Why do epiphones have such a bad reputation?

Answer 1

For one, they are mass-produced in China rather than hand-crafted in North America. Chinese manufacturing factories don't exactly have a great reputation for quality control (not to mention workers' rights). Whereas in, say, Gibson USA or Godin Canada, you have skilled luthiers building Guitars who take pride in their work, Chinese factories are often staffed by unskilled and overworked/underpaid low-wage workers. While that might not make a huge difference with regards to circuit boards for iPads, it does indeed matter when you're talking about a musical instrument. A good guitar should be a work of art, not a commodity.

Secondly, Epiphones (except for the special/limited/tribute editions) typically don't use premium pickups, woods, and electronics as the USA-made Gibsons do. I was lucky enough to find an Epi 1960 Tribute Les Paul, which has a one-piece solid mahogany body (instead of multi-piece mahogany/alder like the regular Epi LP), real Gibson USA '57 pickups (instead of the Epi generic alnico 2s), Switchcraft American-made switches, Mallory capacitors, etc.

All in all, Epis are not horrible guitars, and are a viable choice for one who cannot afford a guitar made in the US or Canada. But IMO, if one can only afford an overseas mass-produced guitar, a better bet would be to spend just a tiny bit more and get a guitar made in Korea.....such as the Paul Read Smith (PRS) "SE" models or the Korean-made Schecters and ESP-LTDs.

Above all, get a guitar that feels right in your hands and to your ears, and don't worry about what snobs think when you show up at a gig. :-)