The JT200 Jay Tursers are hit or miss, some of them had mahogany bodies with maple necks, some had alder bodies with maple necks, they vary in production. TheKarimbaig: I would have to say an Epiphone if you get a new one, the warranty can easily be handled by most dealers with no B.S. I have to agree with everyone on Epiphone informs me that I've reached my quota until then. Not concerned about electronics either, since I would probably replace all that stuff to my own liking.)Ī moot point for now, since I won't be ordering any more guitars until the fall. So long as the body is decent and the neck is straight I would be pretty happy. (Not concerned about setup - since I level my own frets an do my own setup. So, it really comes down to how willing I am to gamble $400 on a no-name Chinese company. Then again, the Chinese guitar might be a decent guitar, in which case I save a full week's salary. On the other hand, the Chinese clone could be a pile of crap that I waste $400 on. The issue is, if I buy an Epi, I spend over a grand but I know there is at least some guarantee that the quality will be okay. It also has 22 frets (as opposed to 20) and the more modern style Grover tuners (which I like, since I would probably upgrade those to locking tuners for quick and easy string changes.) And all for a reasonable $400 including shipping. It has dot inlays rather than those huge God-awful ones, which look really classy.

I did find a manufacturer in China that makes an SG copy that I really like. The Epi starts at about $1,100 - and a Gibson is entirely out of my price range at $4,000 and up. I want to add a double neck to the collection. I've been going through a similar mental wrestling match. There's a sticker on the back of the headstock of my JT-133 that says 'Made in China' You may have to ignore that earlier comment about Epi having better electronics.Īnd BTW, Jay Tursers are made in China. Much clearer than any stock Epi pickup I have played with. Though the pickups on my JT do sound pretty good. But a used Epi will still be the cheaper guitar, and may have better electronics. The Turser will probably cost a little less than a new Epi. I'm not going to say buy one over the other, that's up to you. When I was looking to buy my first LP, I strongly considered the Jay Turser LP based on my positive experience with the 335 copy but instead went with an Epiphone, one reason being that it felt more like a 'real' LP because it was made by Gibson. The JT has now been relegated to #3 in my line-up, but when I do bust it out, I wonder why I don't play it more often. Always thought it sounded great and played even better. I never had any beefs with the JT at all. We were very close until I started buying Epiphones about two years ago. The first electric guitar I ever bought was a Jay Turser (albeit a 335 copy).

Jay turser copy of a rickenbacker 325