Korina V and Explorer!!!!

[Noodling Guitars]

'Nuff said!!!

 

[imnotcreative]

Dang it... I don't need another guitar but that explorer does look very attractive and i kind of want it....

 

[Noodling Guitars]

Same!! But for me it's the V!!! I need that rubber anti-slip thingy!!!!!

 

[Supersonic]

All korina, no veneers, and Burstbuckers? Awesome. Do we know how much these things will cost yet?

 

[imnotcreative]

All korina, no veneers, and Burstbuckers? Awesome. Do we know how much these things will cost yet?

1299 msrp according to the Epi website

Epiphone | Explore The Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop

www.epiphone.com

 

[imnotcreative]

In the USA you seem to be able to get both black and white pickguards in Europe white only by the looks of it

 

[Paruwi]

1299 msrp according to the Epi website

IIRC a few years back you could get a brand new Gibson for this amount of coins.....

 

[imnotcreative]

IIRC a few years back you could get a brand new Gibson for this amount of coins.....

I know. A mahogany Gibson flying V or explorer is around 1700.. The Epi prices are getting up there a bit.

 

[Keefoman]

They look good, and seem to sound good, but about triple the price of the previous generation Korina V's and Explorers from Epiphone? Not for me.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

1299 msrp according to the Epi website

Epiphone | Explore The Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop

www.epiphone.com

I LOVE Explorers but given the fret problems that all the mid-tiered / high-end Epiphone models I bought had, I'm certainly not ready to drop €1300 into an Epiphone knowing I would probably have to add €200 for professional levelling, crowning and polishing on top of it.

Two different luthiers that I brought my guitars to have told me that 8 in 10 Epiphones that were brought to them for a set up needed, in fact, a level and crown past the 12th fret. There was almost always a sort of light hump on the fretboard starting where the neck meets the body (old Gibson ownership or post new Gibson ownership didn't change a thing).

On top of that, Epiphone's fret description is often wrong which is a problem for people who, like me, live in places where Epiphone is badly distributed. They cannot try in shops before buying and they have to order online. Epiphone's frets can be much lower than expected, which is not as nice for bending.
For example, the Casino Coupe was described as having "medium jumbo" frets, but when the guitar arrived, I realized that its frets were the same as the small vintage frets on my acoustic. Furthermore, they were super scratchy, the ends hurt and there were some high frets. I was really disappointed but had to make do with it and pay to fix it because, where I live, you cannot easily send back an Epiphone. When you phone the shop, they tell you that high frets are so common with Epiphones that it is not a reason to send them back.

All those mid-tiered/high-end Epiphones guitars also had terrible selector switches that quickly failed and had to be replaced. I also had to replace the bridge on the Casino Coupe for a Gotoh.

Truth is, I had much better luck with Squiers and Harley Bentons (!).

Interestingly enough, the only Epiphones that needed nothing more than a fret polish (and one of them also nededed a change of tuning machines) were the two set net models that I got - both Epi Special I - which didn't have any "light hump" on the fretboard. Moreover, they had actual medium jumbo frets and shared a really nice C neck profile that I preferred to the slim taper D that both my Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro and the Casino Coupe had.

I still really appreciate Epiphone for its lovely and unique designs (Casino Coupe hollowbody, Wildkat, DC Pro, Wilshire, etc...), but certainly NOT for its guitars' frets quality, its lack of decent quality control and its price increases.

 

[Space1999]

I like what I saw today in the Epiphone e-mail I got today. These are IBG models with Gibson Burst uckers pu’s and CTS pots and Mallory caps and an included case. So you know the case would be at least $200 by itself.

All those things put together and the price points seem reasonable. Price hikes on guitars are here to stay sadly. I think the all Korina body and neck jacks the price up as well.

As far as Epiphone frets off the line, I know I am going to end up leveling their frets to suit my needs. That is unfortunate for those who don’t know how to do that and it is unfair to the customer.

Flying V’s and Explorer’s are not really my thing but I can see this as a good release for Epiphone. I liked what I heard in their very basic listening tests in the video.

It’s probably hard for Epiphone to continually come up with releases for their customers. You got a LP, SG, Riviera, Sheraton and Casino style to work with and not much else to market except some Gibson models like the Dot that are represented by Epiphone.

