Squier vs. Epiphone quality- Who is better?

[deshi00]

Squier basses ove Epiphone basses.
Epiphone guitars over Squier guitars.

^ I agree with this

 

[SurferJoe46]

So............. once you buy it, just flat file (with a mill bastard) the frets back and you and it are golden.

Use the exposed frets as a discount argument - double win.

 

[Liam Wald]

my son has a made in Korea Jack Casady Epiphone, and absolutely loves it. admittedly, this is the top (or so I believe) of epiphone's line and retails at about 700.00 but i would put the quality up against any similarly priced bass

/s/ Dave

There are some really great instruments made in Korea.
Korean build quality is very very good. Far better than Indonesia or Mexico.

 

[ghostdog93]

I have a Fretless Squire jazz from Indonesia that I love. It is smooth clean and the sound is great. I had a P from Indonesia and it was wonderful with sound. I can agree that the Classic Vibe insturments (I have a Jazz) are very good quality. But the standard ones other than the classic vibes seem very rough finished and need a lot of adjustment to be smooth. The one I got (jazz) even though it was a Geddy Lee the frets stuck out like quills and the bridge (not the bad ass style) was problematic at best. I got rid of it.

Not one Squire I have gotten from Indonesia has had any problems either mechanically or electronically. And most of them have been standard models. Most of what I have either owned or tried from China have had quality problems (except for the Classic Vibe Series) which is the higher end spectrum.

You do have to admit I think though that Squires now from Japan are still better insturments.

You do realize that the Geddy Lee is made in Japan - not in China - right?

Just goes to show you that you can have a lemon from anywhere, and that country of origin is not an indicator of quality.

 

[slaphappychappy]

Thunderbirds are ok.

 

[Duke21]

You do realize that the Geddy Lee is made in Japan - not in China - right?

Just goes to show you that you can have a lemon from anywhere, and that country of origin is not an indicator of quality.

Exactly, the Geddy Jazz is a MIJ Fender.

 

[Kay Smith]

I bought a Fender Mustang bass for $1000 new and a Gretsch short scale new $300. I prefer the Gretsch any day. Easy to play, great tone, just better bass all around and holds tuning. The Fender was more expensive but not higher quality. I’ve never played an Epiphone bass so I can’t say but I have an Epi Les Paul and SG and really like them both, more than my Squire guitars.

 

[jd56hawk]

Well, both of mine are quality basses, but I've read about QC problems some people have with basses from each company.
Does this really come as a surprise to anyone?

 

[msb]

Both Squier and Epi put out instruments at various price points. The cheap stuff is bound to be cheap , they’ve cut every imaginable corner to keep the price down , and the more expensive instruments can be surprisingly good. Country of origin is not that important , they can make quality instruments in China or Indonesia.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Hi. (SNIP) ... One has to take into account that there's plenty of factories putting out both brands though, and their level of QC isn't always up to date. The mfg places have changed over the years as well which makes things more interesting.
...

Regards
Sam (/SNIP)

I snipped your quote only because I can't disagree with your opinion (it's yours and can't be wrong by definition), I just wanted to comment on the one factoid:

To my knowledge, the only Epiphone factory is in Quing Dong (or something like that) China.

On the whole, I am more of a fan of Epiphone guitars over Squier guitars.

Basses ... they're a tough call.

I haven't heard too many Epiphone basses which have "that sound" I want/need. I do own two Epiphone basses and was semi-impressed with the one Thunderbird I played, years ago.

However, build quality ... I think 7ender skimps on certain things and I know Squier doubles down on that.

The last I saw, $1,400 7enders come with cheap plastic nuts. I can't imagine Squier doing any better than that. Since 2020, ALL Epiphone instruments have come standard with Graphtech.

The pick guards feel like a much lesser quality on the 7enders/Squiers. The knobs feel "flimsy" on the Squiers compared to the Epiphones.

It's no secret I'm not a fan of FMIC to begin with, but I own 7enders, Squiers, Gibsons, and Epiphones and if (God forbid) there was a fire in my house, I would wheel toward my Epiphones before the other others mentioned (Of course, to be fair, The Ibanezes would be first in line).

 

[Ostie]

Do people actually buy Epiphone basses? Guitars yes, but basses?

I have three.

 

[jd56hawk]

Do people actually buy Epiphone basses? Guitars yes, but basses?

