A question I often receive
goes something like this: “I
have a Gibson Epiphone guitar
and I’ve heard they’re worth a
lot of money! It looks like a Les
Paul and has a serial number of
S9312XXXX. What’s this Gibson
worth?” I’m sure I’ve broken
many hearts by informing the
owner that it’s worth just a few
hundred bucks, because it really
isn’t a Gibson. It also became
apparent to me that many people
don’t really know the difference
between Gibson and Epiphone,
or how the two fit together. Is
Gibson always considered a treasure
and is an imported Epiphone
always considered trash? The
answer isn’t quite that simple.
Gibson has been building
guitars since 1894 and the name
is generally synonymous with a
quality, valuable, and great-playing
guitar. Epiphone was another successful
guitar manufacturer during
the first half of the 20th century.
But after the hardships of World
War II, illnesses and death in the
Epiphone family, and severe labor
issues at the Epiphone factory
in the ’50s, the company found
themselves falling behind. Gibson
President Ted McCarty, who had
previously expressed interest in
buying a portion of Epiphone,
ended up purchasing the entire
company in 1957.
It was decided that Epiphone
would be re-established as a first-rate
guitar manufacturer so that
Gibson’s parent company, CMI
(Chicago Musical Instruments),
could offer a product comparable
in every way to Gibson.
This arrangement was set up
by Gibson primarily to offer
comparable Epiphone guitars to
the music stores that were not
allowed to carry the exclusive
Gibson line. Though Epiphone
was set up as an autonomous
company in a separate part of
the Gibson complex, parallel
product lines were soon established,
and Gibson was essentially
competing with itself.
When the guitar boom of the
’60s slowed toward the end of
that decade, every guitar manufacturer
felt the pinch. Gibson
was no different, and they were
struggling to keep Epiphone
alive. In 1970, Gibson decided
to move all Epiphone production
from the US to Japan, and
since then, nearly all Epiphones
have been produced in various
Asian countries. It wasn’t until
1986 when Henry Juszkiewicz,
David Berryman, and Gary
Zebrowksi purchased Gibson
that Epiphones slowly became
the budget brand of Gibson.
Because Gibson generally
produces expensive guitars, the
company has wisely offered
budget lines of instruments
through the years, including the
Kalamazoo, Recording King, and
Cromwell brands. With the rise
of imported guitars during the
’70s and ’80s, the new management
team at Gibson decided to
use the oft-neglected Epiphone
brand for their Gibson-style budget
models. By the late ’80s, Les
Pauls, Flying Vs, SGs, and other
Gibson models were being produced
with an Epiphone logo.
Gibson has found a winning
combination by using Epiphone
not only for budget versions
of Gibson models, but also for
producing reissues of popular
Epiphone models from the ’50s
and ’60s. They have also used
the brand for some higher-end
guitars including their Elitist
and Masterbilt Series. A few
Epiphones are still made in the
US at Gibson’s factory.
Since Epiphone became
Gibson’s budget brand in 1986,
you may ask what the main
difference is between the two.
Country of origin is certainly
the number one difference.
However, Gibson rarely admits
that, and according to a 1998
piece of Epiphone literature
called “Ask Dr. Epiphone,” one
question asks, “What are the differences
between an Epiphone
Les Paul and a Gibson Les Paul?”
It’s a good question and here’s
the answer, according to Dr.
Epiphone: “Our Epiphone Les
Paul guitars are built 100 percent
to Gibson Les Paul specifications.
However, an Epiphone Les Paul
is different from a Gibson Les
Paul in the following main areas:
In general our [Epiphone] instruments
are about 1/3 to 1/2 the
cost of Gibson guitars. Therefore,
we have to make some adjustments
to the specifications in
order to be able to offer our
customers this kind of value.”
Dr. Epiphone goes on to say that
these adjustments include fewer
inlays, a thinner maple-veneer
top, and the use of chrome hardware
instead of gold. There is no
mention of where the guitars are
actually made.
Today, it’s no secret that almost
every major guitar manufacturer
is building in or at least offering
guitars for sale that are built in
Asia. With the average price-point
of an electric guitar dropping
to $357 in 2010, it is simply a
way for guitar manufacturers
to remain competitive in the
21st-century business landscape.
Epiphones that are built in the
image of popular Gibson models
are becoming even more similar,
and if not for the headstock logo,
it’s difficult to differentiate the
two. Try playing the instruments
without looking at the headstock
and let the sound and playability
guide your purchasing decision.
Over the course of 100 years,
the Epiphone brand has been
associated with many different
levels of guitars—from $200
beginner models to the archtops
of the early 20th century that
are worth several thousand dollars.
The bottom line is that you
can’t just look at the headstock
to determine if your guitar is
worth something or not. After
all, is a Geo really considered
a Chevrolet? Just because the
truss rod cover says Gibson
doesn’t mean it’s a Gibson.
Zachary R. Fjestad
is author of
Blue Book of
Acoustic Guitars,
Blue Book
of Electric Guitars, and
Blue
Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
For more information, visit
bluebookinc.com or email
Zach at
guitars@bluebookinc.com.