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how are epiphone basses?
- Thread starter Pete528
- Start date
Well, since I don't think Squiers are all crappy, that's tough to answer. 
I have an EB-0 and it's well made, has a nice finish, plays well, and was pretty easy to set up. You have to be a little careful with the 3-point bridge not to get it cocked high in front or back and turn the bridge into a lever that pulls out its mounts.
I have an EB-0 and it's well made, has a nice finish, plays well, and was pretty easy to set up. You have to be a little careful with the 3-point bridge not to get it cocked high in front or back and turn the bridge into a lever that pulls out its mounts.
epiphones are far superior to squiers in my opinion. I've played the EB0, EB3, Viola, Jack Casady, and Thunderbird. the only one i wasnt too fond of was the thunderbird, but that was mainly because i never really liked them(even the gibsons). all the others though were excelent and much better than anything else in each respective price range.
Personally, I think a main point is the fact that the EB0 and EB3 for example are both made of mahogany. way better wood than alder.
but that's all just my opinion. i say, stop buy a guitar center and try them all out. don't buy it there though
Personally, I think a main point is the fact that the EB0 and EB3 for example are both made of mahogany. way better wood than alder.
but that's all just my opinion. i say, stop buy a guitar center and try them all out. don't buy it there though
not gonna make a big post, but i don't think it's wise to call squiers "crappy" around these parts. especially the VM series. they get alot of love.
Epiphones? The only experience I had with Epiphone was their T-bird... and I could only get one muddy tone out of that thing. Plus, I couldn't play anything past the 14th fret, and the neck dove like crazy.
It was a rental, so i couldn't change the strap buttons on it.
It was a rental, so i couldn't change the strap buttons on it.
I've played various T-birds and EB-0s, and I liked em all. Then again, I'm into that "mudbucker" sound, so it just comes down to taste (as it always does). Epi stuff is pretty easy to come by, though, so if you've got a GC in your area, I'm sure you could find something there to try out.
Squiers aren't crappy. Lemons exist everywhere but squiers have a decent build-quality and sound.
The only epiphone I've had experience with was a guitar. It played well. I guess it's more about what you're into.
The only epiphone I've had experience with was a guitar. It played well. I guess it's more about what you're into.
99.9% of the Epi's I've played are VERY nice for the $$$.
The 0.1% was one that the bridge mounts did "sneak out". Crazy Glue gel fixes that permanently.
ALL except one were bought direct, sight-unseen, and came well set up from the factory except for personal preference for string height. The one bought after seeing and playing was a 60's that had the T-Bird pickups & hardware like this one:
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Sound?
Having both an Epi and a Gibson T-Bird, the Epi-Bird has a LOT of different sounds(different wood, maple neck, bolt neck joint) compared to the Gibson(all mahogany, neck-thru).
Vs a Squier?
Never played one so I cannot compare them.
As far as that "generalization" about Squier=no good or worse, the SX P/J here is GREAT especially for the $$$ and sound. There can be found jewels in the low-buck basses.
To label ALL low-buck basses as junk is to make a serious error in judgement IMO.
The 0.1% was one that the bridge mounts did "sneak out". Crazy Glue gel fixes that permanently.
ALL except one were bought direct, sight-unseen, and came well set up from the factory except for personal preference for string height. The one bought after seeing and playing was a 60's that had the T-Bird pickups & hardware like this one:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Sound?
Having both an Epi and a Gibson T-Bird, the Epi-Bird has a LOT of different sounds(different wood, maple neck, bolt neck joint) compared to the Gibson(all mahogany, neck-thru).
Vs a Squier?
Never played one so I cannot compare them.
As far as that "generalization" about Squier=no good or worse, the SX P/J here is GREAT especially for the $$$ and sound. There can be found jewels in the low-buck basses.
To label ALL low-buck basses as junk is to make a serious error in judgement IMO.
It depends on WHICH Epiphones you're talking about.
The '60s models, made in Kalamazoo, were Gibsons with a different look. They used the same pickups, hardware and craftsmen. Give me a batwing Epi over a Gibson any day. Besides, the Embassy gives you extra cool points over a Thunderbird.
In the '70s, when the Japanese took over, they cut costs so much that the Epiphone name was nearly destroyed forever. I think they're still trying to recover from all that damage. If you see an Epi listed as "vintage Epiphone", or has the EA-260 model on it, run away fast.
For the past 20 years, Epiphone has been trying to find their right place, imo. They've had some hits and a few misses. A lot of models were pretty much student models, and not much to brag about. They even tried to revive the batwing headstock for a while. The EBM was actually a pretty decent bass, and they can still be had fairly cheap.
The newer Epiphone seems to have found its place as the place for Gibson to reissue old classics, and branch out to more affordable models of the Gibson equivalents. I wasn't overly impressed with the EB-0 or EB-3, but people talk pretty highly of them. Both the violin basses - the Viola and the EB-1 -were nicely done. I've had a couple of the EB-1 models, and have liked them a lot.
The Jack Casady and the Allen Woody Rumblekat are Epiphone exclusives, and both get a lot of praise. Casady is really involved with his sig bass, so he pays attention to what they're doing with it. I guess the model has been modified over the past few years, based on his feedback.
The new Embassy? It's not a real Embassy. I'll pass.
Then, there's this one (technically called the ET-285):
The '60s models, made in Kalamazoo, were Gibsons with a different look. They used the same pickups, hardware and craftsmen. Give me a batwing Epi over a Gibson any day. Besides, the Embassy gives you extra cool points over a Thunderbird.
