Battle Of The Iommi Sg Specials: Epiphone Vs. Gibson - The Ultimate Showdown

[@Yougotadollar]

I think they sound very similar. Cool video.

[@DrOMEB]

I agree, sound is pretty similar. It's not something that could not be matched with a little EQ. Big differences were in the looks and playibility .

[@Allan-et5ig]

Dr OMEB Beautiful soloing around 6:08 forward. And excellent playing throughout.

[@DrOMEB]

Thanks so much!! 🤘😎🎸

[@drapp1477]

Great video. Really liked the side by side comparisons while playing. Now I'm curious what brand your Chinese knock off is?

[@DrOMEB]

No idea. I found a company of DH Gate that had decent reviews and asked them to build a guitar for me. But i didn't want Gibson on the headstock. So they inlayed OMEB. I had to have it repainted because they painted it brown. Not a perfect guitar, but gets the job done. I actually do a comparison video with it. Those Jaydee pickups are NICE! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zoe3i6CbirmkftU

[@Zabba5]

I like the way you cut from on to the other gives a great reference for comparison.

[@DrOMEB]

Thanks, that's what I hoped to accomplish. :)

[@davidmagazzi514]

i noticed a slightly flatter sound/gain loss and loss of some sustain almost right away

[@DrOMEB]

I agree, it's really noticeable when I'm palm muting at the beginning of fairies wear boots. But, in the same breath, I could probably just up the gain to compensate for the difference. Is a subtle difference.

[@bretspangler8717]

I am an Epiphone fanboy. My first guitar was an Epiphone Prophecy SG, it was an excellent guitar and I ended up getting several others, I have 3 SGs, 2 LPs a Flying V, and an Explorer in Korina plus and a few Firebirds. I have an SG Special with P-90s in sparkling burgundy. I considered getting the monkey but it isn't a perfect reissue and overpriced for what you are getting.

[@DrOMEB]

Nice! Maybe I'm just spoiled playing the Gibsons that I have? I've just never found an Epi that I like. I have other import guitars that I like fairly well though. So I'm not a complete snob. 🤣

[@FizzzieCat]

I have a Sparkling Burgundy SG Special and while I like it, the Epi Monkey and it has a stronger feeling neck (it's thicker), adjustable individual saddles and a decent hard case. It may not make up the difference in price, but I always go to the Epi Monkey before the Sparkling Burgundy.

[@sleevelessace]

i agree man i got this epiphone and a IBG 50s les paul standard (goldtop) they both play and sound amazing these p90s are great its my first p90 and first SG n i love it

[@sams.4388]

How do the neck profiles differ between these two guitars? I've heard the Gibson has a chunkier C profile, whereas the Epiphone has a slimmer C profile

[@DrOMEB]

I felt the opposite. I'm not a fan of big necks, the Gibson is very comfortable to play. The Epiphone wasnt nearly as comfortable. Very thick around neck joint.

[@FizzzieCat]

I'm a Iommi nut and have an Epi Sparkling Burgundy SG Special, an Epi Monkey SG Special and the Gibson Monkey SG Special. The neck on the Epi Monkey SG is not a slim C profile like the Epi Sparkling Burgundy SG. The Epi Monkey SG has a thicker neck, similar in feel to the Gibson Monkey SG. The Gibson Monkey SG does feel better overall compared to the Epi Monkey SG, but I would not say it feels twice as good as the Gibson Monkey SG price tag implies.

[@Whitesp44]

Did you ever do a review of that "Chinese knockoff" SG? Great comparison. Appreciate the reviews. For me, that's alot of money.

[@DrOMEB]

This one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zoe3i6CbirmkftU

[@Whitesp44]

@DrOMEB left a comment on that video. Freakin awesome sir! 🤘

[@plantesounds8836]

I love the epiphone Iommi. In fact I loved it so much I’m having p90s installed in my Gibson SG Standard 61 . I’ve had a couple Gibson SGs and a couple epiphone. The feel of the Gibson’s can’t be beat. They are both incredible instruments though. I may be biased, but in this demo I preferred the epiphone. I definitely don’t think there’s 1500.00 difference between these guitars. You could buy the epiphone Iommi and a Gibson SG Special for almost the same money as the Gibson Iommi.

[@Gravity-Free]

Amazing intro!!!

[@DrOMEB]

Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it. Try to keep it short and sweet. Nothing worse than listening to someone unrehearsed babble on forever when its not necessary

[@brownsons]

The epiphone sounds a little more bright and thin. Which I guess really isn’t a bad thing. Depending on what you like. But the Gibson having a thicker and a tad more darker tone I prefer if I’m getting an sg with p-90s in it. P-90s have the clarity/ note articulation of a single coil but being the way it’s wrapped, gives it that bigger and more full sound. So idk.. 🤔

[@DrOMEB]

The Epi sounds ok, it just played horribly

[@nohero178]

Most guitars sound quite similar in a mix and that's no different here. Nice playing!

