I've just bought an Epiphone Firebird vintage sunburst for £549,the only difference to those you reviewed is it has mini grover machine heads, the rest are the same . This is from Bax Music. Great show, keep it going.
@@andrewhouse3246I think the Gibson pickups are inflating the price. The rest of the electronics will make a difference of less than 20 bucks. I bet the pickups are manufactured in the same factory and just getting different stamps.
I bought an Epiphone Firebird in flat red finish, with concentric tuners similar in concept to the original banjo tuners, used for $250, just to see what it was like, about 8 years ago. It was pretty nice but the pickups were these insanely high output things and of course it was set-neck instead of neck-through. I sold it on soon as I decided I didn’t want to waste money upgrading the electronics. No regrets. New Epiphone prices are just stupid. Have they identified a market of guitarists who will pay the price of much better manufactured and appointed guitars for these nice-looking but totally ordinary axes? For Epiphone prices you can get an Eastman which is higher quality in all regards to a Gobsin.
Why is it madness? Gibson wants $5500-9000 for theirs now I am not buying any of these guitars but the since when is $1500-1800 for the Epi version of a $5000 guitar out of line?
Madness + madness doesn't equal value. The only real upgraded specs from the $649 version are USA pickups and a crappy trem. The specs are certainly not worth $1,000 more than the basic epi firebird.
Fair play to you for calling out Gibson on the Epi Firebird pricing. It's just blatant profiteering. Even if it had a rosewood board and nitro finish in addition to the USA pickups and even if they've found the best Chinese factory with the best QC, it still wouldn't justify the prices. They do look cool AF though 😂. I blame Uncle Larry for making Firebirds cool again. He made me buy one! But I got a really well made Chinese Tokai second hand for €450 and changed the pickups and electronics. It's at least as good as one of the Epiphones, if not far better and it cost me one third of the price
Here in Canada the Epi FB 1 goes for $1860 (all in with tax is $2105). I bought a FB1 (not Gib or Epi) on line for $350. It's a burst ala Eric Clapton. I put Kluson FB tuners on ($200 cdn), Seymour Duncan Antiquity FB bridge pickup with CTS pots, Bumble Bee cap, and Switchcraft jack along with a custom bone nut for another $300 cdn. I now have a smoking FB1 that can keep up to any Epi or Gib FB1 (stock). I do all my own luthier work so the labour was free. Always wanted a Gib FB1 but made no sense to drop $5000 on one. The one I have does the job nicely.
If you reviewed a plectrum for an hour, your non patronising, non ad -revenue courting, human, approach would still have people engrossed. There's an honesty about your approach. Exvellent job!
@mime Apparently you miss the regular mentions of affiliate links, giant prices flashing on screen, and that what passes for content on this channel is simply reading the specs directly from the manufacturers info rather than any sort of actual reviewing of these guitars. Human
So, 2-3 years ago I bought the Epi inspired by Gibson 59 LP, which to be fair, is a great guitar. I’d say it’s the LP equivalent of these Firebirds. And it was $850 new. How in the hell are these Firebirds twice the price?
@@TheGuitarGeek I think it makes perfect sense. Not to me I am not going to buy the Gibson OR Epi version but a 90's Gibson Firebird on the used market is $3500+ and their new version of these Epi models are closer to $6000 and up so the issue is Gibson as their price points have been getting silly high for a while now. I say under $2000 for an Epi that costs 3x-4x to get the Gibson version is fair and accurate
Dont think you can criticize a guitar if you have never actually played it first, regardless of price. Thats a factor in overall rating but not the be all and end all.
@@johncollins5552 I’m not sure I’d call what I said a criticism, but rather a comparison. A guitar made two years earlier, roughly in the same fashion, in the same shop, in the same series “inspired by Gibson,” with the same pickups and components costs half the price as the guitar coming out now. Justifying the price by comparing it to a 90’s era Gibson Firebird is a complete apples to oranges comparison. There you’re comparing Gibson vs. Epiphone, built in different eras, built in America vs. China. The only thing they have in common is the body shape. I’m not saying the Epiphone FB is a bad value in comparison to a 90s era Gibson. I’m sure the new Firebirds are really good guitars. But when you compare them to other guitars from the same era, of similar specs and build quality, and in this case, in the same shop, the only explanation for the price difference is gouging.
It's obvious that after that video you were explaining that you feel you do something else than what you want to, the quality and honesty in your videos is one of the best out there. Keep up. We need people like you. We don't buy paid demos and marketing content from youtubers any more.
If I was going to pay even close to those prices for an Epiphone, I would be looking for a used Japanese made Elite or Elitist, which are actually worth that kind of money. If you can find one. Or a Japanese domestic market Epiphone lacquer series Les Paul with the Gibson headstock. I sure as hell would never pay that money for a regular Epiphone guitar.
Epiphone just tried this with the anniversary Wilshire. The price on those dropped already so imagine when no one drops 1300 on a firebird it will get more reasonable. I can probably get a Pontiac Firebird for a similar price
Wow... those Firebirds... I love them, but they must be out of their minds. 14/1800? you can get Ibanez Prestiges for that kind of money. I would pay half the price at most. I fear the Epi DG-335 will also be 1200+. It feels like pricewise Epiphone is to replace Gibson (while maintaining some 500ish models) and Gibson ist to replace Gibson Custom Shop, while the Custom Shop just doesn't even lift a finger under 7k. All the Epiphones I owned over the last few years were fairly priced and at least what you would expect for the money, but this is utter madness.
At current exchange rates (March 2nd, £1 = $1.27), £1699 for the Firebird V is c.$2150. That's insane for a made in China guitar with a laurel fretboard that's probably going to need the frets levelled, crowned and polished. I'd love to have a true neck-through Firebird with a stepped headstock and banjo tuners but not at that price.
Loved the jingles in the end :D Never thought my pick of the week would be a Gretsch! But that's mainly down to the looks because I've never actually played one IRL.
Insane pricing on these Firebirds. The older inspired by Gibson FireBird V is an absolutely phenomenal instrument and it's currently retailing at £550. You could buy that, plus two after market Gibson Firebird pick-ups, and you're still at only 50 percent of that price. The recent inspired by Epiphones (partiuclarly the burst-bucker editions) are absolutely outstanding and well worth their price tag, but not sure how these FBs are justified at all versus models that Epiphone themselves have produded over the past few years
Honestly, you can get a used Gibson Firebird for the same price. It’s so beyond unreasonable to be paying that much for an Epiphone but also that much for an Indian Laurel. In addition, there are all the recent epiphone quality issues I would rather buy like two or more Harley Benton’s ill at least get a decent mod project
I’m a Gretsch guy. I wanted a Country Gentleman in 1965 when I was 10 and the Gent went for $500 USD, had Original Filter-Tron pickups and all gold hardware, and was American-made. I was given mine (identical to George Harrison’s Original Country Gentleman) by my lovely wife 45 years later, when they sold for $4500 USD, Fred Gretsch III owned the company, and they were, as now, built by Fender Japan (every bit as good as the ones I played in ‘65, and more consistently GREAT from guitar to guitar) with Original Filter-Trons and all gold hardware. Now they’re $5000 USD (I think) and the same as mine, with Original Filter-Trons and all gold hardware (read: Still Great!). So that spiffy white Gretsch you show today has plenty of appeal for a Gretsch Freak like myself, with Original Filter-Tron pickups and the same gold hardware found on the Gent (okay, the Bigsby is a little different). So I would imagine the tone is just about as GORGEOUS!!! Very Nice!
