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Showing posts with the label Value

Review: Epiphone Les Paul Standard

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This might be the best deal I've ever had on Kijiji. For $250 and a bit of gas, I took home an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Considering these go for $300-$450 typically, it's a good deal. But throw in a case and the fact that it is a really excellent example of this particular model, and it's an excellent one. Feel Shame I dislike Epiphone. This will be a recurring theme. Haters gonna hate. One of the many, many problems I've had with Epiphone was with the name itself. An Epiphone Les Paul? Pfft. Fender uses its name on products in the same price range as this, so why not Gibson? Likely something to do with "Made in the USA," but don't quote me on that. That headstock taunts you - you know that shape alone will give away your lifetime of bad choices to all who view it. "Oh, an Epiphone? Yeah, they're nice too," they say in their judge-y-est tone whilst dismissing all future opinions of yours. Feel shame, you unclean wretch.

Finding Value

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I could be wrong, but I think Gibson made a serious mistake in 2014 with the introduction of the SGJ.   I know.  Gibson?  Make a mistake?  Never.  Their decision making tree can never be questioned, right? For those unfamiliar, the Gibson SGJ is the lowest cost, "full featured" guitar you can currently buy from Gibson.   For under $650 CAD , you too can have your very own, brand new, USA made Gibson.  When you consider that the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro lists for almost 15% more, you have to wonder if the product folks at Epiphone got the memo about the 2014 product lineup.  I know, I know, they're not the same guitar, but stay with me.  Why would you buy the Chinese Les Paul when you could have the USA SGJ and a couple of $20s in your pocket instead?   Well, for the most part I blame teenagers and their parents (AM I RIGHT?!?!).  Parents won't deal on the used market, convinced that a "warranty" is of great value, so they'll happ