The ULTIMATE Epiphone! - Is This the Best Sounding Guitar Ever?? 

I came down here to say the Epiphone sounded more like a strat than the strat and I see everybody else already saying the same thing. Time to upgrade my Epi!

I'll admit i struggled to identify the EPI in nearly every case, that said what suprised me the most was my ear seemed to prefer the EPI tone overall! I'm sold......

Seriously impressed by those p-rails. Super studio friendly! Jack of all trades kinda thing

The difference in tone/quality/sound for each comparison was negligible. You just created the most useful guitar I've ever seen (heard). Awesome job, DB.

Not only do I think the Epi whooped them all, but it's one of the most drop dead gorgeous guitars I've ever seen. I'm jealous!

omg i really got surprized by the first sound. the epi was so good that i thought it was a strat xD

I really liked this comparison. The additional 3 modes on top of the standard sounds makes this Epi a Swiss army knife! And you're absolutely right about the money savings when building an Ultimate Epi. My Epi cost about $800 after a complete makeover... I still came out ahead as a similar guitar made in the USA is priced at $1,800 new.

Wow! I am thoroughly impressed by the upgrade. Instead of picking which was which I picked which sound I liked better. The only one I picked that was not the Epiphone was the Tele with the Shaw pickups compared to the Epi with humbuckers in parallel. Nice job Darrell! Thanks for sharing.

The Epi sounded more strat than the strat

The first sound was so mindblowing i didnt believe that epiphone could match up with an American guitar

That was one of the harder blindfold tests you've done which speaks volumes for the epi. Like you said you can hear the minute differences IF you're listening for them. However, for a work horse guitar that you don't mind bringing around it's a great substitute with amazing variety. Great video!

These comparisons are SO well done - I learn so many new things I wasn't even considering before!? thank you Darrell!

Darrell, I like too much your channel, I'm Brazilian and l don't speak English, and I had use it to practice my listening, cause your pronunciation is so clean for me. Great video!

Aww, the soloing in between the comparisons was so good I wanted to hear it again altogether at the end. Keep up the awesome videos!

ive seen this video more than a year ago before I bought my custom epi and until now, this is still the only video I can find in youtube that made an epi the best of all worlds. tnx!

8:45 almost got me Bud. I screamed out loud yelling no, and you said you were joking ;)

Unbelievable man!!. I got some of them correct(tele and strat) but the thing is when I said "thats better" it was always Epi. Those P-Rails are amazing (wish they had nickel cover)!! Thanks for the great test. You proved that with good pickups Epi can shine

I failed most of the tests, and have been playing for 25+ years. Those P-Rails are amazing. I am glad to know of them, and have you to thank. This video was hecka fun to see and hear. Good job!

I love the sound of the second Tele with the custom wound pickup. Great video. Thank you

That Epi is amazing - great demo Darrell - thank you for your post

These 2 Epi videos you did were FANTASTIC!! For any player who want an Epi to sound better/more versatile, these two vids should be textbook reference! Keep up the good work and ideas!

Great shootout. Amazing how the Epiphone did, side by side with all those different guitars and pickup combinations. If I had to take one guitar to a gig, that would be it.

Really love it when you do blind comparisons, it really shows how psychological it is to relate sounds with brands.

i was listening to what i liked the best, i picked the epi every time!! I may try to do this. thanks

This would be the perfect gig guitar... You dialed in everything so close... Thumbs up

I preferred the Epiphone to every guitar except the first strat and the last gibson. It's weird too because the epi did sound more straty with the thinner tone than the thicker sound out of your select strat. I really love this demo!

Many thanks for this great video. I have been thinking about building a guitar with P rails for about a month already and this video helped a lot to determine the direction to go. After watching the video, I am convinced now to stick to my initial plan and to use a T-style guitar (Squier or Harley Benton) as a basis with P-rails combined with SD Triple Shot. Also, I am going to install the bridge pick up in a way where single coil will be closer to the bridge and P90 more to the center. Thanks a lot again.