[@DrOMEB]

Thank you. And I agree... a little eq and compression, you couldn't tell difference

[@Guitarnivore]

Nice. I liked the Epiphone version and recently reviewed it myself, but it just wasn't for me (Not at that price anyway). I'm sure the Gibson version is really nice too and I like the darker cherry finish. I'd really like A Gibson SG, but I'm holding off for the right one.

[@DrOMEB]

Nice review on your page!! The color and the neck issue were a deal breaker to me. Sonically it sounds pretty close to the Gibson. I think it was interesting the pickguard spacing on the Epiphone that you pointed out. Another difference that I didn't point out, the Gibson doesn't have the long adjustment screws on the bridge either. Lot's of inconsistencies between the two that seem like easy and obvious fixes.

[@Guitarnivore]

@@DrOMEB Thanks! I had no idea until I watched your video that the Nitro had that affect on the wood grain. Probably one of the main reasons Epiphone does that ugly veneer on their cherry SG's.

[@DrOMEB]

When i started reading about why they looked so diff i found that info. I think i always noticed but never paid attention

[@jessebrigden2920]

A proper comparison!

[@DrOMEB]

Thank you!

[@FizzzieCat]

I have a Gibbo Monkey and an Epi Monkey. The Gibbo's bridge posts are sunk right in the the body of the SG; I guess this is to permit the use of the replica Badass wraparound bridge, which sits higher on the body than the period-correct Lightening bridge. On the other hand, for the Epi, it seems they compensated for the higher bridge by setting the neck higher in the body recess. I think the Gibbo sounds a little fatter than the Epi, but he Epi is not bad. I love P-90s and the extra resonant harmonics often missing from humbuckers.

[@DrOMEB]

I think the Epi sounds comparable, but playability is worlds apart.

[@michaeld2716]

Great playing.

[@DrOMEB]

Thank you!

[@perkins1439]

Epiphone pickups a tad bit brighter it may be the meds I wouldn't complain I love playing That Old Black Sabbath 2 man you're good

[@DrOMEB]

Thank you. I agree the Epi seems less saturated to me. Which might come off as brighter. Sabbath is awesome

[@jimotten3780]

Good vid! Got a Gib standard and a special but recently wanted to try iommi Epi. I get that it feels a bit cheaper than a Gibson but all the right parts are in there. I really like the big thick neck but yeah, the poly finish kills the resonance. That said. I think this is a really good guitar for the buck. Sanding time😜👍🏼

[@hotanimalmachine79]

Great playing and tone! I love my Gibson Iommi, the Epiphone doesn't sound too different as well.

[@DrOMEB]

Thank you. The Epi sounds close but it was not a joy to play. And the color was off. I'd rather spend the extra

[@sixbladeknife44]

The Gibson def. sounds thicker/girthier, but the Epi sounds good still and seems like a nice deal for the $799. I have the Gibson version and it has a very thick neck, a shade larger than my R8 Les Paul. The Epi neck as thick? I lucked out w/ my Iommi, it has an unusual highly figured top, sides and back…it’s pretty striking. Nice pickin’ and thanks for the a/b!

[@DrOMEB]

I returned the Epiphone. The neck did feel like a baseball bat. The way the neck was seated in the one I had just made it so uncomfortable to play.

[@daverutherford6401]

Bought my Gibson SG from Tony through a music shop contact in Newcastle England (Rock city Music) way back in 1978 and yes i'm left handed ;) so owned now for 46 years and still my number 1 and yes i am still a Gibson snob :) still plays beautifully! one question though, why do you have the guitar strap button on the horn of the guitar ? looks out of place to me, obviously mine is where they were originally located behind the neck/body.

[@DrOMEB]

Very cool! I bet that sg is awesome. Tony had his strap buttons moved to the horn. So all Tony's models have the buttons there. Honestly, it really helps with the SG neck dive issue.

[@daverutherford6401]

@@DrOMEB I thought about neck dive but dismissed it as i never had a problem when gigging, honestly i paid a fortune for it , £550 back in the day was a heck of a lot of money, you would think Tony would have cut a fellow lefty a deal , i mean he had a few ;) but i love it and will never part with it .

[@DrOMEB]

@@daverutherford6401 Even Tony had issues back in the day getting a lefty guitar in the UK! I bet it's worth a small fortune now, congrats! As far as the neck dive. I've noticed it a lot. I've actually moved the strap to the horns on a couple of my other SGs... but I am a Les Paul player usually. It just seems more comfy there.

