Epi G400 Custom

Sweet Leaf_Sabbath

Sweet Leaf_Sabbath

New member
Alright, the other day I was watchin my Sabbath DVD with their performance at the Beat Club how Tony had his Gib G400 Custom and it made me want it. I found a replica of it by Epiphone and I played it at a guitar store the other day. It played alright and I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about it.

Thanks guys
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

I played one too and i wasn't a big fan of it. I played my otehr friends gibson Sg and was blown away. The g400 epiphone version isnt very good as far as i know. The elecronics were not done wel as the volume kept on decreasing and to times going to nothing, im not he told me he had to go get it fixed. Mind you he bought the guitar only a week from when i played it. As far as the feel goes i found it to be ok, im sure you can play on it, but its not the ebst pick in the litter.
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

i own an epi g400, ive never had any of the problem you mention. Really thow what do you expect comparing a 400 guitar with a 1500 one? Of course the gigson is better but anyway to answer your question for the money the g400 epi is a nice guitar. It plays well, built well and sounds pretty good for what your paying. If you replace the pickups and pots it will sound alot closer to a more exspensive guitar. If you have 2G buy the Gibson if not get the Epi. If you havent been playing guitar for a long time i think you would be completely satisfied with the Epi. Also if you do get one make sure to grab
one of the higher end epiphones not the xheapo ones.
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

yeah i've played the Iommi G400 from Epi before.
The major highlight to me is its Gibson Tony Iommi pups. They're much darker and heavier sounding than the ones on the "other" epi G400. Those things cost a bomb. put the price of the dual pups together and its a huge fraction of the guitars price. combined with its mahogany body, the pups give you a dark sound which is great for metal (duh! its a Iommi guitar)
Playabiliity is great due to its 24 frets.
Personally I like it better than the other G400.
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

Megalo,

Those problems strat_master talked about are for real, wait a few more weeks/months and you'll need to replace the whole electronics.

And btw, in my book, a 400$ guitar is a 400$ guitar, no matter which brand, and there's no "it sounds great for the money". A guitar cannot "sounds great considering what you paid for"... either it sounds great, or not. I mean :

- It sounds like crap!
- I paid only 300$ for...
- Oh ok it sounds great then!

Sometimes there's an exception to the general rule, and those exceptions come from Japan... :)
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

Sorry for being kinda hard, but I tried in the past saving some bucks on cheaper guitars, thinking they sounded great for the money, and was always disapointed when comparing to the real "ones", where we feel the attention to detail, woods & parts selection, etc.

However, you can pay 2 grands for a "real name" guitar and have a piece of junk! :)
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

ive owned that guitar for 2 years and still none of the problems you mentioned, im not even the original owner. The volume dropping out sounds like a wiring problem to me. I think you have a case of the "if its not ridiculously exspensive it cant possibly sound good?" syndrom. You are right the electronics are not the best but the wood and the guitar itself is built pretty solid. I already replaced the pickups and the elctronics and its sounds like a beast and plays like one too. It has nicer tone (to me) than my friends Les Paul Studio with stock pups. Sure its not as good and doesnt look as nice as the LP but sounds pretty damn good to me. The set neck epi's go for around 4-500 US and after you replace the elctronics (wich you can take with you when you upgrade to a more exspensive guitar) they sound pretty sweet and have nice sustain. Buying mine used and replacing the electronics(APH-1 neck , Custom bridge, cts pots etc...) cost me a total of about $400 US and i have a guitar that sounds awesome. In fact to even further my point some friends and i put stock SG pups in my epiphone once and the difference was so minute most people couldnt even tell the difference.
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

megalo said:
The volume dropping out sounds like a wiring problem to me.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a bad switch to me.


megalo said:
I think you have a case of the "if its not ridiculously exspensive it cant possibly sound good?" syndrom.
Click to expand...

Ha. I was waiting for this one. No, I dont have that syndrom. I only have real-life experience to share. Anyway, both of my current guitars are awesome sounding axes (not self-proclaimed btw), and believe it or not, I have many people in queue if I ever sell one of these. In the past, I owned a G-400 too, which I paid ~400$ at the store; I had to replace the switch, pots and tuners in less than 6 months. Sold it and bought a Gibson SG Special (I tell you, I'm not a Gibson afficionados, I hate them in fact). I paid 500$ US for this SG, used, better tone than the Epi! But still not that, I sold it back 1 year after.

