Budget SG Shootout

Re: Budget SG Shootout

Another vote for the Viper. Love both of my LTD's. Dig the offset and bound neck..and the jack placement . Equals win...
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

Customs are pretty cool if you can swing with the 3 pups.

Did you really just say that to me?!?!?!?!


If you can find a Vintage VS6 you might dig them
VS6VGHB-Horizontal.jpg

That is pretty sweet....
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

id say depends on if you want 4 knob traditional or ??
A couple years back, I scored a black Epi SG g400 on feebay for about $300. New. Pickups were surprisingly good, tho I did swap em for Duncs.. It was very nicely made and a great player.
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

I know the Epi headstock has its origins in old instruments, but man, they'd sell a lot more if it didn't look so....bad.
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

I know the Epi headstock has its origins in old instruments, but man, they'd sell a lot more if it didn't look so....bad.

I actually like the headstock that they put on their higher end models, like the ES-175 Premium.
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

Used Gibson Faded series. You might even score a glossy black Special for $450ish if you're patient.

I agree you can find a Special for around the same money. If it is beat up it will fit the mojo of Steve Dallas and will be even cheaper.
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

If you can find a Vintage VS6 you might dig them
VS6VGHB-Horizontal.jpg

This.
I've tried a TON of SG type guitars, including Gibsons, Epiphones, and a few other brands, across the lower half of the cost spectrum (to be fair, nothing over $800).

The Vintage VS6 is the first and only one that didn't sound dead in my hands. I now own one in cherry, and the neck, frets, and build quality are top notch. Easily as well made as the $3000 Firebird I tried, and better than the Gibson 120th Anniversary LP Studio I had in my home for a month.

Try one of these if you can find one. You may or may not like it as much as the Epi or the Viper, but I think it deserves to be in the mix.

15182164384341782501151.jpg
1518216508363377201967.jpg
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

Used Gibson Faded SG all day long. If you can find an Elite Epi SG.. They are killer....
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

I have an Epi 1966 reissue G400 Pro. It has the batwing pick guard and a fatter neck with nice rounded shoulders. The thing stays in tune forever cause of the beefier neck.

The new G400 Pros have coil splitting and Alnico Classic Pro pickups.

The stock pickups actually sound pretty dang good.

I’m very pleased with the Epi 1966 custom G400 Pro

6a201ea608202090522364fdcc3d42a4.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

I have a G-400 and I've played the Viper, I'd take the Epi any day. Much closer to the gibson, for my money.
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

The problem I have about the Viper is that it is designed to be similar to an SG. I played one at GC once and everything about it struck me as almost but not quite an SG. To me it's an attempt to get as close as possible to am SG without attracting negative "attention" from Gibson. It would be cool if they changed it up a bit though, maybe go for a nontraditional color and made the pickups wood mount. On the plus side however, they did switch to a master volume/ master tone layout, which I prefer, and they made it a 24 fretter, which you might as well do on an SG since the neck pickup is in a weird place anyway. The side jack is also nice. I never liked how they put the input on the face of the SG. The LTD is also a fine piece of workmanship for the money and the neck seems to be more secure to the body than the G400.

I'd say if you've never spent serious time with an SG or don't think the minor changes from the Gibson design will bother you, go for the Viper. If you care for traditional looks and mojo, go for the Epi. They are both decent guitars and neither is a bad choice.

I guess if the jack on a guitar is the "input" jack, then the jack on the front of an amp where the guitar is plugged in must be called the "output" jack. (What about the speaker jack on the back of an amp...is that an "input" jack as well?).
 
Re: Budget SG Shootout

I guess if the jack on a guitar is the "input" jack, then the jack on the front of an amp where the guitar is plugged in must be called the "output" jack. (What about the speaker jack on the back of an amp...is that an "input" jack as well?).

I swap them now and then, but I try to stop using output and input interchangeably. I just didn't catch myself. So long as you don't confuse anyone or take away from the clarity of the statement, I don't care either way.

Then there are some people who use the mechanical definition of input instead of the electrical definition to justify their terminology.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top