InFlamesWeTrust wrote:
Well I just picked up and epiphone SG400 second hand and i've got to say im pretty impressed. Pickups are pretty decent I don't even think ill replace them and the playability is surprisingly good. The action can be set ridiculously low without any buzz and it seems to hold a tune just fine. Only problem I have with it is its a bit neck heavy, the neck is a nice thick piece of mahogany and the body is well, just not. Body is superlight, im sure this guitar is supposed to have a mahogany body but sure doesn't seem that way. The sound is still pretty good so i'm not too worried, its more of a backup guitar and something for my younger brother to learn on i'm still partial to my Ibanez S series. I have played on some decent guitars (Gibson LP, Gibson SG, some musicmans, LTD eclipse etc.) and I don't feel like this Epiphone is a complete piece of junk in comparison. I musta got a good one ?
It's not just Epiphones. All SGs are ridiculously neck heavy. Mahogany's pretty light, and with such a small and slender body, it can't compensate for the weight of the neck, headstock and tuners. Gibsons look great and sound wonderful, but their ergonomics leave a little to be desired (compared to a Stratocaster or an Ibanez for example).
No Epiphones aren't crap. But there have been a lot of budget Gibson copies that have come out under that name, and some have been awful. I was just browsing Japanese sites for second hand guitars (an old addiction) and I came across some MIJ Epiphones - including some from the eighties. Just beautiful. Probably much better made than Gibsons of the same era. Also those MIJ Epiphones tend to have the Gibson-style "open-book" headstocks.
But even among Korean and Chinese Epiphones, a great many will be excellent guitars. You've just got to be a little careful of the odd stinker.
