"Those Who Know, Know" - The Elitist

[scary pete]

Does anyone else with an Elitist feel like when you're describing the guitar to someone that doesn't necessarily play or isn't very well informed about guitars, they just ignore you and think you're full of biased BS when you say how it compares to Gibson and that it's not "just an Epiphone"?

[diceman]

Yeah... read some of the older Elitist threads here! The "ignorance" associated with people's views on Epiphone Elitists is partly the fault of the dealers that don't stock them, and largely the result of "brand recognition" over objectiveness. In person, its pretty easy to cure - "here - play her." On places like a forum, you get a lot of people who have NEVER PLAYED an Elitist who are so stuck on brand recognition that they can't fathom a professional quality Les Paul that says "Epiphone" across the top - even if it is made in a different country, with different materials, by different people than the rest of the Epiphone line.

The Epiphone Elitists are truly a guitar that you can't possibly appreciate unless you play it. The specs sure do hold their own and then some - but getting hands on is a "must" to really appreciate them. I don't take anyone seriously who argues about the Elitists and hasn't played one. Also - I've NEVER heard of anyone playing one and NOT THINKING IT WAS AMAZING.

Best to just ignore the ignorance and stick up for your baby when people trash on Elitists. I also think that its good to "get the word out" - as many people are missing out on a fine line of instruments because they simply didn't know about them.

BTW - congrats on your purchase and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing your thoughts when she gets to you.

[scary pete]

Very true. Maybe if more shops stocked them, the word would get out. Can't tell ya the trouble I had. Stores never even hearing of it.

I actually had to take a bit to try and explain to one guy why I wanted it when I could've gotten a GIBSON studio. lol.

[diceman]

I think that they could be marketed better. They really just fall in that "underground MIJ Les Paul" market. Much of that market favors the MIJ's to most of the Gibson lineup. I think that Gibson probably figures that they'll get a good chunk of the MIJ fans without even having to advertise - these people will actively "seek out" quality. It seems like Gibson and Epiphone get the lion's share of the publicity, while the Elitists are just sort of "there" to get their hands in the MIJ market. I'm GLAD they are - because they're amazing - but Gibson doesn't push 'em very hard! Look at the Epiphone website. Very bottom, with no bullet marker, is a link to the Elitist page. The page it takes you to is the same old unchanged page with a picture of a Casino and links to the rest of the guitars. The brochure/catalog PDF at the bottom is very out of date. There is a lot of good stuff in that catalog, though. Notice that they don't come out and say "LONG NECK TENON!" anywhere in there - they say "dovetail neck joint" - and they show a pickup cavity picture - but not of the neck cavity! I think they do that so as not to draw attention to the lack of long or even medium tenon used by the current Gibson USA models.

http://www.epiphone.com/elitist/elitistcatalog.pdf

The title of this thread really sums it up. I didn't put much thought in to it when I said it yesterday - but it does fit well.

[scary pete]

Actually I clicked a dead link and if you change the last part of the url to something like

http://www.epiphone.com/elitist/sgstandard

you can find the old elitist sg's page (the sg elitist was discontinued)

[goldencd]

What do you guys think of this?

RARE Epiphone Japan Les Paul post Orville - MIJ Vintage - eBay (item 180224671917 end time Mar-23-08 18:00:00 PDT)

[diceman]

I haven't played one - but I'm sure that they're very close to Elitists in quality - if not the same (although I don't think they have USA humbuckers in them). The "Orville by Gibson" Les Pauls that predate the Elitists from the same (Fujigen) factory are supposed to be amazing as well - and they DID finish some of those in Nitro.

[diceman]

The seller's writeup kinda pissed me off! "without the stupid headstock shape of the Epiphone Elitists"!!!

I think they look GOOD!

[Mercutio]

I looked at getting an Elitist ever since they came out, but no one ever had one in stock.





So i sucked it up and just bought a Gibson LP Custom

[goldencd]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

I looked at getting an Elitist ever since they came out, but no one ever had one in stock.





So i sucked it up and just bought a Gibson LP Custom

no shame it that!

[BCRGreg]

I hate the name. A "Snobby" budget guitar.

