KILLER Upgrades, But BAD Quality Control?

[@sublyme2157]

As a child of the heavy metal era, this thing speaks to me. If they make a gloss white, I'm getting it :)

[@thebeatlesandqueen8817]

❤❤

[@dirkdiggler7727]

Dude your playing is pretty unbelievable. Wow

[@LucasFowler]

Thank you :)

[@billnyfeler]

Great video! Tight playing, too. Also, I love the OG Legend amp you have. I had one back in the day. The wicker grill is awesome!

[@Newnodrogbob]

Every time I watch your channel, I realize that I’m trash at the guitar.

[@LucasFowler]

That feeling is relative and shared by everyone my friend. I feel that way when I watch Joe Bonnamassa, Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson or John Petrucci, just to name a few :P You aren't trash at all, just at a different point on your guitar journey :)

[@davidhumphries853]

@@LucasFowler nice perspective. Nice guy!

[@Terrysoddy]

Yea he makes me look really sick on guitar. And I mean sick in a bad way. Lol

[@allhavesaidtheirprayers3434]

You're not trash. Its all old man blues. Easy shit. Keep with it, and you'll have yourself a friend for life.

[@_PatDog]

I just bought one used. It was the same. There were a few raised frets that I tapped back in. The frets ends were also not edge filed properly and needed to be fixed.

[@andredegiant3876]

Man it looks and sounds killer! The fret issue reminds me of the Esteban guitar my dad bought off an infomercial: the fretboard was painted white in cheap house paint and almost every other fret was dead. More “guitar shaped” than guitar lol

[@jamesharper1729]

That squeel at .40 was God tier

[@Derekistan]

Per Usual, Great playing. I like the Neck Pickup and the shape is pretty rad.

[@LucasFowler]

So metalicious :)

[@TheDrunkenScoundrel]

That was the best overall demo I have yet heard of those pickups. I am also not big on active but I would definitely consider those now-especially for a guitar I wanted to fill multiple rolls.

[@LucasFowler]

If I didn't *know*, I would not have guessed they were active. I was impressed.

[@yeti1002]

Pickups sound great , it does a lot of different voices , if you can live with how it looks. Nice demo ... And playing

[@UriahRoxx]

Okay, I want one now. Great playing , Lucas!

[@ToneChaser79]

I’ve been eyeing the purple model prophecy. I clicked on this and you started playing and I forgot why I was here. All I can say is GOD DAMN ! you are a great player

[@alexpardy3717]

I own the same model! Absolutely love it but within the first 2 minutes noticed the frets we're insanely long. Like slice your fingers up long. So I brought it to my local guitar guy and he took off enough extra metal to make a whole fret lol but after the set up I couldn't be happier. Such a beautiful beast of an instrument!

[@ThomasMetal75]

Mid gain? Lol. That was pretty rawking to me! Is note buzzing usually a good sign the frets are too high, or is every case different? I just bought a sweet '78 Yamaha SG700 and some of the note buzz like a sitar.

[@mysocalledguitarlife3278]

Great demo, broskie!! Ready to rock with it!

[@LucasFowler]

I would happily gig with it all night long now :D

[@jasonashbyjackson]

God damn you can play son.

[@musicgearnetwork]

Great review buddy!

[@georgeherndon4436]

Is it a better guitar than a Brenden small Epiphone explorer ghost horse signature series ? Just a question wondering

[@sidpablo]

Just bought a used one. Hopefully just minimal defects. Nonetheless, wow.... your playing is insane.

[@ShredShed]

Sounds killer for an Epiphone. Looks great too

[@LucasFowler]

I was very impressed!

[@georgeherndon4436]

But will it chug...

[@kylemoran4343]

Sweet guitar ! But I don't understand why manufacturers don't use "push push" pots instead of "push pull" pots. Just so much smoother, easier, and quicker to engage with a push motion, instead of pulling up. I know it sounds nitpicky, but once you try a "push push" knob you'll understand my whining Lol. The cost of the potentiometers is the same. Peace Lucas

[@LucasFowler]

I have installed quite a few of the push-push controls and I agree, the mechanism is better. I haven't had great luck finding them with the taper I like though, which is why I'm still using Push-Pulls.

[@pastorkev777]

@@LucasFowler Bourns make push push pots that are solid. The problem is finding 500k pots and the tolerance is high.