In the '70s, when the Japanese took over, they cut costs so much that the Epiphone name was nearly destroyed forever. I think they're still trying to recover from all that damage. If you see an Epi listed as "vintage Epiphone", or has the EA-260 model on it, run away fast.
For the past 20 years, Epiphone has been trying to find their right place, imo. They've had some hits and a few misses. A lot of models were pretty much student models, and not much to brag about. They even tried to revive the batwing headstock for a while. The EBM was actually a pretty decent bass, and they can still be had fairly cheap.
The newer Epiphone seems to have found its place as the place for Gibson to reissue old classics, and branch out to more affordable models of the Gibson equivalents. I wasn't overly impressed with the EB-0 or EB-3, but people talk pretty highly of them. Both the violin basses - the Viola and the EB-1 -were nicely done. I've had a couple of the EB-1 models, and have liked them a lot.
The Jack Casady and the Allen Woody Rumblekat are Epiphone exclusives, and both get a lot of praise. Casady is really involved with his sig bass, so he pays attention to what they're doing with it. I guess the model has been modified over the past few years, based on his feedback.
The new Embassy? It's not a real Embassy. I'll pass.
Then, there's this one (technically called the ET-285):
Dont own or ever played a squire, so I cant comment on them.
I really like my EB-0, I have the cherry wood finish and it looks great ( could be a wall hanger, it looks so nice). Plays very well. I like the tone it gives out, it has been described to me as a sound of all its own, in between a precision bass and jazz bass tone. Been very happy with it. Little heavy but going to keep it till it dies.
When I checking out a new ampeg practice amp I had very experience and well known local bass player with me to look at some amps. He grabbed my epiphone and hooked it up to the ampeg and just started jamming. Crowd formed around him (due to his playing ability and skills) and I was amazed what my epiphone did and how it sounded through the ampeg. SWEET
I have been at other stores which had the EB-0 and played it and for some reason they didnt sound as good as mine does personally, a very noticable difference probably just the set up. I believe that each bass regardless of it is the same brand and make has different sounds. So try it out.
I really like my EB-0, I have the cherry wood finish and it looks great ( could be a wall hanger, it looks so nice). Plays very well. I like the tone it gives out, it has been described to me as a sound of all its own, in between a precision bass and jazz bass tone. Been very happy with it. Little heavy but going to keep it till it dies.
When I checking out a new ampeg practice amp I had very experience and well known local bass player with me to look at some amps. He grabbed my epiphone and hooked it up to the ampeg and just started jamming. Crowd formed around him (due to his playing ability and skills) and I was amazed what my epiphone did and how it sounded through the ampeg. SWEET
I have been at other stores which had the EB-0 and played it and for some reason they didnt sound as good as mine does personally, a very noticable difference probably just the set up. I believe that each bass regardless of it is the same brand and make has different sounds. So try it out.
epiphone basses are good, not all but mos of em. I myself own an epiphone explorer and the tone is just phenomenal and it plays great, but that's not to say that some other may suck, it just depends on the bass you own, not the company.
Earlier this week I was at Guitar Center with some time to kill and played a whole bunch of basses---pretty much, everything they had that looked interesting or I was curious about. And the bass that impressed me most was one of these:
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It played great, sounded great, and seemed quite well made. I played a number of American-made basses from Fender, Gibson, and EBMM, and I would have taken this one in preference to any of them. (Granted, this was at GC so most were set up abysmally, but still.) I hadn't even looked at the price tag before I played it, and I was shocked to discover that it goes for only $259!?!?!? I assumed it cost two or three times that much.
I'm currently trying to downsize and simplify, but I may yet pull the trigger on one of these. I don't know about other Epi models, but this one (Les Paul Special Bass) is a winner.
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It played great, sounded great, and seemed quite well made. I played a number of American-made basses from Fender, Gibson, and EBMM, and I would have taken this one in preference to any of them. (Granted, this was at GC so most were set up abysmally, but still.) I hadn't even looked at the price tag before I played it, and I was shocked to discover that it goes for only $259!?!?!? I assumed it cost two or three times that much.
I'm currently trying to downsize and simplify, but I may yet pull the trigger on one of these. I don't know about other Epi models, but this one (Les Paul Special Bass) is a winner.
I played on an EB 3 for a while. Still have it, but mainly play my fretless now.
It is a great bass. A lot of reviews I read talked a lot about how one dimensional the sound is, blah blah blah. I love it. Still do. Sexy looking, and with some half-rounds on there got some nice tones. I liked the option of the 2 different pickups. No quality issues or anything. Nice bass.
It is a great bass. A lot of reviews I read talked a lot about how one dimensional the sound is, blah blah blah. I love it. Still do. Sexy looking, and with some half-rounds on there got some nice tones. I liked the option of the 2 different pickups. No quality issues or anything. Nice bass.
I've found that Epiphones are pretty amazing after an initial setup. The Epi guitars I've had have been better than the Squier guitars. But, i find the opposite is true for basses. The Squier basses are far superior to their Epi brethren.
I have a Gibson Studio 5 Thunderbird... but I almost got an epiphone T bird before I decided to buck up the extra money for the Gibson. I think they are a very solid bass, pretty darn good quality for 300 bucks in fact its hard to beat the value anywhere. I think they are superior to a lot of the cheaper squire stuff, some of the better quality (similar price range) squire stuff is similar in quality, the 70s Jazz Bass comes to mind.
