Ditto. Extremely bummed that the DG-335 price is going to be out of so many people’s reach. Really sucks that they’re turning Epiphone into a cork sniffer brand little by little. There’s like zero reason either. They want people to believe that things cost more - but then you have to ask how loads of brands are doing amazing guitars for half the cost. Hell, Epiphone is doing amazing guitars for half the cost. No Epiphone signature (or any premium model) should ever cost more than $899 or maybe $999, and most models should be $499-$799.
I've watched years of guitar content on youtube and your videos are by far the best these days, you are very much appreciated. As for the expensive epiphones I can't really talk given how much I'm still considering getting one of the Adam Jones art collection guitars if they release another one that I really like. Then again those guitars imo at least justify the price with the art and connection to Tool. But it's really hard to justify a flying V EPIPHONE for $1500 when you can get so many nice guitars from so many better brands at that price. Fender, Ibanez, etc. But if you really like Dave Mustaine that much just do yourself a favor and get the Kramer
You are so right. They basically just relabeled some prophecies and put them out there. That's kind of crappy. The kramers might be neat, but they don't look much different from his cheaper Dean signatures that came out years ago and you could probably get for much lower price right now on the used market
I have a Harley benton pro series fusion 3. Lol. Long name, but shipping to the United States with a case was just under 550 and it’s specs are even better than the Mustaine. They at least include locking tuners, and they are made in Indonesia not china! It’s actually currently my favorite guitar I play just because the price to quality is ridiculously on point.
@@dethpig420 Dude. For sure! I have a Harley Benton DC-600 VI (also a long name lol) and while I DID implement some mostly unnecessary but worthwhile mods, I got an awesome guitar for around 220 shipped and then spent another 300 on stuff to swap in it. But it was fine as it came. HB is the shiz!
No way I’m paying that kind of money for an Epiphone or Kramer. Should have been in the $899 range. No locking tuners and dot inlays. That means that even the future used ones that make it to GC will be around $999.
Rather pay for an ESP/LTD honestly. Way better bang for the buck with better quality! IMHO. However, to each their own. Hope whoever gets them, loves them!
I can't wait to watch this later today. But speaking about Epiphone, I remember in the 90s that they had some 24 fret guitars with Floyd's...but then those models disappeared
These $1000+ Epiphone is just a complete lost touch of reality.. They're chinese made instruments at Indonesia/Korea prices (and some ESP Standard models before they changed name, THINK ABOUT THAT!) Using inflation as en excuse for these ridiculous prices is not an option, there's no way inflation causes such stupid pricehikes in such short amount of time. Honestly, paying ''just'' double, or slightly less than double of what the the import versions cost to get an actual Gibson with the MoP inlays and everything else, I'd take that in a heartbeat.
The scale length is the only reason I've stayed away from the newer epiphone prophecy's. If people plan to keep them in standard/ 1/2 step down then they are great. But a reskin of a prophecy V with those limitations and price hike is absolutely ridiculous
Its the millionth foken video i see the dang fum sponsor thing gawd dang sponsors same everywhere ma gawd (That damn silver kramer is ballers man i want one so bad)
I don't buy the "guitars are more expensive" argument when talking about the new pricing. With that same logic, shouldn't other brands have experienced such a massive increase in price that Gibson/Epiphone have? Why is it that you can still buy a USA Fender for cheaper than some of these Epiphones?
Whaddaya mean, MegaDave invented Gibson and Epiphone and Kramer and Metallica and thrash and Marshall and marshmallows and lugnuts and compasses and aspirin and ratchet straps and Marty Friedman and giraffes and Q-tips and Narcan and Canada...the goes on and on and on.
Had the blue one with EMG's. One of many guitars I wish I never sold...Edit: Misread your post. Still, I agree, it's not a Prophecy unless it's 25.5 scale.
Inflation sucks. Prices go up, consumer purchasing power goes down. Hopefully the used market will continue to level out for younger players entering the hobby.
Gibson's been out of their minds on prices for a while now, seems Epi is joining them. Not sure where they get off charging more while their quality keeps dropping
When I bought my Epiphone Adam Jones Veil of Bees, I thought that $1299 was really pushing it. Little did I know that they were just getting started....
The Kramers look really good. I personally also really like the way the black Epiphone looks (minus the dot inlays lmao), but that scale length and price tag are genuinely disappointing.
The Kramers are cool and decently priced, but unless you are a die-hard fan, nobody is buying an Epi priced that high when you can get a prophecy for much much less.
