We NEED to talk about 'CHEAP' Guitars Like the PRS DGT SE and Epiphone Lazarus

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A few folks were surprised that I preferred the Epiphone Lazarus to my Gibson Les Paul Standard, some thought I was being sponsored by Epiphone....Which was odd...And then some folks are throwing around words like "Poor". Anyway it made me think about the difference between these guitars, and after watching some Gibson factory tours and Epiphone factory tours, I've come to some conclusions.

only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

[Davepotnoodle]

There will always be "cork-sniffers" in every hobby. Ultimately, if the guitar(s) you own inspire you to pick up and play, you enjoy how they sound, and they don't hinder your playing then it doesn't matter what they cost.

[paulmurphy]

We seem to need (expensive)"things" to prop up our fragile egos and to compensate for our lack of musical skills.It's a special human thing that we do.😌

[GraniteSoundtrack]

I like you John. You’re funny and you are honest. It’s strange how hard people seem to find it that not every big name expensive guitar is great and not every less respected name less expensive guitar is bad.

[davidparkerguitar]

I've owned a Gibson USA 335 (maybe a 2017?) and now an Epiphone "Inspired by Gibson" 335. There's not any significant difference (other than a hinky input jack on the Epi). I know the Gibson was nitro-finished as opposed to poly, but it's not really a better/worse situation. My two strats are an American Professional and a Mexican Vintera. They're different, but not in a better/worse way- just different. My playing probably isn't sophisticated enough to bring the differences to light, but I've been playing forty-five years, and if I can't tell much difference now, then I doubt I'm going to start.

[Place_to_keep_videos]

One of the top 5 content creators on YT. You're so talented and that gives you an edge to be a success. Congratulations and thanks for the inspiring musicianship.🎉

[jerryrn]

Just love your honest analysis John, I respect you so much for your insite. I also have the Lazarus and will by a DGT gold top soon. Thank again and cheers from California!

[imacmadman]

On the 'apprenticeship' portion, the UK definition of apprenticeship is not the same as two months training for applying binding to a guitar. When Gibson employees (and typically, the same goes for much of American factory jobs) learn to apply binding, that is all they do, they learn that task and then perform it until they move to another job within the factory. It's not like they learn a whole range of tasks within the field of guitar making. There are some people at Gibson who worked decades in seemingly mundane jobs like applying binding, spraying finishes and scraping binding and they are considered experts in those tasks. Those jobs take skill, attention to detail and hands that can perform that task to a consistently high standard day in and out.

[markpell]

Very fair and balanced discussion. I've been playing about 50yrs and owned a lot of guitars, and a few were well more expensive and 'nicer' than usual budget or starter models. I got over the brand-name hype thing long ago after actually playing many guitars, often in performance and occasionally for recording. All that matters to me is how they actually sound, play and look. If we can get over our egos and quit fishing for peer affirmation or trying to be like a known celebrity, I suggest to try judging a guitar or whatever product as if it were unbranded and standing on its own real merits. My current modest collection is a couple vintage 'nice' guitars plus several Epiphones and a few Squiers, none of which I'd trade for the comparable Gibson or Fender unless it was a really sweet deal and the guitar I'd be trading for was equal or better in meaningful ways. But I never bought any guitar as an investment or for trading stock; I bought them to have, play and enjoy. My '21 Epi LP Studio is the best guitar I've ever owned or played and I've had some moments with it that were the kind of experience we hope for as musicians. I got this guitar for less than Gibson wants for a case for a Les Paul. My most recent addition is a used but nearly perfect Squier Affinity Tele bought cheap at a pawn shop and it's magic. So as I usually say, everyone should buy what they want and be happy about it. I just wanted to throw out some thoughts to sort of keep it real and also agree with your opinions today, and I hope there was something of use to people shopping now for a guitar.

[joshscott]

That Lazarus looks great, it looks like it is a great version of the original.