I’m still a happy customer, but my price point for them is around $850 max.

But I have stopped buying for now cause I have enough guitars. Just focusing on upgrading what I got.

Pat

 

[Noodling Guitars]

IIRC a few years back you could get a brand new Gibson for this amount of coins.....

Yep, the B2 Flying V goes for about that price when on sale. I think I mentioned this in the past - even when I ordered the Prophecy V, it ended up being around the same price (but I got a case as well).
I think the price is fair though - it comes with a hardshell case too. And most importantly.... it's got the anti-slip thingy .

 

[Noodling Guitars]

Interestingly enough, the only Epiphones that needed nothing more than a fret polish (and one of them also nededed a change of tuning machines) were the two set net models that I got - both Epi Special I - which didn't have any "light hump" on the fretboard. Moreover, they had actual medium jumbo frets and shared a really nice C neck profile that I preferred to the slim taper D that both my Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro and the Casino Coupe had.

I still really appreciate Epiphone for its lovely and unique designs (Casino Coupe hollowbody, Wildkat, DC Pro, Wilshire, etc...), but certainly NOT for its guitars' frets quality, its lack of decent quality control and its price increases.

It's unfortunately that the fret work stuff does happen sometimes and there's really not much of an excuse for that. I rarely purchase online, and that solves a lot of those problems so for me, the worse (from the post 2019 line-up) has only been the occasional fret here and there - nothing that a few quick passes with a fret-kisser couldn't fix. Same with the three way selector. Even though it's an easy fix, it's not one of those things that they should expect people to have to do esp for new and out of the box instruments. Do you purchase your guitars through Thomann? Just curious whether they check any of this stuff before shipping. One thing to note though, is that some of the models you mentioned were from the pre-2019 line-up. I do think they have improved, albeit slightly only, the fretwork since then.

 

[Supersonic]

I think the all Korina body and neck jacks the price up as well.

That's exactly why. Otherwise it would cost the same as the Epi '59 Les Paul or '61 Les Paul SG.

I haven't played either one, but if Epi wants to make higher-end guitars, let them get on with it. I don't care where they make them, the line between cheap Gibsons and 'expensive' Epis is already blurred.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

It's unfortunately that the fret work stuff does happen sometimes and there's really not much of an excuse for that. I rarely purchase online, and that solves a lot of those problems so for me, the worse (from the post 2019 line-up) has only been the occasional fret here and there - nothing that a few quick passes with a fret-kisser couldn't fix. Same with the three way selector. Even though it's an easy fix, it's not one of those things that they should expect people to have to do esp for new and out of the box instruments. Do you purchase your guitars through Thomann? Just curious whether they check any of this stuff before shipping. One thing to note though, is that some of the models you mentioned were from the pre-2019 line-up. I do think they have improved, albeit slightly only, the fretwork since then.

I only got Harley Bentons from Thomann as it is their in-house brand. They told me over the phone that no, they did not have time to open the boxes and check them before they shipped them, so you basically depend on the quality control that was made by the Asian factory.

That said, I've been very lucky with them. My best Harley Benton had jumbo frets which were perfect, nicely polished. The fretboard was rounded on the edges. The fretwire is much better quality than Epiphone's too. It is super comfortable. That guitar came from Indonesia. Could it be from Cort? I've been really lucky with Indonesia-built Cort guitars (my Squiers were made there too). I've been less lucky with a Cort acoustic that was made in China which had the same light hump where the fretboard meets the body and vintage frets and which had to be worked on by a luthier.

My first Epiphones were from a local shop which had a decent selection - understand a few Les Pauls with nice tops in different colors and one SG - all with humbuckers. I also bought my wonderful first Squier strat there.

But they never had more than one guitar per model, so it was impossible to try several and get the best one (it seems to always be the case in my region. Real estate is super expensive here, so most shops don't stock more than one guitar of each model and they have a very small selection).

The Epiphones came with bad frets from the factory but I didn't realise it at the time because I was a total beginner. I started taking lessons and after a few years I started to go beyond the 12th fret and to learn bending because I'm a Slash fan.