Prior to that I bought a MIM Deluxe Strat, pretty good one I tell you, but nowhere close to my current Strat Plus. I bought this one for ~500$ US.

I also own an ESP/Edwards ELP85SD (see signature). I paid 390$ for it (+110$ shipping from Japan). At this price, I couldnt pass. And damn! This is the most incredible-sounding LP I ever put my hands on (and Im not the only one proclaiming that!).

Have I paid over 1000$ for my axes ? No. Where's that syndrom you talked 'bout ? :rolleyes: Pls, be realistic, apart from the workmanship, a 1500$ axe has better components and woods than a 400$ one. Right ? Mahogany (or often Alder) used on Epi and such isnt really hand-selected, 'cause they know that someone who bought an Epi doesnt care about that. That's a question of marketing, knowing how to target the customers and their needs, and pricing the instrument accordingly. They know that most Epi users swap pickups, electronics and tuners, that's also why they offer a Lifetime Warranty, but VOID if you change a single component!!! That's all marketing dude!

megalo said:
I already replaced the pickups and the elctronics and its sounds like a beast and plays like one too.
Click to expand...

You just told us that you didnt had any problem with the electronics on your... ??!

megalo said:
It has nicer tone (to me) than my friends Les Paul Studio with stock pups. Sure its not as good and doesnt look as nice as the LP but sounds pretty damn good to me. The set neck epi's go for around 4-500 US and after you replace the elctronics (wich you can take with you when you upgrade to a more exspensive guitar) they sound pretty sweet and have nice sustain. Buying mine used and replacing the electronics(APH-1 neck , Custom bridge, cts pots etc...) cost me a total of about $400 US and i have a guitar that sounds awesome. In fact to even further my point some friends and i put stock SG pups in my epiphone once and the difference was so minute most people couldnt even tell the difference.
Click to expand...

I hate LP studios so I'm with you! :laugh2:

Seriously, Im only saying that "it sounds great for 400$" sounds ridiculous (not you! only the sentence!) to my ears. :)
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

A great guitar is a great guitar, no matter what it cost or who makes it. I payed $1200 for my LP Standard and gutted the electronics, replaced the pickups, and am very happy with it.

I aolso paid $350 for my Epi Sheraton, spent the same amount of money upgrading it, and am equally happy with it.

Bottom line, if you like how the guitar feels and sounds unplugged, buy it. :burnout:
 
Re: Epi G400 Custom

well i didnt have any "problems" with the original electronics,what i meant was i didnt have any malfunctions. I replaced them obviously for better sounding pickups and pots. How about I say that setup "sounds good" rather than sounds good for 400 since thats what you seem to be hung up on. What i mean by sounds good for 400 is that if your price range is only 400-500 if you mod a lower end guitar like mine it can sound "pretty good" for the money you invest. Obviosly a cheaper made guitar like epi isnt going to sound "as nice" as if you went out and purchased a high end instrument but they it still sounds good for the money. Of course your gibson would probably have better sustain etc.. but you also pay more for that too. Im not arguing that fact. My guitar sesm to be built fairly solid but I have also seen some crappy looking epiphones too. I think its really hit and miss and depends on where it was made. I tried 3 or 4 other before i picked up this one.

Anyway my entire point was that they guy asking seemed like someone who probably is just getting into guitars and was looking at the epiphones as more as a entry level instrument for himself. So what im saying is that if you find a nice g400 thats all mahaogany and has a set neck its a good bang for the buck, especially for a used one. But hey if you have more moeny and can afford a nicer guitar by all means go for it, i would too.

PS. yes the tuners do suck on most epiphones too, i cant not agree with that
but i think they now come with grovers on em so thats a welcome change.
 
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Re: Epi G400 Custom

I dont own any Gibson megalo... ;)

So.. ok to answer the real "question". Instead of paying 400$ for an Epi, on which you'll have to replace almost 75% of its parts in the next year, find another 100 bucks and buy a Gibson SG, either a special or faded, sometimes under 500$ used and in perfect condition. I had a black special, installed nickel-covered p'ups and it was killer in terms of look.

BTW, a "Gib G400 Custom" doesnt exist. The G400 is the epiphone model.
 
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