Comparing this Epiphone Firebird V guitar with Epiphone's Slash LP Standard in Appetite burst that sells for less than half the price at $800, the Slash LP with it's beautiful flame maple veneer top, has a truckload more value for money compared to the Firebird V. Epiphone's getting Nutty!
The firebird doesn’t have rosewood or nitro. How do they justify $1,800? The previous epiphone firebird was $549 when it came out, and now they are $649. What a joke!
I have a number of Epiphones, and I'm not saying I won't buy another, but it certainly will never be for nearly $2K. The good news is that there are hundreds of brands that still live well under the $1K mark and they are as good if not better than Epi. There's just too much to pick from these days to get super worked up about one brand.
I get it and we agree on not buying one of these 'premium' Epi models but these are not at those off-the-rack $500 Epiphones that were more knockoffs than budget models of years past. Not knocking Epi I have owned an SG and a 333 with the Dirty Fingers pup great stuff but so long as GIbson gets to charge their big prices why should Epi not have options at 1/3 those price points?
Some of the pricing on the market has gone bonkers. As a long time Fender player... I'm quite disgusted with the high price point on their import models. I've been looking to other brands for the first time in many years.
I feel you the MIM offerings are now more expensive than I want to pay but to be fair Fender brings a lot of value there and my MIM San Dimas is a BEAST now I got it for 1/2 new price as on the used market but to me if the BRAND model is XXX and the Squier/Epi version is less than half that the pricing is fair. That said I find Gibson and Epi new prices out of line for what you get.
I very much like Schecter as, primarily for me, an alternative to Ibanez with 42mm nuts instead of 43mm nuts (e.g. Schecter Omen Elite-6 versus Ibanez RG421), and the PRS SE DGT is that company's only budget model other than the SE Silver Sky to have a nut width which is nearly identical to the 42mm nuts common to Fender and Squier (1.656" rather than 1.650"). At the higher end of their budget production, the Ibanez AZ guitars have 42mm nuts and features which may appeal to Fender players. I can offer other suggestions, depending on what interests you. (I got tired of Fender years ago.)
It’s one of my favorite weekly videos! I’m letting the Fender Play ad run all the way through so that you rake in as much money as possible from my 🇺🇸 based viewership. Make that €€€€€!!!!
@@TheGuitarGeek - Got a TrueFire ad in the middle. Each ad break had two ads. I have a Canadian food/travel blogger who explained how the game works, so I understand that allows ads while I’m in 🇺🇸 helps more than just about any other country, so I let them roll for the creators I support. 👍
Thank you for calling out Epiphone for their insane marketing bullshit. They are really out of touch with their customers. The Gibson garages are like Porssche dealerships, Soon they'll have doormen to weed out the less desireable guitar players. They keep raising prices with no justificatio, while other guitar manufacturers are killing them. Buy? BYE Gibson.
The new Firebirds look really cool, *but* the sticker price is £500 more than I paid for a second-hand Gibson six months ago. It's even more ridiculous considering it's a grand more than the standard Epiphone Firebird, which is a lot of guitar for the money. I'd rather they'd maybe done a non-reverse at the price of the standard Firebird, I bet that would fly off the shelves.
I subscribed to you as soon as i heard you say..dont buy the new ephiphone .. Now thats the ballsy truth... Right on dude..thats what we want. The truth
I watched a video in the wek of some guy buying a Chinese copy of a Firebird. He loved it but he bought it for modding. Before modding he played the guitar and it was immense! He paid $250 for it! So, we now have an Epiphone "made in the east" copy of a Gibson for $1800? You see where this is going right 🤣
I bought last year's ephiphone version of the firebird for around 600$ new.. It plays and sound and looks fantastic.i was surprised they came out with more of the same model at higher prices.i was confused because I thought.. How could they make it better than the one I have.i have 25 guitars from 3000$ down...my 2022 firebird holds up to all of them.
So the last time a Firebird was in Gibson's standard production line, was in 2018. It was $1849 USD. An SG Standard of the same year, retailed for $1300-1500. Currently, an SG standard goes for $1799, so if we adjust for inflation we could assume a 2024 Firebird would retail for $2249, right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. There are rumors that Gibson is bringing back the Firebird. At $3500-4000.... Starts making a whole lot of sense why the Epiphone is priced at $1699... In all reality, I believe Gibson/Epiphone are testing the water here on the prices. Even they know its ridiculous to price this thing over their signature guitars...
"Inspired by Greed" 😄😄😄 Excellent... Personally I paid $795 for my 2017 Firebird-I even though the Joe Bonamassa name was on it but apparently Epiphone didn't try to rip me off because of that... It had and still has everything you could hope for and even though the stock mini-humbucker was not a Gibson pickup it still sounded amazing... Mine came with a hardshell case too... There are some really nice signature and non-signature models in the current Epiphone catalog and I'm probably going to get the Dave Grohl model but paying anything more than that ? Sorry... As ever your videos are excellent 👍👍
The new LS Epiphone LT/E1 with a good set up can match the sound of a 1500 dollar Gibson LP. The only negative I can come up with is the 1 lb extra weight. So unless you're playing on stage for 3 hours or more, piss on the extra pound and buy this great sounding instrument. It's a great addition for home use and recording studios.
Epiphone. Occasionally they make a made in USA model which would justify it. I didn't pay anywhere near that for the Joe Bonamassa Black beauty. That was $899
Epi need to jump when the demand kicks in, and Firebirds seem to be enjoying a small moment.Long one of my favourites of their designs, the existing models already covered the best of possible features.Eventually, I'm going to put some mandolin tuners on one of the Sweetwater ltd ed in olive green.I'll not be paying Korean or Japanese money for anything made in China until the Forum hold a gun directly to my head.( 2 grand for a Indian Laurel fretboard? These will sit and rot) If you haven't put in time with standard ( Gretsch) Filtertrons, they very possibly are the pickup you need, whatever the genre; and semi hollow bodies do optimize their best qualities.