That is when I realised my Epiphones had frets problems - after the guarantee period had expired. I think that is exactly why Epiphone gets away with it. They are mostly bought by beginners.

I tried to take one of them back to the shop anyway, but the shop was closed during the lockdowns. Unfortunately it has never reopened since.

I got my Epi Les Paul Special I from Zoundhouse Dresden in Germany because it was the only shop that imported them in Europe.

As to my red Casino Coupe, it was bought last year for my birthday so post 2019. My family chipped in as it was an expensive purchase for us. It was super hard to find. There were none in my country. I phoned shops in other regions as well, they always got confused with the bigger Casino that they always had in sunburst only (!).

I asked remaining shops from my region (it's the region of the capital of my country so there are a few music shops left) if they could order one for me. I added I wanted a red one with good frets only. They answered that Epiphone had a terrible backlog and that they did not trust them as to delivery dates and quality control - in fact they were still waiting for the delivery of what they had already ordered one year ago which is why they wouldn't order anything from them again. They offered totally different brands and guitar models instead (Prodipe and Sire mostly).

I phoned Gibson in the USA (I spoke to a very nice man over the phone). He phoned the Epiphone factory in China which answered that they had no idea when they would be able to make more Casino Coupes as they had so many pre-ordered, paid for and belated Les Pauls to build first. Gibson told me to consider the Casino Coupe was no longer available.

Thomann didn't have that guitar either, so in the end I bought it from a small mom and pop store in Germany near the border which had one remaining Casino Coupe in stock. Unfortunately the guitar came with bad frets. I asked if I could return it. At first they said no, because bad frets were too common with Epiphones that they were considered normal.

As a consequence, I took my guitar to my luthier.
Then the German shop changed its mind and said I could return it after all but that was too late, my luthier had already worked on it.
That has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and my family was also disappointed.

I think if you could try several guitars of the same model it could be interesting to get an Epiphone, otherwise it wouldn't really be worth it, especially at €1300.

 

[Noodling Guitars]

I only got Harley Bentons from Thomann as it is their in-house brand. They told me over the phone that no, they did not have time to open the boxes and check them before they shipped them, so you basically depend on the quality control that was made by the Asian factory.

That said, I've been very lucky with them. My best Harley Benton had jumbo frets which were perfect, nicely polished. The fretboard was rounded on the edges. The fretwire is much better quality than Epiphone's too. It is super comfortable. That guitar came from Indonesia. Could it be from Cort? I've been really lucky with Indonesia-built Cort guitars (my Squiers were made there too). I've been less lucky with a Cort acoustic that was made in China which had the same light hump where the fretboard meets the body and vintage frets and which had to be worked on by a luthier.

My first Epiphones were from a local shop which had a decent selection - understand a few Les Pauls with nice tops in different colors and one SG - all with humbuckers. I also bought my wonderful first Squier strat there.

But they never had more than one guitar per model, so it was impossible to try several and get the best one (it seems to always be the case in my region. Real estate is super expensive here, so most shops don't stock more than one guitar of each model and they have a very small selection).

The Epiphones came with bad frets from the factory but I didn't realise it at the time because I was a total beginner. I started taking lessons and after a few years I started to go beyond the 12th fret and to learn bending because I'm a Slash fan.

That is when I realised my Epiphones had frets problems - after the guarantee period had expired. I think that is exactly why Epiphone gets away with it. They are mostly bought by beginners.

I tried to take one of them back to the shop anyway, but the shop was closed during the lockdowns. Unfortunately it has never reopened since.

I got my Epi Les Paul Special I from Zoundhouse Dresden in Germany because it was the only shop that imported them in Europe.

As to my red Casino Coupe, it was bought last year for my birthday so post 2019. My family chipped in as it was an expensive purchase for us. It was super hard to find. There were none in my country. I phoned shops in other regions as well, they always got confused with the bigger Casino that they always had in sunburst only (!).

I asked remaining shops from my region (it's the region of the capital of my country so there are a few music shops left) if they could order one for me. I added I wanted a red one with good frets only. They answered that Epiphone had a terrible backlog and that they did not trust them as to delivery dates and quality control - in fact they were still waiting for the delivery of what they had already ordered one year ago which is why they wouldn't order anything from them again. They offered totally different brands and guitar models instead (Prodipe and Sire mostly).