I think the industry has gotten a bit out of control with the micro-analysis of the sound of guitars. When I think back and listen to blues vinyl and the countless awesome sounds of the guitars used and then recall that some were done on Harmony guitars, Supro's Teisco's etc. etc., to me the current so-called standard set by critics based upon Gibsons and Fenders is simply an Illusory standard. When you combine my Epi Les Paul with a custom tube amp (Siegmund) with field coil speakers, the sound is nothing short of amazing. The same holds true with my 2018 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe. To be fair, I think the key to all of this is whether the player is happy with the sound. Sound is totally subjective. That being said we can all agree that some sounds are more pleasing to the ear than others. But that leaves us with broad general categories of sounds rather than clearly definable standards. My hat goes off to you for this comparison because it gives hope to those of us who cannot afford a 6k or greater Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop. Back in the 50's and 60's the mind set did NOT evaluate sound in the manner in which we do today. I liked it much better then. People were into the creative aspect of the total product, and not slicing and dicing the guitar sound into the most ridiculous infinitesimal aspects of that which cannot be objectively evaluated. Bottom line, does it move you. Can you feel it in your soul. Does it raise the hair on the back of your neck, and do you smile when you listen to a phrase? Its all about VIBE my friend and let us not forget that. Rock On buddy and keep up the great work. Regards, Edward William Case

Finished watching video. On Reverb looking at quilted used Epi Les Pauls.

Awesome sounding Eppi... I'm impressed

I've only ever played a Strat so i guessed right on the strat comparison but i picked the Epi on all the other ones. Sounds amazing! Darrell i love it when you play blues in your demos! 🙏

I found myself preferring the Epi in most of the blind tests. One of my favorites that I own is a modified Epi Sheraton II. Samick factory. Tusq nut. Flatwounds. Duncan Jazz neck, Pearly Gates bridge, independent coil taps. It's no longer the guitar I "settled for" I prefer it to a 335!

Well you sold me on the pickups

All the sounds from the Ultimate Epiphone were impressive, but the one that blew me away was the first comparison with the Strat. I got it wrong, not only that but I just really loved the tone and character of the Epiphone's strat impression. That was impressive! I also liked the Strat's version of itself. : )

Hey man, grate job! This kind of video is really good for tone compares. Thanks!

Thanks for all the good and interesting work you've been doing comparing, moding and teaching. Great Job. Congrats!

I liked the Epi for the P-90 tone. I have Mojotone P-90s in an Epi hollow body, and it brings out the warmth/ low end. Yours did as well I felt. Interesting vid!

Great video Darrell. I think a lot of people are doing things similar to what you did to your epi. I bought a PRS SE and swapped the pickups for some Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and for me it’s good enough and I didn’t have to shell out 3k. 500 - 800 bucks these days get’s you a really nice guitar.

Fantastic eppi and gotta love the p-rails . Great job with the comparisons of the guitars and you have some great looking guitars in your collection. Cheers

That Epi sounds great! You've got me thinking about attempting my own customization ...

Really love the way it sounds. Only one I could tell easily was the strat. I love me my strats and there was no mistaking on that one. Other than the strat and the Gibson LP I liked it better than the others.

The Epi held it's own for the most part. Within a band situation... most wouldn't know the difference. P-Rails sound legit!

This was an amazing comparison. Video. I am an absolute Fender fan, and on first listen you fooled me every time on the Strat and Tele comparisons. The Epiphone has so much articulation, warmth, twang, chime. Really, I’m stunned. I watched the video twice. Your videos are amazing because you bust all of my preconceived notions about what a great guitar is.

Having watched these two videos, it stuck with me as an idea and months later I have bought myself a used blue burst Epi LP and put in P-Rails with a new wiring harness and I am very happy with the results! Thanks for the idea/inspiration!

Just one drawback for me: Compared to the Gibson on the neck position, the Epiphone sounded way more compressed, more "in your face". Maybe suitable for some occasions, but harder to tame on others. Compared to the Gibson on the bridge position, I couldn't tell which was which. Thank you for this. I love my Epiphone Standard, it is the only electric guitar I have and it pisses me off when someone discards a cheaper guitar right off the bat.

