Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Series

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Sat Feb 29, 2020 12:45 pm

That's so weird. Does Epiphone only do that on solid bodies? My semi hollows all already have the more normal headstock.

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Sat Feb 29, 2020 12:52 pm

This less stupid headstock:

Was already attached to these:

Post by **Doog** » Sat Feb 29, 2020 12:57 pm

Honestly, I don't think it's ever been consistent; maybe its just a LP and SG thing?

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Sat Feb 29, 2020 1:36 pm

SAVEStheDAY wrote:This less stupid headstock:

It's a vintage headstock as well and was used on the hollowbodies like Rivieras and Casinos after 64-65 I think. Early Casinos had the headstock that they have brought back just now, but the Beatles era Casinos already had the narrow one just like yours.

Hod do you find the neck on those Delonges?

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Sat Feb 29, 2020 2:37 pm

sunshiner wrote:Hod do you find the neck on those Delonges?

I like it a lot. I recently refinished a couple Epiphone Dot Studios (Also with the same headstock) and they have a much beefier neck. Those aren't very comfortable to me. The DeLonge is slimmer and much easier to play.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Sun Mar 01, 2020 11:08 pm

they should just make them melody maker size then. this thing rules
cunts

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Mar 02, 2020 9:58 am

Epiphone was a separate company that was acquired by Gibson. They had their own headstock and guitar designs prior to this. Even after acquisition, Epiphone continue to have models that have no related analogue within the Gibson line, models that are uniquely Epiphone. They've never been "just" a budget division of Gibson, although that is obviously a defining characteristic at this point.

Squier are entirely a Fender division, intended only to sell budget versions of Fender guitars.

I actually love the huge, flowery Epiphone headstock, always have. I'd have preferred they'd used that on everything, instead of the minimised version they've used on their Gibson copies for decades. A Les Paul or SG with that huge flowery boner headstock would be lovely. I have P93 Riviera with that headstock and it's chipped to buggery because it's just so daft and I still love it.

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Mon Mar 02, 2020 11:12 am

Wasn't Squier created in Japan first to stop those absolutely awesome lawsuit guitars from being produced and instead make the factories build Squiers?

Gibson did the same btw with Orvilles

Also I have read that when Gibson bought Epiphone they thought they only bought the rights to the hollow body bass, when the deal was finalized they realized they bought the whole company that had already been going down

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Mar 02, 2020 11:27 am

WOAH WAIT.

I didn't know this:

Wikipedia wrote:The V.C. Squier Company manufactured strings for violins, banjos, and guitars. It was established in 1890 by Victor Carroll Squier in Battle Creek, Michigan. In 1965, the company was acquired by Fender. By 1975, Squier became defunct as a manufacturer and a brand name for strings, as Fender opted to market its strings under the Fender brand name.

So it WAS a separate company, but it was basically defunct by 1975, and was resurrected to sell budget versions of Fender guitars in the 80s. It looks like they basically just made strings between the point that Fender bought them and then switched the lights off in 1975. It doesn't look like they ever made guitars.

I guess Squier are.... the Atari of the guitar world....

Dunno how Rob feels about that.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Mar 02, 2020 11:46 am

sunshiner wrote:Wasn't Squier created in Japan first to stop those absolutely awesome lawsuit guitars from being produced and instead make the factories build Squiers?

Gibson did the same btw with Orvilles

Also I have read that when Gibson bought Epiphone they thought they only bought the rights to the hollow body bass, when the deal was finalized they realized they bought the whole company that had already been going down

As far as the Japanese factories under Fender, according to the same Squier wiki:

Fender was also losing sales in Japan to Japanese guitar brands such as TÃ…Â�kai, Greco and Fernandes and the establishment of Fender Japan would benefit Fender sales in Japan, as well as overseas. Fender began negotiations with several Japanese musical instrument distributors and reached an agreement with Yamano Gakki and Kanda Shokai to establish Fender Japan. Yamano Gakki was known for once being part of Epiphone Japan. Kanda Shokai owned the Greco brand name and one of the conditions of the Fender Japan agreement was that Kanda Shokai cease production of its own Greco Fender copies. This arrangement benefited Fender because it removed the Greco Fender copies from the Japanese market, which were selling in Japan at much lower prices than the American made Fenders and it also benefited Kanda Shokai because Kanda Shokai could then distribute Japanese made Fender branded guitars in Japan. Further negotiations between Fender and Japanese guitar factories took place. Tokai was seriously considered to start building the first Japanese made Fenders, but after a breakdown in negotiations, FujiGen Gakki was chosen instead.[2]

The initial Squier models were launched on July/August 1982. Over time, the Squier series slowly evolved to include original model designs and production has moved from Japan to various other Asian countries such as Korea, China and Indonesia.