Right?! The prototypes were killer looking! Unfortunate. For 1300 usd starting price and made in China, I’m not a fan. I ordered mine before knowing this, being all drunk that night lol. Was super stoked. Now if it doesn’t blow my ass away it’s going back to guitar center lol.
yes it's corpret greed everywhere ! (not artist) but in the end it's our fault (the consumer) for paying for it ! if no-one buys it they'll have to drop the price to sell! ...not going to happen because generally man is dumb! :))
When I first saw the videos on it I thought ''hey seems like a decent guitar, and since it's epiphone, it's probably around the 700USD ball park, so it could be a good buy'', and then I saw 1400Euros on Thomann... Who in their right mind would pay 1400Euros on an Epiphone V made in China? You can get an LTD Arrow 1000 for less and it's a much better guitar than this! You can get a Jackson RRX24 for 700USD! You can get a Solar V1.8 Canibalismo for less! You can get most of the Ibanez Iron Label models between 700USD and 1100USD! Hell, Dean had those awesome Mustaine V's for 1000USD! You can even get a solar V1.6 for 500 Euros less than this! Who thought this was a good idea? No one in their right mind is going to pay 1400USD on a Chinese Epiphone! You can get a Premium Series JEM for 100 bucks less than this piece of crap and Ibanez QC is a lot better than what you'd get here (not to speak of the hardware itself). The last 16 years have been defined by Gibson turning into a parody of themselves! not only is it completely understandable that they went bankrupt, but after that it seems things have only gotten worse! Charging 13000USD for some of the custom models when ESP can give you custom shop models for half the price, and Fender does Master Builts for a lot less, trying to charge 50000USD on a Gary Moore/Peter Green/Kirk Hammett LP simply due to their ''Murphy Labs BS''
LTD Arrow made in Korea I'm not knocing it, my point is Korea, Indo or China it's all about the brand and their manufacturing. Epi has come a long way lately and yes they still have their cheaper/lower tier Epi's just like LTD does. Jackson.. you're picking and chosing the price point in your comment. They have RR24s that are like 400 bucks and they have RR24's that are closer to 2 grand.. Epi's have the same price range. And by the way that highest price RR import that I've found is made in China as well. Ibanez yes has 700-1100 Iron Label guitars as well as RGs and RGA's and made in Indo. But Ibanez also has Indo made signatures and premiums built in Indo that are in the 1500-1800 price range too.. My point is, is you're picking "mid tier" level guitars and trying to compare those prices w/ Epi's High tier price guitars. Ltd has Hammett and Hetfield signatures that are close to 2 grand. There's your real comparison. So Epi isn't far off here. China, Indo has no bearing anymore, they're all making great products on the mid to higher tier level guitars.
@@ryant3600 Korean production and Indonesian production guitars are a lot better made than Chinese! I understand that having guitars made there at this price point is a bit hard but honestly, the parts alone account for most of the price (seriously, paying 400 to 500USD on a set of Duncans of DiMarzio's is not cool), and as we have seen quality control can be quite good. I've never seen anyone complain about the JEM7VP (made in Indonesia) or the LTD 1000 Models (or the signature ones while T that)
@@ryant3600 also Epis shouldn't be going that high due to the significant reduction in labor costs in China. And while Jackson does have a wide price range, once you get to a certain level, it's US made stuff (in fact the US Costum Shop models are on the 3K range which is not bad for a custom shop guitar)
@@ryant3600 as for the final topic, the only mid tier guitars I mentioned are the RR24 and the Iron Label line! LTD 1000 (1200USD) is on the high tier for import guitars, as is the JEM7VP (1600USD or 1400 for the JEM77) and the solar models (1000 to 1300, some even 1500), and all of these guitars are better than the stuff Epi is pumping out (Schecter also has some great stuff on the 1000USD range)! The JEM7VP has nothing to lose on an American Guitar, and LTD is some of the best value on the market! I own an ESP EII Eclipse and even then I still want an LTD Eclipse, because I know the models are great, and I'm just drooling over that Gary Holt 600 Signature
I love Megadeth however I will not pay 1400 for an epiphone. For comparison I went to a local shop yesterday and found a vintage musicman from 78 for 1400$ us made and a 91 musicman for again 1400. At this point if I want a Dave mustaine guitar I'm just going to get a used dean
Love how you put affordable in quotes. 1300 plus for a Chinese made instrument is nuts. Folks over at Gibson are licking their chops at these profit margins.
