Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

[Captain Tightpants]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

That was my guitar, and I started the thread in this forum. Someone else started the thread in the Epiphone forum. I'm thoroughly convinced that my guitar is a fake G-310. Seemed like cool and knowledgable folks in the EPI forum.

I don't think EPI makes particleboard guitars.

Well, I can tell you for a fact that those single hum Junior Special are plywood, heavy as heck, unplayable, and a complete P.O.S. I don't know about the 310, althought I think I've heard that they are plywood as well. However, I've heard that the Junior specials are supposed to play pretty good, so maybe I got a bum one.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

My recent Epi Classic was a 3 piece body plus cap (and veneer of course on the back).

The neck was mahogany, and two pieces of the body were as well (I could see the grain)..the center piece was either alder or that light colored phillipine mahogany/luan/agathis/mystery mahogany. I never could tell exactly whether the cap was alder/maple/mystery mahogany.

Fret problems aside the thing sounded pretty nice!

You just never know what you are gonna get with an Epi. But most of the time with the newer chinese guitars you are gonna get a real deal mahogany neck (except on the ones that state maple), but the body is always a crapshoot.

I happen to feel that neck is equally if not more important than the body for tone, and you are much better off with a mystery body and a mahogany neck than a mystery wood neck and whatever else in the body. The MIK BC Rich Mockingbird Special I had was a through neck of real mahogany and the smaller wings were mystery mahogany and that guitar sounded fabulous. Very deep low mids like any good Les Paul should have.

Of the 3 MIK Deans I've had, two had real Mahogany necks and one was a mystery mahogany neck. all 3 were mystery mahogany bodies. Guess which one sounded the worst?

This is one reason I shy away from LTD guitars..like the Explorer/EX and Vipers, etc. Most of them have mystery mahogany bodies and MAPLE necks, and that combination just sounds dead as a doornail. Very nasal and one dimensional.

 

[Porto Leone]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

just for the record, Epiphone updated the official site and now all the LPs ans G400s appear to have full mahogany bodies (?!?!). of course the dealers disagree sometimes: for example> (brand new LP model, the body wood & finish looks very similar to the G-400 fafed)/
Epi site: http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=43&CollectionID=6
Thomann site: http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_lp_studio_worn_cherry.htm
any comments?! :31:

 

[pstarove]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

just for the record, Epiphone updated the official site and now all the LPs ans G400s appear to have full mahogany bodies (?!?!). of course the dealers disagree sometimes: for example> (brand new LP model, the body wood & finish looks very similar to the G-400 fafed)/
Epi site: http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=43&CollectionID=6
Thomann site: http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_lp_studio_worn_cherry.htm
any comments?! :31:

If they are full mahogany, they are still multipiece not-that-good mahogany with two thin veneers of good looking mahogany. The dealers don't update their pages often. Also, since the change took place only a month ago or so, you cannot be sure whether you're buying a guitar that has been produced after or before the change unless you make calculations with the SN. And still, with Epiphones the wood is not that important at all, what is more important is if it sounds good or not.

 

[Porto Leone]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

i choose this model for example, cause it's a recent 2007 introduced model, to avoid the confusion of the dealer's old pages. and i don't believe Epiphone changed the materials of the whole product line, they only changed the commercial policy.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

I've not seen Epiphone refer to the G400s as anything but mahogany in quite some time. They never say what kind of mahogany, though. There is no alder in them.

And with any guitar, import or US, budget or custom, the bottom line is always does it sound good.

My G400 is nicely resonant guitar. Then again, SGs are often that way by design.

 

[Captain Tightpants]

Re: Epiphone SG: G-400 Vintage

They have also said for years that they have mahogany necks, but most I've seen, including mine, are maple. Not a huge deal, I'm a Norlin fan and I love maple necks, but they should be honest about it.