Why are Epiphone Goths cheaper?

stu · 2011-04-08T16:24:19+00:00

Ive noticed these are quite a bit cheaper to buy then all the other epiphones out there. Is it just because they are so ugly or something? I was thinking I would get a goth explorer and change the scratch plate and a few other things to get it to look like a normal guitar. Maybe paint it.....

Bob-Dubery

StephenG wrote
X-rated Bob wrote A lot of people want to see Angus Young in a school boy costume. They might not think it an AC/DC show if they didn't. For all I know Angus is sick of prancing around in short pants, but he's trapped now.

well there i think you have raised a possible third view point to consider.... creating an image for your self regardless of the type of music you play.

the way I read it Hammerons point was that you go with the image that suits your style of music.

now with Angus, i dont believe his image is directly linked to their style of music, its just an image he created for himself.

Well I don't know how it all started. Maybe he or the band wanted a gimmick, something that distinguished them from everybody else or that gave a focus to their live show. It doesn't matter what they were thinking of, what matters now (according to my theory, I could be wrong) is that the schoolboy get up is now tightly linked to the band and their live shows. It's expected, it's part of the AC/DC image and legend and brand. It might even be a trap for him now.

Personally I think it's a bit silly and undignified, but I don't have much of a stake or interest here and so AC/DC shouldn't pay me too much attention.

Bob-Dubery

PS: AC/DC are a stadium rock band. With shows that size it's not just about the music anyway, and probably can't be just about the music.

Hammeron

I agree that image must not be too extreme or inflexible.
Kiss could not pull it off without the paint and I doubt many people would bother with Slipknot without the masks. In other words dont hide behind an image.
But no matter how good the music people will begin to associate you with some sort of image.

Keira-WitherKay

hammeron said it higher up in the thread ."image is everything" and as a long time pro muso i agree ........at every level of the music industry , from small pubs to restaurants to medium sized rooms and big festivals ...image is everything ........ of course the music is important and is prob what gets you to be on the stage to start with......... sometimes just dressing in jeans and a tie dye T shirt is an image if thats what the audience expect ....... so yes even martyn mc carthy has his image .even if his image is not having an image ? and looking like he just climbed off his sofa and went to the show ....but different audiences are demanding different looks...... i gig at a 5 star hotel and we(the musicians) need to dress up to do a show..... so even if my jazz repetoire suited the venue if i was in the wrong outfit it woud not fit ..... i then play the same repetoire at a northcliff restaurant and i then dress casually and wear a funky hat ...... but i would never do that at the palace hotel

so yes hammeron keep with your image and pointy guitars you on the right road for the style you play ..... when i see your photo i know what to expect musically from you so your image works........ 8) at some stage many years down the line you may change genres then it would be time to adopt a new image...

DonovanB

I have to kind of agree with Tonedef here. Image is secondary, and much like Angus, Kiss and Slipknot have their image now, they are famous because they are Good musicians first, crazy looking dudes second.

if it REALLY was image first, then this guy would be huge...

Talent always comes first. Nobody wants to see a kak muso who looks great, oh, hang on? how many albums has Justin bieber sold?

Tonedef

This has turned into quite a philosophical discourse! ?

I think the point I wanted to bring across most of all, is that it is not necessarily correct to assume from the outset that the audience members all expect the same things from the performance.

You could even argue that making that assumption does the audience a disservice, since in a way you are stating that as a whole they aren't sophisticated or individualistic enough to see past the getup. I'm not saying the getup isnt important, but like a pimple on your forehead on prom night, it probably bothers you infinitely more than it does others, and isnt as important as you might think.

PeteM

I thought I would share this. I wear a funny little black cap when I play. One night I forgot the cap at home when playing at my local open mic venue. After my set, some guy from the audience comes up to me and tells me that he enjoyed my playing and that I sound very similar to a guy who wears a black cap, and did I know him. ?

Tonedef

:roflmao: That's priceless, Pete!

So what are you saying, yea or nay to image? ?

singemonkey

Yeah. C'mon now. No one would argue that image is more important than music. But it counts - a lot. Ignore it at your peril, or use it to your advantage. I think the great danger is looking like you have absolutely no connection to the music you're playing.

AC/DC are essentially the most successful pub-rock group in the world. If they were in collared shirts with the top button done up and their hair done in a neat short back-and-sides, I don't think they would have done too well. Angus's uniform, on the other hand, coupled with his SGs (which he used for practical reasons, being such a small man) were a gimmick that helped them get noticed. Now they're a trap (although I'm sure Angus is reconciled to it by now). It's a warning about gimmicks.

