They vary in terms of design but mainly stick to the similar body shapes of their Gibson siblings. The Les Paul, SG, and 335 are all released under the Epiphone brand, and their designs very closely resemble the original models.Įpiphone also produces a range of their own archtops and semi-hollow body guitars. Some deviate from the hollow body style that made the brand famous, with solid-body models becoming increasingly popular.Įpiphone, on the other hand, mainly produces replicas of popular Gibson models.
Their professional range boasts some exceptional instruments. Their hollow body archtops were originally designed for jazz musicians but became popular amongst rock musicians. They have curvy bodies, and the original design has been maintained throughout the decades. Gretsch guitars are all distinctively vintage-styled. The only fair way to definitively decide which manufacturer suits you better is to break down their qualities into specific categories. They each produce distinctive guitars, which rival the heavyweights such as Fender and Gretsch in terms of performance and tone. In my experience, both Gretsch and Epiphone are brilliant producers of affordable instruments. My first bass guitar was a Gretsch Electromatic model, and I’ve also owned an Epiphone 335 in the past.
Comparing these two legendary manufacturers is not an easy task – especially due to my personal experience with both.