Hey, just wanted to say beautiful solos that you play in between!

Omg they're both beautiful!!!😮That first strat and the LP !!!

Fantastic upgrades for my Epi. Well done, THANKS!

Geez DB, I am now going to make an appointment with my local hearing loss professional for some testing. I didn't get a single one of them correct! the answer is a definite YES! it was worth it. Don't think you missed or forfeited a thing with this build.

I got them all right. But, man, was number 5 tough... Awesome Vid Darrell

I’ve got a dozen or so Strats in my collection and I have to say I really liked its Strat sound. Enough to try my own build starting with an SG I have kicking about.

That Epiphone is epic. I got them all wrong but that's alright I'm not a player. This was fun. Love this blind test and this epiphone. Great job Darrell!

Regardless of whether or not it sounds “exactly like” a strat, tele or an LP, it sounds great on it own! 👍🏻

The EPi is the pretties guitar in the room, It screams....play me, play me, It's cool to have those tone options avalible at your finger tips.

i got them all right BUT I preferred the Epi in most of the cases so i am totally sold now! Also I had to chuckle a bit when you said "heavy riffing" since I am playing Death Metal haha :D I did really enjoy this video!

Love your videos, and your openness to "off" brands. There's so many great well built instruments out there and you realize that!!!!

Hi Darrel. I am glad when doing the comparisons you used a dry amp and not the gorgeous saturated 80's sound in the interludes😉. I know I should have not sold my Gibson Victory MVX. Great vid Sir😎

Nailed it with the strat. The Epi sounded just a little too clean to be strat-ish. But still, for a pickup designed to cover a variety of tones, it's not bad.

I just rebuilt P-rails into a Carvin Bolt kit I originally finished in 2000. They brought this guitar to life! Sooo many options it’s almost overwhelming with the triple-shot style switches, a neck phase switch, a series parallel switch, and Fender TBX on the tone pots. I wired it up with 4 knobs and a 3-way much like the Les Paul style. Love these P-rails!

Beautiful guitar! seems very versatile, love love love the quilted Maple top!

Thanks to this....i see a pickup change for my epi coming up

Cool vid ! Very useful. (I preferred the bridge humbuck on the Epi.) Bye!!!

Wow this is really fun to watch and listen XD nicely done!

The Parallel HB sound let me drooling all over my keyboard. Im building myself a LP DC right now and was thinking of going P90+HB, but its most definitely getting these PRails.

I think it nailed 4 out of 5 tests (I liked better the first Gibson comparison). Really cool video, thanks! UPDATE: it´s 2023 and I just rewatched the video with nicer speakers and first of, the "single coil" tones are really good and almost as close as the real ones but given que architecture of the whole guitar I think this is as close as a non single coil pickup will sound trying to emulate a Fender strat or tele, the humbucker sound totally crushed the Gibson ones

Definitely held its own against the lot. Outstrated a strat!!

This is the raddest thing I’ve ever heard/seen. Totally getting a prs to add these pickups to.

Amazing sound. My ears, as old as they are, couldn't tell the difference. Good job. Very nice.

Thanks for itemizing the cost of the build (parts). Love this guitar, could care less about what the headstock reads, I just love how versatile it would serve as a studio workhorse. Again, great video.

I thought the Epi came close enough to capturing the single coil tones to be a legitimate option. I was wrong guessing half the time. I'm going to have to purchase some P-rails. They are really a game changer. thanks for the vid:)

saw this pop up and was like a kid at xmas cuz I've been waiting for this since the build video! Another great job, Darrell!!

I'm not normally a Les Paul fan, but the finish on that epiphone is gorgeous! Also the tonal flexibility was amazing. I could own that guitar quite happily.

Dude, your videos are the best!

love the epi. saving money to buy one!

Another great vid, Darrell. Always enjoy your productions.

Great video! The first 3 blind tests were easy, but I think the Epi did a great job at emulating all these sounds :)

You had me at 8:38 😂😂 I was like He's fooled me again!!