I'd always thought, for some reason, that Fender just bought some no-name factory setup in Japan to start producing cheaper guitars, or even established their own factory. I didn't realise they had effectively bought out Greco and a portion of what used to be Epiphone. Nor did I know that Tokai were in talks, too. So yeah, basically, you're right.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Mon Mar 02, 2020 2:03 pm

Doog wrote:
robroe wrote:can someone show me how this new headstock looks different than the 2019 headstock or the fucking 2018-1990 head stock ?

its the same fucking thing?

its the same fucking thing!

Old one (right)

New one. They basically got rid of those dumb cuts on the top corners. Really not a big deal, does look nicer though.

I guess they're selling it as "YOU'D NEEDN'T BE ASHAMED OF YOUR CHEAP GUITAR ANY MORE, AS IT ALMOST LOOKS THE SAME AS THE EXPENSIVE CHEAP GUITARS"

It looks like my 1989 Epiphone LP Standard headstock, before they redesigned it to the 1990-2019 one.

aen · Post by **aen** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 1:38 am

Maybe I'm way off base here but... as far back as I can remember Epiphones have always been at least "inspired" by Gibson. I think I even had an Epiphone SG!

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:53 am

aen wrote:Maybe I'm way off base here but... as far back as I can remember Epiphones have always been at least "inspired" by Gibson. I think I even had an Epiphone SG!

They have two-ish product lines.

Their own shit that existed when they were an independent company, and then there's cheaper versions of Gibson products.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:33 am

mkt3000 wrote:
aen wrote:Maybe I'm way off base here but... as far back as I can remember Epiphones have always been at least "inspired" by Gibson. I think I even had an Epiphone SG!
They have two-ish product lines.

Their own shit that existed when they were an independent company, and then there's cheaper versions of Gibson products.

The new old headstock should be used for the former. For example the headstock of this:

should have looked like this:

The latter should use the Gibson headstocks. When they allow the proper headstock to be used for these fucking things:

and also use the same headstocks for Firebirds, Explorers and V's......

This is some Gatekeeper baloney at Gibson. I don't like it, because it makes no sense. At this point the stupid cut off ear version they've been using for Epiphone Gibsons has more historical significance on an Epiphone Les Paul than the new old headstock. Either Epiphone should be it's own brand and make its own models at various price points, or the Gibson models should just be cheaper versions of the exact instruments with a different name on the headstock.

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:41 am

Doog wrote:
robroe wrote:can someone show me how this new headstock looks different than the 2019 headstock or the fucking 2018-1990 head stock ?

its the same fucking thing?

its the same fucking thing!

Old one (right)

New one. They basically got rid of those dumb cuts on the top corners. Really not a big deal, does look nicer though.

I guess they're selling it as "YOU'D NEEDN'T BE ASHAMED OF YOUR CHEAP GUITAR ANY MORE, AS IT ALMOST LOOKS THE SAME AS THE EXPENSIVE CHEAP GUITARS"

Guess which one looks the most like a sexual position.

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:52 am

Nick wrote:
The latter should use the Gibson headstocks. When they allow the proper headstock to be used for these fucking things:

I wanted to buy one of these, I think they look super-cool as I'm a bit tired of the classic SG look. My only concern is that being a bolt on construction their bodies are probably as thick as a les paul and SG's thin body is one thing that makes an SG fun to handle

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 1:47 pm

sunshiner wrote:
Nick wrote:
The latter should use the Gibson headstocks. When they allow the proper headstock to be used for these fucking things:

I wanted to buy one of these, I think they look super-cool as I'm a bit tired of the classic SG look. My only concern is that being a bolt on construction their bodies are probably as thick as a les paul and SG's thin body is one thing that makes an SG fun to handle

Don't bother, they are shit.

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:10 pm

All right, I won't

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:19 pm

so the new headstocks are a copy of this?

cuz this rules

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:26 pm