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King Loudness « SG on a budget »
Published on 01/26/12 at 18:39The Epiphone G-400 is basically the company's take on the classic Gibson SG Standard guitar, but at a price that is easier to manage for younger or beginner players who might not have the $1,300+ for the real thing. It features a mahogany body, a SET mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, classic trapezoid inlays, vintage style tuners, a typical tune-o-matic/stopbar tailpiece bridge setup, and a pair of Epiphone humbuckers wired to the standard setup of dual volumes and dual tones as well as a 3 way switch. It also features the nice glossy cherry finish which really looks well done for a cheap guitar and is definitely giving the Gibson something to consider... they're built in China nowadays though I have seen Korean and Indonesian models as well.
UTILIZATION
The design of this guitar is more ergonomic than many other guitars in this price range. The SG's design in general is quite nice and in this package it works quite well. The body is aptly sculpted/contoured, and the overall weight is quite light for something made of mahogany. The neck has a profile close to that of the Gibson "60s" which is a thin yet still reasonably beefy profile, great for just an all-round awesome feeling neck. One con is the glossy finish that Epiphone uses on the back of the neck, which can impede playing fast after long periods due to the finish getting sticky/gunky. Also, the neck heel is not the greatest design as it can be a bit blocky, but it's certainly far and away better than other Gibson design instruments with even bigger heels on the neck joint. Getting a good sound out of this guitar is pretty easy. The stock pickups are not stellar, but they do a fair job at covering a range of tones from clean to mean and everything in between.
SOUNDS
The tones out of this guitar aren't bad by any means. I'm typically not a fan of Epiphone pickups and this guitar is really no exception, but given the price point that it's at it doesn't sound too bad. Using a clean amplifier yields some nice dark jazzy tones courtesy of the mahogany construction. However, the thinner design also means the guitar has a brighter, more buoyant tone than say, a Les Paul. The neck pickup is nice and bassy and works well both clean and driven, especially for more fluid lead tones. The bridge pickup is cool as well, being nice and medium output, perfect for some classic rock or even metal tones if you're using the right rig. Using both pickups together gives a nice nasally sound that is great on a clean or dirty tone and can give that quacky "Strat" type tone to an extent which is pretty interesting.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Epiphone G-400 is a great guitar for someone looking for an instrument that is well priced and apes that classic devilish SG look. It's well built and plays well out of the box. The stock parts are not the best in the world, but the feel is surprising for a cheaper guitar. The set neck construction is a real selling point, and for those seeking a Gibson type tone in a lighter weight, cheaper package, you can't really go wrong with the Epiphone G-400.
UTILIZATION
The design of this guitar is more ergonomic than many other guitars in this price range. The SG's design in general is quite nice and in this package it works quite well. The body is aptly sculpted/contoured, and the overall weight is quite light for something made of mahogany. The neck has a profile close to that of the Gibson "60s" which is a thin yet still reasonably beefy profile, great for just an all-round awesome feeling neck. One con is the glossy finish that Epiphone uses on the back of the neck, which can impede playing fast after long periods due to the finish getting sticky/gunky. Also, the neck heel is not the greatest design as it can be a bit blocky, but it's certainly far and away better than other Gibson design instruments with even bigger heels on the neck joint. Getting a good sound out of this guitar is pretty easy. The stock pickups are not stellar, but they do a fair job at covering a range of tones from clean to mean and everything in between.
SOUNDS
The tones out of this guitar aren't bad by any means. I'm typically not a fan of Epiphone pickups and this guitar is really no exception, but given the price point that it's at it doesn't sound too bad. Using a clean amplifier yields some nice dark jazzy tones courtesy of the mahogany construction. However, the thinner design also means the guitar has a brighter, more buoyant tone than say, a Les Paul. The neck pickup is nice and bassy and works well both clean and driven, especially for more fluid lead tones. The bridge pickup is cool as well, being nice and medium output, perfect for some classic rock or even metal tones if you're using the right rig. Using both pickups together gives a nice nasally sound that is great on a clean or dirty tone and can give that quacky "Strat" type tone to an extent which is pretty interesting.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Epiphone G-400 is a great guitar for someone looking for an instrument that is well priced and apes that classic devilish SG look. It's well built and plays well out of the box. The stock parts are not the best in the world, but the feel is surprising for a cheaper guitar. The set neck construction is a real selling point, and for those seeking a Gibson type tone in a lighter weight, cheaper package, you can't really go wrong with the Epiphone G-400.