Epiphone Elitist

[Algonquin]

The Elite/Elitist line are very nice guitars indeed. I saw a used Elite LP go up for sale on a site the other day, and it was gone within hours.

 

[DrumBob]

I had an Epi Elitist Les Paul Standard. It looked beautiful, but the neck was so bad, I coudn't get rid of the buzzing no matter what I did or who adjusted it. I sumped it on Ebay. Too bad. My Tokai LS-85 LP copy licks it's *** in all ways.

 

[Duffy]

Elitists

The new Tributes and 59's are supposed to be built in the same factory as the elitists, at least according to conjecture and are marked with date of mfg., etc., very similarly to the elitists. There may be some quality comparitson between these two types of Epiphones.

My Tribute is outstanding.

 

[Gregzy]

The new Tributes and 59's are supposed to be built in the same factory as the elitists, at least according to conjecture and are marked with date of mfg., etc., very similarly to the elitists. There may be some quality comparitson between these two types of Epiphones.

My Tribute is outstanding.

Not quite...the Tributes are made in China. Elitists were made at either Fuji gen (solid bodies) or Terada (semi hollows) in Japan. What has happened is Epiphone took the marketing points of the higher-end, Japanese-made Elitists and applied them to the Chinese-made Les Paul Tributes. The Tribute is being marketed on these "features", not the intrinsic guitar. Epiphone is hoping for the conjecture and wishful thinking such as the "made in the same factory as the Elitists" which does seem to happen with a great deal of frequency with Epiphone, there always seems to be some conjecture, rumor or "secret knowledge" that a particular instrument is more than what it actually is, which obviously they exploit in their marketing strategy if not actually initiate.

I was once lead to believe that the so-called "USA Series" Lennon Casinos were going to be made in Nashville. When I found out they were actually made in Japan and only had some final assembly done here, I canceled my order (for two of them) as did the dealer I was ordering them through. Those are great guitars but I thought the marketing approach was a sham.

That's not saying that the Tribute isn't a viable guitar, I'm saying that Epiphone is hoping its customers will arrive at a conclusion which perhaps differs from the actuality.

I also did notice that the serialization of the Tribute models that I've seen at on line dealer sites does begin with the alpha character "F" which previously denoted a Fuji-gen-made Elitist guitar and that only furthers my low opinion of Gibson/Epiphone as a corporation since this is an out-right deception.

I'm sure your Tribute is a wonderful guitar...maybe you just didn't notice that "Handcrafted In China" sticker on the back of the headstock and I'm pleased that you're pleased but it's not a Elitist or made at the Elitist factory and it's very important to keep it real. People deserve to get what they pay for...not pay for what they think they're getting or have been lead to believe they're getting through deceptive marketing practices or what someone says on a guitar forum...Just keeping it real.

Greg

 

[Duffy]

Ethics

I totally agree that Gibson has and is practicing unethical business practices.

What first got my attention in a serious way was the way they deceived customers for many years, not just a few years, by advertizing their LP's as "solid body" guitars, which I think they still do, even though they were drilling weight relieving holes in them and later massively chambering them in order to make them "seem" lighter and of higher quality mahogany species which are lighter. The chambering scheme showed up at airport x-ray machines, much to the surprise of the guitar owners. Years later Gibson made the practice known and widely states in a lot of their advertizing that the LP's are indeed almost all chambered. But I think they call them chambered "solid body" guitars. This just doesn't seem right. Seems deceptive.

Then a couple months ago the FBI raided the Nashville operation and confiscated a quantity of rare wood from Honduras that is illegal to import into the US. I think it came thru Canada. It was either mahogany or rosewood I think. The newly elected president of Honduras had decided to ignore the international and Honduran laws regarding the export of these endangered woods. Gibson was complicit in the illegal activity.

I definitely think Gibson has ethical problems but their reputation is like Harley Davison, Gibson is more than a guitar, it is a symbol, part of a lifestyle, and definitely a status symbol. Unlike Harley's, Gibsons are still great guitars, despite the unethical behavior.

The Tribute is definitely a nice guitar, even though.