And playing in genres is a short-cut isn't it? You don't have to explain what the hell you're trying to do and get fans from scratch. You're saying, "if you like this kind of music, well, we do the same thing. Come check us out." And you want to make that association plain to everyone visually. In some genres that have become super-stratified - like metal - you may have to be very particular about how you do this, lest you attract outraged fans from a close, but antipathetic sub-genre who will throw beer-bottles at you. ?

But even then. Like Angus and his uniform, like Albert King and his Flying V and pipe, you could easily pick a gimmick - like a really messed-up hello kitty guitar with nails stuck in it for your black metal band - that would help you stand out from the others. Just watch out that you don't end up having to play the damn thing in 25 years time while your 8 string custom ESPs languish at home ?

PeteM

Tonedef wrote :roflmao: That's priceless, Pete!

So what are you saying, yea or nay to image? ?

I say do whatever makes you play/perform better.

Tonedef

I reckon its how you rock it. A pretty young thing in a JapANESE (?) schoolgirl's outfit playing death metal on a hello kitty fiddle would be a hit imo! And it it would still be metal and the audience would love it. But yeah, its a possible trap like you say.

singemonkey

Tonedef wrote A pretty young thing in a JapANESE (?) schoolgirl's outfit .

You mean like a brightly coloured cuttlefish in a Japanese schoolgirl's outfit?

guidothepimmp

So remind me and Stu again..

Why are Epiphone Goths cheaper? ?

I waided through pages about image but apart from the monkees post about 8 piece bodies im still at a loss

vic

Hammeron wrote
vic wrote
Hammeron wrote Look, if you went to see Kenny Rogers, you'd expect beards an Cowboy hats,
If you went to see Beonce you'd expect to see a lot more.
If you went to see Slipnot you'd expect to see some masks.
If you went to see Rammstein you'd expect to see some fire,
And if you went to see Iron Maiden you'd expect to see some brilliance.
My point is Apart from the music........image is EVERYTHING
OK, if you went to see Steve Hofmeyer, what do you expect to see....?? :? :?
Dont know..... but what I would not expect to see was him wearing a mask and playing pointy guitars! ?

maybe this...??

singemonkey

guidothepimmp wrote I waided through pages about image but apart from the monkees post about 8 piece bodies im still at a loss

Erm. That was it. They're made of cheaper materials. Hence cheaper guitars.

Bob-Dubery

Donovan Banks wrote Talent always comes first. Nobody wants to see a kak muso who looks great, oh, hang on? how many albums has Justin bieber sold?

There is no correlation between talent and success.

I'm not saying that she's totally bereft of talent, but Britney Spears sold a lot of CDs. You want to tell me that image and marketing didn't have a lot to do with that? Loads of similar examples - lightweight talents making a big smash with a lucky hit or with good marketing and the right image.

guidothepimmp

singemonkey wrote
guidothepimmp wrote I waided through pages about image but apart from the monkees post about 8 piece bodies im still at a loss
Erm. That was it. They're made of cheaper materials. Hence cheaper guitars.

of course.. simple enough. I should have paid more attention ?

Charlie4

Just to clear any misunderstanding with my previous comment:

Funny enough I saw a picture of Trollhammer, guitarist for pagan metal band Moonsorrow, use a Hello Kitty Strat, live, loaded with an EMG 81 in the bridge, as well as
(Dave Navarro)

"Image is always important to a live performer. Even "no image" is an image. If you're only recording at home, you can record your black metal opus on a hello kitty strat. But you'll have a hard time selling it to live audiences. " - Singemonkey

I hate the fact that image plays a role in music because to me it's about the MUSIC and NOT the image, but unfortunately I have to concur/agree with what you said. (Singe's comment)

Image and marketing play a huge role to get you in the business but you need the goods (talent) to stay in the business. Maybe I'm just an idealist who listens to music with his eyes closed,
still I accept the reality that music is still a business and all that goes along with it. Maybe in an ideal world... :'(

stu

This is a stupid-ass argument.
I reckon if you want an image, go for it. If you dont then cool.
I will be playing my next gig in my underpants while the other guitarist plays in a black "good evening ladies" shirt and jeans.

I am my own image

guidothepimmp

lol, your topic went a bit off topic didnt it :-[ >☹

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