I paid 1200 for a made in Japan stratocaster and it's one of the most specced and blemish free guitars I have ever seen. Not being made in America isn't always bad
I already felt like the £800 Epiphones were ridiculous in terms of pricing, there's absolutely no way I'm paying £1500 for an Epiphone. No fucking chance! That's twice the cost of a Mexican made Fender.
@@ryant3600 True. But those are made in mexico by Fender. If you want to really talk like for like; the equivalent of an Epiphone signature made in Asia would be a Squier signature made in Asia, and those are a LOT less than £700. At £499, I could literally buy 3 J Mascis Squier Jazzmasters for the cost of one Dave Mustaine Epiphone V. Or to put that into even more perspective; For the cost of the Mustaine Epiphone I could buy a Squier J Mascis jazzmaster, a hardcase, upgrade the bridge and vibrato, install an EMG loaded pickguard, AND buy a 40 watt marshall valve combo. Looking at whats happened to Epiphone's extortionate pricing since I bought my LPJ and Explorer for just over £300 each about a decade ago, and watching fanboys defend it, is mindblowing.
@@MrWill9894 i wouldn’t want anyone to pay more than $700 for these. the only cool thing is the case and the pickups. everything else is the same as a typical low end overseas guitar
@@Safetysealed nah. Higher quality epi's are NOT squires. they're lower tier yes, mid and upper. To many people are confusing lower tier Epi's with upper Tier Epi's. Epi isn't the brand they were 10 years ago, they've grown quite a bit and changed their lines. I am a huge Ibanez guy have been since the late 80's and I have really gotten into Epi's these 3-4 years and I look at Epiphone like Ibanez. Ibanez has upper tier Indo made guitars like the Premiums and premium signatures (the Jem7VP & Jem 77P, The Nita Jiva10, Kiko's KIKI10BP, Satch's JS240PS, Tim Hensons TOD10 (however those come with gig bags, not hardshell cases, except for Tims his doesn't even come w/ a listed gigbag) etc.1400-1800 USD are the going prices for those, Epi is now starting to branch in the same type of higher tier signatures like this: Mustaine series, Cantrells Custom Prophecy, Heafy's and Adam Jones similar packaging ( Hardshell case etc) and prices. Then you have the mid tier Ibanez Indo made guitars and signatures: Like the Jiva Junior, Jem Jr, Satche's JS140M, and regular Rg's and RGA's. Epi's have the Wino Cantrell, Slash's, Thayer, Brendan Small, Iommi Sg, and the standard and Custom Lp's, SG's, V's and Explorers. Then you have the lower tier Ibanez has the GRG and Gio's etc and Epi has those "Specials", "studio's", bolt on Slash LP, etc. You're talking Asia/Chinese made Squires like they're the "high tier Epi" when they're not they're the low tier Epi's equivalent's I just mentioned.
@@MrWill9894 I have one of Mustaines LTDs from 04 it’s the tequila sunrise finish, #38 of 200. Love that fucking guitar. It’s quality is ridiculous and it looks so good for being 20 years old.
Was wondering the same thing. The neck on the AJ sigs is a spec hardly anyone talks about. I'm pretty picky about neck profiles, and won't keep a guitar very long if it's fighting me when I play it. If the profile on any of these Mustaine V's is based off the AJ sig. CNC program, they're the best I've ever seen on ANY Epiphone. I'd describe it as a shallow U. Its closet to my LTD '87 Eclipse NT that ESP calls they're thin U. They both have the volute and feel like nothing else I know of?
Man, I remember telling my brother about the prophecy, and while he wasn't a fan,I was. Until I saw the price,that is. I get it,Fishman pickups,locking tuners, and an ebony Fretboard. But why dot Inlays, especially on a prophecy? Then the price tag,too....ouch. The only way I'd get one is if I can find one used for a deal as that seems to be what's the best option for any guitarist nowadays. I'm pretty disappointed overall
Since the "iconic" Kramer Vanguard V had a reverse explorer headstock(i had an 87') they should've gone that way to distinguish itself some more. But, Dave knows Dave.
The epiphone prophecy v was $1150 CAD one year ago. The Dave Mustaine prophecy v is $2150 CAD today. $1000 markup for a different paint job and a signature.
What killed it for me, was both price tag and Chinese manufacturing. Really shocking especially at that price! It’s a shame really. I was drunk the night they dropped and was ultra hyped lol, and had the extra money to drop on it so I did as I’ve been waiting to do so. It’s due today or tomorrow shipping to California. If it’s not perfect or absolutely blows me away I’m probably sending the thing back. Unfortunate. I see these flopping super hard.
