Let's go through a
comparison and see how close they are physically, then we'll take on the
sonic comparisons.
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There are a couple of obvious differences that can be easily spotted.
Aside from the knobs and the size of the pickguard on the Epiphone on
the left, it is interesting to note that the bridges are a little
different, as well. The Ibanez has the stock faux Tune-a-Matic
with a wide body. The Epiphone has more of an old-style ABR-1 with
a retaining wire, which came stock on the guitar. However, the distance from the bridge saddles to
the pickups are almost exactly the same on both guitars. This is critical -- we
won't have to move the pickups on the Epiphone to make them correspond
the Destroyer's dimensions.Note: If
we keep the Epiphone we are going to fix that pickguard. The
Destroyer's is more like the Gibson's.
The bodies are almost exactly the same size.
Below we some of the key dimensions in metric format so we
can all be on the same sheet of music.
| |
Ibanez |
Epiphone |
| Weight |
4.25 kilograms/9.37 pounds |
3.6 kilograms/7.94 pounds |
| Fret Width: |
2.65 mm |
2.65 mm |
| Fret Heigth: |
.9 mm |
.86 mm |
| Neck Width, Nut: |
43.85 mm |
43.44 mm |
| Neck Width, 12th Fret: |
52.87 mm |
52.75 mm |
Bridge post, High E, to screw
pole piece
(center to center): |
35.69 mm |
35.69 mm |
Bridge post, Low E, to screw pole
piece
(center to center): |
38.90 mm |
38.86 mm |
| Body Thickness: |
38.50 mm |
40.66 mm |
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| So -- what do all of
these measurements mean? First, it is clear that the two guitars
have nearly identical measurements. Even the fret wire is almost the
same. The neck profile is very, very similar as well -- you have
to trust us on that one. Second, the most significant difference
will probably be the weight differential. The Destroyer weighs
about .6 kg/1.4 pounds more than the Explorer but its body is a bit
thinner. The Destroyer is made of Asian Sen ash while the Explorer
is a Korina/Alder laminate -- which is much lighter than ash.
Wasn't the original Striped S-Style body ash? Hmmm... Note:
The Destroyer's weight is probably closer to that of a real Gibson
Explorer. In addition, the neck angle of the Ibanez is just
a little shallower than the Epiphone's. This means the strings are
a little closer to the guitar body on the Ibanez.
Will this difference affect the tones of the
guitars? We don't know, but we plan to find out.
It appears that the Epiphone has more in common
with the Ibanez than the Gibson they are both copies of. It is
almost like the Epiphone is a copy of the Ibanez!
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| If you want
a good look at the guitars, click on the photos to the right to get a
full-size, "Taken-with-a-Nikon" image of each. |
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Epiphone Explorer |
Ibanez Destroyer |
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