[hkvhia]

Mass production quality of guitars today is way better than in the old days. Today also in Azia (and Mexico) they know how to build a very good guitar. I recently bought a Fender Player Plus Telecaster with a slight discount for a little less than 900 Euros. The guitar has a very good build quality and the setup out of the box only needed a few tweeks. It sounds heavenly through my Line 6 Helix LT home setup with studio monitors. I really wonder whether one should ever consider a Fender American Ultra Telecaster for 2285 Euros (in NL). You definitely by far don't get 1385 Euros better guitar value. Not at all.

[ThePlanarchist]

Absolutely, 100%.
I recently went looking (again) for a Les Paul (have had two Gibsons before) and spent a couple of hours in the shop playing both the Gibsons and a couple of the Epiphones. Kept going back to one of the Epiphones and that's the one I came home with....I was prepared to pay twice as much but they just weren't as good, to me. That Epiphone still makes me want to pick it up and play every day (even pushing my previous fave, my Fender USA Tele into second place).
As you say, they're built in factories by people, probably with very similar equipment so why should we be so
Nice one.

[TheGuitarDudeSteve]

Great video man. I've always been an advocate of, "play the guitar" not the price.

[mikegossett]

I have to admit im jealous that lazarus looks much nicer than the one i had. You know its funny we are conditioned to believe that the workmanship from one country to another is vastly different but that just doesnt always hold especially in mass produced guitars. You do get nicer woods and appointments on the gibson, but that doesnt mean a better guitar in the end. Also the average quality of an epiphone (and most similar brands) has risen to be of a pro level. In the case of gibson brands, gibson is supposed to be the pinnacle dream guitar, but there is nothing to be ashamed of playing an epiphone anymore.

[garywaddell]

And this is one reason why I love your channel. You are so honest and down to earth John. Of course who doesn’t like your talent on the guitar. I believe musicians suffer from the placebo effect in that they think owning a super high end guitar will make them a better player. They see their fav players on YouTube and the amount of attention a player is getting and think, oh yeah I wanna play like that person. I think platforms like YouTube have pushed the prices of what are considered high end guitars to the brink of being unaffordable. It almost seems to be based on the ego, if I have have a custom shop Les Paul, Strat etc I will be more accepted (like a fashion trend) or it determines how good you are on the instrument. I love mid range priced guitars like Charvel, Sire and Schecter etc as you get so much value for your money and don’t feel in debt after the purchase. I personally believe there are incredible options now for buying a guitar.

[steved]

Down to the player - give Paul kossof the epiphone or SRV a PRS SE I bet they will sound just fine. I have high end strats, epiphones and PRS SEs and I love the variety of them all. Honestly, I could EASILY gig with any of them. I wouldn't pay over 2k anymore. Stock strats, revstars etc easily do the job.

[doug]

“Some people are really only shopping for a badge, in a lot of ways…”

So true. I’ve been guilty of this in the past as well. But, I’ve owned Squiers that play better than Fenders. After a pickup swap they sound just as good or better too. My Lazarus is unquestionably one of my favorite guitars and both plays and sounds better than any number of much more expensive Gibsons I’ve played.

[JasonWharton]

Great vid John, I’ve owned Gibsons in the past including a les Paul custom, I now own three Epiphones, the Adam Jones sig, Jerry Cantrell signature and the Jared James Nichols, non of them are perfect but they are all really good guitars and deserve more respect than they get, I’ve really changed my outlook on the cheaper guitars over the last few years and tried to be less of a snob, as a result I’ve found squiers, Mexican fenders, Chinese epiphones etc that are really good, particularly for the budget minded. I still love Gibson but Epiphone are making really great stuff these days.

[baronc]

Being an american factory worker myself, I can tell you that things are not necessarily made better here. But it does cost more to make things here. There are a lot of people that do the bare minimum. I think when people buy American and have to convince themselves its better to justify extra money they spent on it.

[rustyboy]

I have a les Paul Epiphone and I love it.

[jeremyhickersonsalem]

two weeks from a log to shipping -- I've built some guitars starting with unsurfaced boards (both solid and hollow bodies, including classical guitars). Wood moisture content changes so much after you cut it down to smaller pieces, and the wood moves, too. So not good to hear of such a quick transformation. However, they may do some drying that makes this happen more quickly so they can adjust, but again, it's not good to dry that quickly.