When Epiphone released the 59, with Gibson USA pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack and a nice case, I paid £699 for it and it felt justified, if you just price up those parts they'd cost about £400 on their own, so about £299 for an Epiphone body shipped to your door. Now they're getting way over a grand it's starting to make a lot less sense.
Epi standards LPs and SGs are everywhere for under 600 euros. Buy a gretsch jet for 550 euros. I mean,the pots and pickups are only a 200 euro upgrade on a standard. Taking folks for mugs.
If you think the prices are insane - play one. Amazing quality and tone - like custom shop, for a by todays standards reasonable price. For me better than a 800 Dollar Epi that feels cheap.
Wow, that epi price is bonkers. They should be making low/mid priced guitars and leave the big boi prices to their masterbuilt series ( which were amazing electrics and acoustics )
There’s no better color for a Firebird than frost blue metallic. The Epiphone Firebird in frost blue looks so pretty. But for half the price I have a BMG Arielle in light blue metallic with an Ebony fretboard. Similar vibe but a much smaller and lighter body, which I prefer.
So many fanbois cheering Epiphone on in their greed, "w-whats the problem with an 1800,- euro Chinese copy of a les paul ?!", like, come on bro, what, are you insane ? Refreshing channel, cheers.
This so called "Chinese copy" has Gibson parts plus the prices for materials in general have increased massively in the last two years. If you expect Epiphone to not increase their prices accordingly you are insane
I get the shock over the Epi sticker prices, but there's no reason they can't make a guitar worth the high price. Materials and components only account for so much of the cost; the majority is labour. While I can't say I've played any of these, I would wait to hear from someone who has played one and inspected it in person before getting worked up over it.
The current Epi firebird is $650 USD and has a 7-ply neck (minor difference), but the headstock is the skewed one with bad string pull angles and standard style tuners. But I had one for over a year and never had tuning issues with it. If they are trying to say the shitty vibrato, headstock and tuners, the 2 extra ply of wood, and the electronics are worth $1,200 USD extra… nah. They still have 335’s and Firebirds under $700 USD, just get those, seriously.
I managed to get a Jerry Cantrell Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul Custom for under 800 euro (brand new!), that's a lot of bang for the buck! Very happy with it! A 2K Epiphone is just crazy, same with LTD as far as I'm concerned...
It was only about a year ago we were asking, "is Epiphone going to breach the $1000 mark?" They did. And never looked back. Granted, a lot of these have been signature models with better specs than the standard LP you can still get for around $600. Some may still be worth the cost due to the specs, but some are obviously not and they've just settled into a new price tier. Why? Because despite all of the whining by us, SOMEONE IS STILL BUYING THEM ALL. It's done. Just like Ticketmaster, once they've stretched you out, they can just ram you all day because you get used to it. Well, someone, they can, I've stopped buying tickets completely because I will not support that hideous company. It sucks.
Almost $2k and you don't even get a rosewood fretboard? Ridiculous. Honestly everything Gibson seems to do these days is a bit ridiculous. Sky high prices on low QC guitars, lawsuits and drama every other day, now taking what's supposed to be the working man's brand, and trying to turn it into a premium price tag product, but with sub-premium features? C'mon guys, get a clue.
Yea. I saw the price on the Epiphone and did a double take. They’re pricing it to sit in shelves. Nobody, but diehard Firebird fans, will buy that guitar. It’s a crazy business plan. Eventually they’ll drop in price and be priced properly at 50% off. It’ll take a year or so, but they’ll have to Sri the price if my guess is correct and nobody buys it. We’ll see…
So with the fire bird I priced out how much it would cost to upgrade everything on the $660 bird and it’s the price as buying the 1,800 one. So that’s why it’s so expensive.
I paid less for my 2011 Gibson Firebird in Tobacco Sunburst with a nitro finish, than these Epis are priced at. In fact, it still has that sweet smell when you open the case.....intoxicating!
Back then there were Japanese Epiphone Les Pauls called "Elitist". Those I tried were superior to many Gibson at that time(!), not cheap but a way better deal. If it was like that again I could tolerate high Epiphone prices. But then you clearly would react different to the new Epis.
The Firebirds are a pretty intensive build compared to a normal bolt-on or set neck but it's still way too much. Perhaps if they were nitro finished they'd be almost justifiable.
@@nieko3038Jaysus man, stop simping. If Epiphone can make a profit on top of retailer cut and international shipping and make a neck-through Firebird for $650, that should tell you enough about how overpriced these new ones are.
Those Epiphone prices are ridiculous. I play Gibson and Epiphone guitars, and love them, but the pricing is becoming silly. Gibson have discontinued their Tribute range because of the overlap/blurring of price points between Gibson and Epiphone. I'd love an Epiphone Alex Lifeson, but they're just too expensive.
The sticker shock on those Firebirds is real, but buying the cheaper Firebird and upgrading it would be fairly close price-wise and you don't get the cool finish. Is it a good value or whatever? Not really, but if you want a Firebird, paying $1700 is a lot better than paying $7800.
I know a few musicians and my question is - who is the market for these Epiphone Firebirds? No musician I know is going to even try to budget for a $1400 or $1800 Epiphone. And Epiphone clearly is not a doctor/lawyer guitar like PRS. I just dont see it. Fortunately for me, I think the Firebird guitars have some of the ugliest headstocks of any guitars out there so I have no interest in having one even if they were $500, but I can see with this Firebird line, the Epi Greeny, the Epi Adam Jones all pushing the $1400+ pricing, they are going to pull the pricing up on everything else. I am a huge Epiphone fan. I bought the Epi/Gibson 61 Reissue Les Paul SG in 2022 for right at $700 and they are $1000 now. This has NOTHING to do with inflation - this is flat out corporate greed. Guitar brands had historic sales during the pandemic and this seems like a pivot strategy to make the same money selling fewer units. Once you get a taste I guess...
I would say collectors, but since they're a standard production obviously not. Honestly, I think this is just a marketing experiment to see where and when pricing pushback occurs. There's no reason why this should be any more expensive than their signature guitars...
TheGuitarGeek...In fact, the Gretsch Electromatic Chris Rocha Broadkaster Jr. does not have a ''Bigsby tremolo''...it has a Licensed Bigsby trem that is not made by Bigsby and is made in Asia by a company that pays a Licensing fee to Bigsby for the use of the name and some design features that are trademark protected...They are cheaper for a reason as you get what you pay for...and white plastic bushings are used in the cheaper Licensed version....just saying...
Andy You snswered your own question I think re ephophone firebird It feels like they have looked and said Ok the Gibson is 7000 So we can increase our price because theirs is so high and keep an expensive guitar, expensive A cynic might go as far as to say the Gibson collaboration was to fix the price .. but that might be a little too honest !!
