I ordered the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1963 Dove Reissue (Natural IBC) from Thomann, since it isn’t available locally. . I really wanted to like this guitar after reading so many positive reviews, but the one I received just wasn’t up to standard.
Right out of the box, I noticed several problems:
- The action was very high (around 4.5 mm on the low E at the 12th fret).
- Intonation was significantly off on several strings — by nearly half a tone in some positions.
- A section of bracing under the soundhole had a significant chip out of it.
- The pickguard was lifting.
- The top also had numerous fine scratches visible under light.
I let it acclimate for a couple of days and rechecked everything, but the intonation actually got worse. Possibly a setup could have mitigated some of the problems, but at that point I decided to return it.
It’s possible I received a defective or previously returned unit, but at this price level I expected much better quality control and setup from the factory.
On a positive note, the LR Baggs VTC Bronze pickup sounded great. And Thomann was helpful throughout the return process.
