What's the difference between a Gibson and a cheap Epiphone?

Question

Hello, I pose this question to all the guitar players out there, If you were BLINDFOLDED, would you be able to tell the difference between a real Gibson Les Paul and a cheaper Epiphone Les Paul? If you say yes...then please tell me what differences you would notice? What would you notice about the sound of the $3,000.00 Gibson that would make it better than the sound of the same style $400 Epiphone?
Thank you,
Perry In Florida

Answer 1

The short answer is that a Gibson is better than an Epiphone, but probably not $2600 worth of better. The biggest difference will be quality of build and materials.

The quality from guitar to guitar will be better for Gibsons, meaning if you pick up a random Gibson, it will probably sound and feel great, whereas you may have to play every Epiphone in the shop before you find one that has a perfectly straight neck, no fret buzzing, etc...

The parts on a Gibson are better, so you will get a better sound because of better electronics, the guitar will stay in tune better because of better hardware and the depending on the model, the Gibson may feel better because of heavier wood and materials used.

If you're considering buying one of these, go ahead and play a few models of each and see what differences you notice. When it comes to guitars, it's usually a matter of personal taste anyway.

Answer 2

honestly there isnt much, u have to be a real guitar geek like me to see the differences and the differences would probably only affect a guitar geek like me. Im guessing the differences are going to be the wood used, the pickups (how they are wound), the neck style ( i dont know if Epiphones are glued in or not), tuner brand, and little cosmetic things that really make a real Gibson pop.