I phoned Gibson in the USA (I spoke to a very nice man over the phone). He phoned the Epiphone factory in China which answered that they had no idea when they would be able to make more Casino Coupes as they had so many pre-ordered, paid for and belated Les Pauls to build first. Gibson told me to consider the Casino Coupe was no longer available.

Thomann didn't have that guitar either, so in the end I bought it from a small mom and pop store in Germany near the border which had one remaining Casino Coupe in stock. Unfortunately the guitar came with bad frets. I asked if I could return it. At first they said no, because bad frets were too common with Epiphones that they were considered normal.

As a consequence, I took my guitar to my luthier.
Then the German shop changed its mind and said I could return it after all but that was too late, my luthier had already worked on it.
That has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and my family was also disappointed.

I think if you could try several guitars of the same model it could be interesting to get an Epiphone, otherwise it wouldn't really be worth it, especially at €1300.

That sounds like a very bad experience and I'd probably be very disinclined to continue buying Epiphones had I gone through the same thing. For the V, I'd definitely not spend the equivalent of $1299 without trying it first. The thing is that not many brands make (or can legally make) a Korina '58 V with this aesthetic package - esp. after all the legal shenanigans that have occurred over the last decade. And the fact that it's a fairly niche look - it's one of those designs that Epiphone's pretty much cornered in the affordable range. Otherwise, its basically a $2~3k+ guitar once you start going Momose or other boutique makers. The Gibson one is basically unobtainium at this point...

 

[Darkness]

Not really my flavor but I can understand the price point. They're throwing every premium detail they have at these, and as previously mentioned these designs are not being cloned. They look stunning, but I'm a sit down player and can't imagine one in my lap.

Unfortunately prices are up and will continue to go up, on just about everything. It's hard to have a firm grasp on what price is "fair" these days. Look no further than car pricing, where $30k might get you a 2 year old hatchback with cloth seats these days. Guitar pricing isn't immune to the present day economy. Epiphone is chasing ehat was low end Gibson pricing, but low end Gibson pricing is going up as well.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

That sounds like a very bad experience and I'd probably be very disinclined to continue buying Epiphones had I gone through the same thing. For the V, I'd definitely not spend the equivalent of $1299 without trying it first. The thing is that not many brands make (or can legally make) a Korina '58 V with this aesthetic package - esp. after all the legal shenanigans that have occurred over the last decade. And the fact that it's a fairly niche look - it's one of those designs that Epiphone's pretty much cornered in the affordable range. Otherwise, its basically a $2~3k+ guitar once you start going Momose or other boutique makers. The Gibson one is basically unobtainium at this point...

Yeah, and I haven't even told you the story of my Epiphone Explorer!
At the beginning of the first lockdown, with a view towards my upcoming birthday, I bought a second-hand Epiphone natural korina Explorer from 1997 from the Unsung factory on the local equivalent of Craiglist. It was my dream guitar (I'm a U2 / Allen Collins / Clapton fan). They were - and still are - much more rare in natural finish than in black.

Unfortunately, the banana headstock arrived broken. Only the low E string was barely playable. The courrier never refunded the purchase although the seller had bought insurance.

I took the guitar with its shattered headstock to three different luthiers who all told me that they had no idea if the repair was doable and they all stated that it would end up costing more than the guitar itself anyway.

I took a while to look at the guitar in its entirety and to contemplate the situation, wondering if I would attempt a repair by myself, but the injury looked truly ugly.
Its korina body was heavy, very big, golden and shimmering in the light, almost as it were alive. You couldn't see a veneer line. The quality of the rosewood fretboard was really beautiful. It looked imho like the finest Brazilian rosewood you could find (the same that I've seen on Di Giorgio Brazilian guitars from the 60s/70s).

Its neck was exactly the same dimensions as my beloved Squier strat, basically a slim C that was super easy to play. Its pickguard had aged well with time. It was now a three-ply off-white bordering cream scratchplate instead of white and it complimented the korina body perfectly.

