[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by Gaetano Paul

Hey guys Epiphone owner/player here. I love my Sheraton, it is excellent. BUT the Epiphones are all made in China now AFAIK and have been moved out of Korea for a few years.


AGAIN AFAIK

An Epi is a respectable guitar, which is worlds apart from a pirated gibson.

[etechstan]

I think there is a overlap where some of the higher end epis are actually better than the lower end Gibsons, just like Squiers and MIM Fenders.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by etechstan

I think there is a overlap where some of the higher end epis are actually better than the lower end Gibsons, just like Squiers and MIM Fenders.

Higher end being the Elitist models and lower end being the ultra cheap Melody Makers...yeah, I could see the Elitist edging out the cheap Gibson in many ways.
I think I've only played one Elitist model and it felt and sounded like a good guitar.
That said, I've played the Epi Slash LP and was not impressed by it at all when compared to a regular Gibson LP Standard.
The former felt like it was made of heavy plastic.

[etechstan]

Hey Dave thanks for that little review, I was considering an Epi but will wait on a Gibson. I've considered agile but want to try one first.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by etechstan

Hey Dave thanks for that little review, I was considering an Epi but will wait on a Gibson. I've considered agile but want to try one first.

I've played 3 different Agile LP-type guitars over the years.
For the money, they seem like decent instruments, but I'd never buy one mainly because I seem to stumble on excellent deals on 'better' stuff for the same or for a little more money.
That said, this does look like a cool guitar:
Agile AL-3200 Tribal Purple Wide at RondoMusic.com

[jeepnstein]

Originally Posted by gtrdave

I've played 3 different Agile LP-type guitars over the years.
For the money, they seem like decent instruments, but I'd never buy one mainly because I seem to stumble on excellent deals on 'better' stuff for the same or for a little more money.
That said, this does look like a cool guitar:
Agile AL-3200 Tribal Purple Wide at RondoMusic.com

Agile is a pretty safe bet. I've seen people make the mistake of pricing a used one higher than new in a couple of stores. They get all sorts of upset when I mention to them what they cost new. Oh well, whatever the market will bear and all that stuff.

They are what they are, though. And they never really pretend to be something they're not. I have no problem with Chinese guitars as long as they're not being passed off as something they're not. So far this year I've seen two "Martins" that were not in any way shape of form a Martin. They were nice enough cheap guitars but the obvious forgery attempt left me cold.

Blueridge is already establishing itself as an acceptable brand. The stuff Rondo peddles is also finding quite a bit of acceptance. And Kurt had the decency to change his design enough to deal with the forgery issue. Blueridge shamelessly apes the design of an old Martin but there's no good way to turn one into a forgery. In both cases they are more or less disposable guitars although I think any good Martin guy could work on a Blueridge if it made sense money-wise.

Myself? I'll never pay more than four or five hundred bucks on a guitar that doesn't have some kind of customer support locally. That's why Martin is still number one in my book. They can and will repair their products with one of the finest service departments anywhere. That's where the Chinese makes will always fall down, service. And that's why they'll never get serious money from me.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by jeepnstein

Myself? I'll never pay more than four or five hundred bucks on a guitar that doesn't have some kind of customer support locally. That's why Martin is still number one in my book. They can and will repair their products with one of the finest service departments anywhere. That's where the Chinese makes will always fall down, service. And that's why they'll never get serious money from me.

That's a good point, but not something I think of too often.
I did have to contact Gibson and request a replacement Burstbucker for my BFG since it was not working when purchased (one reason for the cheap $420 price).
They asked me if I was comfortable installing it myself or they'd be happy to have it warranty repaired by the local rep. I said that I had been soldering stuff since I was a kid and they sent me a new pickup in a matter of days.
Fixed it right up and sent them a 'thank you' for their excellent customer service.