're not gonna use the Gibson headstock on anything but those few models. They're not discontinuing any of the other models.
The horns and cutaways look different. Not sure if that is because of the camera angle but the Epiphone looks like the cutaway is shallower and the horn more rounded. If so, that’s another reason to save up for a Gibson if you really want authentic. In fact, I do prefer the original LP body and horn shape that I have never considered ESPs, Sires, etc. they just don’t look right to me.
I got gifted a 1973 Les Paul Custom which started life as a Cherry Burst but its now mostly a brown.. tobacco burst ish thing. Only red under the pickguard where it didn't get hit by sunlight. Definitely very glad to finally own a Les Paul, it has a sound unlike any other guitar (including ES style guitars I have played.) Not sure what the word for it would be... or what causes it, really. Love it, but its uncomfortable to hold. Hurts my rib, my back, my shoulder AND my neck. Its about 10,5 pounds. Gotta suffer to sound great I guess.
I definitely felt the 58 Murphy lab Les Paul was better, as expected. I could sense Cooper was slowing down and bonding with the 58 Les Paul right away. It's as if the mojo factor presented itself. That said, Cooper made the Epiphany LP sound stellar. Lastly, I love hearing the banter between you guys. You always make me want hang out, buy you some beers and share stories.
As usual in these videos, the best thing is Cooper's playing. Two beautiful guitars. When you factor in the price, there is no right or wrong or even better than the other. I was in a shop that specializes in vintage instruments. They had three fifties-era LPs and the salesperson said they are each over $300K. I said I'd rather buy a Ferrari for that money. But if you are into guitars and have that $$$ it's your choice.
The new Epiphone "Inspired by the Gibson Custom Shop" has the Gibson headstock(shorter) and Custom Buckers in the neck and bridge. They are $1299 w/hard shell case.
Gentlemen the EPI 59 costs over $1000 and 12% more here in Europe. These are not cheap guitars. I am still not convinced a Gibson is worth 1000 no less an Epi copy. I have a Epi LP standard with their typical Alnico plus pickups. It costs $350 I bought a second for $299, fifteen years ago. The neck was great and everything else is replaceable. I definitely prefer epi's older stuff from the 1950's vintage and the affordable stuff from the 1990's -2010's. You can have Gibson, I sold my SG, and only keep odd ball Gibsons such as the three single coil PUP SG and the Nighthawk which is decent. I prefer Epi, I still have money to pay for lessons, and amp, and house mortgage. But I appreciate your experience and opinion. Of course I need more lessons than gear.
Haven't watched yet but the answer is almost never gotten from sound alone. You can change the pickups and get 99% there. The differences are in how the guitar feels and what it's like to own over years of time. Will the cheap one have a neck that is just as stable, or will it twist or warp after 5 years? Will the binding on the expensive one last or will it come loose? How will the electronic components in the cheap one last over the years, when will they need replacing? The cheap ones have weights all over the place, so the buying experience is often more difficult to find a "good one" too.
Guys....now I do love your show. We love Cooper 's hair. And you both play well. But I literally thought you were trolling. The Epi is not the top of the line. Right? Maybe use the new one for a more even playing field.. That guitar (Kalamazoo) shoot out with Gibson USA? Might be relevant? Those however are being discontinued. The new one with open book and custombuckers will be the Customshop inspired offerings of 59 Lp. Just kind of confusing since these vids were made 3 years ago. No harm no foul, you guys are still amazing.
I’m surprised these guys seem clueless to the newer version of the Epiphone ‘59. I traded in my old one for the new one: better pickups, and finally a proper C neck as oppose to that weird D shape on the older models.
Sorry Wrong. Tom Murphy had nothing to do with that R8! He's rarely doing the work on these anymore Unless it is a "special run" Or limited edition custom shop run. The $20k Brazilian R9's are ALL Painted and aged by Murphy. The one you have there is not. But hey believe and think what you want But the wise man investigates!😁
Great demo from Cooper. I can hear the difference, but not would not pay the extra for the Gibson as the Epiphone is so good. If I was in the market for high end it would be a PJE, as featured on your channel recently - comparing one of those to the Gibson would be interesting.....?