[diceman]

Originally Posted by BCRGreg

I hate the name. A "Snobby" budget guitar.

But... have you PLAYED one?

Name aside - its a hell of a guitar - especially for the money.

[BCRGreg]

Uh, you don't know who you are talking to, I guess.

[diceman]

Greg - seriously - of course I know who I'm talking to. I don't know whether your shop stocks them, or if you've ever had your hands on one.

Come on man - I give you full props at every turn.

[diceman]

You implied above that you have played one - and since you know a f#ck ton more than the rest of us - whats your honest take on them? (other than the name )

[BCRGreg]

I have played a whole lot of them. We are not Gibson/Epiphone dealers by choice, nobody tells me how to take care of my customers.

The Elitist guitars are very nice guitars, but still have thick finishes and little quibbly bits that could be better. They ARE good guitars for the price, and the headstock looks better to me than the regular headstock. They are overpriced for what you get, in my opinion, when you look at what a used USA guitar can be had for. But then, I have been playing out with an import Hamer prototype of a guitar made to our spec....an Indonesian made guitar with a finish a mile deep. No accounting for taste, I guess!

[diceman]

Thanks for the input my man! Its always nice to hear opinions from the pros. I know that I really enjoy mine - and it fit right in to my budget at a time where a high end Gibson wouldn't. I would love to see Gibson do a run of these in Nitro - and would like to A/B mine against an Orville by Gibson w/ a Nitrocellulose finish to see how much felt difference in tone there really is.

Thanks again for weighing in!

[Lesterious Ways]

Originally Posted by diceman

I would love to see Gibson do a run of these in Nitro - and would like to A/B mine against an Orville by Gibson w/ a Nitrocellulose finish to see how much felt difference in tone there really is.

Not that much

More to come of course though probably not until this weekend. fwiw I totally agree both that a good poly finish is a good finish period AND that nitro just feels right on an LP. But as far as the difference in tone goes... it's a freakin' electric guitar. Any difference in tone attributable to the finish (and I ain't sayin' there is one) can be magically disappeared by those controls on your amp right quick.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by scary pete

Does anyone else with an Elitist feel like when you're describing the guitar to someone that doesn't necessarily play or isn't very well informed about guitars, they just ignore you and think you're full of biased BS when you say how it compares to Gibson and that it's not "just an Epiphone"?

No Elitist here but,IMO its a waste of time boring a non player with gear facts they dont give a rats behind. Why should they! hey and I dont give a rats behind to what anyone thinks of MY GUITARS

[hbucker]

Take the pickups off of an Elitist and look at a cross section of the body and at the finish. It really isn't as thick as it looks from the front. There is an optical illusion thing going on there that makes it look 1/2 inch deep. But it indeed feels like poly, for better or for worse.

ONE of the reasons I think people turn off when Elitist people talk about Elitist is (don't shoot me Epi people) because there are a significant number of Korean/Chinese Epi owners who shout from the mountain tops that there is no difference between their Epis and people's Gibsons. We've all read the threads proclaiming that you can spend $400 at GC on an Epi and have exactly what Gibson offers for $3k.

Elitist threads take on that same flavor and I'm sure, to people who don't know any better, its' just the same old "Epi's rule!" thread. Where these are different is that the specs of an Elitist, on paper, speak for themselves. That people refuse to acknowledge facts because it's an Epiphone is totally on them though.

Another thing that I find frustrating is that I'll freely discuss how Elitists differ from Gibsons. That's why I consider them a viable alternative that someone may or may not prefer. But as I said in another thread, people tend to point to those differences as proof of inferiority on the part of the Elitist and not just proof of differences.

My Elitist is a rock solid work horse that I bought used in new condition for $800 delivered. Functionally I couldn't ask for more. This kind of hair splitting that I participate in too much is one of the things that inspires me to stop coming to these forums... Yet I keep coming back.

[BCRGreg]

Put it this way, there are few people getting rid of their Gibsons to buy Epiphones of ANY variety.

[hbucker]

Put it this way, I'm happy for them.

[BCRGreg]

Haha!

Just for fun....point out a Gibson version of an Epiphone guitar.