The sad part is, the last time a Gibson firebird was in production in 2018, it was $1849. A Gibson SG standard for example, was around $1300-1500. Currently, an SG standard is $1799, so if we adjust for inflation that would mean a theoretical 2024 Firebird would be around $2250. But nope, between this pile of junk and used Firebirds selling for for $2k+, why would they? Instead, rumors are swirling that they are bringing back a production Gibson Firebird at get this... $3000-3500. The cynic in you is right on the money. So disappointing...
@@trevor4533 it is sad but after all Gibson’s bad business purchases late 90’s ( eg Phillips we have ex assets on paper but we sold them before you bought us) we are essentially paying for the bad management of the company t, the brand and the period of apaiuli g quality control
Is there any real wood in Epiphone Firebird? It seems all ply on the noise dynamics side of things with "mahagony" on decorative surplus side of things. I mean all that glue might help with sound dynamics but I am not right sure
I have the inspired by Gibson Custom Shop Korina Explorer. Its a great sounding, very well made guitar. Definitely worth the $1299 price, considering it came with Gibson pickups, Switchcraft pickup selector and jack and CTS pots. If it sucked, I would be the first one screaming about it.
A Viper is really a Les Paul meets an Offset design. Everyone focuses on the Devil Horns but that's a bit of misdirection. The body is really an Offset and the heft is in the Les Paul territory and more than an SG. I know because I have a 2006 prototype which I upgraded and weight wise it's more of an old heavy P Bass. So the new model may be lighter but I am pretty sure that it will feel more substantial than a Gibson or Epiphone SG.
Bullshit. Gibson Pickups are worth a good 200$ alone. And then you will have to add all the other parts which in the new more expensive models are also Gibson made.
You can get the Epiphone '59 Les Paul Standard Kit with Gibson pickups and electronics in excellent condition for less than 700 dollars. Gibson have made their new Lite Studio LP's $1999. Gibson really are moving Epiphone to the $1000-2000 range and moving Gibsons to $2000+. Asinine. An LP Studio should be like $900 max.
Completely agree, I don’t care AT ALL if these Epiphones were designed with Gibson custom shop. I would WAY rather it not be a collaboration and just be a cool Firebird at a good price!
That looper looks crazy.. the bigger one might be the new competition to the EHX 95000 looper that's been top of my list for awhile now. Looks super intriguing and I'm surprised companies like Headrush, Boss, and Line6 haven't done like this til now. Heck, with modern SoC and cpu/silicon, why there aren't mini-laptop/chromebooks thrown into a stomp format to do it with a DSP or multiple DSP.... it's the future.. catch up already, companies!
I defended the pricing on the AJ model mainly because of the lack of 70s style silverbursts being made anywhere. (Edwards, take note!) But the pricing of these Firebirds is just comical. $100 more and you're into a SG standard. Heck, $100 more than the i, and you can buy an Eastman SB55 which would absolutely mop the floors for weeks on end with that thing... Should have been $999 for the firebird i, and $1299 for the v max. Even that's pushing it.
Epiphone know exactly what they are doing. The competition in the budget guitar space is overcrowded, so they are repositioning themselves as a mid-range company. Sorry to say that the people scoffing at it aren't the intended market.
I dont care what people are saying about gear prices. Its only logical that they are shooting way up and it has nothing to do with greedy companies. It has everything to do with prices for parts shooting up the exact same amount. If you are expecting your favourite manufacturers of gear to just "eat that up" and offer you their stuff for the same price as before you are completely insane and totally removed from reality
I've just bought an Epiphone Firebird vintage sunburst for £549,the only difference to those you reviewed is it has mini grover machine heads, the rest are the same . This is from Bax Music. Great show, keep it going.
Does it have the same electronics?
got a Firebird for $649 last year. Great guitar. I can't imagine these firebirds are $1000 better than mine.
@@andrewhouse3246I think the Gibson pickups are inflating the price. The rest of the electronics will make a difference of less than 20 bucks. I bet the pickups are manufactured in the same factory and just getting different stamps.
@@andrewhouse3246 All I can tell you is it has ProBucker FB720 pickups, as for the other electronics I can't tell you I haven't opened it up.
I bought an Epiphone Firebird in flat red finish, with concentric tuners similar in concept to the original banjo tuners, used for $250, just to see what it was like, about 8 years ago. It was pretty nice but the pickups were these insanely high output things and of course it was set-neck instead of neck-through. I sold it on soon as I decided I didn’t want to waste money upgrading the electronics. No regrets.
New Epiphone prices are just stupid. Have they identified a market of guitarists who will pay the price of much better manufactured and appointed guitars for these nice-looking but totally ordinary axes? For Epiphone prices you can get an Eastman which is higher quality in all regards to a Gobsin.
Paying those prices for an Epiphone, with those specs, madness...................not a chance.
Why is it madness? Gibson wants $5500-9000 for theirs now I am not buying any of these guitars but the since when is $1500-1800 for the Epi version of a $5000 guitar out of line?
Madness + madness doesn't equal value. The only real upgraded specs from the $649 version are USA pickups and a crappy trem. The specs are certainly not worth $1,000 more than the basic epi firebird.
For that price they should already have the gibson logo on the headstock! It would certainly help the resell value. I wish they were cheaper
@@shawn_ten_toes I agree but if any of us were trying to get $5000 for a Gibson but letting Epi price theirs for $1099 what sense would that make?
Gibson is dying brand especially the last few years
Andy…you’re spot on about that Epi Firebird. I can’t for the life of me figure out the marketing strategy.
Fair play to you for calling out Gibson on the Epi Firebird pricing. It's just blatant profiteering. Even if it had a rosewood board and nitro finish in addition to the USA pickups and even if they've found the best Chinese factory with the best QC, it still wouldn't justify the prices. They do look cool AF though 😂. I blame Uncle Larry for making Firebirds cool again. He made me buy one! But I got a really well made Chinese Tokai second hand for €450 and changed the pickups and electronics. It's at least as good as one of the Epiphones, if not far better and it cost me one third of the price
Here in Canada the Epi FB 1 goes for $1860 (all in with tax is $2105).
I bought a FB1 (not Gib or Epi) on line for $350. It's a burst ala Eric Clapton. I put Kluson FB tuners on ($200 cdn), Seymour Duncan Antiquity FB bridge pickup with CTS pots, Bumble Bee cap, and Switchcraft jack along with a custom bone nut for another $300 cdn. I now have a smoking FB1 that can keep up to any Epi or Gib FB1 (stock). I do all my own luthier work so the labour was free. Always wanted a Gib FB1 but made no sense to drop $5000 on one. The one I have does the job nicely.