Sometimes these videos make me feel like if I can’t afford a 3000+ dollar Les Paul then it’s not worth buying. Meanwhile, other guitar companies are making fantastic guitars for 1/3 - 1/2 the price. I’ve always wanted a Les Paul but it doesn’t feel worth it for the price point I can justify paying for a guitar.
That’s not the right Epiphone. The new one has the custombucker pickups and the gibson headstock. This is the old cheaper version. The new one is the more expensive $1200 model.
Uhhh they sound pretty different...but if you are a high gain player, playing through a Boss Katana you more than likely would be able to tell the difference.
OK, I don't know this would be a very useful vid for the price jump when a standard Gib LP already goes for at least $3 grand, so I wonder what significant upgrades are happening there apart from nicer flame tops or "aging", etc. And I still don't know if I should go to the kind of boutique guitar shop that would keep these high end ones around that they will let me paw several of them to compare the necks and such like a chain retailer that will obviously have less expensive selection, etc.
Yes, most of us consider Epi a LOW BUDGET introductory brand, but they are actually better viewed as decent intermediary guitars that can be semi-professional grade, and that grade costs more than a beginner guitar, obviously. But if you want a real Gibson, then save up the extra one or two thousand dollars and find a good used one or something.
Epiphone uses cheap nickel for their frets which contain alot of lead! Plus them being soft exposes the lead very easily especially if you do alot of bending!
Whatever the fretwire is made of, its not like a layer cake, where you scratch one consituent part away to reveal another. If there is some trace amount of lead in the fretwire, it's a homogenous mix throughout. That's what an alloy is. If you therefore scratch away part of the fretwire, you simply expose more of the same alloy. Most common fretwire is mainly a copper-nickel-zinc alloy.
Yep , i think the new epi's ( with the gibson headstock ) are pushing there inspired by gibson line out of contention , they better stop making them , and as i read in the comments there already dropping in price pretty fast , so whats the point of keep on making them , i bet that the people who have bought them are pretty pissed off , they will sell for a lot less on the 2e hand market now because everybody wants the "real " gibson headstock and i think most people will want the custombucker pu's more then the burstbucker pu's , and although there is nothing wrong with the burstbucker pu's the custombuckers are only used in gibson custom shop guitars wich adds to the desire for wanting to have one of these new epi's . So if i was a guitar shop/ dealer i would make a vid on yt about the ibg epi and try to sell them asap : ) wink wink : )
They failed at the bridge to P.U. distance. Or in fact, they didn't fail, they did exactly what Gibson demanded. That they wouldn't sound exactly like real deal.
The prices of custom shop Gibson electrics are indeed expensive and I understand this. But even though I’m not a luthier, I can’t see how a CS Les Paul can be more expensive than any good Gibson acoustic, let alone an SJ-200!!!
No significant difference between 2021 and 2024 epiphone customs..same hardware same CTS electronics..same wiring..same maple caps..same ebony fretboards.. same graph tech nut but the 2021 epiphone customs have the proper Kalamazoo headstocks..do any content creators do research before you open your mouth? Obviously not..
You're right and no the majority of content creators don't do research and that's making many mad because they take what they said go to their computer just to find out they're full of S*it I always research first before I open my mouth I started researching first back when Gibson was caught in their lies and lawsuit failures.
Why the epiphone Pro buckers are highly acclaimed pickups and made the same exact same way as the Gibson burst buckers and the Gibson custom buckers are no better period ill stay with my high end 2021 Epiphones with the proper Kalamazoo headstocks
@@automatoncollectives7237 because it's amazing how many of you actually think These custom buckers are better than the epiphone Pro buckers and Gibson burst buckers..they most certainly are Not both epiphone Pro buckers and Gibson burst buckers are highly acclaimed pickups both are made the same exact same way with the same exact materials...
