Edwards E-SG-110LT2/VT

Edwards guitars is another line of ESP similar to LTD. They are Japan only so they can make really accurate copies without getting in trouble from Gibson. People have discovered them and realized their guitars are very good quality. This guitar is only about 1000 dollars whereas a real Gibson SG with a Maestro tremolo goes for 4000 dollars. The guitar has all the same features as a normal SG. It has the slab mahogany body with the double cutaways. It has a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard and 22 frets. Edwards guitars come with Gotoh tuners as standard. This guitar has a lacquer finish some models have nitro finishes. The Maestro trem is something that came on a lot of SG guitars back in the day as they were trying to compete with the stratocaster. It is good for subtle use so dont mistake it for a Floyd Rose. These Edwards guitars come with after market pickups from stock. This model has an SH1 59 in the neck and an SH4 JB in the bridge. It has the standard SG control layout with a volume and tone knob for each pickup switched with a 3-way.

UTILIZATION

Being such an accurate copy of an SG it has all the advantages and disadvantages as every other SG. It has the great dual cutaways that allow access to all the high frets on the neck. The neck is nice an thin with a 60s style Gibson profile. 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. Another problem caused by the neck being mounted like this is that the neck joint is pretty weak and the guitar and flex a bit and go out of tune. When you are standing up and playing the neck may want to drop down and you may find yourself holding the neck up.

SOUNDS

This guitar comes from the factory with upgraded Seymour Duncan pickups. With the 59 in the neck and the JB in the bridge you can really go straight from the box to the gig. It sounds good right out of the box with these pickups. The 59 has a great PAF style tone. It has a good amount of sag and the mids are nice and pronounced. The JB in the bridge is the jack of all traits and can be used for just about anything. You can get great overdriven tones all the way to searing high gain with it. Many Jackson guitars come with this pickup set so you know it can hang for metal too. The Maestro trem can add some layers to your sound but it can also put you out of tone pretty quickly so be conservative with it.

OVERALL OPINION

After playing one of these I can really see why Gibson doesnt want these sold over in America. These guitars will give any Gibson a run for their money at 1/4 of the price. They are a lot better than Epiphones and it is just slightly more expensive. With the aftermarket Seymour Duncan pickups in the guitar from the factory you do not have to do anything. With lower cost guitars the pickups are usually the first thing to go but not on this model. If you are looking for a nice Gibson copy and only want to spend one thousand dollars instead of four you should try to import an Edwards guitar.