If you reviewed a plectrum for an hour, your non patronising, non ad -revenue courting, human, approach would still have people engrossed. There's an honesty about your approach. Exvellent job!
Thank you very much. ❤️
Firebird Muse for x3 the price. Innovation at its finest.
@mime Apparently you miss the regular mentions of affiliate links, giant prices flashing on screen, and that what passes for content on this channel is simply reading the specs directly from the manufacturers info rather than any sort of actual reviewing of these guitars. Human
@@7171jay of course it’s called the week in gear similar to a news show. I believe that’s why he names these episodes as such.
@@7171jay Nobody expects him to work for nothing. Do you work for free?
Gretsch designed some of the most gorgeous looking guitars ever, I bought a white falcon on looks alone
So, 2-3 years ago I bought the Epi inspired by Gibson 59 LP, which to be fair, is a great guitar. I’d say it’s the LP equivalent of these Firebirds. And it was $850 new. How in the hell are these Firebirds twice the price?
That’s the pricing I thought it was. Double the price makes no sense
@@TheGuitarGeek I think it makes perfect sense. Not to me I am not going to buy the Gibson OR Epi version but a 90's Gibson Firebird on the used market is $3500+ and their new version of these Epi models are closer to $6000 and up so the issue is Gibson as their price points have been getting silly high for a while now. I say under $2000 for an Epi that costs 3x-4x to get the Gibson version is fair and accurate
Dont think you can criticize a guitar if you have never actually played it first, regardless of price. Thats a factor in overall rating but not the be all and end all.
@@johncollins5552 I’m not sure I’d call what I said a criticism, but rather a comparison. A guitar made two years earlier, roughly in the same fashion, in the same shop, in the same series “inspired by Gibson,” with the same pickups and components costs half the price as the guitar coming out now.
Justifying the price by comparing it to a 90’s era Gibson Firebird is a complete apples to oranges comparison. There you’re comparing Gibson vs. Epiphone, built in different eras, built in America vs. China. The only thing they have in common is the body shape.
I’m not saying the Epiphone FB is a bad value in comparison to a 90s era Gibson. I’m sure the new Firebirds are really good guitars. But when you compare them to other guitars from the same era, of similar specs and build quality, and in this case, in the same shop, the only explanation for the price difference is gouging.
Setting aside that a $1400+ Epiphone is insane...putting a laurel fretboard on any $1400+ instrument is some cheap ass shit
Geez that’s getting close to what I paid for my used Gibson firebird V. Those prices are outrageous!
It's obvious that after that video you were explaining that you feel you do something else than what you want to, the quality and honesty in your videos is one of the best out there. Keep up. We need people like you. We don't buy paid demos and marketing content from youtubers any more.
If I was going to pay even close to those prices for an Epiphone, I would be looking for a used Japanese made Elite or Elitist, which are actually worth that kind of money. If you can find one. Or a Japanese domestic market Epiphone lacquer series Les Paul with the Gibson headstock. I sure as hell would never pay that money for a regular Epiphone guitar.
Epiphone just tried this with the anniversary Wilshire. The price on those dropped already so imagine when no one drops 1300 on a firebird it will get more reasonable. I can probably get a Pontiac Firebird for a similar price
Thanks for calling out Epiphone and not being a Gibson fanboy sympathizer like you know who on this platform 😅🎉
I thought indian laurel on the DG-335 was questionable but at the price of those Firebirds just nuts.
That Harmony and Gretch look slick. Hope to see you do an in depth playability review in the future. $2k for an Epiphone, really ?
Come on man!!!🤘
I recently bought a great Epiphone Firebird for £549 and it is a superb guitar- probably as good as these crazy priced new models.
I love what Epiphone's been doing. But, yeah...this Firebird pricing is idiotic
Wow... those Firebirds... I love them, but they must be out of their minds. 14/1800? you can get Ibanez Prestiges for that kind of money. I would pay half the price at most. I fear the Epi DG-335 will also be 1200+. It feels like pricewise Epiphone is to replace Gibson (while maintaining some 500ish models) and Gibson ist to replace Gibson Custom Shop, while the Custom Shop just doesn't even lift a finger under 7k. All the Epiphones I owned over the last few years were fairly priced and at least what you would expect for the money, but this is utter madness.
We are going to see Rancid live this coming August! They are touring this summer in the US with the Linda Lindas, Smashing Pumpkins, and Green Day 🔥🤗🤘
That’s gonna be an amazing gig. Have fun.
I wish we were getting those supports on this side of the Atlantic, the Linda Lindas are a great little guitar pop group.
The shape of the Viper, and strap button placement, helps stop neck dive. Its actually a fantastic and well thought out design change.
At current exchange rates (March 2nd, £1 = $1.27), £1699 for the Firebird V is c.$2150.
That's insane for a made in China guitar with a laurel fretboard that's probably going to need the frets levelled, crowned and polished.
I'd love to have a true neck-through Firebird with a stepped headstock and banjo tuners but not at that price.
Inspired by Gibson Epiphone FireBird only 699 :)
Loved the jingles in the end :D Never thought my pick of the week would be a Gretsch! But that's mainly down to the looks because I've never actually played one IRL.
Insane pricing on these Firebirds. The older inspired by Gibson FireBird V is an absolutely phenomenal instrument and it's currently retailing at £550. You could buy that, plus two after market Gibson Firebird pick-ups, and you're still at only 50 percent of that price. The recent inspired by Epiphones (partiuclarly the burst-bucker editions) are absolutely outstanding and well worth their price tag, but not sure how these FBs are justified at all versus models that Epiphone themselves have produded over the past few years
I paid 1299 this morning from sweetwater. This is where we buy from. Why can't you guys ? It's a screamer, just curious.
Honestly, you can get a used Gibson Firebird for the same price. It’s so beyond unreasonable to be paying that much for an Epiphone but also that much for an Indian Laurel. In addition, there are all the recent epiphone quality issues I would rather buy like two or more Harley Benton’s ill at least get a decent mod project
That Harmony looks like a steal! Really neat specs for the price. Even used Bakelite.... Man, the extra effort is apparent.
I’m a Gretsch guy. I wanted a Country Gentleman in 1965 when I was 10 and the Gent went for $500 USD, had Original Filter-Tron pickups and all gold hardware, and was American-made. I was given mine (identical to George Harrison’s Original Country Gentleman) by my lovely wife 45 years later, when they sold for $4500 USD, Fred Gretsch III owned the company, and they were, as now, built by Fender Japan (every bit as good as the ones I played in ‘65, and more consistently GREAT from guitar to guitar) with Original Filter-Trons and all gold hardware. Now they’re $5000 USD (I think) and the same as mine, with Original Filter-Trons and all gold hardware (read: Still Great!). So that spiffy white Gretsch you show today has plenty of appeal for a Gretsch Freak like myself, with Original Filter-Tron pickups and the same gold hardware found on the Gent (okay, the Bigsby is a little different). So I would imagine the tone is just about as GORGEOUS!!! Very Nice!
