Figure it this way, you bought a guitar because it was cheaper than a Gibson, you have Good pickups in it. Does it play and sound good? Yes. Then you got a deal. Don't buy guitars as a investment. Buy it because you want it, you like it and that you can afford it. Doesn't matter what' it says in the headstock, if it sounds and plays good you want it you'll pay whatever your means can afford.
@polaritypictures And, if only he would have waited a while, he could have bought that guitar used-but-mint from himself on Reverb and gotten a really good deal, haha. Have a great eclipse Monday!
Truth. Lesson learned for now. I’m not too upset as I’m only out a few hundred bucks on it now and I like the guitar enough that I’m in no rush to part with it. I rarely buy guitars as investments now but resale value is important to me since I know I won’t lose too much money if I ever want to sell the guitar. Moving forward waiting to buy used it def the best option.
Never settle. $350 in '70 is like $2800 today and we NEVER settled in '70. If you are broke ass - save up, you probably have a smart phone so obviously you can afford $2000 or else your priorities are screwed up. NEVER settle. The name on the headstock shows whether you are serious or not. It also buys a plek'd (worth $400 alone) rosewood fretboard from the factory in the case of Gibsons. Nobody plays Epis. Enough said. lol
@@cuda426hemi Well said! Settling on gear ends up costing more too cause then you end up replacing it. Best to get the thing you want from the start. 😁
@@rocktorrocks Especially since a lousy $300 more buys you a USA Nashville plek'd P90 loaded mahogany/rosewood + plush case & candy SG Special - as opposed to a $1300 foo foo Fake Rolex. Doesn't make sense to me. lol 👀
I have plenty of USA Gibsons and custom shop Gibsons...I also own this same Epiphone, an Ubukata ES-355, AJ VOB and so on. I didn't buy the Epis for potential resale value, I bought them because I really liked the specs...and they're all great guitars, some of them truly do hang with my Gibsons. Some of them feel as good to play as the Gibsons (some actually better, for example the Ubukata) despite no nitro or fret nibs. To be fair, you can't get those artist sigs with the new headstock so it's kind of a moot point to be comparing them to the new ones that just came out (except for the non artwork AJ. As far as pickups, it doesn't cost Gibson any more $$ to make the custombuckers vs. burstbuckers (I have both sets in various guitars). Custombuckers are not necessarily an upgrade over Burstbuckers depending on the particular guitar they're in. As far as value, I think the '62 Epi Bona 335 is still an excellent value for what you get even if it's not hot on the used market (and also to be fair, the used market is just very slow and over saturated right now in general w/ all guitars). You do sound a bit jaded here and maybe bitter, if the guitars aren't selling at a price you want just hang onto them and enjoy them. Buying any guitars as an investment is generally just not a good idea, there are some exceptions with very pricey vintage pieces but that's the vast minority. One more thing I'll add...I don't agree that buying a bare bones bottom tier Gibson (of which I've had a bunch) is preferable. In my experience, the higher end Epis have generally been better guitars than those lower tier Gibsons...but if you're only paying attention to resale, than def. go w/ the Gibson. Despite that you'll likely be getting a not so great guitar, but has the name you want on the headstock.
Thanks for detailing out your experience. It’s nice to hear thoughts from someone else who has bought the pricier Epiphones. I’m glad to hear you’re happy with your higher end Epiphones and that the burstbuckers are equivalent to custombuckers with just different tones. Honestly I feel a little better about my Bonamassa and Adam Jones hearing that. I am admittedly a little bitter. Not that I planned to buy anything as an investment but because not even 1-2 years after purchasing my guitars Epiphone made these big changes. I understand every few years models will get improvements or upgrades but I did not expect it this quick. And to compound this because the value of the older models has now dropped I would need to sell my current Epiphones at a significant loss to get one of the newer models. Regardless it’s okay, these are great guitars no doubt. Maybe not a good value in terms of resale but great playing and sounding instruments and I think I did mention I very much like the guitar. I just wish I waited and bought it used. I think I still prefer lower end Gibson but certainly some finishes and specs like long tenons and ebony boards can only be found on the Epiphone and not the low end Gibson.
100% agree and this is true. But level and degree of depreciation can vary and sometimes expectations of that don’t always match up with reality. My main point was to highlight that the amount of depreciation on these new Epiphones may be worse than what is expected and anyone buying should be aware of that.
I paid £175.00 uk for my first ever guitar at 14 years old.. It was a used discontinued Fender 72 custom in sunburst with rosewood fretboard... I sold it not too long ago for £4000. 00 uk... It had two re frets during my ownership.. That was definitely an indirect investment..
@@DW-xt7vz Thanks, very true. It definitely comes down to the owner when all is said and done. What might feel overpriced to one player may be fully okay for another, especially if the guitar itself is great & brings plenty of joy. I still really like and enjoy this guitar so not too upset I bought it. Just next time I will probably wait and buy a used one.
Guitars are ALL overpriced!! I'm a PRS guy. I really resent the fact that I can spend $2500-$3000 for a guitar & it only comes with a padded gigbag?!? I quit buying PRS brand new. I will only buy them used, usually the prior owner has bought a case for it.
Yeah it seems more companies are shifting towards gig bags and away from the cases. I do find gig bags more convenient and easier to store but if I’m paying the big bucks a case is nice to see. Great idea buying used though! Not only do you save on the depreciation but as you mentioned the prior owner might already have a case.
