--- title: "Epiphone vs Gibson: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Epiphone or Gibson more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Mandolin brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-mandolin-brands/compare/epiphone-vs-gibson" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Epiphone vs Gibson: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Epiphone or Gibson more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Mandolin brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Epiphone and Gibson - **Competitive set**: Mandolin brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Epiphone Share of Search**: 18.5% - **Gibson Share of Search**: 14.8% ## Is Epiphone or Gibson more popular in search? - In September 2026, Epiphone had more branded searches than Gibson among mandolin brands in New Zealand. Epiphone had about 1,310 branded searches, while Gibson had 1,050. Epiphone made up 18.5% of all mandolin brand searches we track, and Gibson accounted for 14.8%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Gibson took it in March 2026, Epiphone took it in April 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Epiphone’s share of searches among mandolin brands in New Zealand moved from 19.7% to 18.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.4K to 1.3K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Gibson’s share of searches among mandolin brands in New Zealand moved from 15.5% to 14.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.1K. ## Top mandolin 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 one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Gibson was listed before Epiphone in two out of three answers that named either. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Eastman | 1st | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Kentucky | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | The Loar | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Gibson | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Collings | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Ibanez | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Washburn | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Epiphone | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Northfield | 9th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Fender | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about mandolin brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which mandolin brand should I buy in New Zealand?": named none of the brands we track - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best mandolin brands in New Zealand?": 1. Eastman, 2. Kentucky, 3. Washburn, 4. Ibanez, 5. The Loar - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best mandolin brand in New Zealand for bluegrass playing?": 1. Eastman, 2. Kentucky, 3. The Loar, 4. Collings, 5. Gibson - Searched Google, AI Overview "mandolin brands": 1. Epiphone, 2. The Loar, 3. Ibanez, 4. Kentucky, 5. Eastman, 6. Washburn, 7. Gibson, 8. Collings, 9. Northfield - Searched Google, AI Overview "bluegrass mandolin brand": 1. Gibson, 2. Collings, 3. Northfield, 4. Eastman, 5. Kentucky, 6. The Loar Not named in any answer: Fender. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand mandolin brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Epiphone gained share of searches among mandolin brands in New Zealand, from 18% to 18.5%. - In September 2026, Gibson lost share of searches among mandolin brands in New Zealand, from 16.3% to 14.8%. ## Month by month | Month | Epiphone estimated searches | Epiphone Share of Search | Epiphone rank | Gibson estimated searches | Gibson Share of Search | Gibson rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.4K | 19.7% | 2 | 1.1K | 15.5% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 1.4K | 19.6% | 2 | 1.2K | 16.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 1.6K | 21.3% | 2 | 1K | 14% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 1.4K | 19.4% | 3 | 1K | 13.9% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 1.4K | 21.6% | 2 | 1.1K | 16.6% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 1.3K | 16.7% | 4 | 1.3K | 17.8% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 1.3K | 17.4% | 3 | 1.1K | 15.2% | 4 | | May 2026 | 1.3K | 17.2% | 2 | 1.2K | 15.2% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 1.4K | 18.1% | 3 | 1.2K | 15.7% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 1.3K | 18% | 2 | 1.1K | 15.9% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 1.3K | 18% | 3 | 1.2K | 16.3% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 1.3K | 18.5% | 3 | 1.1K | 14.8% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured 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**: Measured on the search terms “epiphone”, “epiphone casino”, “epiphone explorer”, “epiphone gitar”, “epiphone les paul”, “epiphone lp custom”, “epiphone sg” and “epiphone special 2”, summed into one figure. - **Gibson**: Measured on the search terms “gibson les paul”, “gibson sg” and “gibson sg standard”, summed into one figure. - [Epiphone profile](/demand/nz/brands/epiphone) - [Gibson profile](/demand/nz/brands/gibson) - [All mandolin brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-mandolin-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Epiphone or Gibson more popular in search? In September 2026, Epiphone had more branded searches than Gibson among mandolin brands in New Zealand. Epiphone had about 1,310 branded searches, while Gibson had 1,050. Epiphone made up 18.5% of all mandolin brand searches we track, and Gibson accounted for 14.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Epiphone vs Gibson: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-mandolin-brands/compare/epiphone-vs-gibson This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-mandolin-brands/compare/epiphone-vs-gibson. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.