Epiphone Guitars: The Complete Guide

Legendary guitars and basses for working musicians. Epiphone are your gateway into the world of classic Les Pauls, SGs, Dot ES-335 semi-hollow guitars and acoustics. Let’s dig into the extensive Epiphone line-up…

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Contents

Who are Epiphone?

One of North America’s most popular instrument makers, Epiphone are loved worldwide for their iconic guitar designs at prices that don’t pull hard at the purse strings.

 

Epiphone are an offshoot company of Gibson, who were the first to bring us many of the instantly recognisable creations in their catalogue. While Gibson dominates the high-end market, Epiphone are tasked with building production-line ‘Gibson-lite’ models to cater to players on a budget and musicians who want a reliable instrument to play from gig to gig. Most Epiphone instruments are assembled in their state-of-the-art Chinese factory opened in 2004.

Epiphone Guitar Models

Among the Epiphone line-up you’ll find the likes of the unmistakable Les Paul, kickass SG, classic Firebird, and extreme Explorer and Flying V shapes. They're still making their own unique designs – particularly semi-hollows for which they became famous for prior to the Gibson takeover – such as the coveted Casino, Emperor and Sheraton. Pre-Second World War, they were also celebrated for their acoustic guitars, and they continue that tradition with the adopted J-45, Hummingbird, Dove, L-00 and SJ models.

Les Paul Guitars

The one and only Les Paul comes in many different guises, but the base design rarely strays too far from home. This is a thick-set single cut (double cut Les Paul Special aside) solid body equipped with humbucker or P90 pickups, 22 frets and a hardtail bridge, the same as you’ll find from Gibson.

 

The first Les Paul was released to the public in 1952. Gibson went on to make a few modifications over the next couple of decades, and these fiftes and sixties models remain the most desirable. Epiphone have made many hundreds of version but they always fall back on the original tried and tested designs. The Les Paul defined the modern guitar with the introduction of humbucker pickups, while tweaking the neck and fingerboard specs until they landed on what many guitarists consider the perfect playing feel.


No matter the model, Les Pauls find their home in all strands of blues, rock and metal. They bring a warmth and consistency through their tone, and sound thick when matched with a full body, gain-loaded amp. Through a clean tone, they sound wide and engulfing. Some of the most recognisable LP players include Jimmy Page, Slash, Ace Frehley, Neil Young and Peter Green.


Typical Les Paul features:

•   Pickups: Two humbuckers or two P90s
•   Neck: 24.75” scale length set mahogany with ‘C’ profiles
•   Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with a stop bar
•   Tone: Warm, thick and punchy
•   Ideal for: Rock, blues and metal

A yellow electric guitar next to a brown guitar case.
A yellow electric guitar next to a brown guitar case.

SG Guitars

The devilish Epiphone SG is a massively influential two-horned shape loved by everyone from classic rock through to metal and post hardcore genres. They were made to be the successor to the Les Paul but they became an entity of their own. SGs are great for energetic players who like a sleek, agile and lightweight guitar with attitude. Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Angus Young of AC/DC and Ian MacKaye from Fugazi have all favoured the SG. The EB3 SG bass version became a personal favourite of Jack Bruce of Cream and The Who's John Entwistle.

 

SGs are incredibly simple instruments consisting of one piece of thin wood. Top woods like flamed maple usually come as a luxury. You usually get two hot humbuckers to handle lots of gain, but you might come across the three-pickup Custom and the raw and ready SG Special possessing P90s, which are closer to the classic single-coil pickup sound.

 

Typical SG features:
•   Pickups: Two humbuckers or two P90s
•   Neck: 24.75” scale length set mahogany with ‘C’ profiles
•   Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with a stop bar
•   Tone: Thick, hairy and punchy
•   Ideal for: Rock, blues and metal

Two electric guitars leaning against an amplifier on a wooden floor.
Red electric guitar resting on the ground near a tree.
Two electric guitars leaning against an amplifier on a wooden floor.
Red electric guitar resting on the ground near a tree.

Firebird Guitars

One of rock's coolest and most unusual guitars, the Firebird catches the eye with the unique offset shape, oversized headstock and 'banjo' tuners, big curvy contours and raised middle block. It's been the favoured instrument of blues rock legends Johnny Winter and Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

The Firebird is certainly an acquired taste, especially to play as its bridge is set so far into the middle of the body, but plenty of players love it just because it represents something differne to the norm and has a completely different sound to the rest of the Epiphone range. The mini humbuckers (only found elsewhere on some semi-hollow Epiphone guitars) are almost single-coil-like in their brightness and clarity but still handle heavy amounts of gain with aplomb. 