It's a never-ending battle. It's the same thing with keyboards and anything you buy in today's world. It depreciates fast. The best thing is get what you really want and be happy.
Wise words! Fully agree. Take away lesson from all this is to only buy stuff you plan to hold on to for the long haul and if possible buy used so depreciation isn’t as much of an issue.
It's not worth spending more for the epiphones with Gibson pickups, as the current epiphone pickups are now as good as the Gibson ones. It's very difficult to hear much difference between them, especially in a blind test, as demonstrated many times in Andertons videos.
I think I’ve heard this before and it doesn’t surprise me at all if this is true. Knowing this the regular Epiphones with probuckers are definitely the best value then.
It's the same familiar story with these premium Epiphones over and over. They release new model, create hype around it, people get excited and snatch them, some model even go out of stock (i.e. Greeny, Adam Jones, etc.). Then few months later things settle, guitars are back in stock at the dealers and sell at discount in the used market. Moral of the story - be patient, don't jump on these new offerings. If you like these new models - wait a bit and buy pre-owned one.
💯 Fully agree! That’s really one of the biggest takeaways I want people to get from my experience with these Epiphones. Great guitars but best to be patient and wait if saving money is important to the buyer.
People forgot about resale from Pre-pandemic era. Non-USA made guitars typically are worth about 60% of their value from when they were new. During the pandemic, people were buying guitars and flipping them immediately for a profit. I bought a Epi Les Paul for $400. Sold it for $240 a couple years later. We are just getting back to reality now stimulus checks are gone. This doesn’t surprise me.
Great point that I hadn’t considered or mentioned. The pandemic guitar market was insane so perhaps some of this drop in resale value is related to that and not specific to Epiphone.
I've had a lot of guitars over the years. Cheap ones and expensive. For me, it all boiled down to what i actually liked playing and not the price. Epiphone has a sentimental value in my family. My uncles used to play guitars ordered from Sears and to have an Epi was a big come up!
I totally understand. My first real good guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul gifted to me by my parents. It was my number one main player for years growing up & a great value. I still have and play it and plan to never sell it due to the sentimental value. Although I don’t think these $1300 Epiphones are a good value in terms of resale markets. Whatever the price, if a player bonds with a guitar and has no plans to sell it, more power to them and I’m happy for them.
I understand your pain. Better purchase for me has always been a used gibson or fender. Unfortunately for the used LP or 335 type that is a lot of money even used. On the good side you will not lose as much if you sell depending on the price you buy.
Appreciate your understanding. Well said! Although it’s a bit frustrating i’m thankful that I really like and enjoy the guitar. However, knowing what I do now I will only buy these Epiphones used and not brand new. And even then, I feel the same that used Gibson or Fender is likely better purchase overall compared to Epiphone or Squier. Even though initially the cost is higher on the Gibson or Fender, they do seem to lose less money when it comes time to resell.
Apparently me but lesson learned. I saw the older limited artist signature Epiphones like the Bonamassa Amos V hold their value and I think they even went up in price so I figured these would be similar. However with all these recent releases from their IBG Custom Shop I think they saturated that market and these don’t hold value anymore.
In 2021 I bought the Epiphone R9, it cost me $1149 Canadian, that same guitar today in now $1899. Three things have changed with it, they are now using an open book headstock instead of the Kalamazoo headstock, it uses a one piece neck, and instead of Gibson Burstbuckers they now use Gibson Custombuckers. I don't see that amounting to an extra $750. That R9 that I bought in 2021, that was my last new Epiphone guitar. Gibson does not respect their customers and are only concerned with making as much money they possibly can.
Those initial run of Epiphone R9s are great guitars. I played one in Guitar Center and was impressed. Looking back compared to prices now, they were great value at the initial asking price. I do agree, $750 increase makes little sense as the cutombuckers are worth maybe $200 more than the burstbuckers & the one piece neck doesn’t affect the playability in any way. So it’s almost $500 premium for the Gibson open book headstock…but since the truss rod cover is still Epiphone style 3 screw and it says Epiphone…I have to wonder if that’s really worth a large premium. I am a big Gibson and Epiphone fan but you are right. They are a corporation and for them money will always come first before the customer. us customers are not their priority unless they can make money off of us. Between the overpriced Epiphones and their $50K Jimmy Page signature, they’ve certainly shown their true colors.
At one point, I owned three Epiphones, and I have since traded them in package deals for Gibsons. However, I have stayed clear of the Inspired by Gibsons. Most of my desired models are under $2,000, so even though there's still a fairly substantial difference in price, I can't seem to justify buying an Epi over a Gibson when I have the means.
I fully agree. Now that I have a few Epiphones, I would much rather trade them in and get one Gibson. For me if I have the choice, I’ll always prefer one more expensive guitar versus multiple cheaper ones. Quality over quantity.
You’re totally right about how they still feel like Epiphone guitars. So many people who claim otherwise do not own a Gibson. The feel is absolutely superior with a Gibson.if you can’t afford it that’s totally fine but I’m tired of the exaggerations made when it comes to these expensive Epiphones.
Glad to hear I’m not alone in noticing this. The Epiphones are great playing guitars but they don’t feel like Gibsons. Just the poly finish and lack of fret nibs creates a whole different feel and it sounds ridiculous when I hear players saying they feel the same.
