In 2018, Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024) controlled the Epiphone name under KKR-led creditor group (Gibson). Its 5 lines on record were built at Chinese contract factories for Epiphone (Daewon, Muse, Saein, Zaozhuang Saehan), Gibson Qingdao, Other Korean contractors (Epiphone; unverified) and Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically) (China, South Korea and Japan).[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]
A Epiphone guitar from 2018 belongs to whichever era was running on its product line that year. An era is a stretch when the company that controlled the name and the plant that built the line both stayed the same. If you know the line, the table below tells you which version of Epiphone you have. The name dates from 1908no source, 110 years before.
Epiphone Indonesia: a new era begins under Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
Epiphone China: a new era begins under Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), built at Chinese contract factories for Epiphone (Daewon, Muse, Saein, Zaozhuang Saehan)[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]
Epiphone China: a new era begins under Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), built at Gibson Qingdao[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]
Epiphone Korea: a new era begins under Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), built at Other Korean contractors (Epiphone; unverified)[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13]
Epiphone Japan: a new era begins under Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
Epiphone Japan special models: a new era begins under Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), built at Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically)[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14]
Epiphone Japan: the 1987–2018 era ends (Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024))[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Epiphone Japan special models: the 1987–2018 era ends (Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically))[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14]
Epiphone Korea: the 1995–2018 era ends (Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), Other Korean contractors (Epiphone; unverified))[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13]
Epiphone Indonesia: the 2000–2018 era ends (Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024))[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Epiphone China: the 2002–2018 era ends (Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), Chinese contract factories for Epiphone (Daewon, Muse, Saein, Zaozhuang Saehan))[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12]
Epiphone China: the 2004–2018 era ends (Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024), Gibson Qingdao)[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12]
Where Epiphone was built in 2018
Chinese contract factories for Epiphone (Daewon, Muse, Saein, Zaozhuang Saehan), Gibson Qingdao, Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically) and Other Korean contractors (Epiphone; unverified). See every brand each plant built for, and every plant in the same country:
Every numbered marker on this page points here: the document, its grade and the passages relied on. An era is computed, so it cites the facts it was derived from. A fact marked “no source” has no claim attached yet.