[@AuntAlnico4]

Those tend to break more often than not so that's probably why !?

[@pastorkev777]

@@AuntAlnico4 I have yet to break one.

[@jamescarroll501]

Great review!

[@IndependenceGuitar]

That’s a really sweet guitar. Shame about the fret issues. But hey, if epiphones didn’t have inherent issues like that, why would anyone ever buy a Gibson? 😆 Who am I kidding, Gibsons have the same issues. But hey, that’s why every guitarist should learn everything they can about maintenance. Not everyone has to be a luthier, but it never hurts to learn how to dress frets and solder. Thing sounds awesome.

[@AuntAlnico4]

Honestly I have old Epiphone guitars grub the early 90's and early 2000's that have better fret work than all the plekked Gibson's and I've got Gibson pre plek machine with perfect fret work for the Les Paul jr.tv And SG special both 2003 and then not so good fret work from the expensive 2002 Memphis es semi hollow body so dollars spent doesn't always calculate to strait fret work but since Gibson has used the plekk machine all my Gibson's from then on have the best fret work so🤷‍♀️ all I know is Epiphone needs a plekk machine and they would be perfect and not get sent back and discounted for bad fret work .

[@joshuagood-bu8oz]

When I got mine the fret board was so dey it started to crack and shrink ,frets were wider than the fret board it was aweful,replacement was perfect

[@ryant3600]

I spent the last 30 years trying to avoid EMG's. But I got a guitar that came w/ the EMG retroactive fat 55's, since then I have like 5 or 6 guitars w/ EMG's. They have a lot more than those typical "metal" Emg's.

[@davidclay8037]

Very surprised more blues guys haven’t caught on to the fat 55 set. Vintage tone for days.

[@ryant3600]

@@davidclay8037 yeah but it still gets really good and heavy as well. For me it's probably the most versatile pickup set I have. I absolutely love them. My only complaint, is I wished they had more choices for them, like colored caps, etc. I'd buy more if they choices like the chrome, gold, brushed gold/chrome caps etc.

[@davidclay8037]

@@ryant3600 oh absolutely they can still get heavy as hell. The also respond really well when you roll the volume knob down.

[@ryant3600]

@@davidclay8037 Yep for sure.. I love them

[@totemstomp]

Lucas, Should I run your Statera PUs with 500K pots and .47uf caps or 250K pots and .22-.33uf caps??

[@AuntAlnico4]

Depends on how bright you like your humbuckers !? I like em clear and bright but mid range driven and almost hollow bass notes, like old paf humbuckers so I like the 500k and. 22 capacitor for the neck volume and tone controls and 300k for the bridge tone control 500k for the bridge volume as it helps tame harsh brightness a bit but keep it full and clear ! Hope that helps. But if you using them in a Explorer or V then just use all 500k and 0.22 caps 👍

[@erice9971]

outstanding

[@WalkenDead]

I guess I got lucky, I have the purple one, and the frets are fine on mine. Well, full disclosure this is the second one I got, the first had a broken headstock when I got it. No damage to the boxing so it may have happened before it was even shipped to the U.S.

[@LucasFowler]

The purple is sick!

[@WalkenDead]

@@LucasFowler I dig it, especially the neck. It's asymmetrical and that helps with small hands. I have a Trad Pro V LP with pretty much the same neck carve and I really like that too.

[@ryant3600]

Anymore most guitars I get anymore have fret issues. My last guitar I got was an Ibanez Jiva 10 (the original) and it was by far the worst fret issues I've ever experienced w/ a new guitar, even worse than my cheaper Harley Bentons etc. because of that, I still have an issue about liking the guitar. I put a lot of time in fret work.. it was horrible. However, my Epiphone 60s standard was perfect out of the box. My Kramer Nightswan was perfect as well, so I was starting to think that the "Gibson" imported guitars Epi/Kramers were great.. guess not. Hope it's not like this on all these Prophecy guitars. Cause I really want the purple one. Only wish they would have had these with a matching headstock.

[@beanapalooza6614]

I have those pups in a LTD EC-1000T CMT....in your fav color. See thru Black Cherry...... its so dark you cant see the freaking flame.... byt in the pics from Sweetwater the flame POPPED..... i had them plek it do when i got it i was like GRRRRR. But i wasnt going thru the hassle of returning it cause it plays great and sounds mean!!! It has the open core set, with the 3 different voices.