Its supply demand question how they are going to be appreciated with time. Gibson had to upgrade the Epiphone line if they want to keep selling guitars because the smaller brands are offering better specs cheaper. Bonamassa guitars hold their values better than regular models but you cannot look at these like investment. I bought myslef the Amos V for 2k euro (I'm located in the EU) but I will never sell it, it was a bucket list purchase for me, but it does not matter at the end of the day, these are luxury items as all hobby item, you buy brand new, you lose money selling it as used, this should be expected even with ultra expensive 10k custom shop guitars.
Well said. Best way to buy a guitar is if you know you plan to hold on to it for the long haul. Otherwise most guitars will likely depreciate and you will lose money when you have to sell it.
I bought my "Limited Edition" 59 Les Paul brand new a few years ago and still feel pretty great about it, it's a great guitar and definitely scratched my Les Paul itch, but I only paid $800, which is far more justifiable given the current prices. I don't know how I would feel about it if I had paid $1200.
Agreed! Those 59 Les Pauls are amazing, I was just playing one today at Guitar Center. At $800 they were a great value too. I’m not sure I’d pay the $1300 either just for the custombucker & Gibson headstock. Will be curious to see how they sell.
I am in the same boat although it is a nice guitar, I did not bond with the neck shape and I’ve had mine out for sale on Reverb for quite a while and $650 with the highest offer I was given my only choice is the my son grow into it when he gets through with his mini Strat that he’s just learning it’s a bummer because it prevent you from buying selling trading so you can try all of them without going into debt which basically means it’s impossible Steve P
Sorry to hear that! Yeah it’s kind of annoying Epiphone made these seem like limited collector’s guitars with the certificate and limited quantities made only to turn around and make “improved” models just a short period later while these Bonamassa ones sit around unsold. Best offer I got was $700 for mine. And agree, at almost 50% depreciation it would be unsustainable to keep buying and selling these guitars at a such a big losses each time. I’m thinking twice before I buy anything else and will likely stick to used gear and USA or Japan made moving forward.
That’s a fantastic deal! I was very tempted to get the Kirk V when it was released. That purple finish looks amazing & I like T-top pickups a lot. That’s the best way to buy these either with a discount or second hand. I would still recommend these Epiphones since the guitars themselves are still very good and I like mine. They just seem to depreciate a lot and anyone paying the full $1300 might feel that depreciation more if they ever have to sell it.
@@rocktorrocks I guess it was the end of the month and they had a little more wiggle room. But ya new in box for $1050. Not bad at all. And would I have paid full price for a Chinese knock off? The answer is hell no.
@@barano9729 Absolutely! Great price for a brand new one. It’s nice when the stores can budge on the price like that. I fully agree, I wouldn’t pay full price for any of these import models, especially knowing deals like that are out there.
True! Some guitars might depreciate less than others but save for a few rare examples, most guitars will depreciate to some degree and it’s rough when you see that depreciation as a seller. I like buying used for that reason.
I feel for you man, it's hard moving guitars now in 2024. But I know since I saw these models from Epiphone that they are a big NO-NO if you are a "guitar player" . If you are a weekend warrior or couch riffer they might work, but these do not come anywhere close to LTD or Schecter. Wish you best of luck selling these!
Thanks! For sure the market has been tough in general on those of us trying to move gear. I’ve been really curious about LTD and Schecter. Someone had even offered to trade me a Schecter for the Bonamassa guitar…I may consider that trade now since I can’t sell it too easily.
Great video and exclant advice! Which this is Music at the end of the day this stuff lasts and will stay relevant forever if you take care of it... Like I just got a dacde of so old MPE(Midi with more stuff) controller for about 70% of the new one becuase it still works and does what I want... My Sennizer HD 600s are still epic and ravent headphones and I got then a dacde ago same with my discounted Bkue yeti pro studio mic... Which yes it sucks you lost $600 think of it as the price to enjory the instrument and all the stuff it let you do with it the memories etc.
Thanks so much! Glad you liked the video and appreciate you watching. Great point and I try to remember that. I genuinely enjoyed the guitar and got to make some great videos with it too. Knowing that, I don’t feel too bad on the money lost selling it. And yes, if taken cared of it’s amazing how long gear lasts.
I bought gibson les paul standard 60's 2020 for 1,800 dollars in the used market, i never goin to understand how people don't check the used market before buying a ephiphone for 1500 it does not make any sense.
Yeah I feel silly for buying the two Epiphones I did. They sold them as limited run collectors items so I figured I wouldn’t lose much money on them but I was wrong there. Used Gibson trumps any new high end Epiphone. $1800 is a great price for a standard 60s.
I can understand how you you must feel after only having it for 2 years and then they suddenly upgrade things to what it should have been in the first place. I bought the Korina 1958 Explorer inspired by Gibson so I am guilty of paying the price. It's a fantastic guitar and is the one I wanted. I swapped out the Burstbuckers and put in some Custombuckers which is what the Gibson Custom shop puts in theirs but considering the Custom shop is $10,000 dollars I think the price I paid isn't bad. I think Epi should have put a rosewood fretboard on it (which is my only gripe) then I think people may not have complained about the price as much but that's just my opinion. On the whole, it's a guitar I intend to keep, the quality is excellent, and it plays beautifully, which is what I want from a guitar regardless of what is on the headstock, and let's face it it's one that cannot be updated a la open book Les Paul etc. style. I'd be interested what the sales are like for the Explorer and indeed, the 58 Flying Vee. Cheers guys.