 

Typical Firebird features:

  • •   Pickups: One or two mini humbuckers 

  • •   Neck: 24.75” scale length set mahogany and walnut with ‘C’ profiles 

  • •   Bridge: Tune-O-Matic, Wraparound Lightning Bar or Maestro Vibrola 

  • •   Tone: Bright, clear and aggressive 

  • •   Ideal for: Blues, rock and hard rock 

Close-up of a red guitar with a white pickguard and logo.
Close-up of a red guitar with a white pickguard and logo.

Explorer Guitars

A sharp and aggressive design popularised by James Hetfield of Metallica in the 1980s, the Explorer is built from the ground up for hard rock and metal and crushing tone. This is a guitar with real stage presence and the sound to match – you’ll usually find them loaded with powerful EMG active pickups or high output alnico humbuckers.

 

Typical Explorer features: 

  • •    Pickups: Two high output humbuckers 

  • •    Neck: 24.75” scale length set mahogany neck with ‘C’ profiles 

  • •    Bridge: LockTone Stop Bar 

  • •    Tone: Sharp, powerful and devastating 

  • •    Ideal for: Hard rock and metal 

Flying V Guitars

Another extreme style born from seventies swagger, the Flying V is the most unconventional shape in the Epiphone line-up. The design grants unfettered access to all frets and the playing feel is ultra quick, although you may want to play this one standing up most of the time unless you like straddling your guitar. An incredible choice for lead players ready to shred. Played by the likes of Albert King, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and the late Brent Hinds of Mastodon. 

 

Typical Flying V features: 

  • •    Pickups: Two high output/hot-rodded humbuckers 

  • •    Neck: 24.75” scale length set mahogany with ‘C’ profiles 

  • •    Bridge: LockTone Tune-O-Matic and Stop Bar 

  • •    Tone: Fiery and soaring 

  • •    Ideal for: Hard rock and metal 

ES and semi hollow/hollow bodies

As one of the oldest Gibson production line electric guitars, Epiphone have adopted the ES and produced the famous semi-hollow body in its many variations. The 335, 339, 345 and 355 all possess unique features. For example, the 335 is your classic warm and woody solid maple block ES; the 345 adds a Varitone rotary switch to give you several preset EQ-filtered tones; the 339 is a smaller, less bulky alternative; and the 355 is the most luxurious of the range with an array of deluxe hardware appointments and fanciful design choices.

 

You’ve also Epiphone’s original shapes: the punchy sounding, rocking Riviera that you could consider closest to the 335; the big, classy Sheraton with more elaborate stylistic inserts; and the Casino, which is a true hollow body equipped with P90 pickups delivering the jangly open tone of a vintage guitar. 

 

Typical Semi-hollow/hollow body features:

  • •    Construction: Maple body (solid maple centre block for semi-hollows) 

  • •    Pickups: Low output alnico humbuckers, dog ear P90s or mini humbuckers 

  • •    Neck: 24.7” scale length mahogany with ‘C’ profiles 

  • •    Bridge: LockTone ABR and Stopbar or Trapeze  

  • •    Tone: Smooth, full and subtly articulated 

  • •    Ideal for: Blues, jazz, country and rock  

Black electric guitar leaning against audio equipment in a studio setting.
Red electric guitar leaning against a black amplifier in a room.
Electric guitar resting in an open case with amplifier in background.
Black electric guitar leaning against audio equipment in a studio setting.
Red electric guitar leaning against a black amplifier in a room.
Electric guitar resting in an open case with amplifier in background.

Epiphone Acoustic Guitars

Epiphone’s make brilliant acoustic guitars in the middle price bracket of the market. They’ve been sharing shapes with Gibson’s beautiful catalogue since the late fifties, even being made in the same Kalamazoo factory in those early days of production. Explore the Epiphone range consisting of the Hummingbird, J-45, Dove, J-200, L-00 and Blues King acoustics from entry level right up to Custom Shop recreations.

Three acoustic guitars in various colors displayed on stands.

Hummingbird and J-45 Dreadnoughts

 

The square-shouldered dreadnought Hummingbird dreadnought is, arguably, the most recognisable of the range thanks to its bold bird-themed pickguard and big sound. The Dove is the sister guitar to the Hummingbird swapping out the mahogany body for maple. For a more balanced and understated tone and look, opt for the slope-shouldered J-45 workhorse acoustic. A great choice whether you're playing solo or in a band across many styles of music.

