Epiphone vs Gibson:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Gibson had more branded searches than Epiphone among guitar brands in New Zealand. Gibson had about 2,420 branded searches, while Epiphone had 1,470. Gibson made up 18.9% of all guitar brand searches we track, and Epiphone accounted for 11.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about guitar brands, Gibson appeared in three of the five answers and Epiphone in two. Epiphone was mentioned before Gibson in two out of three answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Gibson, about 65% more searches than Epiphone
Who does AI mention more?
Gibson, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Epiphone in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
Epiphone, named ahead of Gibson in 2 of 3 answers
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Top guitar brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Gibson was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Epiphone was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Epiphone was listed before Gibson in two out of three answers that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Fender1st
Yamaha Guitars2nd
Cort3rd
Ibanez4th- Gibson5th
- Epiphone6th
PRS7th
Taylor Guitars8th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Fender5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Ibanez5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Yamaha Guitars4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Cort4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Gibson3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Epiphone2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Taylor Guitars2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- PRS2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about guitar brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which guitar brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best guitar brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best guitar brand in New Zealand for a beginner player?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“electric guitar nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best guitar brand”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.
Is Epiphone or Gibson more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Epiphone and Gibson by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight guitar brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Gibson, Epiphone. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Fender | Gibson | Ibanez | Epiphone | Yamaha Guitars | Taylor Guitars | PRS | Cort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 32.5% | 20.4% | 19.1% | 12.6% | 5.3% | 5% | 3% | 2% |
| Nov 2025 | 32.1% | 20.3% | 17.1% | 12.2% | 5.3% | 7.4% | 3% | 2.5% |
| Dec 2025 | 32.5% | 19.1% | 18.6% | 14.2% | 5% | 5.1% | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 30.9% | 19% | 20.3% | 12.5% | 5.2% | 6% | 3.6% | 2.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 32.6% | 20.1% | 16.2% | 12.9% | 6.1% | 6.2% | 3.8% | 2% |
| Mar 2026 | 36.8% | 20% | 16.5% | 10.3% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 3.5% | 1.9% |
| Apr 2026 | 37.5% | 17.9% | 18.2% | 11.2% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 2.9% | 2% |
| May 2026 | 38.4% | 18.7% | 16.5% | 10.3% | 5.6% | 5.5% | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 36.9% | 18.1% | 16.6% | 10.8% | 5.3% | 5.5% | 5% | 1.8% |
| Jul 2026 | 35.4% | 18.8% | 17.3% | 10.7% | 6.5% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 1.9% |
| Aug 2026 | 33.7% | 19.6% | 18.4% | 11% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 3.6% | 2% |
| Sep 2026 | 34.2% | 18.9% | 18.6% | 11.5% | 5.6% | 5% | 3.8% | 2.5% |
How has the Epiphone and Gibson comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Gibson was ahead of Epiphone in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Epiphone’s share of searches among guitar brands in New Zealand moved from 12.6% to 11.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.6K to 1.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gibson’s share of searches among guitar brands in New Zealand moved from 20.4% to 18.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.6K to 2.4K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand guitar brands in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Gibson lost share of searches among guitar brands in New Zealand, from 19.6% to 18.9%.
How are branded searches counted?
21 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Epiphone’s and Gibson’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Epiphone
11 branded search terms
- epiphone
- epiphone acoustic guitar
- epiphone bass
- epiphone casino
- epiphone electric guitar
- epiphone explorer
- epiphone gitar
- epiphone les paul
- epiphone lp custom
- epiphone sg
- epiphone special 2
Gibson
10 branded search terms
- gibson acoustic guitar
- gibson bass
- gibson electric guitar
- gibson explorer guitar
- gibson firebird guitar
- gibson guitar company
- gibson hummingbird guitar
- gibson les paul
- gibson sg
- gibson sg standard
Other head-to-heads among guitar brands
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