Hey! Glad to hear you liked your Korina Explorer. Those Korina ones look amazing. For sure compared to the Gibson versions costing over $5K these Epiphone ones are much more reasonable. I’m hopeful since the open book headstock doesn’t apply to the Explorer you won’t see a big drop in value of the Korina explorer with these newer Epiphones being released. Will be interesting to see if sales and resale value will be impacted for the Korina V and Explorer over time. Regardless I’m glad the guitar is one you liked enough to keep, ultimately that’s what matters most and resale value isn’t even an issue then either.
epiphones have never really held their resale value. I have the inspired by Gibson 2020 58 chunky neck 335 and love it...got it used for under 450 bucks with a hardshell case....got a worn Casino used the same for about the same price with a hard case as well...if you look around you can get great guitars but it's the logo people pay the bucks for. I put money in those guitars because I play them...like a bone nut and new output jack, etc...For a gigging musician, they are also less of a hit if they go missing.
Well said! Seems Epiphones are great for gigging musicians and taking out on the road and not having to worry as much about them. I will be curious to see if these $1300 Epiphones will be popular among working gigging musicians. Seems a used Epiphone is better value for gigging musicians and collectors will still pay the big bucks for the Gibson name. So not sure where these high end $1300 Epiphones fit.
Happy new gear day! I wouldn’t pay $1300 for one but at a discount or used I still think these are worth it. The guitars themselves are solid and the lp custom has the ebony instead of the indian laurel so at $1089 that’s a great price for a brand new one. I still very much recommend these guitars, they play, look, and sound great. I just think the $1300+ price, especially for the models that don’t even use actual rosewood makes little sense. I sold my Bonamassa ES-335 but for now I plan to keep my Epiphone lp custom.
@@rocktorrocks The quality and attention to detail on the new custom is so good that it is very close to the original except for the lack of nitro and that it uses a metric bridge... Other than that it screams high quality and even at £1119.00 (which is uk top price) it is a steal if you compare it to £6k for the real deal.. Its the perfect rehearsal and gigging guitar for any working musician, whilst at the same time being a very nice luxury for the bedroom rock stars. They are currently 1089 gbp at coda music in the UK with about 15gbp shipping if abroad. I am sure they will soon be all gone at that price.
@@pauljohnson3686 That’s great to hear about the quality. I’ve only tried the Adam Jones one but you said it well, I think biggest difference I notice on these is the lack of nitro finish and fret nibs. With just that being the major difference, it’s definitely a much nicer value than dropping $6K on the Gibson equivalent and better option for playing gigs where a $6k guitar is too risky to take. I think I would also consider a used Made In Japan Les Paul Custom from companies like Burny too.
The industry has done itself a disservice trying to make guitars an investment. Guitars are made to be played not worshipped. Sitting in a glass case they are as useless as the first Superman comic book. This has ruined the used market for Gibson guitars, and drove the price of new ones sky high. Collecting is a nice hobby, but it has gotten out of hand.
I enjoy collecting and knowing certain guitars will hold their value if I ever sell it. That being said it does seem the industry has pushed this investment idea too far. Seems every year there’s a new “limited edition”, “anniversary” or “exclusive” model and I think they do this to coerce buyers into falsely thinking they are buying a true investment piece when in reality most guitars are just mass produced products. Outside of vintage guitars most modern production models have minimal to no collector value and will likely depreciate to some degree. Once in a while a modern guitar does become a rare collectors item that gains value, but it’s hard to predict or know what those will be. Knowing what I do now, I’d only buy vintage or used USA made and plan to hold on to that guitar for years if I’m looking for good value or to possibly make profit. Anything short of that, best to buy to play and enjoy the instrument and be okay losing some money on it.
Your desire to get full price on your purchase does not reflect on the instrument quality....You purchased it in good faith. If your want $$ for a new purchase that is up to you...
I never meant to speak badly on the quality itself, the instrument itself is actually pretty good. Simply wanted to comment on its resale value in the current market. Thanks for watching! 👍
Yep next year rosewood fretboard, year after nitro finish ...,there's something cynical & not quite honest about the direction Epiphone is moving in Imo.
You said it well! Something just feels off to me about their marketing. I feel they purposely choose inferior specs or to leave things out so they can sell a cheaper to produce guitar now (but still charge full price) and then they improve on those specs for the following year to keep the same customer coming back for the new and improved version of that same guitar and this cycle continues.
I bought and returned Two 2024 Epiphone Adam Jones w/Custombuckers and Gibson Headstock. The first had major fret problems and the tuners were absolute garbage. The second had the bridge pickup disconnected from the volume pot. Absolute Mess. Both Brand new from GC. I ended up getting the $649 Epiphone Firebird-put in Gibson Neck and a Seymour Duncan Bridge Firebird pickups. Switchcraft Jack and Toggle Switch, USA Made Parchment pickguard, bought a USA Made 3 ply Gibson Truss Rod Cover, 0.22 Luxe Audio Sprague Black Beauties, Faber Aged Nickel Tailpiece, MojoTone Nickel Pickup Rings and ThroBak Strings. Grand Total is $1,191. And you know what? It sounds okay. My Mexican Tele with a $99 Duncan Vintage Broadcaster Pickup smokes it.