[@AbelardoMaldonado-x8o]

No surprise, generations change as well as instruments. Back then peavey, pearl drums were unknown now you see them on stage. SONOR my choice since childhood is considering a CZ Custom as well as a sawtooth. Sounds exceptional enough to me

[@DrOMEB]

Overseas quality has mostly improved a lot. So, for most it's good enough. I think the Epiphone is good enough if it's all you can afford. However, you are paying for the high quality and fine details on the higher end instruments.

[@TomTobin67]

My wife has the original iteration of the Iommi Epiphone. She was not impressed by the weight ( way too heavy for a 4 foot 11 woman). She gave me cart Blanche to mod the crap out of it,so I did. She met Eddie van Halen and he autographed for her and had it sealed in it.

[@DrOMEB]

Oh nice!!!

[@Brycereigle2000]

You rock man!

[@DrOMEB]

Thank you so much!

[@reneacosta9402]

Great comparison. I'd probably get the Epiphone and remove that thick poly finish and do woodstain 😎

[@DrOMEB]

That's definitely an option, but this one just didn't play well.

[@mewtmath2899]

Could u just imagine this guitar in that stunning green the worn p90 sg was made in? Omfg ☠️

[@DrOMEB]

Green could be cool

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

Captain freakazoid just what doctor powered well done sabbath rules

[@DrOMEB]

Ha! Thanks!

[@cuda426hemi]

strikingly old fart blossom here - multitrack fool in retirement, old since 1970's (I'm 70) Gibson SG fan. The 50s CV Squier Strats and Teles made in China a few years ago are ridiculous keepers compared to dbl cost Mexican 'ders. But Epi?? I find the most fun and value in their $179 SG Special w/2 nasty ceramic buckers and a trick factory gimmick tone knob that doubles as push KILL SWITCH! plus "rosewood" board wha?? My Epi Muse SG and '58 LE Explorer had Laurel and Pau Ferro but the $179 has rosewood? Ohhhh kay, Bottom line the laurel and pau ferro were deal killers at $450-$650 respectively for SG and Ex - you can make ANY POS guitar sound good recording - I KNOW because I DO IT but if you are taking it on stage or want to actually feel quality luxury and ghost frets the action is so low - you can't beat the plek'd, fret-nibbed Gibson Iommi SG - like driving a Plaid S v an old hoopdee. Thanks to Epis stupidity in coming out with the $1300 Explorer which is a slightly less accurate version of a '58 than my '22 LE BOTH identical Korina and gold except the new one has Gibson pups - well mine cost $650 so I was able to sell it at slight profit which will NEVER happen with any Epi used. No more $500 + Epis, no more laurel. I found a MINT Iommi $800 off list with a case more luxurious than any Epi guitar is lol loaded with birth photo, leather strap, multi-tool, sticker, bridge screws - the pups are marked P90 Tony Iommi if you open it up - that means maybe they ain't generic Gibson P90s. My only greedy pet peeve is they don't put the zero fret on it like the $20k version and Tony's original had - don't care they left off the poly on fretboard too. My 2¢ stretched out too long. Bad bad riffin' there dude - I strongly recommend you crank that Monkey up and jam to the fantastic Aretha Sabbath on YT if you want to dig some rude SG. 👍🏻

[@DrOMEB]

The main bass i use for recording my tracks is a Squire. It's amazing and only cost $250. I'm still not convinced on the Epiphones, I've never played on that I like.

[@cuda426hemi]

@@DrOMEB That's funny for recording I'm using a $200 Walnut (veneer) Ibanez 5 string Bass and one of those fat ass Dean acoustic/elec Basses that sound nice acoustic but actually RIP when you plug it into a DAW or Amp- stupidly nice axe. Am thinking about adding Squier J or P Bass in future. ☮ 🎸!

[@DrOMEB]

​@@cuda426hemii have a Squire p bass. Maybe fender has just figured it out better?

[@cuda426hemi]

@@DrOMEB I think so, there mid line is "better" and has a higher quality feel than Epi. I loved the fancy Epi SG Muse with push/pull, bound neck but it boiled down to the damn laurel and that other pau ferro on the Explorer - if either or both had even what's claimed to be rosewood on the $179 SG Special I would have an entirely different opinion because the neck and fretboard is THE thing I care about, the comfort, ease, QUALITY and "x" factor. Sandy, gritty dry just weird was my opinion. It's why when I found the mint Iommi with all the goodies $800 off list that was the final straw - the Epis tried hard but all but the $179 kill switch l'il bastard SG can kick rocks as far as I'm concerned. P Bass ey? I played the real one on the road last century in a different time and space, that may be the Squier I get. There is a reason practically any song worth a damn in the classic times of studio recording from 50s to 2000s the Fender P or J Bass was the Go To when it was money time. ☮

[@cuda426hemi]

What a blabbermouth I am. I just noticed that you really can't slight the Epi for 2 piece body at least, the Gibson Monkey is 2 piece too, lol. But that's about where it ends. 👀

[@ronklijn5454]

Sonically day and night.