 

Typical dreadnought features:

  • •    Construction: Square or sloped shoulder 

  • •    Woods: Spruce top, mahogany or maple back and sides 

  • •    Neck: Rounded ‘C’ mahogany with rosewood fretboard 

  • •    Pickups: Fishman or L.R. Baggs 

  • •    Ideal for: Singer songwriters and vocal accompaniment – true all-rounder

  •  

J-200 Jumbos

Providing the presence, huge low-end and crisp highs are the jumbo-sized SJ-200 (replicating the earliest acoustic in the Inspired By Gibson range) and J-200, which are great picks for country and rock. They’re big for strumming but equally give you a distinct, full tone for finger picking. Far more versatile and nuanced than you might expect from such as large guitar. 

 

Typical J-200 features:

  • •    Construction: jumbo body, X bracing and 25.5” scale length 

  • •    Woods: Spruce top, maple back and sides 

  • •    Neck: ‘D’ shape mahogany with rosewood fretboard 

  • •    Pickups: Fishman or L.R. Baggs 

  • •    Ideal for: Big bands, country and rock

  •  

Parlour Acoustics

If you’re after a smaller body to play round the home and travel light, then you’ll do well with the Gibson-inspired L-00 or the Blues King parlour sized acoustics. These are fantastic finger picking guitars with unique, responsive tone made for a light touch. They’ve got real pre-War vintage flair, many models donning sunburst and dark finishes and tortoiseshell colour pickguards that were common among Gibson acoustics of the time.

 

Typical parlour features: 

  • •    Construction: Small parlour mahogany body 

  • •    Woods: Spruce top, maple back and sides 

  • •    Neck: Rounded ‘C’ shape mahogany with rosewood fretboard 

  • •    Pickups: Fishman 

  • •    Ideal for: Home playing and fingerstyle

  •  

Epiphone Collections

A big strength of the Epiphone catalogue is that it caters to a lot of different guitarists working on smaller and larger budgets, and players with a certain idea of guitar specs in mind. Let’s look at the different collections to shop from, including the Inspired By Gibson and Futura ranges. 

Inspired By Gibson

This is the core Epiphone range that closely follows the historic and contemporary specs of higher-end classic Gibsons. In here you’ll find a mix of instruments with both traditional finishes like Ebony, Cherry and Iced Tea Burst, and more modern colours borrowed from Gibson’s newer creations like Purple Burst and Ocean Water. 

 

The same applies to playing specs: a ‘50s Les Paul will feature low output PAF style ProBucker pickups and a rounded neck profile, while a ‘60s LP opts for a Slimtaper ‘C’ and higher output humbuckers. You’ve got an incredible amount of choice to suit the era of guitar you like the most.

 

Inspired By Gibson Custom

Gibson Custom represents the holy grail of guitar luthiery. They feature the best hardware, woods, hand-wound pickups and craftsmanship – and very often, specs you won’t find in the standard range. The same applies to Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom – these are the best guitars they build, and they make that elusive Gibson Custom magic far more accessible to the working musician. 

 

Let’s take the pre-War SJ-200 for example. The ‘King of the Flat-Tops’ boasts genuine vintage specs like traditional scalloped X-bracing, a flamed maple body and mother of pearl graduated crown inlays. Meanwhile, the Custom 1983 Les Paul SG (the SG was originally planned to be the LP replacement) is stacked with three pickups and a stylish Maestro Vibrola tailpiece. 

Futura Collection

If you’re a fan of how modern guitars look and feel to play, then Epiphone also make something perfect for you. The Futura series introduced a load of new and vibrant Chromashift finishes, with colours changing depending on where the light hits the body.  

 

Modern ‘C’ mahogany necks, stainless steel frets and 10-14-inch compound fretboards come standard across all models, giving you the familiar feel of a contemporary fast playing guitar. There’s also a load of tonal variation thanks to the push/pull controls for coil splitting, plus phase switching to activate while both pickups are engaged for an even broader EQ range. These are top level appointments under £1000.

 

Artist Collection

Epiphone have a rich history making guitar for the biggest names in music. Paul McCartney and Peter Frampton both famously played Epiphone Texan acoustics in the sixties, and The Beatles were also big fans of the stylish Casino. Dedicated signature guitars have been made for John Lennon over the years. Going further back, folk artist Roy Orbison wielded an Epiphone 12-string to compose some of his most famous songs. 

 

Over the past 30-or-so years, the likes of Chet Atkins, Noel Gallagher and Zakk Wylde have all used Epiphone – these can be found in the Artist Collection. Current artists on the signature roster include Billie Joe Armstrong, Vivian Campbell, Joe Bonamassa, Dave Rude, Jack Casady and Tommy Thayer. Epiphone also make tributes and affordable versions of renowned guitars, like Jeff Beck’s, Adam Jones’ and Kirk Hammett’s (formerly Peter Green’s) Les Pauls.

Red electric guitar in a leopard-print case.
Red electric guitar in a leopard-print case.

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