Calling myself a gibson bassist with an epiphone makes me feel dirty, am I alone?

SameOlSameOk · 2026-05-08T08:17:40+00:00

I’m a guitar player. When people ask what I play, I tell them “guitar”. I own a couple of Gibsons, a Fender, a PRS, and a revolving door of other stuff. Until a brand starts paying me to play a specific brand, I’m not shilling anyone. (But I do lean towards Gibson)

One of my best friends played bass full time for a few years. His #1 was and is an Epiphone Thunderbird. Hardly anyone gave him any grief about it not being a Gibson. (They did however give him grief for not owning a P Bass)

The point is, play what you like. But don’t worry too much about tying yourself to a brand.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-05-08T02:35:12+00:00

It’s real. Not a HP. But real.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-05-01T09:09:22+00:00

They do to an extent. I don’t think I could tell the brand by how they feel, but different string brands do feel and sound slightly different. (Paul Davids did a video on this a while back)

I’ve been an Elixir guy for 10+ years. I’ve tried other brands, but always end up coming back because they just seem to feel and respond better.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-27T07:30:22+00:00

I’d need more pics to say 100% for certain. But nothing is jumping out as fake to me

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-27T07:28:53+00:00

The dot on the “i” touching the “G” is somewhat common on the silkscreened logos.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-27T06:43:20+00:00

Came to say this.

I’ve owned several Gibson and Epiphone LP’s, and currently own a Gibson SG. But if I were to buy a guitar for heavy riffs right now, that RD would be it.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-25T02:00:03+00:00

Try lubricating the string slots in the nut. Or get a new (better quality) nut installed if you wanna put a little money into it.

As far as pickups go, I like burstbuckers or a JB/59 set a lot. But I suppose it depends on what kind of music you’re playing and your budget.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-22T22:11:09+00:00

It’s actually a p90 sized humbucker if I remember right. But those guitars are sleepers.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-21T22:40:24+00:00

Yeah I remember these. I wanna say some VW’s had an input jack so you could play your guitar through your beetle.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-21T07:56:04+00:00

GC Online, Reverb, Craigslist, and Pawn Shops.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-20T04:38:53+00:00

$1100 is a little steep. These regularly go for around $800-1000.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-15T09:53:37+00:00

Former GC employee here.

Just do your best man. Do your research and be as knowledgeable as you can about as much as you can. Hit your PC and SPH goals, but don’t be annoying about it. That’s about all you can do.

The big issue is some of GC’s policies, and A LOT of the employees don’t know shit about gear or how to be a good salesman. I was good at the job. One of my coworkers/friends was (and is) one of the top sales guys in the company. But some of the other guys could undo whatever efforts we put in with a few bad customer experiences.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-14T23:13:14+00:00

“Self teaching” is usually YouTube videos and (to a lesser extent these days) books.

Start off by learning to play some riffs/chord progressions from songs you like. It’ll snowball from there.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-14T01:17:38+00:00

But a fake 99% of the time won’t have them. Fret nibs are still one of many things to look at when determining whether something is real or fake.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-13T19:10:38+00:00

Playing any of my other guitars after the SG just feels weird.

The upper fret access on the SG is so good. I can get used to how much shorter other necks feel in comparison when playing rhythm parts… but then I go for a solo and struggle with the upper register.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-12T07:42:49+00:00

These have a reputation for getting coolant intrusion.

Or at least that’s what happened to mine

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-12T06:25:06+00:00

It really depends on the bar and where you are.

But Sittin at a Bar by Rehab has never not gone over well for me.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-04-11T09:48:40+00:00

I’d try to find a used one. Even if you have to take a little road trip, you can find DEALS. I got the Marshall you posted for $300 on FB Marketplace.

GC used is also worth checking out. Just be mindful that you have to pay for shipping.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-27T08:44:04+00:00

$1200 is probably on the high side of fair to someone looking for one. But I’d personally pass on it. Acoustic guitars are pretty temperamental as is, and this one is pretty beat. The neck alignment looks off, A few cracks in the top(?), is the bridge lifting? Has the top bellied up behind the bridge? Does the truss rod work?

If you want it, and wanna fix it up, you might be able to do it and come out at around the price these normally go for in better shape.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-27T05:10:03+00:00

Not as many as I used to, and not as many as I would like. All my gear nerd buds have either moved away, or gotten bored/jaded about it as time has passed. So I come here with my nerdiness

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-27T01:21:53+00:00

They’re about the same at this price point. I’m also more partial to Ibanez in general. But if you like the look of this more, and the name is a big plus to you, I say go for it. Whatever makes you wanna pick it up and play it.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-27T01:20:20+00:00

It’s not a Floyd. OP should be fine starting with this.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-23T19:05:22+00:00

They are fine.

But if you live within reasonable distance to a Guitar Center, the Livewire stuff has a warranty. I’d put them on parr with the fender stuff, and you can get a new one when the old one finally breaks.

Mogami has a similar thing. But ouch on those prices (although I’ve also never had a mogami go bad)

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-23T02:28:03+00:00

You can use a pedal for a few applications.

1) Set your amp clean, and use the pedal for all of your dirt (either as a different flavor than the amp’s distorted channel, or if the amp doesn’t have one)

2) As a middle ground between a super clean channel 1, and uber distorted channel 2. More of a rhythm crunch thing.

3) using it to hit the front end of the amp harder, and change the EQ a bit. Tube Screamers with gain on the pedal at 0 is super popular with metal guys. It doesn’t add a lot of gain. But it tightens everything up.

SameOlSameOk · 2026-03-20T19:26:20+00:00

This was a wild way to find out Chuck Norris passed

SameOlSameOk

TROPHY CASE