Hey! Thanks so much! Glad you liked it. Sorry to hear both the Adam Jones guitars ended up with issues. My Adam Jones came with a faulty volume pot. Issues like this shouldn’t be present on a $1300 guitar. I feel the same on Fender Mexico guitars. My MIM Charvel and a MIK Fender tele are some of my favorite guitars and have given me no issues so far.
@@rocktorrocks Sorry about your Jones too-definitely QC Problems out of Epiphone in China. My Tele plays unreal, zero problems after 10 years. I think thats the biggest let down of these new High End Epiphone's that you pointed out. Its not the hardware or the lack of quality components-it's more like the build quality. Still mediocre fret work, and even though wood matters way less on electrics, I personally feel the Chinese wood used is probably less resonant. Also, Epiphone keeps selling the CTS Pots and Mallory Caps as being an incredible selling point but, Mallory Caps are $ 1.21 on Stew Mac, and CTS Pots are about $7-8 bucks each. Nothing really to write home about. I think a proper Rosewood board and Nitro finish would make a much bigger deal. I also genuinely thinking not having a Nitro Finish impedes the sound too. That Gloss Poly finish weighs a ton.
@@jamesbruss84 Well said! I prefer nitro too. The pots and caps really are cheap and relatively simple upgrades but putting on a nitro finish or replacing the fretboard with rosewood are not upgrades most players can make or do. So I’d rather they put real rosewood or apply nitro finish from the factory and keep the regular caps & pots to be upgraded by players who want to do the mods. As they are now, these play pretty nicely but still feel like import guitars and less premium than a Gibson. The poly finish and sharper fret ends without nibs plays a part in that.
I've been epiphone guy for years but bought the 59 they came out with in 2020 then they come out with new one and want $1200 for and neither has rosewood fretboard but Harley Benton and prs do the prices are going to hurt epiphone my next guitar will be a PRS
Well said! That 59 Les Paul was a great guitar for the initial price they listed it for back in 2020 but now with the $1300 price I agree they will likely lose a lot more sales. PRS offers actual rosewood, ESP LTD has stainless steel frets and there’s just so many more options not even counting that $1300 will buy a used USA made Fender or Gibson. It’s hard to imagine choosing an import Epiphone over these other options.
I got the new ES-355 and love it but I am not planning to sell it and to be honest, I normally buy used guitars. I don't see how Epiphone will improve that model beside shipping it with a nitro finish, it has the same specs as the Custom Shop at a fraction of the price. With the new headstock, all the older equivalent models will lose value, this is bad if you plan to resell a guitar but great if you buy used ones.
Glad to hear you’re happy with the ES-355. Honestly that’s good if they can’t improve it further. I don’t want anyone buying the current ES-355 to experience what I did with my Bonamassa and find they made a better model just a year later. Def a good time to buy the older models used as the ones like mine seem to have dropped in value.
Sorry kid. Buy Epiphones (or any guitar for that matter) to PLAY them. In a normal non-covid driven market, if you expect much money back after buying a guitar for full price, you will be disappointed. Guitars are not investment vehicles. If you seek to improve anything, it should be that amplifier. Save your nickels and pick up a used Fender Blues Junior for about $300. Run your guitars (and pedals?) through that. You’ll be glad for the tonal improvement. Just keep your Marshall practice amp. Do not expect high resale value from selling it.
True, COVID market and the current drop on demand for guitars is likely playing a role here. I do buy to play but prior Epiphone signatures like the Bonamassa Amos were known to retain or even increase in value and I expected similar from these. It’s okay, I play the guitar often and still like it so I’m not too upset. Surprisingly I am very happy with the Marshall amp. I considered replacing it or getting a pricier amp but I haven’t tried anything I like better so far.
@@rocktorrocks Yeah, that Bona model was released during the crazy covid market. I doubt you’ll find a non-Bonamassa fan that will pay those prices today. Lastly, dont be like me. I waited 20 years to pick up my first tube amp. If you keep playing you WILL at some point buy a tube amp big or small, and your tone will improve ridiculously. Probably better not to wait twenty years and just listen to an old man today.
@@Kur0y4m4 Appreciate the advice. Actually this Marshall is a tube amp, it’s a DSL-1. I replaced my old solid state Yamaha with this and I couldn’t be happier. It’s one of the best sounding amps I’ve owned and being 1 watt I can even crank it up at home to get the natural tube saturation. I recorded the video on my phone so the phone mic probably didn’t do the amps sound justice. I fully agree, nothing like a good tube amp.
I understand a kid getting into an epiphone brand guitar to step up from a beginner guitar price point. That being said, anybody 18 or older that should be using their own money because they have a job, thinks they’re gonna buy this Chinese manufactured guitar, use it for a couple years, and then sell it for a little to no loss or a profit is kidding themselves, Like you said, buy a Gibson or fender American made used that will definitely hold its value if you take care of it properly. Stay away from these Chinese, Korean and Indonesian manufactured Guitars. It’s almost 100% guaranteed that they will not hold their value after its initial purchase from a dealer. And you’re also putting American workers out of a job.
Well said! Lesson learned on my end. I got fooled because some of the previous Bonamassa Epiphones like the Amos V seemed to hold their value well and maybe even go up in value. However now Epiphone seems to have saturated their own market with these “high end” import guitars and I think that has pretty much made these like any other import guitar in terms of resale value which is pretty poor overall as you mentioned. USA made is def best way to go.
