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MGR/johnnydeathstardroid « Epiphone SG G-400 »
Published on 05/21/03 at 15:00I acquired the G-400 from Musicians Friend, ordered on their web page for $359. I owned a Gibson SG Standard for about 7 years or so, but had to sell it when I was in college when the money was tight. After researching the Epiphone models of the SG I decided to go with the G--400 because of the price/quality ratio. Believe me, I looked at Gibson model SG's, because I had almost always heard people rail on Epiphone because of their overseas manufacturing, and had owned a Gibson in the past. In the end I decided to take a chance and go with the Epiphone G-400 because I honestly did not want the Gibson price tag, and decided that I really did not care about the "name plate" of Gibson.
I like everything about this guitar, this is a steal for the price tag. I purchased the G-400 in the cherry finish, which was the same finish that my more expensive Gibson Standard model had, and appears identical, it is absolutely beautiful. In Comparing the aesthetics of the Epiphone model to the Gibson that I had, they are almost identical, obviously save for the different shaped pick guard and the name. As far as sound and playability they also appear the same to me, I know that the Epiphone hardware, pickups, and other electrical components are supposed to be of an inferior grade, but I could not tell. The sound and sustain on this guitar are tremendous, and for the life of me I can't tell a difference. I mostly play hardcore/punk, or other experimental types of music, but usually heavily distorted and hard. This guitar is perfectly suited for this type of music, or any type of music for that matter. The clean sound that comes from this guitar is also of the highest quality, though I do not use it that much. I have read reviews where people complained about the clean sound of the G-400, maybe they have to adjust the tone controls more, I will admit that without a little tweaking the clean sound can be a bit basey, but this is minimal. This guitar even produces a beautiful sound when played by itself without an amp, and the sustain can be felt rumbling through the whole body and neck. The action was low when the unit arrived, and in my opinion right on, the neck is fast and easy to blaze through any type of riff that you can imagine. While the neck join is different from the more expensive Gibson counterparts, I have no problem with it and do not believe that it effects the sustain at all. I honestly think that it concentrates the sound waves more at the neck join, allowing them to flow into the neck from a more intense and concentrated area. In comparing the Epiphone G-400 to the more expensive Gibson SG Standard that I had owned, they are virtually identical. Yeah, if you want to be completely anal there are probably some minute differences in the hardware and electronics, but come on, it is not really discernable to your average player.
I don't like the fact that I did not purchase one sooner.
The construction of this unit is top notch. I own a manufacturing business myself and pay great attention to detail, so I really checked this guitar out. The only thing that I noticed was a small blem in the surface of the finish on the back of the guitar, other than that there was nothing wrong. The neck join is perfect, as is the fret board and frets, the hardware is beautiful and assembled nicely. The quality of this guitar stands up to the more expensive Gibson counterparts and for the price/quality ratio beats them. I will never buy anything other than an SG, whatever incarnation that it may be.
The bottom line on this guitar is that it is of an exceptional value for the money, and for that matter an exceptional value period. If you are looking at the Epiphone SG models on a budget, I would suggest going with the G-400 instead of the 310 or special. It is worth the extra cash for the set neck and mahogany body alone, not to mention the cosmetics and playability. If you are comparing the G-400 to other Gibson SG models and are on a budget, go with the G-400, I have owned both and honestly they can stand together. I do recognize that the more higher end Gibson SG models are obviously going to have higher quality components, but as far as price/quality ratio goes the G-400 wins in my book.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
I like everything about this guitar, this is a steal for the price tag. I purchased the G-400 in the cherry finish, which was the same finish that my more expensive Gibson Standard model had, and appears identical, it is absolutely beautiful. In Comparing the aesthetics of the Epiphone model to the Gibson that I had, they are almost identical, obviously save for the different shaped pick guard and the name. As far as sound and playability they also appear the same to me, I know that the Epiphone hardware, pickups, and other electrical components are supposed to be of an inferior grade, but I could not tell. The sound and sustain on this guitar are tremendous, and for the life of me I can't tell a difference. I mostly play hardcore/punk, or other experimental types of music, but usually heavily distorted and hard. This guitar is perfectly suited for this type of music, or any type of music for that matter. The clean sound that comes from this guitar is also of the highest quality, though I do not use it that much. I have read reviews where people complained about the clean sound of the G-400, maybe they have to adjust the tone controls more, I will admit that without a little tweaking the clean sound can be a bit basey, but this is minimal. This guitar even produces a beautiful sound when played by itself without an amp, and the sustain can be felt rumbling through the whole body and neck. The action was low when the unit arrived, and in my opinion right on, the neck is fast and easy to blaze through any type of riff that you can imagine. While the neck join is different from the more expensive Gibson counterparts, I have no problem with it and do not believe that it effects the sustain at all. I honestly think that it concentrates the sound waves more at the neck join, allowing them to flow into the neck from a more intense and concentrated area. In comparing the Epiphone G-400 to the more expensive Gibson SG Standard that I had owned, they are virtually identical. Yeah, if you want to be completely anal there are probably some minute differences in the hardware and electronics, but come on, it is not really discernable to your average player.
I don't like the fact that I did not purchase one sooner.
The construction of this unit is top notch. I own a manufacturing business myself and pay great attention to detail, so I really checked this guitar out. The only thing that I noticed was a small blem in the surface of the finish on the back of the guitar, other than that there was nothing wrong. The neck join is perfect, as is the fret board and frets, the hardware is beautiful and assembled nicely. The quality of this guitar stands up to the more expensive Gibson counterparts and for the price/quality ratio beats them. I will never buy anything other than an SG, whatever incarnation that it may be.
The bottom line on this guitar is that it is of an exceptional value for the money, and for that matter an exceptional value period. If you are looking at the Epiphone SG models on a budget, I would suggest going with the G-400 instead of the 310 or special. It is worth the extra cash for the set neck and mahogany body alone, not to mention the cosmetics and playability. If you are comparing the G-400 to other Gibson SG models and are on a budget, go with the G-400, I have owned both and honestly they can stand together. I do recognize that the more higher end Gibson SG models are obviously going to have higher quality components, but as far as price/quality ratio goes the G-400 wins in my book.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com