Epi stuff can be hit or miss, as we've all found out. When they changed over production to Chinese factories in the mid-2000's, I noticed more varying quality than when they were making them in Korea. All three of my Epi instruments are Korean, and they are all as solid build-wise as anything high end that I've played. That said, just like any other low-end manufacturer, you might have to play a few to get a good one. I still like them, and I wouldn't count them out, but if you are stuck to mail-order, grabbing a few from a rack isn't possible so maybe something else would be a better idea.
Another thought: I've also played new Gibsons and Fenders that played like hot garbage and had terrible fit and finish. I posted about it a few years back, but I played a Gibson Explorer that was $2399, and a cheap used $249 LTD EX-200 the store had played circles around it and was built better. Hell, the Epi Explorer I bought for $120 from some kid on FB Marketplace has better fit and finish than the one I played.
If I was in the market right now for another LP, I'd check out a LTD EC-Series.
I've been very impressed with their stuff lately, and the EC's are sweet guitars. A few friends have them; one just picked up an EC-1000 that is freaking beautiful.
Another vote for LTD here. Gigged a mid range EC for years and I have a high-mid range EX now. The frets are great and they play very well. Super stable.
I walked into a Guitar Center years ago to get my first "good" guitar. I was shooting for a Gibson LP Standard and had the money for it.
I played every Gibson LP there and none spoke to me. Some were basically terrible all around, others were just....meh. Finally got annoyed and tried an Epiphone, it was stupendous. Tried a few others and while they weren't all as good as The One, they were better overall than Gibson's. I walked out with that first Epiphone and found out years later that it was made in the Edwards factory and since it was a solid color it used an Alder top instead of Maple.
I've been offered 1,000 and a gibson lp custom for it. I've been offered " whatever level of money you want for it" before. I'm not letting it go. It has a distinctive tone that I purposely didn't use for the new band. It's from I believe 2002
So I bought a new bass amp yesterday.
When I first picked up my bass again in December I noticed my Carvin BX1500 that I bought new 7 or 8 years ago was sounding a little fuzzy. After a few weeks one night I turned it on & it was really fuzzy and barely had any volume. I'm thinking it might just be the preamp tube, but I have no clue if it's auto-biasing or not, and don't know any local amp repair shops. So I put it aside & pulled out my old GK800RB that I bought used for $50 about 16 years ago. It's always been a bit noisy, but after a few nights the hiss got much louder & it started getting some crackling too. So I'm thinking it may have leaky caps.
Well I got an email from Sweetwater the other day & browsing their deals I saw this Behringer BX2000h head for $199. I've never cared much for Behringer, but every review was positive. I've had plenty of way more expensive amps in the last 10-years that ended up being junk, or just sounded like crap(Hartke, Eden, MarkBass ) so I figured for 2-bills I'd give it a gamble. They're on backorder & won't be here until around 4/1, but I can still play through my interface & it's not like I'll be leaving the house to play with other people anytime soon.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
Congrats on the new amp.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
2000w?!? For $199?!?
Does it have the octave down thing that some have?
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
Behringer stuff can be hit or miss, but their newer stuff has been very impressive. 2000W for $199 is INSANE. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it!
Strangely enough, everyone I've known with a Carvin bass amp has had issues with it. My old bass player in my band had a nearly new one crap out on him back around 2005, my nephew's R600/RC210 combo just died a few weeks ago, and now yours is getting wonky. Not cool.
In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :
I didn't see that specifically, but in addition to bass/mid/treble controls it also had 2 knobs with a specific frequency on them between bass/mids and mids/treble.
It's a class-D which I've yet to be impressed with(other than weight), but hopefully this one is better. If not I'll eventually get a DI/preamp & just use the power amp in this.
In reply to Tony Sestito :
Yeah our bass player bought a b2000 stack that lasted about 10 min. They were horrible to try to get to fix it too, they sent it back with a crapload of silicone on the board for a "fix" that did nothing too.
I added to my somewhat superfluous collection of vintage rack gear last night. The Michael Nielsen and Leon Todd channels on YouTube have been bad influences tugging on my 80's/90's nostalgia... bought a BBE 2- channel compressor, Alesis MIcroVerb 4, Alesis M-EQ 230 2 channel graphic EQ, 24 input patch bay - all in a 6 space studio rack with a power strip and a few accessories for $275.
Not new but I bet it's been a few years since it's been out of the bag: Fender Pawn Shop Reverse Jaguar Bass.
The bassist for American Sharks (opening for GWAR) played one, so I started looking around the day after the concert. I found a dealer with a demo advertised for like a third off--and maybe even free shipping. That's a deal, right? So I picked up the phone and called: How was the condition (really) and did it include the original gig bag?
Long pause from the other end.
That guitar was located in a different building, so how about one new-in-the-box for the same price? Sold.
So, playing it again, I forgot how low the action is--and it's never had a professional setup. Also, after however long in a bag--that's been sitting near the exterior door in my office--it was nearly in tune. Like, maybe one or two LEDs off from totally in tune.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
That's a rad bass. I've not seen one before. I bet it's chunky.
Javelin, good choice. That's a really tried and true pedal, one of the all time classics.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
That thing is super weird and cool! I like offsets, so I dig it. Black with a maple board never goes out of style!
In reply to Tony Sestito :
Yes.
In reply to Javelin (Forum Supporter) :
Advice for your next pedal purchase:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I traded in my Metal Zone last year. I'm dead. 
This video is berking hilarious.
In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :
I always wanted to build a plexi clone but every time I was in the market and had enough money I ended up with a factory amp instead. Someday.
"You got a lot of empty shows ahead of you."
How have I not seen that before?
In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :
The other one from the series:
Reverse Jaguar looks cool, I didn't even know they were a thing. Interesting
In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :
I've thought about it but I already have so. many. projects...
And the price of those kits seems high to me.
Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:
Reverse Jaguar looks cool, I didn't even know they were a thing. Interesting
Me, neither, until that show and saw the dude from American Sharks playing it. A bit of internet sleuthing turned up the info. At the time, it was either still in production or just out of production. It's a little weird when sitting but feels good when standing. Plus I kinda dig short-scales.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
IMO short scale basses are the way to go, makes them sound more fundamental