[@cliftongardner4367]

Man, that's a gorgeous guitar. Shame it has all the fret problems. Just got an Epiphone LP Special in and so far the fretwork seems pretty good, although there are cosmetic issues elsewhere. Guess it's kindof a roll of the dice when it comes to Epi. A-plus demonstration, as usual, Lucas!

[@LucasFowler]

If they ever put out a Tobacco burst LP Custom with the new headstock and ebony board, I wouldn't be able to resist, even though I know I might have to deal with frets... I think if he had bought this from Sweetwater it would have been right, their in-house QC is good.

[@funkfan1751]

@@LucasFowler Maybe my one Sweetwater experience was an abboration but I bought a Strat back in 2011 from them and when I got it I had to pay a luthier $100 to set it up and intonate it. The QC card had all the boxes checked but nothing was further from the truth.

[@jcoulter43]

Great video. I picked up a 2018 Gibson Explorer 3 years ago (2nd hand with upgraded Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups) and I love it. Build quality is outstanding. Was surprised to hear how bad the fretwork was on this Epi. Once you fixed the frets, the thing sounds amazing (and looks the part too). God bless and Merry Christmas 🎄🎸😎

[@alvarg]

the push in (default) sound isn't the same as the fishman modern its a custom modern sound

[@thedanksavatron7782]

Nissssssssssssssssssce 🍻 Love me sum explorers! Own 2 , a Dean & Ltd. really want a Epiphone ghost horse...

[@LucasFowler]

Those Ghost Horse guitars are awesome!

[@MrEric622]

That pandemic practice is paying off- nice picking!

[@LucasFowler]

I wish I could say I was practicing *more* but in reality it's *less*. BUT, when a guitar is inspiring to play, I definitely play better!

[@brandonjackson5865]

A good veneer should look just as good as a slab . That’s my opinion anyway. The only disadvantage I see with a veneer is refinishing if you ever wanted to . Of course I’m referring to real wood veneers not photo flames .

[@LucasFowler]

I have seen quite a few excellent veneers, especially in the past 4-5 years. Some of the Epiphones still look kinda fake to me, but this one was very well done.

[@tacdoc8736]

"...a reputable dealer that does their own inhouse QC." AKA Not Musician's Friend/Guitar Center. Ha! Nice review. I love how it looks. It's just a shame it required quality tech work out of the box.

[@LucasFowler]

Nailed it :P

[@thetacticalape8852]

Idk. Epiphones are great IF you get a good one. Personally, I would spend a little more and get a Schecter E1.... I have an Evil Twin FRS with Fishmans and it is a thing of beauty. E1 is on my list...

[@LucasFowler]

If you're like me and grew up listening to 60's and 70's rock where all the guys played Gibsons, Epiphone can be very tempting. They have come a long way in most areas, but this QC thing is really hurting them for me right now.

[@thetacticalape8852]

@@LucasFowler I have an Epiphone Les Paul standard pro plus top in blueberry burst. Absolutely love it. Looked at a Prophecy recently at my local GC and was really disappointed.

[@briangrovesteen800]

Did he just play the know your gear riff? Lol

[@jasonladd6400]

I fancy one but the QC issues put me off. I'd have to go to a store and physically check it over. You're basically adding over a hundred bucks for a full fret dress and rework otherwise

[@thetownspeople6486]

Boy can play.

[@michaelbevins2405]

Hey man if you dont play authentic ,gibson will sue u ,youll be in guitar jail in Tenn.

[@motionengineering4935]

Just brought one and am disapointed. Cheap junk with a huge price tag. Eats batteries like crazy and no way to turn the pickups off when not playing, other than removing the (probably flat) battery. Hey Epiphone would it be all THAT hard or expensive to wire a switch in at the factory, you cheap bastards?

[@LucasFowler]

Forgive me if you know this already, but are you aware that the guitar needs to be unplugged to switch the battery off? It should last a fairly long time unless there is a problem in the circuit. Hope that helps!

[@motionengineering4935]

@@LucasFowler Thanks Lucas I wasnt aware of that. I attempted to find such info on the epiphone website however the Extura manual couldnt be viewed. Lost interest in it now and sent it to live in the back of the garage. Thanks again 8)

[@albertmarkethinkpr1325]

Epiphone should move production in Indonesia at least, because we all know a thing or two about guitars made in China.