These “copies” use the same specs, measures, and proprietary features with generally lesser quality on the tonewoods, electronics, post, or aesthetics. So, if you can’t afford a particular Gibson model, Epiphone surely has an alternative, an affordable copy. Epiphone is the other side of the coin, covering the market segment Gibson can’t. Nowadays, you wouldn’t find these original, premium Epiphone models so easily, as Gibson prefers to control the premium segment. Other legendary guitar players like The Kink’s Dave Davies or John Lennon played on Epiphone’s vintage and magical guitar. The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richard should tell you: he plays one live. It’s a brief moment in history where Epiphone made the superior guitar. So they had some relevant guitars and basses in the market.įor example, their Epiphone Casino hollow-body electric guitar competed against the Gibson 330 model. Most people don’t know Epiphone was a significant guitar brand before Gibson acquired the brand.
Gibson had its own guitar range, and so did Epiphone. They worked in the same building, but their manufacturing sites were in different places. Back in the ‘60s, Gibson bought Epiphone and made it its official subsidiary.