Comparing this Epiphone Firebird V guitar with Epiphone's Slash LP Standard in Appetite burst that sells for less than half the price at $800, the Slash LP with it's beautiful flame maple veneer top, has a truckload more value for money compared to the Firebird V. Epiphone's getting Nutty!
The firebird doesn’t have rosewood or nitro. How do they justify $1,800? The previous epiphone firebird was $549 when it came out, and now they are $649. What a joke!
I have a number of Epiphones, and I'm not saying I won't buy another, but it certainly will never be for nearly $2K. The good news is that there are hundreds of brands that still live well under the $1K mark and they are as good if not better than Epi. There's just too much to pick from these days to get super worked up about one brand.
I get it and we agree on not buying one of these 'premium' Epi models but these are not at those off-the-rack $500 Epiphones that were more knockoffs than budget models of years past. Not knocking Epi I have owned an SG and a 333 with the Dirty Fingers pup great stuff but so long as GIbson gets to charge their big prices why should Epi not have options at 1/3 those price points?
Some of the pricing on the market has gone bonkers. As a long time Fender player... I'm quite disgusted with the high price point on their import models. I've been looking to other brands for the first time in many years.
I feel you the MIM offerings are now more expensive than I want to pay but to be fair Fender brings a lot of value there and my MIM San Dimas is a BEAST now I got it for 1/2 new price as on the used market but to me if the BRAND model is XXX and the Squier/Epi version is less than half that the pricing is fair. That said I find Gibson and Epi new prices out of line for what you get.
I very much like Schecter as, primarily for me, an alternative to Ibanez with 42mm nuts instead of 43mm nuts (e.g. Schecter Omen Elite-6 versus Ibanez RG421), and the PRS SE DGT is that company's only budget model other than the SE Silver Sky to have a nut width which is nearly identical to the 42mm nuts common to Fender and Squier (1.656" rather than 1.650"). At the higher end of their budget production, the Ibanez AZ guitars have 42mm nuts and features which may appeal to Fender players. I can offer other suggestions, depending on what interests you.
(I got tired of Fender years ago.)
It’s one of my favorite weekly videos!
I’m letting the Fender Play ad run all the way through so that you rake in as much money as possible from my 🇺🇸 based viewership.
Make that €€€€€!!!!
Thank you chance!!!
@@TheGuitarGeek - Got a TrueFire ad in the middle. Each ad break had two ads.
I have a Canadian food/travel blogger who explained how the game works, so I understand that allows ads while I’m in 🇺🇸 helps more than just about any other country, so I let them roll for the creators I support. 👍
Weren't the Bonamassa Epiphone Firebird I Ltd around US$800 brand new a few years ago?
Thank you for calling out Epiphone for their insane marketing bullshit. They are really out of touch with their customers. The Gibson garages are like Porssche dealerships, Soon they'll have doormen to weed out the less desireable guitar players. They keep raising prices with no justificatio, while other guitar manufacturers are killing them. Buy? BYE Gibson.
First time watching. Thoroughly enjoyed it. You're a joy to watch and listen to. I'll be looking forward to seeing more.
Firebird pickups are not mini humbuckers. The where manufactured and disigned for the firebird. Minihumbuckers where created before firebird pickups
Cool but the epiphone website lists these as having Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker with Alnico 5 Magnets
The new Firebirds look really cool, *but* the sticker price is £500 more than I paid for a second-hand Gibson six months ago. It's even more ridiculous considering it's a grand more than the standard Epiphone Firebird, which is a lot of guitar for the money. I'd rather they'd maybe done a non-reverse at the price of the standard Firebird, I bet that would fly off the shelves.
I subscribed to you as soon as i heard you say..dont buy the new ephiphone ..
Now thats the ballsy truth...
Right on dude..thats what we want. The truth
I love epiphone, however at that price you can buy some seriously good guitars that walk all over them.
Insert Mighty Boosh 'It's an outraaaaaage' gif here
I watched a video in the wek of some guy buying a Chinese copy of a Firebird. He loved it but he bought it for modding. Before modding he played the guitar and it was immense! He paid $250 for it! So, we now have an Epiphone "made in the east" copy of a Gibson for $1800? You see where this is going right 🤣
Any link, maybe?
@@ulfsvensson9710look up “scar my guitar firebird”
Dig your channel, ANDY.👍👍
Informative and Entertaining ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Agree with you with Epiphone. Really getting ridiculous with their pricing.
I bought last year's ephiphone version of the firebird for around 600$ new..
It plays and sound and looks fantastic.i was surprised they came out with more of the same model at higher prices.i was confused because I thought..
How could they make it better than the one I have.i have 25 guitars from 3000$ down...my 2022 firebird holds up to all of them.
So the last time a Firebird was in Gibson's standard production line, was in 2018. It was $1849 USD. An SG Standard of the same year, retailed for $1300-1500.
Currently, an SG standard goes for $1799, so if we adjust for inflation we could assume a 2024 Firebird would retail for $2249, right?
Unfortunately, that's not the case. There are rumors that Gibson is bringing back the Firebird. At $3500-4000....
Starts making a whole lot of sense why the Epiphone is priced at $1699...
In all reality, I believe Gibson/Epiphone are testing the water here on the prices. Even they know its ridiculous to price this thing over their signature guitars...
1800 for a Epiphone.... yeah uhm no.
In 2012 I bought a nw Gibson LP Studio for 1200€ with a hardcase....
And in retrospect it was still too much.
I would definitely buy the Firebird V if it came in the Heather Poly finish
"Inspired by Greed" 😄😄😄
Excellent...
Personally I paid $795 for my 2017 Firebird-I even though the Joe Bonamassa name was on it but apparently Epiphone didn't try to rip me off because of that...
It had and still has everything you could hope for and even though the stock mini-humbucker was not a Gibson pickup it still sounded amazing...
Mine came with a hardshell case too...
There are some really nice signature and non-signature models in the current Epiphone catalog and I'm probably going to get the Dave Grohl model but paying anything more than that ? Sorry...
As ever your videos are excellent 👍👍
I've been saying for 2 years that Epiphone is pricing itself out of its primary demographic.
Interresting to see you have Lovalet guitar back there in red. They are from my town and know the guys since around 2017.
The new LS Epiphone LT/E1 with a good set up can match the sound of a 1500 dollar Gibson LP. The only negative I can come up with is the 1 lb extra weight. So unless you're playing on stage for 3 hours or more, piss on the extra pound and buy this great sounding instrument. It's a great addition for home use and recording studios.
