Hey there Shadow & Crew, I really like all my Epis. but my most recent purchase (5/09 Guitar Center Online) is a Chinese '56 Gold Top LP, and it has already had some serious issues with the electronics.
It came out of the box with an input jack that had to be "wiggled" every few minutes, &/or every time I moved to keep the connection.
I figured "no big deal" and recently replaced it with a better jack, problem solved.(at MY expense)
I pluged it in yesterday, played fine, until I tried to flip the 3-way switch from Rythym to Treble, and something inside the switch BROKE !
The guitar is only 5 months old for Petes sake, and I've never been rough with it, or abused it in any way.
It's also not seen a lot of playtime, because I own 10 other guitars.
Now, the switch is stuck in Rythym position, and any attempt to change that, results in it either "springing" back into Rythym, or staying in Rythym, but the switch "arm" flopping around loose.
I'll replace that switch next week, but thats 2 un-necessary expenditures this guitar has cost me already, and it's not even 6 months old yet.

I've read literally dozens of stories just like this one on this forum, and while I realize that y'all have to get parts from the low-bidding sources (to keep costs down ), I really think that this sort of headache is hurting your overall new product sales.
If I were a 1st time buyer,or not handy with a soldering gun, and read some of the reviews on this forum concerning the electronics you use and the problems they repeatedly seem to be plagued with, i'd most likely look to other brands for purchase.
I hope you understand that this is NOT just "venting" but i'm trying to let y'all know about a REAL problem, that is without a doubt either causing lost sales, or will in the future.
~Bender~

You have just become a respected member of the Chinese Epiphone Quality Control Team. Most manufacturers do quality control before their product ships. That is awfully expensive and time-consuming (Duh!). And when you find a defective item before it ships, you have to repair it rather than letting the customer repair it at HIS expense (Double Duh!).

By bringing your problems to light, the dedicated members of the Chinese Epiphone Factory can fasten the electronics a wee bit looser, so they're easier for us customers to replace. AND, they can email you to get instructions on HOW to replace them.

Epiphone China, fine guitars for the dedicated fixer upper!

Epi goes this way already
with the 'inspired by' Casinos and
with the Tribute LP and with the '59 LP
Chinese made, US PUPs and case.

I think that's the right way to go.

Peter

A beautiful wooden guitar with crap for electronics cheapens the worth of the guitar. It would make more sense, music-wise, to have an ugly guitar with good electronics (hey, I just redisovered the inspiration for the Telecaster).

In the past 4 years, I have bought 6 Chinese-made portable radios. All look great. Only three of them actually work. Two were DOA and probably had never been tested, and one died after a month. China just doesn't get it.

Hagstrom can build superb guitars in China - electronics and all. I know, because I bought a new Viking in preference to a new Sheraton. Give Hagstrom a call and ask them how they do it...

The main reason for my little "mini-rant" is the fact that while they moved the bulk of their production (and components purchases) to China over the past 2 yrs...............meaning GREAT savings to them in materials and labor costs, they STILL raised the price of their guitars an average of $100 per, across the board last year.

For short term profit margins, it may add up, but cheaping out on too many components and turning out a non functioning product will eventually shoot them in the foot, then they'll "have to" raise prices again to make up for lost sales..........and before they know it, NOBODY is buying their product, because it's just not worth the price.

There are companies out there that sell top of the line KOREAN guitars that rival any Gibson made, let alone Epi..............and they sell them for about 1/2 the price of an Epi.

Please do the math Epi. before its too late!

And like D'Angelico and PRS. Obviously the reason for the move to China is that people are willing to work for a fraction of what other people make. Instead of scooping up the savings on labor, they seem to be trying to cut every possible corner. I only bought Chinese-made radios because almost nobody makes them anywhere else. As for guitars, we still do have a choice. If Epiphone wants to sell guitars with a working life expectancy of 6 months, they should be selling them out of WalMart and Sams. What a disgrace to the name Epiphone.

I'm into shortwave portables, which come in handy after hurricanes. The Eton E1 is very nice, but its track record on reliability is poor. Both of mine died within a few months, and it costs a fortune to get them fixed. My Kaito died after a month, and my Sangean wouldn't run on batteries right out of the box. I finally decided to get all radios from CCrane as they will stand by their warranty and seem to have been checked to see if they actually work. CCrane announced a small portable AM/FM/SW a few years ago and then pulled the plug on it (I think it was a Kaito-made radio). I'm pretty sure they pulled the plug on it because it was built like a piece of junk and they didn't want their name on it.

The era of lunch pail sized portables seems to be nearing an end. Too bad, as I love the radio.

I don't know about the electronics, cos I've never owned one, but I haven't played a bad gretsch in years...

I have a couple of Chinese made Fender clones by J&D Luthiers which were about the same price as SX is in the States. Frankly I can't fault them straight out of the box. They are perfectly finished (couple of sharp fret ends on one of them), everything works, even the electronics and they sound just like a Strat and a Tele should sound. My J&D guitars even have the strings that were on them when I bought them as they are good quality as supplied.

I saw so many problems in new guitars (EE) in the retail arm of the Australian distributor that I decided not to buy Epiphone again as, if they had no commitment to their products, why should I? I add a disclaimer here to say that this all occurred 18 months ago and things may have improved since, however I have bought 3 non Epi guitars since that time........sales that Epiphone have lost!




Digger