Epiphone Tribute... how much?

As predicted, the Epiphone Les Paul Tribute is now listing at City Music for $459 (Initial mention: CLICK). If you are interested, please be informed of its bolt-on construction hence the very pocket-friendly price. The 2-knob SG version is also available for $429.

Pics: Epiphone

Tribute saviours

As guitar prices head toward absurdity, Epiphone is rescuing itself by reminding others who they once were; the champion of affordable alternatives. The new Tribute Series feature a Les Paul & an SG depicted above, listing for USD279. When these eventually get here, expect a sub-$500 price bracket.

A good move but...

• we know how dot inlays don't sit well with LPs but the Tribute feature just that. Maybe - just maybe - this concern limits itself in the Gibson domain & not its sub-brand counterpart. We shall see.
• why is the SG version not reflecting a true SG - 2 knobs only? Goodness. I see this as a commitment compromise, or just plain laziness.

As it is, things are not in full swing yet at the new Epiphone dealer, City Music. We hope CM brings in the lesser models for those of us who are struggling with our gear budget but would not want to compromise too much on quality & performance.

Pics: Epiphone

Price watch (84) : Tribute prices

Folks, Gibson had the Tribute Les Pauls once upon a time. These were around late 2011 if memory serves me right, I bought one. They were initially under the Studio model. Moving on, they placed the Tribute under the Modern Series which had been discontinued after the new CEO, James Curleigh, took over.

Why am I bringing this up? Lately, I noticed a few Tribute listings with prices seemingly glorifying the Tribute tag. It's like Tribute here refers to a revered model in Gibson's glorious history worthy of an exorbitant price tag. With reference to the listing above - $2.5K for a Tribute? In 2017, there were two types of Tributes, the Ts & the HPs. The Ts were basically models based on traditional designs. The HPs (High Performance) are the counterparts manifesting modern attributes & the most loathed feature of it all - those robot tuners. This particular listing is interesting because firstly, it included a pic of an unrelated model featuring a pair of P90 pickups. 

Secondly, the tuners here are a set of Grovers. Seller did not disclose why this swap happened. Thirdly, that pick guard is not supposed to be there. Notice, there are no screws / mounting bracket on the pickguard - so whassup with this?

These are the other Tributes listed in the after-market. When they debuted back then, prices were in the $1.5K - $1.6K range. Yes, we respect some appreciation in price but paying $2K (or more) for one  - please re-think your choices. Oh, you shouldn't influence prices this way, it's strictly demand - supply. That's true but we should not fall victim to price flippers / scalpers, just because there's Gibson at the headstock. There's already a shop here doing just that.

Nothing against the Tribute models - I still own 2 of them. Good no frills Gibson but nothing boutique.

Gilbert's DIO

Looking forward to this - Paul Gilbert's instrumental Dio tribute album. I've not been keeping up with PG's solo releases since his inclinations to fuzzy tones & shedding his shredder image. Hope this one won't disappoint.

Pic: PG

Price watch (20)

I'm still trawling the after-market, it had become a pass time of sort, owing to the fact that no new stuff are coming into the stores for a while now; especially Gibsons. It's the pandemic affecting this aspect of business. In any case, brand names like DiMarzio & Ibanez, among others, are also experiencing this slow development. Let's take a look at the Les Pauls above - the Tribute model is virtually listing itself not to be sold at that price. Folks, Tributes sit a little below the Studios in terms of price-to-detail tier standings. The 'burst Studio, in my opinion, has a fair asking price. Also, a full fledged Studio, that red one on the right, is listing for less & it comes with a hard case. 

So what can be learnt here? You really need to know what you are selling & what you are competing against, which contribute towards the demand - supply situation. Regardless if your instrument is relatively new or well-maintained, it's all about putting things in context. Yes, these factors do place a little weight on your asking price but it does not invite desirability & an invitation to treat.