Points go to Kramer for me - it gives the classic Mustaine vibe (let’s face it, probably everyone wanted him to go back to Jackson after he left Dean). Biggest miss was the dot inlays, they could’ve done their take on sharkfin inlys. Let’s face it, if Jackson can make a James Hetfield “signature” KV without it being a signature, they can do the same for the Mustaine fanboys and it’d be an easy cash grab. Since they won’t, or at least haven’t, Kramer could’ve easily cashed in at that instead. It’s the most Jackson looking guitar he’s played since Jackson. Brownie points on the Megadeth-font Kramer logo, beautiful touch. I personally could not get into the Explorer headstock on the Flying V body.
@@shanewalton8888 Not in my opinion. It’s the overall profile for me. The Dean headstock didn’t have a similar shape or angle. The Dave silhouette on the back looks like he’s holding a Jackson, and now could be Kramer to my eyes. Looks nowhere close to an ESP, Dean, or Gibson EXP to me.
I really love the epiphone Flying V but as an 13 year old . I don’t have that kind of money . And some fans my age was prob exited to get a cheaper epiphone
Gibson have been reworking unsold Mustaine models in the the mod/demo shop, and that's only because they're not selling as well as they'd hoped. I expect they'll still put out as many variations as possible to capitalise on his name's connection to Metallica, though.
The sick the dying and the dead is the apex of thrash. No one mustaine's age or younger put out the type of material Dave put out recently. Metallica is a distant memory. That album Dave put out is historic and stands on its own..
Never got into Kramer much (which is odd considering I'm basically the type of player Kramer targeted in their day). I did really enjoy the Nite V and Night V plus. It was a workhorse and the alpine white with those Duncuns was right up my ally. Might have to shell out for that Mustaine Kramer. Seems better then the Epis anyway (I have a serious bias against Epiphone.....ask if you want, it isn't very interesting).
@@gabecarter3554 1st guitar was the old Epiphone player pack. Vintage Sunburst, crap amp, strap, cable, picks, and a pitch pipe (no tuner...we talking old school). It was what I bled and trialed with, fought with, and learned the no nos on. It was a VERY bad example that had MANY issues I didn't know about and made it VERY difficult to learn on. So I tend to shy away from Epiphone (though I am sure I would love a good one..)
Hey hunter, not sure you’ll see this now but I think it should be said that the V EXP is actually a legacy model. Gibson made these for 2 or 3 years in the 80’s and I think that’s what made Dave switch to Jackson in the first place.
I have a Prophecy LP that I paid about $780 for new (full price was $899) . I got a fantastic guitar for the money. Really amazing axe. But then they did the Cantrell Prophecy with the same specs but $300 more. Now this Prohecy Mustaine V is basically a Prophecy V with a different headstock, but $600 more? I love Epiphone over the last few years but that's just beyond ridiculous. At least it resembles something Mustaine plays. That Cantrell Prophecy is way off the mark.
Back then you could also get a Jackson USA King V for $1500, in 2018 I purchased two Jackson USA soloists for $1,000 each. Cant touch a used one for less than $2,000 now. It sucks.
i really really was looking forward to this release… until i saw the prices. the green kramer is right up my ally (not a bad price considering the market and specs + artist tax lol) but you nailed it on the head in this vid. most people wanted more affordable versions of the og gibson release and these prices are far from affordable. really wish epiphone would go back to its roots of affordable variations of gibsons but right now they feel more like they’re trying to become a high end brand like gibson
Epi does have those. there's an Epi slash LP with a gig bag for 330.00 bucks. Of course the electronics, build and hardware are crap, but you get what you pay for. Epi has low tier, Mid tier and now high tier just like most other major brands. Some reason people are not understanding this. They just think ALL Epi's are cheap Chinese made low budget guitars.. WRONG.. they have changed up who they are these past few years and it's been more and more evident that they are following the trends of Ibanez, ESP, Jackson etc. They all have their "import" guitars of different tier levels of quality, specs and packaging. They're doing the same thing with Kramer's. Low tier, mid tier and an upper tier level and cost guitars.
