The origins of Epiphone lie in the three continents; it was established in Europe (Greece), it flourished in The East (Turkey) and then achieved recognition in the US. It all commenced in 1873 when Anastasios Stathopoulos the boy of a Greek timber merchant started production of musical instruments such as the normal Greek instrument lioutos, violins and lutes. The family then moved away to Turkey where the instruments became so popular that Stathopoulos established a factory to manufacture the instruments.

Though the prejudice of Greeks in Turkey enforced the family to move to US in 1903. Once established in New York, Stathopoulos commenced producing and selling the musical instruments from his residence. Stathopoulos adjoined mandolins a popular instrument of that time to his list of instruments and things seemed good as business developed. After the sudden death of Stathopoulos, his son Epaminondas (Epi) took over his father’s business. Aware about the changing trends around him, Epi then started manufacturing banjos. The amazing success of the business led on to the establishment of the Epiphone Company in 1923 with Epi acting as their president. In the latter 1920s Epi included guitars to their list of instruments. The premium quality of Epiphone acoustic guitars and Epiphone bass guitars gave a hard time to the rivals Gibson Guitars a recognized brand.

During World War Ii, Epiphone Guitars suffered a serious problem when Epi died due to leukemia. None of his bros were competent enough to lead the business and Epiphone Guitars was purchased by archrivals Gibson Guitars in 1957 who refurbished the Epiphone Guitar.

Epiphone reached to a new lease of life when Beatles played an Epiphone Guitar in 1964. To chop the price tag; Epiphone Guitars were moved to Japan in 1970 and then to Korea in 1983. In 1990 the Epiphone Guitar came round again by bring out guitars in all styles including signature models for John Lennon, Noel Gallagher and John Lee Hooker.

Today Epiphone bass guitars are the preferred instrument of many bass players. The Thunderbird, Les Paul Special, Viola, Jack Cassidy Signature are some popular bass guitar series from Epiphone.

Thanks for reading about Epiphone and Gibson guitars. Here is more info where you should purchase Epiphone Gibson Guitars at amazing costs or you can read more Gibson History here

Purchasing a used guitar has a lot more perks besides a cheaper price. Used acoustic guitars have aged, the wood has had a chance to dry out which brings out the most beautiful sounds and the instrument over all has matured.

I’m going to introduce you to six things you should look at before buying a used acoustic guitar. While most of these points stand for an electric guitar as well there are a few things about the electronics you should check along with these 6 items. After reading this you should be able to go into any used instrument shop and pick out the gems from the racks.

1 – How Does the Guitar Look?

The look of an instrument isn’t as important as the sound it is important that you like it. Note any bad scratches or cracks.

2 – What’s it Sound Like?

The strings on the guitar are probably quite old and a new set could do wonders for the sound. If you really like the instrument consider spending the $5-$10 bucks and buy your own set of strings to put on the guitar to see how it sounds.

3 – Check the Neck

A neck reset is the most frequent maintenance item done to newly purchased used guitars. Take a look at the neck and ensure it’s straight, do this by looking downwards from the head stock towards the body. Take a look at the action, is it too high? Too low? Check to see that the neck has a truss rod to keep it straight and true.

4 – Inspect the Bridge

Take a look closely at the bridge, is it pulling away from the body. Often times this can be repaired, but too much tension can cause a serious repair.

5 – Cracks?

As mentioned in #1 above, bad cracks should probably be avoided but small ones can usually be repaired for under $100. This is a personal decision but if a guitar looks like it hasn’t been cared for, it likely wasn’t , so unless it’s a guitar you really want I’d pass it up.

6 – Check the Body for Soft Spots

Push around on the top of the body, be careful not to push too hard just hard enough to notice any soft spots. Some times reinforcements inside let go. These are repairable how ever it’s still good to know what you’re getting into and what potential costs you might have to incur after purchasing.

One issue can be how do you shop for a guitar if you haven’t learned guitar yet? If you’re not sure how it should sound how can you test one out?

One option is to purchase a guitar instructional dvd before you buy your instrument so you’re armed with a bit of knowledge about how to play a few chords before you start shopping. A course like Learn and Master Guitar would be a good one to check out.

Another option is to bring a friend who plays guitar with you to view any used instruments. This is probably an easier alternative since they will have an idea what to look and listen for.

If you take your time when shopping you can find a great deal on a used acoustic guitar, just be logical about it and try not to let any one thing such as a the look of the guitar make your decision for you.

Most new guitars arrive from the factory with the nut just barely playable. Elder guitars could have the nut filed or worn down so much that fret buzz cannot be eliminated by neck or string height adjustment. In case you have a fresh guitar, or that you’re replacing the nut having a new one, here’s another method to file and adjust the nut material in making your guitar play such as professionals guitars play.

Before adjusting anything, be certain your guitar is strung up correctly and that your neck is straight and never bowed or warped. In case your neck is bowed you initially need to adjust the truss rod. If the neck is warped it would force a more extensive repair. For all-time low possible action or to avoid fret buzz all across your finger board it can be required to have your frets leveled and crowned first.

You’ll need a set of nut files (available from Stewart MacDonald), and a good set of feeler gauges as well. Different grades of sandpaper are very useful too.

Fret each string individually, starting when using the High E, between the second and third fret, use your feeler gauge to test the amount of space between the underside of the string and the first fret. You should have approximately .005″ of space between each one, when using the string barely touching the 2nd fret. If this measurement is close or dead on then move on to the next string right up to the Low E string. You may want to record the gap on a scrap piece of paper as you progress across the fret board, to see the nut slot’s height in relation to the fret board as you do so.

