View other reviews for this product:
tjon901 « Epiphone Goth V with a Whammy »
Published on 07/04/11 at 09:24The Goth series of guitar is Gibsons recent attempt to give some of their guitars a more metal image. Epiphone is Gibsons budget line and they have their versions of the Gothic line of guitar. They are built with the same wood and to the same specs but with different electronics and they are built overseas. Epiphones version of the Flying V Gothic model is close to what the first series of Gibson Gothic Flying V's were like. These guitars have passive pickups where as the new Gibson Gothic Flying V's have active pickups. They have 22 frets on a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The rosewood fretboard is dyed to have a darker look closer to ebony. There are no inlays apart from a 12 in roman numerals on the 12th fret. It has two humbucking pickups which are Epiphone pickups. Two volume and one master tone control with a 3 way toggle switch pickup selector. What makes this model unique is that it comes with a Floyd Rose tremolo system which is pretty rare on any Gibson or Epiphone.
UTILIZATION
Flying V's overall have better fret access than Les Paul type guitars. This Flying V is based off of the 1958 Flying V. It has more of an angular look. The upper fret access is better because the body joins the neck at a higher fret. The V shape might be hard for some people to play sitting down. You may have to play in a classical position with the guitar in your lap if you are playing while sitting down. Some models have a strip of rubber to add more traction to the bottom of the guitar, making it easier to play while sitting down. Standing up the shape gives the guitar perfect balance. With the Floyd Rose you will need to make sure it is setup properly or it will not stay in tune well. Remember with the tremolo you will not be able to change tunings or strings very easily. Overall I prefer hardtail bridges to tremolo systems.
SOUNDS
With the thinner body Flying V's generally sound similar to SG style guitars. They both overall use less wood than a Les Paul or Explorer so they will have a brighter crisper sound. The pickups on this explorer have open coils and are a bit hotter to give you a more metal sound. Epiphone pickups normally are not that great. On many Epiphone guitars the stock pickups will sound pretty muddy. These pickups are a little less muddy and normal Epiphone pickups but I would still recommend a pickup change. The big mahogany body on the guitar helps to give it a big tone. This is what you would expect on a Flying V. You can really feel the body resonate with all that wood. The tremolo lets you get more little effects with your sound but if you use it too much it may put your guitar out of tune.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a good alternative to the Gibson models that cost thousands more. With the tremolo system you are able to do more metal tricks live divebombs and whatnot. Just make sure the tremolo is setup properly. This guitar with a set of EMG pickups would be a total metal machine. If youa re looking for a Gibson with a Floyd that is built for metal you cant get more perfect than this guitar.
UTILIZATION
Flying V's overall have better fret access than Les Paul type guitars. This Flying V is based off of the 1958 Flying V. It has more of an angular look. The upper fret access is better because the body joins the neck at a higher fret. The V shape might be hard for some people to play sitting down. You may have to play in a classical position with the guitar in your lap if you are playing while sitting down. Some models have a strip of rubber to add more traction to the bottom of the guitar, making it easier to play while sitting down. Standing up the shape gives the guitar perfect balance. With the Floyd Rose you will need to make sure it is setup properly or it will not stay in tune well. Remember with the tremolo you will not be able to change tunings or strings very easily. Overall I prefer hardtail bridges to tremolo systems.
SOUNDS
With the thinner body Flying V's generally sound similar to SG style guitars. They both overall use less wood than a Les Paul or Explorer so they will have a brighter crisper sound. The pickups on this explorer have open coils and are a bit hotter to give you a more metal sound. Epiphone pickups normally are not that great. On many Epiphone guitars the stock pickups will sound pretty muddy. These pickups are a little less muddy and normal Epiphone pickups but I would still recommend a pickup change. The big mahogany body on the guitar helps to give it a big tone. This is what you would expect on a Flying V. You can really feel the body resonate with all that wood. The tremolo lets you get more little effects with your sound but if you use it too much it may put your guitar out of tune.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a good alternative to the Gibson models that cost thousands more. With the tremolo system you are able to do more metal tricks live divebombs and whatnot. Just make sure the tremolo is setup properly. This guitar with a set of EMG pickups would be a total metal machine. If youa re looking for a Gibson with a Floyd that is built for metal you cant get more perfect than this guitar.