Epiphone. Occasionally they make a made in USA model which would justify it. I didn't pay anywhere near that for the Joe Bonamassa Black beauty. That was $899
Epi need to jump when the demand kicks in, and Firebirds seem to be enjoying a small moment.Long one of my favourites of their designs, the existing models already covered the best of possible features.Eventually, I'm going to put some mandolin tuners on one of the Sweetwater ltd ed in olive green.I'll not be paying Korean or Japanese money for anything made in China until the Forum hold a gun directly to my head.( 2 grand for a Indian Laurel fretboard? These will sit and rot)
If you haven't put in time with standard ( Gretsch) Filtertrons, they very possibly are the pickup you need, whatever the genre; and semi hollow bodies do optimize their best qualities.
When Epiphone released the 59, with Gibson USA pickups, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack and a nice case, I paid £699 for it and it felt justified, if you just price up those parts they'd cost about £400 on their own, so about £299 for an Epiphone body shipped to your door. Now they're getting way over a grand it's starting to make a lot less sense.
Parts prices also have shot up in the last few years. That plus the fact that they are using these high quality parts justifies it to me
You’re humble, I like that, unlike some UA-camrs who show off their silver 100k subs plaque
Epi standards LPs and SGs are everywhere for under 600 euros. Buy a gretsch jet for 550 euros. I mean,the pots and pickups are only a 200 euro upgrade on a standard. Taking folks for mugs.
If you think the prices are insane - play one. Amazing quality and tone - like custom shop, for a by todays standards reasonable price. For me better than a 800 Dollar Epi that feels cheap.
"Limited Edition" has now become "limited to how many we can sell before they begin to languish on the retailers' walls...
My dad taught me that years ago.
"If its limited edition and not numbered, it means they're gonna sell them until they can't find anymore buyers".
Wow, that epi price is bonkers. They should be making low/mid priced guitars and leave the big boi prices to their masterbuilt series ( which were amazing electrics and acoustics )
There’s no better color for a Firebird than frost blue metallic. The Epiphone Firebird in frost blue looks so pretty.
But for half the price I have a BMG Arielle in light blue metallic with an Ebony fretboard. Similar vibe but a much smaller and lighter body, which I prefer.
So many fanbois cheering Epiphone on in their greed, "w-whats the problem with an 1800,- euro Chinese copy of a les paul ?!", like, come on bro, what, are you insane ?
Refreshing channel, cheers.
This so called "Chinese copy" has Gibson parts plus the prices for materials in general have increased massively in the last two years. If you expect Epiphone to not increase their prices accordingly you are insane
I get the shock over the Epi sticker prices, but there's no reason they can't make a guitar worth the high price. Materials and components only account for so much of the cost; the majority is labour. While I can't say I've played any of these, I would wait to hear from someone who has played one and inspected it in person before getting worked up over it.
13 years ago i paid 900 pounds for a white USA firebird on sale...
I have a 2017 Gibson Firebird V. I paid $1050. You can bet I won't be buying the Epiphone.
The current Epi firebird is $650 USD and has a 7-ply neck (minor difference), but the headstock is the skewed one with bad string pull angles and standard style tuners. But I had one for over a year and never had tuning issues with it. If they are trying to say the shitty vibrato, headstock and tuners, the 2 extra ply of wood, and the electronics are worth $1,200 USD extra… nah.
They still have 335’s and Firebirds under $700 USD, just get those, seriously.
I managed to get a Jerry Cantrell Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul Custom for under 800 euro (brand new!), that's a lot of bang for the buck! Very happy with it! A 2K Epiphone is just crazy, same with LTD as far as I'm concerned...
It was only about a year ago we were asking, "is Epiphone going to breach the $1000 mark?" They did. And never looked back. Granted, a lot of these have been signature models with better specs than the standard LP you can still get for around $600. Some may still be worth the cost due to the specs, but some are obviously not and they've just settled into a new price tier. Why? Because despite all of the whining by us, SOMEONE IS STILL BUYING THEM ALL. It's done. Just like Ticketmaster, once they've stretched you out, they can just ram you all day because you get used to it. Well, someone, they can, I've stopped buying tickets completely because I will not support that hideous company. It sucks.
1800USD will buy you a really nice used GIBSON Firebird V & you get rosewood board & nitro finish!!!!
Almost $2k and you don't even get a rosewood fretboard? Ridiculous. Honestly everything Gibson seems to do these days is a bit ridiculous. Sky high prices on low QC guitars, lawsuits and drama every other day, now taking what's supposed to be the working man's brand, and trying to turn it into a premium price tag product, but with sub-premium features? C'mon guys, get a clue.
I have become a fan of this guy ....He always seems to have a honest take.
Yea. I saw the price on the Epiphone and did a double take. They’re pricing it to sit in shelves. Nobody, but diehard Firebird fans, will buy that guitar. It’s a crazy business plan. Eventually they’ll drop in price and be priced properly at 50% off. It’ll take a year or so, but they’ll have to Sri the price if my guess is correct and nobody buys it. We’ll see…
So with the fire bird I priced out how much it would cost to upgrade everything on the $660 bird and it’s the price as buying the 1,800 one. So that’s why it’s so expensive.
The last segment of this video is enough to make you go loopy.
I paid less for my 2011 Gibson Firebird in Tobacco Sunburst with a nitro finish, than these Epis are priced at. In fact, it still has that sweet smell when you open the case.....intoxicating!
Back then there were Japanese Epiphone Les Pauls called "Elitist". Those I tried were superior to many Gibson at that time(!), not cheap but a way better deal. If it was like that again I could tolerate high Epiphone prices. But then you clearly would react different to the new Epis.
The Firebirds are a pretty intensive build compared to a normal bolt-on or set neck but it's still way too much. Perhaps if they were nitro finished they'd be almost justifiable.
I agree but other epi firebirds are around 600 bucks. It’s not that hard to make a firebird
Go build a Firebird and a Les Paul in your shed. See wich one is less work.
@@nieko3038Jaysus man, stop simping. If Epiphone can make a profit on top of retailer cut and international shipping and make a neck-through Firebird for $650, that should tell you enough about how overpriced these new ones are.
@@SG710 Tofu say Firebird is more work. Simply false. Go cry about simping somewhere else.
Those Epiphone prices are ridiculous. I play Gibson and Epiphone guitars, and love them, but the pricing is becoming silly. Gibson have discontinued their Tribute range because of the overlap/blurring of price points between Gibson and Epiphone. I'd love an Epiphone Alex Lifeson, but they're just too expensive.
The sticker shock on those Firebirds is real, but buying the cheaper Firebird and upgrading it would be fairly close price-wise and you don't get the cool finish. Is it a good value or whatever? Not really, but if you want a Firebird, paying $1700 is a lot better than paying $7800.
