Epiphone G-400 LH

The options for left handed guitars are very limited and it is very hard to find mid level lefty guitars. The Epiphone lefty G-400 is a good guitar even though its color options are greatly limited compared to the right handed examples. The design is based off the early 60s version of the Gibson SG with the small batwing style pickguard. The G-400 has been produced for over 20 years and has been a standout of the Epiphone line. It is less than half the price of a Gibson SG but it is more than half the guitar. The G-400 comes with Grover tuners on the headstock of a 22 fret neck with a rosewood fretboard. The fretboard is bound with rosewood instead of plastic. It is made from mahogany and has a veneer for the cherry finish. It has the classic Les Paul electronics setup with dual humbuckers and dual tone and volume controls with a 3 way toggle pickup selector. I am glad they chose and early 60s model to do instead of a later one because with the small early 60s pickguard you can see much more of the pretty wood.

UTILIZATION

With the dual cutaways of the SG design the upper frets are very easy to reach. It has the Gibson 60s profile neck which is the preferred profile for guitar players. In the 50s Gibson necks were very large and referred to as baseball bat necks. In the 60s Gibson switched to a slimmer neck design. This slimmer design is what the G-400 has. One problem SG's is that the neck is mounted far out on the body and with the body being thinner than a Les Paul the guitar is slightly neck heavy. When you are standing up and playing the neck may want to drop down and you may find yourself holding the neck up.

SOUNDS

The guitar has the classic SG sound. With the mahogany body you get a full sound and since it is slightly thinner than a Les Paul you get more high end bite on your sound. The medium output humbuckers provide the ideal tone for the classic rock sound. So many classic tones were produced with SG guitars. AC/DC has used them for decades as has Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. If the pickups are not heavy enough for you a set of Seymour Duncans can really wake the guitar up.

OVERALL OPINION

Finding a good lefty guitar is a pretty hard thing to do and finding one that you can afford is even harder. Epiphone is better than most companies but their lefty selection is limited. I am glad they make all their major models in left hand orientation. It is only fitting because one of the most famous SG players Tony Iommi is left handed himself. If you are looking to be like Iommi and want to play an SG left handed this is pretty much your only reasonably priced option.

The Epiphone G-400 is a cheaper version of Gibson’s famous SG. The G-400 features 22 frets, dual Alnico V humbuckers, two sets of volume and tone knobs, and a three way pickup selector. The G-400 has a fixed bridge, which in my opinion gives this guitar a lot of sustain. The neck is extremely fast, it is made of mahogany, like the rest of the guitar, and comes with a beautiful red finish.

UTILIZATION

The neck on the Epiphone G-400 is amazing. Thanks to the SG body, the super high frets are just as easy to access as the top ones, making soloing all the more fun. The guitar is extremely light, which is great for playing shows with, and it looks like an old school Gibson SG, who doesn’t love that? Thanks to the neck having such great action, you can get a great sound without even trying.

SOUNDS

The style of music I play now is mellow/soft, however when I used the G-400 I was really into heavy rock, and it was wonderful for getting that kind of sound. I used it with an Epiphone Triggerman 60 DSP, and I got awesome rock tones, with super long sustain, which I loved for soloing. When you play the G-400 clean, you can get a very nice mellow sound, but turn the gain on and the guitar really comes to life. You can bend a note and let it ring for days. My favourite sounds that the G-400 produced would be the lead guitar sounds; it’s a great guitar for soloing.

OVERALL OPINION

I actually do not own this guitar anymore because I gave it to my girlfriend for her birthday; however I still play it when I’m over at her house. I did own the G-400 for about a year and a half. My favourite part of the G-400 was the sustain it produced; this guitar can hold a note forever. My least favourite part would be the fact that about after a year of having it the bridge sort of fell apart, not to bad though because I was able to fix it myself, but it was still a hassle. I had played a few guitars before the G-400, but once I touched it I fell in love with the sounds it could make. For the price this guitar is amazing and I would recommend it to anybody. I loved this guitar, if you are looking for a great low cost rock guitar, buy this one!

Made in Korea, tune o matic bridge (Gotoh changed to a) handle type 60's slim tapper, frets quite low (this is not jumbo) so fast sleeve. 2 volumes, 2 tones, a 3-position selector (all changed by Bare Knuckle kit), 2 microphones changed by two Bare Knuckle Black Dog (Alnico V). I still played more than 10 years without changing pickups and electronics, and it was the road! Score for the original gear: 7

UTILIZATION

Channel pleasant, access to acute amazing superb ergonomics of the instrument. Imbalance body / neck is attenuated by mechanical origins (light), vintage, type tulips oil bath, and a good wide leather strap. Shovel lightweight, less than 4kgs. One easily obtains a rock sound. The G400 is clearly not made for the clear, but then I pushed the door open. This is not what is asked. And this is even more true with the new pickups rocks squarely and accurately!
Extremely simple to use and good ergonomics: 8

SOUNDS

This is quite the guitar I was looking at the time, she followed me long, and with careful maintenance that I bring is always in the forefront of my shovels! I play rock, stoner, more vintage sounding, it sounds good. The medium is identified (I hate hollow medium) and Bare Knuckle pickups really make with the beautiful.
Its fat but also specific overdrive rather clear round and crunchy.
I play with an amp Tiny Terror Combo 12 "is the ideal couple. Question fact, I immediately think of two that make superb overdrive shudder Germanium Od (15h - 14h-11h45) and Big Muff Pi (15h - 14h - 11h) all on a crunch pronounced ^ ^
I love his sound for rock but negative is the sound clear not really clear (but it is not made for this). We use a shovel to rock mainly mediums very present (for jazz there are better ^ ^).
Sounds: 7 modif with my microphone (original: 6, it lacks precision and finesse in the settings)

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for almost 15 years. Being left handed, I have not tried other models before choosing (this is my first real scratch, after having a Jim Harley lp for 2 years ...). What I like most is its lightness and ergonomics, it plays very easily, but you still get the small handle when you have big hands! A good quality / price ratio for the Korean violin is more than correct, the frets are solid (and I bend a lot solo!), They are of origin (only surfacing was done recently). This is really a guitar worth the upgrade. Given the basic agreement was not great (nut changed) and the case of the bass strings at the bridge frequently (changing jumpers at the time by graphite). Some notable defects but can be easily adjusted in time. So, not perfect, the G400 fits perfectly to the user. Chinese versions of today really does seem heavier, however, the hardware seems best at the time.

My overall opinion before making any changes: 5 (but it does not reject when we know we can improve the instrument, I really felt my account and not the price., It is too easy to note because the price is low That ... does not seem relevant!)