It was truly a thing of beauty and I couldn't muster the courage to throw it away. I looked at all the other parts - the frets that were still very good for its age but "vintage" - meaning lower than the actual medium jumbos that I was so fond of, the superb upper fret access, the neckdive you felt when you stood up with it, the worn out bridge and tailpiece that I would have to upgrade anyway, the nice Grover tuners that the previous owner had replaced the original faulty tuners with, the neck pickup which sounded a bit weird due to its broken cover, the bridge pickup that sounded nice on the low E (yes, I tried to play it and took a reading - pickups were around 8 and 8.48 K)... no, it couldn't end its life on a garbage heap! Therefore I ended up giving it away to a guy in my neighbourhood who enjoyed tinkering with old guitars.

Then, given that Epiphone was no longer making that model, I decided to get for my birthday - with the help of my loving and supporting family - a Harley Benton guitar instead, with the view of keeping it until Epiphone reissued the Korina Explorer.

That Harley Benton guitar was not Korina and rosewood but mahogany and dyed purple heart instead. It was made in Indonesia. Its shape looked vaguely like an Explorer from a distance, but up close you could see the differences : the added volute to strengthen the neck where it met the body (which was imho a wonderful addition), the original headstock shape (which actually complimented the body shape better imho), the unfortunately slightly wider neck with its stellar jumbo frets, the rolled fingerboard edges, the dyed purpleheart wood which looked and felt like ebony - to the point that my luthier got confused - the much smaller, much lighter and easier-to-carry body, the friendly belly cut, the lighter neck dive (which still commanded a set of straplocks installed by my luthier), the jet black instead of off white pickguard whose shape is different from an Explorer's, the even friendlier carved neck heel, the wiring and routing that were totally different from the Epiphone's, the stock Grover locking tuners and the Roswell pickups which sounded warm and vintage-ish.

Fortunately I truly enjoy playing this replacement guitar! The smaller, lighter body and jumbo frets might even be better for me!

And I must realise that, at €1300 now - the price has more than doubled - I will never be able to afford another "real" Epiphone in my lifetime so I'd better accept it... it's more than a monthly wage for most people around me... I have to get used to the fact that Epiphone has left the realm of affordable brands...

 

[Keefoman]

Just have to say: I finally decided to give my 2017 Ltd. Ed Korina V to a luthier friend of mine to get the frets leveled. It wasn't truly bad by any means, but there was that little notch that I couldn't sort out myself, and man - is it now a great guitar!

Ok, so I have spent a little money on it. Tonerider Alnico IV pickups (Really good pickups at an affordable price), CTS pots and Emerson cap and new knobs, of course. Faber ABRM bridge. I have loved the sound of this thing from when I swapped the electronics, pickups and bridge, but there was always this thing I couldn't get right with the neck and frets, so I considered getting rid of it, but now it plays and sounds just great!

I'll probably swap the toggle switch some day, but for now, it works ok.

This guitar now owes me about 800 dollars. Ok, it's got a 3-piece body with veneer on front and back, a scarf joint headstock, but it's very light weight and sounds magnificent, and there are still some hundred dollars to go compared to the new series.

The new ones might be worth it, though. Especially with that case.

 

[Noodling Guitars]

Just have to say: I finally decided to give my 2017 Ltd. Ed Korina V to a luthier friend of mine to get the frets leveled. It wasn't truly bad by any means, but there was that little notch that I couldn't sort out myself, and man - is it now a great guitar!

Ok, so I have spent a little money on it. Tonerider Alnico IV pickups (Really good pickups at an affordable price), CTS pots and Emerson cap and new knobs, of course. Faber ABRM bridge. I have loved the sound of this thing from when I swapped the electronics, pickups and bridge, but there was always this thing I couldn't get right with the neck and frets, so I considered getting rid of it, but now it plays and sounds just great!

I'll probably swap the toggle switch some day, but for now, it works ok.

This guitar now owes me about 800 dollars. Ok, it's got a 3-piece body with veneer on front and back, a scarf joint headstock, but it's very light weight and sounds magnificent, and there are still some hundred dollars to go compared to the new series.

The new ones might be worth it, though. Especially with that case.

The old ones were nice too! Just that even those aren't that easy to find for a good price (either that or in really good condition). Korina Vs and Explorers seem to always be quite popular.