Here on Earth, they do.
The Jack Casady is one of the best semi-hollow basses made and the Vintage Pro Thunderbird is every bit as good as the Gibson T-birds.
I've seen far more Epiphone basses being played than guitars.
Sure, people buy the guitars, too, but I can't remember people raving about them like they do the JC and T-bird.

 

[Cave Puppy]

Personally I wouldn’t touch another Epiphone bass, and their guitars aren’t much better (I’ve had two or three and one is so bad I’m tossing it) I may consider another Squier, but I doubt it. Caveat - I’m an admitted Fender fanboy. I mod every instrument I can and the build quality for both Epiphone and Squier imo aren’t up to par for even the smallest mods. There aren’t a lot of plug and play mods for those basses. Some kind of mod to the bones of the bass/guitar is always needed. I’ve had to move bridges, make new bridge mounting holes, modify neck pockets and pickup cavities, modify tuner holes … The manufacturing tolerances are way too high, QC is lacking, necks are soft and need constant adjusting … and if you look close there are always a few things that make a person go - how did this make it out of the factory?

 

[Cave Puppy]

Zombie thread alert!

 

[Orpheus55]

I have several high-end Fenders but my go to bass these days (still gigging weekly in my early 70s) is the Epiphone LP Special in wine red. It has the dark, woody sound and clarity I need. I've heard it has neck dive but I do not find that to be so. It's light, well made, and sounds great. That I found it at a yard sale for $100 is even better. Needed a lot of work, but was well worth it.

 

[CletusMarley]

I think the quality and consistency of the more affordable instruments has come a long way since this thread was started. I feel like the logo on the headstock greatly influences our opinions of the instruments.

 

[GIBrat51]

So, what do you guys think? I've heard some Squiers are as good as some Fenders, but not the same for Gibsons and Epi. Or, does that really go for both of them? Ultimately who is better? or is it a draw?

Yeah, it's a "Zombie Thread". But, the OP's questions are still valid ones (although I imagine he resolved his dilemma quite a while ago). So...
Hard to say, really. Squier has never made a lefty bass that I wanted - or needed. My A-necked '78 Fender P-Bass is all the Fender-ish bass I want... Epiphone? I have a couple of early '70's Matsumoku-made hollow body Epiphones; very nice - for their time. And, considering they're pushing 52 years old, they're still very playable. But, until very recently, "lefty" and "Epiphone" weren't used together much - especially as regards basses...
But, Epiphone did finally finally release a lefty Jack Casady Bass. And, since it filled one of the few remaining empty spots in my herd? I bought one. Very happy with it, so far. The La Bella 760FGS Gold Flats it wears are about the only thing I'm not real happy with. They're... not sticky, really; the brass outer wrap is just not as slick as the stainless outer wrap on most other flats. They look really good with the gold body and the dark fretboard, though; and, there's always fried chicken grease... So;
Which brand is "better"? Depends on what you want, I guess. Every company makes an occasional dog; but, they also make an occasional gem of a bass, too. And, regarding Gibson vs. Epiphone? Yes, some Epi's are every bit as "good" as Gibsons. I've had 2 Gibsons (not many lefty Lefty basses from them, either), and I still have one; a '13 Thunderbird. That Gibson - build-wise? Perfect. The Gibson I sold, was an '18 T-Bird. Sad to say, it was... not... perfect. It did cost a lot more than the '13 T-Bird did, though. Some Epiphone T-bird's I've had my hands on, over the years? Pretty damn close to my '13 Gibson; and, for about 1/3 the price, too...
So, I guess it just depends on what kind of a bass you want. Like they say; Ya pays yer money, and ya takes yer chance..."

 

[ajkula66]

To my knowledge, the only Epiphone factory is in Quing Dong (or something like that) China.

Epiphones are also built in Indonesia, at least a couple of Vintage Pro Thunderbirds that I had in my hands were.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Epiphones are also built in Indonesia, at least a couple of Vintage Pro Thunderbirds that I had in my hands were.

Gotcha. I sit, corrected (NO ONE stands to type).

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Yeah, it's a "Zombie Thread". But, the OP's questions are still valid ones (although I imagine he resolved his dilemma quite a while ago). So...

Zombie threads usually rise again from the dead because someone has the same question. That's why I just answer 'em (unless I already have and yes, I search to be sure).

To go a bit sideways with this, my view on so-called "Zombie Threads" is: I'll stop answering them, when people stop complaining (usually to newb-sauce) about the number of threads on the same subject