$800 on a used guitar that cost $1300 is more than fair imo. The moral of the story is buy used. Especially since guitar players fail to hold onto a guitar for more than a couple years.
If money and greed weren't a factor I'd get the Alex Lifeson model, but I'm not paying Epiphone 1,300 for that sweet and sour guitar. Overpriced Chinese guitars. What ever happened to 'made in China' being a cost saving measure? Not for Epiphone apparently. Feels like Apple pricing. At least the 355s are getting Gibson pickups but I've heard the Lifeson model feels like a toy. Sounds like one too, it should've had Gibson pickups but it doesn't. This is coming from a huge Rush fan, I'd typically ignore many flaws and I'd just buy a Rush signature model guitar anyways and swap the pickups, but not for 1,300 plus swapping the pickups on top of that. It's too much. There are a similar models out there for a fraction of the price, just because they don't have the Epiphone name on the headstock doesn't mean its sound can't get you like 95% of the way there. The Xaviere pro555 is like 300 bucks, has a "licensed" floyd rose and quick swap pickups so you can easily change from PAF/PAT style to Alnico 2's, to 59's, etc. all within a few minutes. The pickups themselves are affordable too. You can buy like 3 of those pro555 guitars and replace the pickups in all 3 for the price of one Alex Lifeson model lol. Now THAT'S how Chinese guitars should be priced. But honestly, I'm not even going to roll the dice on Chinese guitars. I'm going with PRS because of their Indonesian factory's rep for quality and value. Plus I heard they may have some new offerings coming this June.
Well said! I have heard great things about made in Indonesia and it seems to be a step up from Made In China. I too was surprised the Lifeson model came with probuckers but cost over a grand. I’m guessing the floyd rose raised the price but even then it doesn’t seem like a fair price. Hope you enjoy the PRS!
Epiphones are not meant to be investments. They aren't even pitched as investment guitars. Foreign labour is cheaper than US labour. That's the only 'deal' that you're getting.
True! Most Epiphones are not. But I think they did market these as such by advertising them as “limited” runs and collectors items with certificates and all. And the previous Bonamassa Amos V and Black Beauty did retain and even go up in value if I recall correctly but now that the market seems saturated with these Epiphones I don’t think it has any investment potential anymore.
In the market where used Gibson LP Tributes can be fetched for 700-800 bucks these Epis make no sense. I have owned Epi LP Outfit 59, LP 50 Standard, LP Modern and now I dont have any of those. They are good guitars but for up to 700-800 new and in used max 500. At 700-800 you can get abovementioned LP Tributes or Fender Road Worns or Vinteras where these Epis will not hold candle. Hell, you can get Yamaha Revstar Standard for that price. On guitar if you love the "wood" part, the rest can be resolved, but if you do not, investing in it will not really improve the experience.
Agreed and well said mentioning those other models. There seem to be many similar or better options at that price point so not much reason to buy a new Epiphone when a used Fender or Gibson can be had for same or less cost. I have two Gibson which cost about the same as my Epiphones and they feel much more premium.
@@rocktorrocks If they at least make them nitro or something. The thing is that now there is already big difference but it will get worse over time. Another issue I would say is that Epi in general uses softer fret wire, therefore they will wear faster. I dont care if this is on 150 euro Harley Benton single cut (which are more hit or miss but the good ones are on the level of Epi LP Standard) but at 4 digits for import guitars it is unacceptable. Never though I will live the day where I will say that Gibson is more reasonable option but here we are. It is shame, Epi had a good thing going couple years ago, now they just want to milk the trust they gained there. Same with Greeny. You can buy Gibson LP Standard Faded, switch pickups and for couple hundred more than Epi you have completely different league instrument. New Epi Firebirds look cool, but for like 600-700 max.
@@OrbitlynX Very true and the nitro finish would at least make these feel more like Gibsons. The fact they still use poly finish makes these still feel like a cheaper import guitars but at Gibson USA pricing. That’s unfortunate on the frets too as I think brands like ESP are offering stainless steel frets around this price point. It really is a shame because I was getting really into Epiphone and liking the brand but now I’m a bit fed up with their marketing. The mid to lower priced Gibson USA guitars are def better value now. I’ll take the Gibson standard faded Les Paul over the Epiphone Greeny any day.
You are right in that the specs alone could justify the price to some degree and that’s why I bought my guitars but many of these don’t seem to be selling well at all new or used so I don’t think the market demand justifies the $1300 price tag and in that regard it seems overpriced because many are not moving or selling. Perhaps the newest ones will sell a little better but I have seen the previous ones like the Adam Jones, Kirk Hammett and Alex Lifeson Epiphones sitting unsold at a discount with dealers.
Im vacuuming and listening not looking and didn't realize you bought the new Epiphone headstock for $1300 😬, did someone tell you they were going to hold their value? I don't even see paying $1300 for the "Gibson" Epiphone
Haha yeah I did…not my smartest purchase but I like the guitar so I’m not too upset. The prior Epiphone Bonamassa models before this like the Amos V held their value very well, I think some even went up in value so I figured it was a safe bet with this model I bought. Little did I know Epiphone would flood the market the way they did with all these high end models and signature guitars so now they’re not rare or worth much. Lesson learned.