Depends on what guitar. All brands have their lower, mid and upper tier priced guitars.. Worst guitar I ever got was my Jiva10. 1600 USD I paid for it and it needed the most work, every fret was sharp, only a few were level, the wammy bar did not screw onto to the Trem color, it was stripped. and came with a cheaper gig bag. And I'm an Ibanez guy have been since the late 80's but i was highly disappointed in that It took me quite some time to get it fixed now it's great, but for that price shouldn't have come like that. These Epi's so far the upper tier ones and Kramers I've gotten have been great
I love V shaped guitars, But for me these are all Meh... They would be better with reversed Headstocks, only pointy lower horns and no dot inlays. Block inlays are loads better than the dots.
Not sure why people are freaking out over the prices, they're about exactly where I thought they'd be. If you look at "big brands' Import signature guitars like LTD, Epi, KramerMIM Charvel, Indo Ibanez, etc.. you should see that they all vary. But these DM's are pretty much right w/ the prices. Kirk Hammett for example has a lot of "import" LTD signatures that come with a case and they're all between 1400-1800 USD, James Hetfields LTD is 1600-1900, Petrucci has some import Sterlings that are in the 1500 range, same w/ some of the EVH made in Mexico guitars, Gary Holt has an LTD GH-600 that's 1700 USD, Vai has Indo made Jems in the 1500-1800 range, Jake E. Lee's MIM Charvel is 1300, Nita Strauss and Kiko signatures made in Indonesia is 1500, Satchels MIM Charvel is 1400 and does not come with a case, Michael Sweets Imported Washburn you can still find brand new in the 1500-1600 range comes with a gig bag and floyd rose special and duncan designed pickups. So just making a point that these prices are exactly where I thought they'd be.
@@pjstamm2112 not so much the pandemic itself, but the hyper-printing of money during the pandemic, combined with stagnant wages. If all your costs doubled, because your money is worth half of what it used to be, but your wages also doubled, that would even out, wouldn’t it? If all your costs double, but your wages remain the same… well…
People said I was crazy for paying 1000€ for the Epiphone Richie Faulkner. If I could get a Mustaine for 1000€, I'd buy it without doubt. Need case, strings, etc...
These Epiphones are affordable in the same way a Lamborghini is more affordable than a Bugatti. Technically theyre cheaper than the DM Gibson, but they're reaching non DM Gibson levels of pricing. You could get an actual Gibson flying V for this price and then the "affordable" aspect is meaningless. I was interested in the epiphones until i saw the price. Absolute rip off, may as get a prophecy flying V, buy a case, and replace the pickups, you'd probably hit £1000 if you sold the fishmans. The DM models look great but vastly overpriced. Honestly the Jerry Cantrell Prophecy looks like a bargin now, and the pricing made more sense. There's absolutely no reason for these DM epiphones to be this expensive.
the epiphone's are way to expensive imo as everyones said already. especially with the shorter scale length. with the kramers i can kinda live with the price but compared to the other kramer sigs it's still pretty steep. also the kramers definitely should have had the fin inlays. the Epiphones i can get, wanting to reach a broader audience with a less full on mustaine look and "affordable" price
they're about right. I don't see the issue. Kirk and James have LTD's that cost more, Vai has Jems that are made in Indo that cost about this and only comes with a gig bag..
The prices on the new LTDs are whack too. You can get a pro series jackson king V made in Indonesia with locking tuners and Seymour Duncan’s for less than 1k, same with Solar. Imo a hard case and Mustaine’s logo on the back of the headstock don’t make up an extra $3-400, especially coming from china. Hell, the prophecy is like $500 more than a normal prophecy Flying V!
@@MrWill9894 the lower end Jems are Jem jrs. right now I believe there are only two Vai Indo made upper tier jems that are in the 1500-1800 USD range.. his Japanese made ones are in the 3 grand and up USD range.
Interesting, I didn’t know that. I know ibanez has a bunch of models in the $1400-1600 range made in Japan. I think they even make an RG550 that was around $1k last I checked. Maybe the fact that it’s a signature model bumps up the price, but I’d still rather pay less for what is basically the same model.
For ~1500 u can buy some nice guitars from Japan… Ibanez Prestige, FGN, Edwards, 100 more and u have ESP E-II etc. So this price is a joke Also Gibson SG standard is same price as thic prophecy V XD
Or on the flipside for the same price you can buy and Korean made LTD, MIM Charvel or Fender, or Indo made Ibanez signatures that only come with gig bags.
$1000+ for Epiphones is outrageous imo, these are supposed to be budget guitars; the more I hear of Epiphone's high prices the less I actually want one, and I don't have high hopes for Kirk's guitars either