Glossless

Managed to spend time with these two before heading for treatment. They are similar in so many ways. It wouldn't be too far fetched to say the Tribute (white) is a refinement of the BFG (red), a slight one at that. More importantly, these are some of the Gibson models that come without a gloss finish which I am a fan of. The Tribute has a slight edge over the BFG as it has a satin overcoat so it does not feel like touching the bark of a tree while playing. Tone-wise, due to the lighter nature of both guitars, they manifest this clarity which is not heard in other LPs which are much heavier. With that said, LP devotees don't quite fancy the ones without that deep, low frequency growl. It's simply the signature tone of an LP. I'm not too particular when it comes to such expectations. In fact, my expectations are simple - a Les Paul serving my needs should sound the way I like it to be & inspire me to play despite how restrictive it might feel. 😎

Do-Tri

So the enticements continue. G&L now has the Doheny in the non-American Tribute version. If it ever makes its way here, it'd be probably in the sub-$1K price range. A sensible move considering the Doheny is picking up in terms of desirability but remains to be an acquired taste in terms of a Jazzmaster affair without its traditional whammy type bridge, quirky pickup options & a maple fretboard. 

Gibson 2019- moving on

Some official Gibson announcements this Summer & the world awaits the 2019 lineup revelation with reasonable anxiety after seeing what the brand name went through recently. I'm not a keen Gibson fan but I respect formidable craftsmanship & Gibson is one of the forerunners in this aspect, no contest. The brand name chief made himself heard recently by saying the 2019 selections would shed foul features in favour of sensible appointments. I'm not highlighting the entire range but the significant few that illustrate repentance more than anything else.

The LP Standard HP seen here for instance, ditched the rubbish robot tuners for a more functional set of locking Grover units instead. The model also includes an internal 5-way DIP switch for more sonic options- thumbs up!. Potential deal breaker- richlite fretboard.

Happy to know that the LP Studio-Tribute model is retained & continues to offer no-frills features. The satin finish is here to stay & fretboard markers are simple dots this time. 

'New' for 2019 is the SG Standard Tribute. It's as no-frills as the LP Tribute but I'd say it's a re-named SG faded more than anything else. 

Last but not least in this entry, I'm super stoked to see this Firebird Tribute. I was in the market for an entry-level Firebird which Gibson offers in the mean time (Firebird Studio) but without a reverse headstock. Also, I'm not into that raised through body section which is eliminated here in the 2019 version (it was never a feature for the Studio version anyway) & the inclusion of the mini humbuckers is ace; it retains the authentic vibe. 

The Hendrix way

This is the current swing in the Hendrix/Fender camp. This guitar was previously mentioned here: CLICK

Do you know that Fender actually did a more accurate repro of the Hendrix Strat in all its reverse glory? It was a limited run, if memory serves me right, in the early Y2Ks... Note the strap button- it's a righty guitar, not a lefty.

That's how Hendrix played his Strat, yes? He had all the controls over at the top side (arrowed) & his cable was getting in the way of his picking hand.

LTD: Hanneman tribute

Limited edition release- LTD Jeff Hanneman tribute model, only 100 pieces worldwide. A proceed from the sales goes to the Wounded Warrior Project. Due to the limited quantity, you know the chances of this appearing at your dealer's is a little remote unless they are passionate about the brand name.

Tribute contradiction

The current Gibson related buzz in the mean time is the guitar you see above; it's the new Les Paul Studio 50s Tribute model. The manufacturer said it 'embodies the look and tone of the great original Les Pauls from the 1950s...' but I read the contradiction which follows with much unease- the current manifestation features a chambered body which wasn't the case of the original 1950s model. So how can this guitar be an embodiment of its predecessor? 

Would you then care for a Japanese copy with excellent credentials to match the Gibson version above? 


To many of us, investing in the Edwards is unthinkable as it is a blatant support for imitation.The Gibson original should be embraced even if it means being baited by the brand name per se & disregarding the misrepresentation(s) it holds. Brand name reverence is indeed a marketing deity.