Once upon a time, it was obvious where a company’s budget brand ended and its prestige brand began. Squier was to Fender what Epiphone was to Gibson – a respectable alternative for those who couldn’t afford, or chose not to buy, the full-fat version. If you didn’t mind going off-brand entirely, you could buy decent copies by the likes of Tokai.
Today, however, things aren’t quite so simple. Take the Chinese-built Epiphone Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ 1959 Les Paul Standard, for example. Not only does it possess the classic ‘open book’ Gibson headstock shape (a thing hitherto denied to Epiphone buyers), but, at $/£1,499 it's priced similarly to the current entry-level Gibson USA Les Paul – the rather skinny and spartan Les Paul Modern Lite, which can be had for $/£1,449.
