Are Epiphone and Squier guitars that crappy?

[repulse87]

I´ve seen many people over the internet complaining, why doesn´t my Squier sound like a Fender Strat?

As u guys knoe, Squier Strats are made in China, so why complain when u get the guitar at a lower price? I´ve also seen people complaining that their Epiphones do not sound as great as the Gibsons.

Personally, in my opinion, those people should reflect upon themselves.

How much are you paying for a Squier Strat as compared to a Fender USA Strat? Probably 1k lesser perhaps. The same applys to Epiphones and Gibsons. Both are non-comparable though both companies are so called "related" to each other.



Unfortunately, people are saying

"Squiers are Made in China, and therefore it sucks"

Today, most of our stuff are Made-In-China, so whats the problem in stuff made in China. Squiers do not suck unless you guys compare it to Fenders. Squiers are good for the price you are paying for it, its cheap, and playable.

I hope those people will sorta reflect upon themselves and cherish their guitars more and not complain about where they are made etc.

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[boofeng]

i´ve seen some really crappy epi´s before. but squires seem to be alright.



people are always doing weird stuff like that. so dont worry.

what i feel about the epi/squire issue is that it tends to confuse newcomers to guitar. i have friends who confuse gibson LPs with epiphones... I don´t like it.

it involves a small bit of deception... kind of like "small print"...

 

[live33]

From what I know, Epis dun last as long as the Gibson counterparts. The older the Gibson, the better it sounds... Epis, however, dun quite make it in the long run.

 

[repulse87]

Yes, but remember how much does an epiphone costs? A Epiphone Les Paul Standard costs $700+, while a Gibson Les Paul Standard costs $3000 to near $4000. Of course the workmanship and material involved is different. The point is, for $700, the Epiphone is definately a superb guitar.

 

[boofeng]

I think $700 can get some nicer guitars than epis... think korean parkers, hamers, even ibanez RGs... oh and godins too...



only thing about epis is the LP lookalikeness



I´ve seen the workmanship of the epis at sweelee during december period and its quite bad, for those few models on display.

 

[subversion]

i personally give the new range of squiers a thumbs up. but i still have doubts about that fat, 70s headstock though...

looks aside, the new range of squiers are IMO better made & value for $$$. i still think the dual humbucking squier strat i tried is top notch, even the stock bridge humbucker sings! if the squier tom delonge is as well made, i´ll grab it when it´s here.



yup- don´t reflect the squier against its fender siblings. you want a fender tone- shut up & buy a fender. don´t whine on a budget squier because the lousy party at the end of the equation is you.



my ibanez GAX-70 is made in Indonesia & i pick it up more often than my american LP...

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[repulse87]

Seriously, Epiphones are very quality for money. You are paying for an actual Les Paul under quality control of Gibson and not some cheap lookalike. Plus, Epi Les Pauls now have carved maple tops, figured or flame, with Gibson USA pickups, original Tuna-matic Bridge, what more can you ask for?

Of course, don´t expect grade AAA maple which features in the actual Gibson Les Paul. In the case of finding minor finish imperfections in Epis, i think in every guitar, there is some imperfections. Even in my own Gibson Les Paul, i can find some minor finish imperfection. I don´t expect Gibson to give me 100% perfect guitars, I think it works the same for Epiphones.

 

[boofeng]

I was referring to major flaws like rough fret edges, overdeep nut grooves, and bad alignment of strings across nut width, stuff like that. Finish imperfections don´t matter to me. All that counts is playability+tone. Well, nearly all.



But of course I only sampled 3 guitars, which is hardly a fair judge for all other Epis. Only other Epi i ever tried was my friend´s one which was from the batch 3 years earlier. Found it nice. I´d thought that Epiphone was compromising quality nowadays and got quite irritated.

I gotta agree Squires are quite nice for price. Every Squire I´ve played b4 is good.

 

[alfee]

I have only tried 2 squiers, one new and one old. The new one plays great clean sounds. Only let down is the hum with high gain.



The old one had lotsa problems, some described above.

 

[lilwong]

ah well, my 2 cents to this crowded topic:



1) Body

- I own an Epi LP and a Hamer, both Korean-made. Definitely not 1-piece bodies. I strongly suspect sustain would be affected here. So one notch down for the sustain that LP-styles are famous for.



2) Neck

- QC levels vary for ALL production line guitars, especially for Korean/China etc. So, test as many guitars as you can and find the one that´s the best. After that, a simple set-up job should set you up just fine. Boutique guitars feature laminate necks and carbon reinforcements but the LPs (US or Korean) have been the same for eons. IMO, no diff here.



3)Tuners

- Well, you get what you paid for. Don´t expect too much. If it bothers you, change them! But to date, most "tuner" problems I´ve heard are more due to the nut hanging up the strings.



4) Nut

- BIG problem for non-US models. A nut cut too deep can´t be cured. Not easy to catch while demo´ing the guitar, especially with the sales guy pressuring you to buy. Replacing one ain´t easy either. Live with it, or pay to change it.



5) Bridges

- My Hamer came with a bridge that had a saddle that was too sharp and cut the strings frequently. Back then, I just spent the money and bought a replacement Schaller bridge. Now, I think I would try to file it and when i destroy it, THEN I´d buy a new one.



6) Electronics

- Now here´s something to talk abt. I strongly recommend those who can´t shell out the K´s needed for a US model to visit www.guitarnuts.com to see how they can improve their Korean imports. Most non-US models simple don´t shield their electronics adequately, if at all. With some knowledge of electronics and a solder, this can be fixed. Wiring is another issue that can be rectified.



7) Pickups

- You get what you pay for. Most stock pickups don´t sound TOO bad, IMHO. Comes down to expectations, I suppose. But if your pickups don´t come potted already, it can be improved by a DIY potting job.

Finish

- Many non-US guitars are not finished using lacquer. They´re instead finished using polyurethane or some similar substance. What does this mean? Polyurethane cannot be dissolved like lacquer can so finish repairs will not be possible. But HECK, the guitar can still be played!! Chances are your Korean made LP didn´t come with a AAA-grade flame maple top either. I wouldn´t pay much stock to this concern.



9) Setup/Intonation

- When you buy your guitar, always have them set it up for you. Even for US-made guitars, ´cos the climate change probably did hell to the set-up anyway. Once that´s settled, I doubt you´ll have much problems there. Of course, it´s always better to learn to do your own setup.



10) Frets/fretboard

- Expect uneven frets to be a problem on non-US models. That´s why you should audition as many as possible before settling on the one with the LEAST problems. As for little gaps in the fret joins etc, I don´t consider it to affect tone or playability.



Case study (on myself):

I have the above-mentioned 2 Korean-mades and 1 US-made Jeff Beck Strat. The LP has seen better days and the neck´s shifted side-ways. The top´s also cracked badly. The Hamer´s neck glue joint came apart after 4 years. Shoddy workmanship? Maybe, but prob due to the abuse I subjected it to over the years. I bought the Strat abt 4 years ago. Overall, better finishing, shielding etc. But the wiring gave me problems abt 3 months after buying it. My verdict: No production line guitar will be faultless. You just pay more for a lower chance of getting a dud. That´s why I´ll never mail-order a guitar.



Phew!!! That´s a lot to write abt. Will clam-up now.

 

[Henzy]

Sometimes the guitars don´t play the part but the owners do.