Show Full Spec Comparison
| Epiphone 1963 Firebird V | Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Epiphone | Fender Custom |
| Year: | 2024 | 2004 |
| Configuration: | HH | SSS |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | China | United States |
| Series: | 1963 Firebird V | Custom Artist |
| Colors: | Blue, Red | Black, Blue |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | 9-ply Mahogany/Walnut Neck-Through | Select Alder |
| Bridge: | Maestro Vibrola | Blocked American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Neck-Through | Bolt-On |
| Tuners: | Kluson "Banjo-style" Planetary | Vintage-Style |
| Fretboard: | Indian Laurel | Maple |
| Neck Material: | Mahogany | Maple |
| Decoration: | Mother of Pearl Trapezoid | Black Dot |
| Scale Size: | 24.75" | 25.5" |
| Shape: | 1963 Firebird | Soft V |
| Frets: | 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver | 22 Vintage Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 9.5" |
| Nut: | Ivory Tusq | Synthetic Bone |
| Nut Width: | 43mm (1.693'') | 41.9mm (1.65'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker with Alnico 5 Magnet (Humbucker / Passive) | Fender Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) |
| Middle Pickup: | Fender Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) | |
| Neck Pickup: | Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker with Alnico 5 Magnet (Humbucker / Passive) | Fender Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil / Passive) |
| Switch: | 3 Way | 5 Way |
| Knobs: | Bell | Bell |
| Pickup Mods: | None | Boost |
| Volume Controls: | 2 | 1 |
| Tone Controls: | 2 | 2 |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Nickel | Nickel |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Epiphone 1963 Firebird V over Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster
Reasons to Get
Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster over Epiphone 1963 Firebird V
Other Key Differences
Epiphone 1963 Firebird V vs Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster
Shared Features
Epiphone 1963 Firebird V vs Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Locking Tuners
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster favors large hands more than the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V.
Epiphone 1963 Firebird V:
Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster:
Beginner Friendliness
The Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Epiphone 1963 Firebird V- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Tall frets
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Woods Used in the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: Epiphone 1963 Firebird V.
Pickup Configuration
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V has an HH configuration while the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster has SSS pickups.
Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
On the other hand, SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster's online:
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V gives you 3. This means that the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster comes with some kind of pickup modification: Boost.
A Boost will give your pickups more output, similar to an active pickup. It's great if you like to use a lot of output for heavy genres, but also like to use a cleaner tone often.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V compares to the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V is built in China while the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster is made in United States.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
On the other hand, the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V's are Kluson "Banjo-style" Planetary while the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster's are Vintage-Style
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V has a Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
On the other hand, the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster comes with Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Epiphone 1963 Firebird V.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Epiphone 1963 Firebird V
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster
- Made in United States
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Boost Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 1.1mm (0.043'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, on the other hand, has a V neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Epiphone 1963 Firebird V.
Fret Size
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird V has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender Custom Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster's Vintage frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
