Fender vs. Epiphone

[zeppelin4ever]

I need to decide between two guitars a fender showmaster and an epiphone les paul standard anyone know which is better quality wise? Also I like the classic rock zeppelin sound. Does anyone know if these guitars are well made?

Just thought i'd ask I have played both in the store but they give me these huge amps that can make my Squier sound good so i don't know much about these guitars.

I'm planning on buying and using a 50 watt marshell.

[nickcoumbe]

Some squires are good, but the floyd rose they have is a but rubbish. I would normally prefer a strat w/floyd (and reverse headstock) but Epiphones are generally pretty good in my experience.

So Epiphone then.

[King Knall]

I'd go for the Showmaster. Since you're playing a Squier, a Strat bodyshape would be best suited for you. You'll have to get used to the shorter scale of the Epi. Besides, the Showmaster already has SD's in it. I haven't seen any Showmasters here, but I simply hate the Epi LP Standard. BUT, if you want a zeppelin-esque sound, an LP or a Tele is the best way to go. The Showmaster and Epi are both very different guitars. Choose wisely, my friend.

[Earthrug]

I take it that you are considering the showmaster that is around the same price as an Eppi-standard and not the $1600 or so model. Both guitars have a decent build quality and you should be able to get though a gig or gig like situation with either model in its stock condition. Other than size, shape and neck playabilty, the biggest dif ' between the guitars right off is the scale length. The longer scale of the Fender will give you less low end and for the most part more "cut" compared to the short scale Eppi. The short scale eppi will have a looser playabilty as well as being easier to bend on. There are more dif' but these are the most obvious.

Based on some of your other posts it seems like you want to harness some Page "mojo". Page def' has a few tricks and hooks up his sleeve that are "bag" worthy. I would recomend you learn a few Page and or ZEP tunes straight through and then go play them on a few of the guitars you are interested in.

[Rotti]

I would buy the Showmaster over the EPI LP. Not the Squire Showmaster though. I think there is three SHowmasters, the chepo Squire, the mid range one with real SD pickups, and the expensive one.

[King Knall]

Originally Posted by Earthrug

Based on some of your other posts it seems like you want to harness some Page "mojo". Page def' has a few tricks and hooks up his sleeve that are "bag" worthy. I would recomend you learn a few Page and or ZEP tunes straight through and then go play them on a few of the guitars you are interested in.

Whole Lotta Love and Heartbreaker come to mind.

[toma]

Originally Posted by zeppelin4ever

I need to decide between two guitars a fender showmaster and an epiphone les paul standard anyone know which is better quality wise? Also I like the classic rock zeppelin sound. Does anyone know if these guitars are well made?

Just thought i'd ask I have played both in the store but they give me these huge amps that can make my Squier sound good so i don't know much about these guitars.

I'm planning on buying and using a 50 watt marshell.

save a bit more for a mexican fender. theyre a massive step up in quality, for a small increase in price.

$0.02

[Racerx2k]

I DID have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, a year or two ago, but got rid of it, because I believe it has a chambered body, and I was getting some odd overtones with it. Both other guitarists in my band actually liked my Epi better than their ACTUAL Gibson Les Pauls (which I suspect was because of the setup I gave it, as opposed to how theirs were set up), but the overtones nagged at me. My Hamer SATF actually was a much better playing guitar, all around. I actually dropped it, so I could afford a Trem'd Ibanez............................I go through alot of guitars. hehe.

[norvan]

Originally Posted by Racerx2k

I DID have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, a year or two ago, but got rid of it, because I believe it has a chambered body, and I was getting some odd overtones with it. Both other guitarists in my band actually liked my Epi better than their ACTUAL Gibson Les Pauls (which I suspect was because of the setup I gave it, as opposed to how theirs were set up), but the overtones nagged at me. My Hamer SATF actually was a much better playing guitar, all around. I actually dropped it, so I could afford a Trem'd Ibanez............................I go through alot of guitars. hehe.

See, every story has a happy ending.

[Bzz]

Get the LP With that amp the LP will get better Page goodness and for me the LP neck is better suited for Page like playing. Yeah definately some people find that they like the epi LP more than the gibson but not too many. I think it's because the feel is really similar but the epi is lighter so it just feels better for them but I prefer my '73 gibson LP deluxe I love playing Zep on my epi, too, though

[Racerx2k]

Like I mentioned, I think the other guys in the band just liked my Epi better, cause I set it up, right. A good setup can make or break any guitar.
Yeah, if he wants that Page sound, I definitely go with a Les Paul-style guitar over a Strat-style. I used to worry about getting somebody's sound. Now, I just worry about getting MY sound.

[Earthrug]

Good point Racerx2K. A "proper" set-up can do wonders for a guitars playability.

[red5]

A Fender is not going to get a Zeppelin sound at all with a cheaper amp. There was a time where I played a strat for years and had not played a Les Paul for a while and when I did it was through a Marshall Valvestate and I was quite suprised as to how well I could pull off those Zeppelin-esque tones.