For most players a string height (also known in guitar slang as “action”) of 3/64″ of an inch is considered normal. Some players choose a higher sting height for example 4/64″ of an inch while players which tend to have a light touch and want the fastest action possible strive to lower the action as close as possible to 2/64″ which in many case’s is very hard to setup and maintain without fret buzzing somewhere on the finger board.

Of course, you can use the traditional method to set your string height in relation to the nut, by using multiple feeler gauges below the nut, and filing down to the factory depth and width. However, I have found using this method to provide a better and more consistent feel while playing near the nut.

Every guitarist has their solo. The solo that just shakes them to the bone. That one guitar solo that makes the world a better place. That legendary solo.

For me it’s Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. When David rips into the most beautiful, melodic, flawless solo that I’ve ever heard, my day is instantly better.

The tone, the power, the careful phrasing is so moving.  So how did he, and so many other rock greats, create their legendary solo?
Let’s dissect some of the greatest guitar solos of all time, and unlock the secrets that you can start using in your soloing today.

Step 1 – Tempo is more important than you think!

When I was young and wet behind the ears, all I ever wanted to do is play fast. I figure if I could play faster than anyone else, then I would be better than anyone else.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Now, the only the thing I think about while playing my guitar is how little can I play.

Music is the language of life, and if you want to truly live as a musician you must learn how to listen.

Think about it, what makes a good conversation? The person who talks non-stop, or the person who sits there and listens.

So think about setting back into the moment, into the groove. Let the music breathe, and then begin your solo. Play a few notes, then rest. What is the music saying back. Then respond with a few more notes. Then rest.

I know that this sounds a little kooky, but it’s the secret to being great. Just because you can play 300 notes a beat and never repeat the same lick twice doesn’t mean you’re great, it just means you you’re fast. In a relationship, would you rather be known for being great or fast? We’ll just leave that one alone.

So how do you add space and make your solos remarkable?

Step 2 – Hooks are everything, it’s what catches the biggest fish.

A musician is nothing without his audience (fish), the bigger the audience the bigger the musician. Writing hooks within your phrases is the key to getting a bigger audience.

That’s why it’s so important to learn the melody of every song you play. Jimi Hendrix did it. He could play every note that he sang, and it added an element to his music that many people of that time didn’t have.

Most guitarists just want to know what key they are playing in, that way they can just pull out their bag of recycled licks.

Always learn the melodies first. You can then use your licks or knowledge to expand on the melody, but it’ll give you a base to solo around. By sticking with the melody and creating hooks, you ensure that people remember you.

Step 3 – Tone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Tone!

Spend time crafting your tone. Distortion can kill the mood! This is something that has been lost over the years. If you look at the list of best solos of all time, even the hard southern rock giants, Lynyrd Skynyrd, had relatively clean tones. Many people misinterpret the intensity of their music as just distortion.

They just played with pure passion, raw intensity, and power, and that’s why they have landed themselves as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Concentrate on making great music, not just a great solo, play with everything you have. Use hooks, melodies, and space to craft your solo, and you’ll create something that will be remembered for ages to come.

Feel free to add your favorite solos, and any personal tips and tricks in the comments below!

I’ve dedicated this post to the most important decision you’ll ever make in your life. How to chose the perfect rock guitar for under $500.

This is a subject that shouldn’t be taken lightly, because current statistics prove that the your guitar will out last your first marriage 10 to 1!

After owning a very decent collection of guitars in my day, I wanted to pass on some knowledge that will help your buying decision, and give you some tips that will make sure that with whatever you decide to purchase you’ll be happy.

Let’s begin:

1st step to choosing the perfect guitar – Opt for tone over looks any day!

Whether you’re new to the guitar or not, it’s easy to get caught up in a guitar that ‘looks cool’, but rest assured after you lay out the dough for that axe the hype will quickly fade if it sounds like crap.

Tone is king. Nothing will make the worlds greatest guitarist sound like horrible faster than a crappy sounding guitar. Not only for the obvious reasons (it sounds like crap), but because it’s near impossible to play good on a rig that you’re not 100% satisfied with.

The licks you used to be able to shred through with ease now sounds like pure mush, and that KILLS your confidence no matter how good of a player you are.

Lack of confidence means hesitation. That hesitation will make you sound sloppy, which will soon bring an overwhelming embarrassment that will take weeks to recover from.

If you’re looking at a guitar in the entry level market ($500 or less) then I would highly suggest staying away from Ibanez, Jackson, Danelectro, or any type of flying V, SG, or explorer type bodies.

Although these companies/brands have some sought after models in the higher price range, the cheaper counter parts have second rate electronics. (aka – crap tone)

2nd step to choosing the perfect guitar – Cheap guitar shouldn’t equal cheap craftsmanship!

The first thing you should always do is tune up the guitar (with an actual tuner, not your ear!). Play around with it, and play hard. Then re-check the tuning after about 10 minutes. If there is a drastic difference in the pitch, then that’s a little indicator that the guitar isn’t made well at all.

Itís normal for a guitar, even expensive ones, to lose tune in music shops. This is caused from dead, old, strings that are either rusted or have a years worth of caked on finger grease.

But if after playing it for ten minutes, it’s so out of tune that you can’t even distinguish what key you’re playing in, then you need to set that guitar down, and run far, far away.

This could be cause from defective hardware, often times cheap or improperly installed tremolo systems.

That’s a problem that you can not fix without paying almost as much for the repair as you did for the entire guitar in the first place.

My recommendation: If you want a good entry level guitar, that you can make sure will sound great, play great, and it’s something that you can actually keep long term, then look at a Jimmy Vaughn Signature Fender Strat.

This would be my first go to guitar for under $500 hands down. It’s built to last, sounds great, and no matter what style you want to play you’ll feel comfortable playing it on that.

Now if you want to up your budget a little bit, then we can definitely get you into an axe thatís tailored made for you, but we’ll have to deal with that on another post.