It's all good, guys. There are plenty of cool guitars for ANY budget, and I have heard fantastic playing on really shitty guitars and shitty playing on FANTASTIC guitars.

Love your stuff, have fun with it and make the world better by example.

[goldencd]

Originally Posted by BCRGreg

Put it this way, there are few people getting rid of their Gibsons to buy Epiphones of ANY variety.

THAT HAS LITTLE TO NOTHING TO DO WITH QUALITY with 99% of the Gibson owning public.

and you say "they are great for the price".... "they are overpriced"

Dude. I don't know who you are, so your words don't resonate as law to me. I do know that I would take my elitist and did, over 20+ gibsons that I played... some used in the same price range.
I must be one of the dolts who plays with my ears.

[BCRGreg]

Fella, you just don't get it, so I'll just let you figure it out.

[goldencd]

Originally Posted by BCRGreg

Fella, you just don't get it, so I'll just let you figure it out.

Maybe your nickname should be Elitist

you obviously missed the cheers and took my comments as to be an attack, which they weren't.
If these guitars came out tomorrow under a new name (same material and craftsmanship, said "Made in USA" and sold for 2k you would be singing a different story.
But you are right, I don't get it. Maybe you don't know who I am.

[goldencd]

Originally Posted by BCRGreg

Fella, you just don't get it, so I'll just let you figure it out.

Also, I reread your original post and see that you meant all USA guitars, not just Gibbys. SO, Yes, my bad. you are right. There are plenty of boutique, smaller, less expensive, better quality USA guitars. My bad on assuming you meant Gibson.

[needlespauls]

Originally Posted by goldencd

THAT HAS LITTLE TO NOTHING TO DO WITH QUALITY with 99% of the Gibson owning public.

and you say "they are great for the price".... "they are overpriced"

Dude. I don't know who you are, so your words don't resonate as law to me. I do know that I would take my elitist and did, over 20+ gibsons that I played... some used in the same price range.
I must be one of the dolts who plays with my ears.

Dude...rediculous. Absolutely rediculous. 99% quality issues? Wow I guess I miraculously fit into that "1%" completely satisfied bracket.

I myself will look to buy an Ebony Elitist Custom, or a Standard Plain Top, maybe a Gold Top. Thats my order. But, just because the Elitist is an excellent quality and playing guitar for the money, does not warrant instant superiority over Gibsons or all other guitars, just because YOU own one. F!

I will agree that they are a better value than the Gibson, thats for sure. Is the Gibson worth literally $1k more than the Elitist? Of course not. But thats the decision of price to pay for what you feel is the best you can get for budget, and what really strikes you. I was in a position to spend up to $2k on a guitar that really spoke to me, quality, feel, resonance, playability, sound, then price. I played guitars from $500 to $2500, including 2 Elitists. I bought my 06' Standard because it was the best I played in all mentioned areas, and a couple hundred under my budget. If my budget was $1k, I would have been very happy with the Elitist.

By the way, you keep mentioning used on Ebay, the more we pick these off used on Ebay, this will effect the new market for Elitists unfavorably and probably get them discontinued. If you like them so much, the extra $200 will get you a new one and benefit the future production of these guitars. Wouldnt that be worth it to you?

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by goldencd

Maybe your nickname should be Elitist

you obviously missed the cheers and took my comments as to be an attack, which they weren't.
If these guitars came out tomorrow under a new name (same material and craftsmanship, said "Made in USA" and sold for 2k you would be singing a different story.
But you are right, I don't get it. Maybe you don't know who I am.

Never heard of ya! So what! J to the R-O-C-K is the only hip hopping rapper I listen to Why ,Why another Epi vs Gibby thang!, whatever have fun guys

[Fuelish]

Originally Posted by scary pete

Very true. Maybe if more shops stocked them, the word would get out. Can't tell ya the trouble I had. Stores never even hearing of it.

I'd have to agree.....heck, I never really heard of them until this year (all while knowing that Epiphone has made LPs for years ...... perhaps in Gibson's mind, it is indeed "too good" a guitar at that price point. I've yet to see or play one, but I do believe the praises all y'all are singing over them - heck, with the build quality that went into my humble $500 Std+ being as high as it is, the Elitists must be freakin' fantastic