@@rocktorrocks gotcha, well the good thing is you like the guitar but that is a bummer the resale value isn't there. Also Epiphone sounds like Apple phones with the yearly upgrades 🤣🤣
What everyone wants is a good guitar cheap. I want a supermodel wife, you can’t just will a guitar to be both good quality and cheap in todays economy. If you want good, pay for it, if you want cheap, then don’t complain about quality. Its annoying when everyone begged for epiphones with gibson headstocks, now they don’t wanna pay extra for it. They meant gibson headstock but 400$ oh, yeah, ok , sure. You want that get a chibson and pretend you’re cool
I agree with what you’re saying. You gotta pay for quality things. Can’t have your cake and eat it too. But I think they priced these $1300 Epiphones like it would be Gibson quality as $1300 can buy a Les Paul tribute but really it’s still an Epiphone with some upgrades. These feel more like a $1000 quality guitar being sold at $1300 to me at least. But more than the quality which is actually pretty good, it’s the poor resale value I wanted to highlight in the video.
excellent video! I aGREE 100 percent...guitarists like the general public are suckers....specs mean nothing for me...its an epiphone...Yesterday here in nyc I played the Epi greeny i didnt know the price,,,I thought ok here is a decent guitar ...but not impressed whatsoever ...no gloss felt just ok and sounded good...then i finally looked at the price WTF!!!!!! 1500 for this????? My friend and I laughed because u can get a used les paul standard by Gibson or studio etc..on and on for 1800 to 2000 and it completely blows any of these epis away....YOU HAVE TO PLAY THEM GUYS ...DONT FALL FOR HEADSTOCKS AND SPECS...they are doin a big money grab here...epis 700 bucks at the most is what i would pay PERIOD. and thats too much!!!!!
Thanks! I’m glad you liked the video & it’s nice to hear I’m not alone in this sentiment. Admittedly I fell for the Epiphone marketing and bought the guitars I did but having spent extensive time with these pricier Epiphones and comparing them to my Gibsons, you are spot on correct. Its marketing hype and $1500 for the Greeny is insane considering I regularly see Gibson standard and classic Les Pauls around that price. The Epiphones are great guitars but not worth the price being asked and they will probably not hold value as well as a Gibson either. And despite all these fancy headstock changes and specs they still feel like Epiphones with the poly finish and no fret nibs.
@@rocktorrocks its a joke...I owned easily 40 custom shop guitars pauls fenders andersons suhrs tylers...etc.....I cant wait to try these new absurd epiphones ...and if they aRE FAntastic I will apologize!! but i feel its like a new squire for 999.I got a squire recently for 80 dollars its amazing!!..lmao alot of people just wanna believe they are beating the system new gibby headstock etc....lol
Great advice! Those $799 customs are fantastic! I’ve played a few and been tempted to bring one home. That’s the price point where I think Epiphone truly shines.
You bought a highly spec’d guitar but made in China and you had an expectation for it not to depreciate heavily?! 🤔 If you care about resale you need to buy a big name made in USA guitar… it just is what it is.
You speak the truth my friend…I had to learn this the hard way. A used USA made Gibson or Fender is def best option for resale value I’m learning now. I got fooled because the Epiphone Bonamassa Black Beauty and Amos Flying V seemed to hold their value incredibly well, I think they even went up in value, so I assumed the same would be the case for my ES-335. Little did I know Epiphone would flood the market with their “high end” guitars which is I think partly why my ES-335 depreciated as much as it did.
You are bellyaching too much, the majority of players who buy guitars to play and expect to make a loss on them when they sell them on. Even Gibson's lose money on the whole.
I’m simply trying to share my experience and thoughts so others can make a more informed decision before purchasing these $1300+ Epiphone guitars, there’s no need to call it bellyaching. I have nothing to gain by posting this or complaining about a guitar I bought over a year ago and got plenty of use and enjoyment out of. Although it is absolutely true all guitars depreciate, I do believe these Epiphones depreciate more than a standard Gibson. From checking classifieds most Gibsons seem to depreciate about 30% whereas my Epiphone has depreciated about 50%. Granted this is not a hard and fast rule and there are probably many exceptions to this but Epiphones and most import guitars in general don’t seem to hold value as well as a US made Gibson and knowing I what I do, I would only advise buying one of these Epiphones used and not brand new.
Its madness to buy new the advice then is to wait until they come on the 2nd hand market and grab yourself a bargain as I agree they are likely to depreciate at a scarily quick rate.
@@Edward1312 Yup! You are 100% correct. And for certain guitars that might depreciate more like my Epiphone it makes much more sense to choose used over new.
Thats because for the price of the new epiphones ( 1400 $ ) you can buy some Gibson tribute and Studio ( 490 and 498 pickups same as the custom ) in very good condition… I bought a Gibson Standard 60 Bourbon from 2022 for 1700 $ in super good condition!! So for 300 more of the price of the new Epiphones I could buy a Gibson Standard 60s. These new epiphones are in between affordable guitars and expensive guitars… MADE IN CHINA with some QC issues, and with Indian Laurel most of them… for 700 $ you ve got a new fender player made in mexico, or an Epiphone standard 60s for 550 $ which sounds great btw… Why spending the same amount as a used Gibson in good condition for an Epiphone? ITS A NONESENSE!! Its like spending 200.000 $ in a Ford Mustang, when a Ferrari costs 250.000 $. The same
Indeed! I got fooled because I think the old Epiphone Bonamassa models like the Amos V held or even went up in value and the two I own were sort of marketed as limited run collectors items but lesson learned. Prob won’t buy these moving forward unless I get it at a decent discount.