Or you know, just buy a second hand Gibson firebird for only a couple hundred more...
I know a few musicians and my question is - who is the market for these Epiphone Firebirds? No musician I know is going to even try to budget for a $1400 or $1800 Epiphone. And Epiphone clearly is not a doctor/lawyer guitar like PRS. I just dont see it. Fortunately for me, I think the Firebird guitars have some of the ugliest headstocks of any guitars out there so I have no interest in having one even if they were $500, but I can see with this Firebird line, the Epi Greeny, the Epi Adam Jones all pushing the $1400+ pricing, they are going to pull the pricing up on everything else. I am a huge Epiphone fan. I bought the Epi/Gibson 61 Reissue Les Paul SG in 2022 for right at $700 and they are $1000 now. This has NOTHING to do with inflation - this is flat out corporate greed. Guitar brands had historic sales during the pandemic and this seems like a pivot strategy to make the same money selling fewer units. Once you get a taste I guess...
That's an almost 50% price hike on the SG in only 2 years, someone at epiphone ate the Brown Acid
I would say collectors, but since they're a standard production obviously not.
Honestly, I think this is just a marketing experiment to see where and when pricing pushback occurs.
There's no reason why this should be any more expensive than their signature guitars...
TheGuitarGeek...In fact, the Gretsch Electromatic Chris Rocha Broadkaster Jr. does not have a ''Bigsby tremolo''...it has a Licensed Bigsby trem that is not made by Bigsby and is made in Asia by a company that pays a Licensing fee to Bigsby for the use of the name and some design features that are trademark protected...They are cheaper for a reason as you get what you pay for...and white plastic bushings are used in the cheaper Licensed version....just saying...
Thanks for keeping me on my toes.
Andy
You snswered your own question I think re ephophone firebird
It feels like they have looked and said
Ok the Gibson is 7000
So we can increase our price because theirs is so high and keep an expensive guitar, expensive
A cynic might go as far as to say the Gibson collaboration was to fix the price .. but that might be a little too honest !!
The sad part is, the last time a Gibson firebird was in production in 2018, it was $1849. A Gibson SG standard for example, was around $1300-1500.
Currently, an SG standard is $1799, so if we adjust for inflation that would mean a theoretical 2024 Firebird would be around $2250. But nope, between this pile of junk and used Firebirds selling for for $2k+, why would they?
Instead, rumors are swirling that they are bringing back a production Gibson Firebird at get this... $3000-3500.
The cynic in you is right on the money. So disappointing...
@@trevor4533 it is sad but after all Gibson’s bad business purchases late 90’s ( eg Phillips we have ex assets on paper but we sold them before you bought us)
we are essentially paying for the bad management of the company t, the brand and the period of apaiuli g quality control
I got brand new Gibson USA Firebird in 2017 for under £1000. How can an Epiphone cost that much?
The Epiphone thing reminds me that I recently paid £7.80 for a pint.
What?! $1800 for an Epi Firebird V?!!! Thats what I paid for my used 2011 Gibson Firebird two years ago.. this is insane 😂
Is there any real wood in Epiphone Firebird?
It seems all ply on the noise dynamics side of things with "mahagony" on decorative surplus side of things.
I mean all that glue might help with sound dynamics but I am not right sure
I have the inspired by Gibson Custom Shop Korina Explorer. Its a great sounding, very well made guitar. Definitely worth the $1299 price, considering it came with Gibson pickups, Switchcraft pickup selector and jack and CTS pots. If it sucked, I would be the first one screaming about it.
What is that axe on the far right behind you? That color looks amazing!
That’s a Lovalet Nomad Junior!
A Viper is really a Les Paul meets an Offset design. Everyone focuses on the Devil Horns but that's a bit of misdirection. The body is really an Offset and the heft is in the Les Paul territory and more than an SG. I know because I have a 2006 prototype which I upgraded and weight wise it's more of an old heavy P Bass. So the new model may be lighter but I am pretty sure that it will feel more substantial than a Gibson or Epiphone SG.
It does actually come with a case haha😅
Yep, a case of extortionate pricing! 😁
Yes, the Epi pricing is ridiculous. Plus, they add a $50 pickup and a $12 pot and that adds $400 to their price.
Bullshit. Gibson Pickups are worth a good 200$ alone. And then you will have to add all the other parts which in the new more expensive models are also Gibson made.
Gibson and Epiphone have jumped the shark
I honestly never care about the things you're talking about- I just come to hear you talk at me excitedly for 20 minutes.
Epiphone is crazy, starting with the Joe Bonamassa signatures and the Adam Jones LP's and now this. Thanks for sharing.
The Bonamassa 355 was specced nicely, with a case, and was sub $1K .. it was appropriately priced.
You can get the Epiphone '59 Les Paul Standard Kit with Gibson pickups and electronics in excellent condition for less than 700 dollars.
Gibson have made their new Lite Studio LP's $1999. Gibson really are moving Epiphone to the $1000-2000 range and moving Gibsons to $2000+. Asinine. An LP Studio should be like $900 max.
Completely agree, I don’t care AT ALL if these Epiphones were designed with Gibson custom shop. I would WAY rather it not be a collaboration and just be a cool Firebird at a good price!
That looper looks crazy.. the bigger one might be the new competition to the EHX 95000 looper that's been top of my list for awhile now. Looks super intriguing and I'm surprised companies like Headrush, Boss, and Line6 haven't done like this til now. Heck, with modern SoC and cpu/silicon, why there aren't mini-laptop/chromebooks thrown into a stomp format to do it with a DSP or multiple DSP.... it's the future.. catch up already, companies!
Google "headrush looperboard." This Ed Sheeran looper x is essentially a mkII of that one.
Red Rush Looper!
I defended the pricing on the AJ model mainly because of the lack of 70s style silverbursts being made anywhere. (Edwards, take note!)
But the pricing of these Firebirds is just comical. $100 more and you're into a SG standard. Heck, $100 more than the i, and you can buy an Eastman SB55 which would absolutely mop the floors for weeks on end with that thing... Should have been $999 for the firebird i, and $1299 for the v max.
Even that's pushing it.
Epiphone know exactly what they are doing. The competition in the budget guitar space is overcrowded, so they are repositioning themselves as a mid-range company. Sorry to say that the people scoffing at it aren't the intended market.
That Harmony jazz box is exactly what I was looking for.
And I have to agree with you on Apple phones 😢pecially on that damn Firebird V
I dont care what people are saying about gear prices. Its only logical that they are shooting way up and it has nothing to do with greedy companies. It has everything to do with prices for parts shooting up the exact same amount. If you are expecting your favourite manufacturers of gear to just "eat that up" and offer you their stuff for the same price as before you are completely insane and totally removed from reality