Really great video...I think the epi sounded great with P90’s and HB and I actually preferred the Epi with Fuzz compared to the Gibson. But also, playing live and playing loud with a band, all those tiny differences would be unnoticeable, so Epi wins in my mind

i love this channel. what a great video. awesome idea, great epi.

That is the coolest epi I've seen man! Nice job!

I won't lie, the Epi came out on top for me a few times more that I'd expect. Interesting stuff...

i don't know instruments well enough to know which was which, i could only go with what i liked. more often than not, i preferred the Epi (and based on how you're playing, i think you favored it, or were at least rooting for it). when it got to the final fuzzy stuff, i was good with either. for me, as a novice (that's giving myself more credit than i deserve) it wasn't "which is better", but did this experiment work? and to that i gotta say yes. you have so many sounds at your disposal in one guitar, how could that not be a win? way to go!

I'm currently building one. Thank you for the inspiration.

Grt looking piece of kit for sure, loving the colour!

Just remember guys and gals none of your guitar heroes started with any of these guitars! Forget the sniffing and start playing. 👍🤘

Great video. It didn’t perfectly replicate all the guitars, but to my ears it sounded better than most of them!

Perfect info vid. I am in the buying-a-guitar mode and was looking at the cheaper models. epiphone, harley benton etc. And now I know what to do to get a nice sounding (more than nice) guitar for a fraction of the price. SO.. now can spend more on a nice amp and some cool pedals :)

Hi Darrell. Firstly, thanks for putting these 2 vids together and posting them. This has to be one of the best pickup related exercises I've ever seen. That's a great Epiphone to start off with. Don't know if it's a solid maple cap or just a veneer on top, or whether it's a plain maple cap which has had the veneer added to it, but these days Epiphone are putting together some great guitars. I have the ES335 pro, and it's a keeper. That Prails pickup is incredible too, and the comparisons you did with some pretty good guitars in their own right showed just how close you got it. In the areas where the stock guitars were better, they weren't so much better as to make the Prails loaded Epi a non-starter, and there enough instances where it's level pegging or actually better to make the Epi a one instrument gigging guitar, especially if you play live and don't want to risk one of your granddad's heirlooms.

Found the first one very easy, and each one significantly harder. I think the epiphone sounds amazing overall and better than some of the more expensive options. The only question is does it feel as good to play?

I guessed everyone wrong lol. Man that Epi is so versatile, it’s so close I had a hard time guessing.

That's an excellent sounding epiphone. Every tone comparison was a straight up guess for me. I've been looking at upgrading my epi LP and I think I've found the answer. Thanks!

I swear I thought the epi sound better in ALL the six tests! I couldn't be more impressed. Congrats, buddy.

The Twang from the Epiphone sounds more like a Telecaster than the Tele!!!

That Epi is a masterpiece!

This has motivated me to upgrade my epiphone les paul. It’s 20 year old and needs a fresh new electronics. Thank you for this great tutorial.

Great idea and video. I have an Epiphany LP (Korean 1997) and was considering buying a Strat, but now I'm going to try the same modification. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I'm quite shocked how well Epi emulated bunch of different pick ups!

Very enjoyable, o merry prankster. And rich playing too

Building my first guitar and oh man did this comparison blow them all away, thanks for the knowledge on why differences of design matter. Tone

You're saving my day again with your awesome informative videos and mini-tutorials! This one in particular answered my question that I've been mulling over for months, whether or not I should give my Greg Bennett Royale RL-3 a "bump up" in terms of pickups with the P-Rails. After seeing your video the answer is a reverberating, booming YES! Thanks, man! Awesome presentation! (Especially with the switching method, I'm gonna have to leave it to my guitar repairs/builder guy to work this one out, but I'm glad to have witnessed that all switching modes can be accomplished using push-pull pots, really incredible!; b.t.w., the Greg Bennett comes at a similar price point as the epiphone, is a slightly smaller body shape than the ES 335 and really high quality materials and build quality. I think I saw you check it out in a different video after having ordered it from Thomann around my neck of the woods. If I recall right, you were not unimpressed by that guitar, either...?)