Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom
Well, here we are at the end of my little adventure testing the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom range. Having bought them myself and spent plenty of time with five different models, I can finally say I have got a proper feel for these guitars.
If you have followed my previous posts, I kicked things off with the IGC 1959 ES355, then moved on to the IGC LP 1957 Goldtop, the IGC 1960 LP Special DC, the IGC Custom LP, and finally the IGC 1964 SG Maestro Vibrola. They are all quite different in their own ways, yet close enough to help me reach a sensible conclusion about the series. I already talked about each on its own, so I am not going to repeat myself here; instead I will be talking exclusively about the IGC line as a whole.
To start, let us talk first about the elephant in the room: Made In China. Does it bother you? Is this something that makes you shiver because of the geopolitical weight underneath? Then maybe there is no point in continuing, just in case you think I want to brainwash your unique perspective about the world, but if you decide to continue, welcome.
Epiphone owns its factory in China; therefore they can control everything there. No need to wait for batches of guitars by X brand, as all resources go straight to their production, and that is optimal for controlling quality. With that said, batches of guitars can have jewels, average instruments, and lemons. That is why I wanted to buy these guitars at different times of the year and from different sources. This way I can randomise the quality of the instruments and get a more pragmatic view of the series and the general quality of Epiphone production.
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom
Yes, I got a lemon. That was the IGC Custom LP. It had way too many issues, in particular with the neck and the fretboard, plus finishing defects. That guitar went straight back, but you can find the whole review here. Before saying this is typical of a Chinese factory, well, I will have to add that no factory is immune to lemons. I have seen them from all countries of origin and at all price levels. The higher the perceived quality of the production, the more hands are involved to prevent these lemons from going out, yet it is inevitable. I am not defending Epiphone here, just being pragmatic.
As for the rest, the Goldtop had a small fingerprint mark on the finish, right around where the toggle is, but on the side. The ES355, LP Special, and SG did not have major issues with them. So all things considered, it is fair to say that most of them were really good, but I do not think this is due to any particular attention given to the IGC lineup. I just think that overall Epiphone production nowadays is that reliable, just as production from other reputable factories can be. So Made in China is not a symbol of crap, as long as the guitars come from factories willing to make quality products, because sure enough, crap can be found anywhere.
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom
Price: is it worth paying 1000€ or more? Well, PRS SE Hollowbody are 1500€. Eastman, Hagstrom, and Guild are all in the same price bracket. What this means is that top quality guitars made in China cost that much. So the argument will be, "For that price, I prefer Indonesian made, Korean, or what have you." My counter argument is, why does having the factory in a different part of Asia make it alright for that price, but not in China? We have to remember that Japan was once the cheap source of guitars, but nowadays it has moved to the top of the food chain. Why can China not go through the same process?
But the question remains: is it worth it? 1000€+ for a guitar regardless of where it was made is a lot of money. Can we justify it? Let us take the Epiphone IGC 57 Goldtop for example. Its price is 1277€, while the Gibson version of that guitar is 4600€. Same woods, same electronics, same pickups, but a 3323€ difference. That price gap is in the finish, hardware, and country of origin. Do you think now that the Gibson is worth it?
But there is a catch. The regular Epiphone LP 50s Goldtop is 666€. Same woods, same electronics, but different pickups and no case. So is the IGC Goldtop worth it now? The maths adds up though. If you add the Custombuckers and the case, you get roughly to the price of the IGC Goldtop, so are those worth it to you? If not, then the non-IGC is the answer. But if we want to go further down this rabbit hole, a Harley Benton Goldtop is 300€, which is roughly half of the non-IGC Epiphone. So is the regular Epiphone Goldtop worth it now? We can continue down this path on and on and on again.
So how can we measure real worth? Worth and budget are attached directly to the comfort level a person has; it is not necessarily related to wealth, but how much a person feels comfortable paying for something. In that reasoning, everything is worth it as long as the person is satisfied with what they are buying and what it represents to them. As for the IGC Goldtop, it is a beautiful instrument that can easily compete with the Gibson, but it will never be a Gibson, and that is something the buyer needs to be aware of. Hence my previous point underlying the necessity to understand what the buyer is actually after or expecting from a purchase.
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom
Now, I want to make space here to talk about the Custombuckers. Really good pickups indeed, but like all big brands in the guitar pickup market, I believe prices are out of touch. Maybe boutique builders can hand you a perfect excuse for their prices, such as low volume, R and D, etc., but the reality is that raw materials for pickups are not that expensive. A set of pickups in the 400€ range and beyond is ridiculous, but when you have corporations like Gibson selling a set of Custombuckers for 500€, that is outrageous. Like I said before, I love these pickups: creamy, open, no harshness, they are just everything I like about a humbucker, period. But 500€ for a set? Come on.
So what does that have to do with the IGC Series? Simply put, when you add those pickups with a perceived value of 500€, you start to make mental calculations in your head, and it is easy to justify the cost of these guitars. Same with the case: cool to have, but who really needs them? So are we back to the non-IGC Epiphones then? Are they the best value for money? Sure they are in a sense, but if your plan is to buy a guitar and do modifications, sure, go for it. Or better yet, enjoy it as it is out of the box.
Let us be honest though: the average guitar player thinks they know better. They think they need good potentiometers, good capacitors, good wiring, etc. Once you invest all that time and effort, believe me, you are not far from the price of the IGC. I am a guitar tech, that is my bread and butter, I do this for a living. So if I tell you that there is an option to buy a guitar and just enjoy it with no mods, no waiting, and no extra orders, would you still prefer to modify instead?
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom
Finally, I am going to jump into the conspiracy theory realm here, so foil hats on. I believe, and I would dare to say, that Epiphone can produce guitars even better than Gibson, even at bigger volumes and with better Quality Control than Gibson. In my head, I believe Gibson is holding Epiphone back from making the best guitars they can, and some of the lemons could just be thrown out to create a false sense of superiority for the Gibson factory. The only thing people think they need that they cannot find in Epiphone is the almighty nitrocellulose finish. I mean, they already have the open book headstock, so what else are you missing to be a 1-to-1 copy? The fret nibs?
The Chinese factory can absolutely add all the features that Gibson has to the Epiphone line. Let us assume for a second that they did it only for the IGC line. Imagine everything you can find in a Gibson put into an Epiphone IGC, minus the name obviously. Imagine that for a sec. Would Gibson even dare to do that? Absolutely not. They cannot do it because that would be self-sabotaging their own market. So yes, I dare to say that Gibson is dumbing down Epiphone production, hindering it just for the sake of Gibson's bottom line. They have set up a ladder scheme: as a young, novice, or first-time guitar player, you get a basic Epiphone and go from there until one day you tell yourself you have earned the right to own a Gibson Custom Shop. You did it, bravo! But are you really getting a better guitar? Really?
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom
To summarise, the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom line is excellent, but it has things to consider, things that only you as the buyer can weigh and ponder about. If we guitar lovers could filter out the noise from media, advertising, and social media, we would realise that we do not need that many guitars, and certainly not all the bells and whistles. But we are fools and weak, so we fall for it over and over again, hopelessly per saecula saeculorum.
It would be silly for me to tell you what the right purchase is for you. If a 5k€ guitar scratches that itch for you, go for it. If your thing is to modify, more power to you. If you want a good guitar out of the box with bells and whistles to brag about, then the Epiphone IGC lineup might just be the right one for you.
Again, use what you have, and have what you use.