[@DrOMEB]

I could love with the sonic difference, not the playability.

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

Epi sounds a hair brighter not bad forcthecprice of sabbath

[@DrOMEB]

Sound was comparable... playability, might and day.

[@johnnysix7162]

Nothing wrong with Epiphones at all, just personally not a huge fan of them, I've played quite a few, but it's usually the necks that turn me away, has nothing to do with the sound of them, as you hear in the video, they sound very close in the mix. Gibson just having a tiny bit more girth. It's hard to notice in a mix, unless you're listening closely. But live amp in the room situation Gibsons always just flat out sound better. But sound means nothing if you don't like the feel of the guitar, and there are people who actually prefer Epiphone neck profiles and poly finishes. Just not for me. Great comparison.

[@DrOMEB]

I've played a couple good ones, but I would agree most I've had a problem with the neck. This was the worst one i have ever played.

[@johnnysix7162]

@@DrOMEB Yeah, Epiphones usually always have the steeper neck angles which effects the setup and feel quite a bit on top of the profile and finish. I've just never been impressed by one. I honestly prefer a Chibson over an Epiphone. Atleast with a Chibson you get $300 worth of guitar for $300, as with a typical Epiphone you get $300 worth for $1000. It's been 20 years or more since I've played a Korean Epiphone, but by memory I don't recall them being as bad as the MIC are.

[@DrOMEB]

@@johnnysix7162 that was my biggest complaint about this guitar. The neck was sitting SOOOO high in the body.

[@aldersmoke1]

Epiphone sounds better on the bridge pickup. By "better" I mean truer to Sabbath. I have a black '93 Gibson SG. I also have 2 Epi SGs, one a Special with Teg Vig P90s and one is one of the original Prophecys (from 2010ish, with Dirty Fingers, not Fishman's). Long story short, I play the Epis more. A lot more.

[@DrOMEB]

Maybe I just got a bad one? I thought it sounded OK, but really didn't play or feel all that great.

[@booshting3520]

Bit of tweaking and theyre almost interchangeable. The Gibson alwayswins on feel though. I learned this when i bought Gibson LP after years of Epiphones

[@DrOMEB]

Yeah, i could tweak the tone, but not the playability.

[@jbenedict967]

look , ive measured the offset on the bodies, bevels , neck , body dims are all different, gibson wins on everything

[@DrOMEB]

I agree with everything you said

[@mewtmath2899]

Is it just me or he sounded and played slightly better on the epi?

[@DrOMEB]

Hmmm. I felt like i was fighting it

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

Listened 2 score times sounds same I must admit

[@christopherguzzi1316]

I disagree about the finish. Guitar makers can make a poly finish that still shows the wood grain underneath. Just look at Fender and higher end Squier guitars. I believe Epiphone purposely puts a crappy opaque milky finish on some guitars so the Gibson's look all the better.

[@DrOMEB]

That's a good point. It's definitely laid on thick. Maybe double the thickness of a Gibson finish. That's probably part of it.

[@jbenedict967]

maybe now but, ive had both and gibson still is better from fret job work ive had to do on all my epis

[@IMPULSOESTATICO]

6 figures of student loans 🤣🤣🤣

[@DrOMEB]

Yep, 3 degrees ain't cheap.

[@JoeBlack1108]

​@DrOMEB and here you are on KZbin that is free. 😁 not making fun. I hope it was worth it my friend. Nice playing

[@DrOMEB]

@@JoeBlack1108 It got me a VP of Marketing job (I left that recently) and It's allowed me to teach at the University level. A part time teaching gig pays as well as a lot of full time jobs. That allows me time to make content, do music and try to build my channel. I guess it's paid off so far.

[@davidszabo4679]

I think the Gibson sounded much better.

[@DrOMEB]

Agreed

[@FortressofShred]

Different pickups. Not like the ebony SG Custom.

[@FortressofShred]

I love Epiphones. But I agree, this Epiphone looks cheap.

[@DrOMEB]

It feels the way it looks for sure

[@FortressofShred]

It seems to even be a different shade of red than the other as well, with no wood grain. I'm assuming it's a laminate or veneer top? The Indian Laurel board was the deal breaker for me, though.

[@jbenedict967]

gibson better thats it

[@kimL93]

Gibson thru iem is totally diff

[@DrOMEB]

I would pick the Gibson every day of the week

[@jimotten3780]

Good vid! Got a Gib standard and a special but recently wanted to try iommi Epi. I get that it feels a bit cheaper than a Gibson but all the right parts are in there. I really like the big thick neck but yeah, the poly finish kills the resonance. That said. I think this is a really good guitar for the buck. Sanding time😜👍🏼

[@DrOMEB]

Haha! After you refin have Jaydee build real monkey pickups!