Quit buying new guitars. I have a 76 Gibson LPC, an 82 USA strat, an 81 Japanese Ibanez AR and a 84 Japanese tele. My basses are covered. I bought them all used before the internet and now they are worth plenty. I bought them to play. Not to resell. You youngins are doing it wrong😂
Lol i never buy to resell…but between my endless GAS for new stuff, changing tastes or just not bonding with every guitar I buy, a few end up having to get sold and it’s nice to not lose tons of money whenever that happens. That being said I 100% agree, always buy used when possible. I’ve learned my lesson and I don’t know if I’ll buy brand new anytime soon. I also really like my 76 LPC, It might be my all time favorite guitar actually and is truly a keeper. If I could just keep and play one guitar this would prob be it. The vintage stuff are some of the few guitars where I feel you can even make money on the guitar on the used market so they really are the best value.
@@rocktorrocks I really appreciate your videos and respect your love for guitars. I'm just a grumpy old man that doesn't understand the gotta have it stuff. Keep rocking however you chose. 🤘🏻, oh and GET OFF MY LAWN! 🙃
@@SHENDOH Thanks! Truly appreciate the kind words and support. Hey, it’s all good! I could probably benefit with a little less of the gotta have it mentality haha. Keep on rockin’ friend. 🤘
The entire point was trying to explain the new ones will likely be difficult to sell and not hold their value like mine. Takeaway for anyone looking to buy the new ones is to wait and buy used or don’t have plans to ever sell it. Maybe I’m wrong and the new ones will hold their value better than mine as they have nicer specs. I will be pleasantly surprised if I am mistaken.
Haha this is true yes. Most Epiphones don’t hold value well. However, the Bonamassa signature models were usually an exception to this and known to hold or even go up in value due to their upgraded specs and limited numbers (the Amos V and Black Beauty I think were examples of this). I expected these two Epiphones to do the same as both were supposedly made in limited numbers and marketed almost like collectors items with certificates of authenticity. However, with so many “high end” models from Epiphone now I think these have become less special now and are depreciating like any other standard Epiphone. However with $1300 being the list price, I think that depreciation is felt a little more. Thanks for watching!
@@rocktorrocks I would never in my life buy an epi and hope that it would hold any sort of value on the used market. You might get 60-70% back from the price you paid if your lucky
Not that you really asked for it, but im finding hard to have sympathy for someone that payed $1300 for an Epi. It coudnt have seemed like a good idea, even at the time.
Yeah wasn’t really asking for sympathy…just trying to inform others so they don’t make my mistake. And actually historically most Epiphone Bonamassa models like the Amos V and Black Beauty Les Paul held or appreciated value before this. Add to this the ES-335 I bought was advertised as a limited collectors item and was expected to have followed in the footsteps of its predecessors that held their value but this was one of the first Epiphone Bonamassa models to flop. I believe it was the $1300 price but lesson learned.
Really ? Go buy a New Lexus and drive off the lot and come right back . Now you have a USED LEXUS and you not getting the $45,000 you just paid 5 minutes ago . You can’t blame the fact that now you need money and you can’t sell your guitar for more than it’s worth . Gibson is moving into the Custom Shop realm and they are using Epiphone to fill the void in between $1,299 and $3,299 to the $6,000 plus for Custom shop models . Sell it for what you can get and move on . Bandage up your pocket wounds and enjoy life .
Where exactly in the video did I mention trying to sell this guitar for more than it’s worth? And I don’t think I blamed anyone, complained yes but not blame, can you really blame a company for selling their product? I just stated my experience and opinion on these high end Epiphones as a consumer. All guitars depreciate and I don’t think at any point in the video I stated otherwise. I just said these Epiphones seem to depreciate more than Gibons so anyone buying may take a larger than expected loss and should be aware of that before they make the purchase. Poor resale value doesn’t mean I didn’t make a profit, it just means the depreciation seems to be worse than the standard 30-40%. And I’ve already sold the guitar and enjoying life plenty, thank you. Other than responding to comments I don’t give much thought to these Epiphones.
Absolutely! I probably didn’t explain well in the video but the new ES-355 is amazing and far superior to the Bonamassa. My concern is though, is if they can release the ES-355 which smokes the Bonamassa in such a short period of time…how do we know they don’t have an even better model planned for next year that will smoke the ES-355? That makes me want to wait and hold on buying the ES-355 now. Seems each time they say they made the best product they one up it just a year later.
Your argument is fundamentally flawed. These guitars are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them new. Resale value has nothing to do with it. You, and thousands of other people thought these guitars were worth buying new at full retail, proving to Gibson that these prices are justified. The fact that you can't get your money back on the resale market is irrelevant. Don't buy a guitar hoping to resell it for the same price; 9 times out of 10, you won't get your money back.
Maybe I didn’t convey myself properly in the video but I’m not looking to get all $1300 back reselling it…it’s kind ridiculous to assume that. I was trying to say these have poor resale value and by that I mean most Gibsons prob depreciate about 30-40% but these Epiphones depreciate 50-60%. Thus, if you’re gonna spend $1300-1700 get a Gibson and not one of these Epiphones.
