Epiphone article
Epiphone Explained: Features, Types and Tips
A Gibson subsidiary since 1957, this brand produces affordable versions of classic shapes alongside original designs — this guide explains the range, hardware and who each model suits.
What Is Epiphone?
Epiphone is a guitar manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in Greece, originally producing lutes and fiddles before moving into guitars and banjos in the early twentieth century. Gibson acquired the brand in 1957, and since then Epiphone has operated as a subsidiary producing more accessible versions of classic Gibson designs alongside a range of original models. Today, most Epiphone instruments are manufactured in Asia, which keeps prices significantly below their Gibson equivalents while retaining similar body shapes, electronics layouts and visual styling.
Main Guitar Lines
The Epiphone catalogue covers several major guitar families. The Les Paul range replicates the proportions and aesthetics of the original Gibson design at a fraction of the cost, from the standard singlecut body to Custom and Traditional variants. The SG line follows the same logic for the double-cutaway design. The Casino and Sheraton are semi-hollow and full-hollow body models that have their own independent legacy — the Casino in particular was favoured by The Beatles and stands as an Epiphone original, not a Gibson copy. The Dot is a thinline semi-hollow variant based on the ES-335 outline.
Hardware and Electronics
Epiphone guitars use a range of pickup configurations depending on the model. Humbucker-equipped versions use proprietary ProBucker or Alnico Classic pickups, which cover clean and overdriven tones across rock and blues applications without modification. P-90 style pickups appear on selected vintage-specification models for a brighter, more cutting single-coil character. Hardware quality varies by tier: locking tuners, Graph Tech nuts and higher-mass bridges appear on the Inspired by Gibson and Prophecy lines, while entry-level configurations use standard die-cast tuners. Inspection on arrival and adjustment of the nut and saddle is standard practice at any price.
Who It Is For
The brand occupies a practical middle ground — offering recognisable body shapes, professional proportions and established electronics at a price accessible to beginners and intermediate players. For anyone learning on a traditional rock or blues platform who cannot justify the cost of a Gibson, the brand delivers the essential playing experience at a workable investment. Players who want a stage instrument without risking an expensive primary guitar also regularly choose the brand for touring use. See our buyer's guide for specific model recommendations at each price point.
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