I made a great choice, I just purchased a 2024 Gibson Les Paul Standard AAA top. I paid $2,850 at guitar center. With hard case of course in triburst finish
Not a good comparison compared to the new Epiphone inspired by Gibson custom shop models with the actual Gibson headstock and Gibson pick ups then you’d be doing a fair comparison
THIS IS NOT THE EPIPHONE INSPIRED BY GIBSON CUSTOM SHOP MODEL- YOU HAVE THE OLDER STANDARD IN YOUR HANDS THERE, HOW HAS THIS VIDEO EVEN UPLOADED? WHY DOES NO ONE AT A GUITAR STORE NOT NOTICE THE EPIPHONE HAS THE OLDER HEADSTOCK?
I have an epiphone broadway and the quality is great for the price. But, I have a CS '58 reissue and it is sublime. Both are excellent guitars but you cant get the same quality at the the low price. Just a fact. Have to say the top on the epiphone les paul top looks terrible to my eyes
Yeah...I mean other than the pick up placement, the fretboard, the tuners, plastics, bridge & tail piece metal composition, truss rod, neck angle, nut size, AND maple cap vs veneer...there's really no difference.😉
@@HALWASRIGHT All those things are different on all guitars. You just keep believing every little detail is somehow critical. There will always be an excuse to hate. Try looking at things with a more positive attitude, and maybe you'll finally realize that they're more alike than not. If you truly believe all those things will hold your playing back somehow, don't let me stop you from spending $6k+ on an R9. Then you'll be happy, right?
@@slashtrio Peope will complain no matter what Gibson/Epiphone does. For years they cried the headstock is unbearable and the Probuckers are garbage. Now that it's the same headstock and pickups, they wine about the fretboard material or poly clearcoat. They'll never be happy, and can't afford the Epiphones either. Personally, I've had a keen eye on them since the bankruptcy restructure in 2019. I'd be willing to bet Epiphones are outselling any other brand by almost a 2 to 1 ratio. Everytime I've ever seen any of my favorite RU-vidrs in Sweetwaters guitar warehouse, there's more boxes with the Epiphone name on it than any other brand by far! I've had around 10 myself since 2019. Haters gotta hate. That's just the nature of thier mindset.
So every channel and even Gibson themselves say these guitars are made in collaboration with the Gibson custom shop, you guys actually said in tandem with the Gibson custom shop but same thing. Anyway Ive asked every channel and even sent numerous emails to Gibson and epiphone ( the ones I could find, customer service and such) asking exactly what input or exactly what involvement the Gibson custom shop has in the development and production of these epiphones and so far Gibson only responded with it's a collaboration, thats it, no other details, nothing. So I'm going to ask you since you're using the term some what in this video ( which no doubt drives up sales), what exactly does the Gibson custom shop have to do with these guitars????? I mean if you're going to use it as a marketing tool you should know or else it's false advertising. I've got a friend that has one of the epiphone 59s and he swears up and down no matter what I tell him that his epiphone is part of the Gibson custom shop in some way or another, he doesn't have much money, doesn't make much money and he's not the shiniest apple and I feel like Gibson and stores and their videos such as this one are taking advantage of this and i feel like he has been taken advantage of so please tell me the involvement of the Gibson custom shop with these guitars. It's almost starting to feel like a class action lawsuit to be honest.
First, if "your friend" is convinced that he / she has a Gibson Custom Shop while playing an Epiphone he / she shouldn't be playing guitar...Second, who fu*king cares what other people play. News flash: No one!
I like Gibson instruments but honestly, they are losing sight of Heritage, Tokai, Maybach etc. If you want a fantastic Les Paul and get an instrument worth the paid money, you don't buy Gibson right now.
@@HALWASRIGHT I find it entertaining to share my opinion and experience with others. Specifically on the topic of guitars. Question for you, and this is a „serious“ question and not be confused with a rhetorical one: when you went into the comment section of a guitar comparison/demo video, what did you expect to read?
@@ovivan79 yeah sure Gibson and Epiphone are the real deals Tokai is not and neither is heritage Gibson and Epiphone couldn't careless what you think of them trust me
Epiphone and Les Paul are the only reason why your GIBSON solid body guitar even exists..and it's Gibson that was proven to be phonies buddy remember the Gibson lawsuit failures... epiphone is the real deal
Ha, well that’s completely subjective. A lot of people s to like that shape, including me. I also like strats and teles. But I hate pointy shredder guitars but that’s my opinion.
