SG Special Review

Epiphone's SG Special is the most affordable SG ever. Now everyone can own the classic styling and unbeatable performance. Features include 2 humbuckers, tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, and Rosewood fingerboard.

Features:	8.3
Sound:	8.3
Action:	8
Reliability:	8.4
Impression:	8.8
Overall rating:	8.4
Users rating:	7.7
Comments:	66

overall: 9.6

Featured review by: gio, on july 05, 2004

Purchased from: New - Mooloolaba Music

Features: SG stlye body, great neck, 2 humbuckers, one tone and one volume control, 3 way selector, tune-o-matic bridge makes it really easy to change strings the only issue I have it the output plug it straight out the front but I bought a L shaped plug and in the end it is actually better than the normal plug on the side of the guitar. No whammy bar but I never used mine on my other guitar anyway. // 10

Sound: I play alot of old rock like AC/DC, Slayer, White Zombie and it feels like this guitar was made for this. Excellent clean tone for the price range. I would have prefered separate tone/volume controls for each pickup though. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Took it out of the box, tuned it and it was perfect. The paint is amazingly smooth. When my mum saw it her immediate reaction was "Wow, it reminds me of an expensive car" and thats how good the paint and finish is. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Never had any problems have been playing it al least 1 hour a day for the last 2 months and I jam for 7 hours straight every saturday. The only problem was the strap button, very crap factory buttons, but I replaced them straight away with the straplocks from my old guitar. // 10

Impression: I play with a Peavey Transchorus 210 (100W) and a Zoom 505II effect pedal. It has amazing tone clean and distorted, much more than you would expect from a lower priced guitar. The other guitarist in my band has a BC Rich Virgin which is about $AU900 and there is barely any difference besides the shape of the guitars and their individual sound. // 10

overall: 9.2

Reviewed by: the fendernator, on march 19, 2004

Features: Okay, this guitar has 22 frets, 2 volume controls (for bass and treble pickups) and 2 tone controls for bass and treble. The pickups give a lovely clean sound and look nice amongst other things. The finish was more polished than the limo outside my local music store and was a beautiful shiny cherry red. The neck is very long, and the guitar becomes unbalanced when you stand up and play. // 8

Sound: I play punk, it does punk, I play classical, it does classical, I play metal it does metal superbly. It isn't too noisy and is a full, clean texture when you play. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: I literally opened the box and plugged it in to my amp and it worked perfectly. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I dropped it and the bass/treble Switch got smashed in and didn't work and that really detuned the guitar. BUT, when you dont throw it around it is 100% reliable. I use it for gigs. // 10

Impression: I've been playing almost 3 years now, and own a Marshall MG 30 DFX with a Digitech RP-100 fx pedal. it sounds great all put together and great playing with a band. I'd certainly buy another one if this guitar got stolen and track down whoever nicked it. This guitar suits all styles and is well worth the money. // 10

overall: 9.2

Reviewed by: GLiex, on august 02, 2005

Features: This guitar is probably the best guitar for it's money I've owned. It has a great crunch to it, and this guitar can do anything from blues, to heavy death metal. It has 22 frets with a rosewood fretboard. Solid body, I'm not sure what kind of wood it is. It has a black glossy finish, and obviously an SG style body. It has a Tune-O-Matic/Stopbar bridge and a 3-way pickup selector and 2 open-coil humbuckers. I bought thig guitar along woth a $50.00 hardshell case. The only problem I've had, is the input nut comes loose often. // 10

Sound: It sounds great! It has a great crunch to it, and this guitar can do anything from blues, to heavy death metal. It even sounds bluesy clean on the treble pickup. The sound is very rich, and it's brighter than a lot of guitars. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar as a whole feels really solid. My last guitar (a Dean Playmate) felt very loose and flimsy compared to the Special. The only problem I've had, is the input nut comes loose often. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I would definatly use this in a gig. So far it's stood up great to a beating. I even accidentally hit the body on a door frame, and the finish didn't even chip. // 8

Impression: I've only been playing for about a year, but I can tell it's a very nice guitar. If it were stolen, I would probably buy a G-310, only because it's a step up from this guitar, and I would assume that would be a great guitar too. // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: deadbolt, on june 30, 2004

Price paid: $ 158

Purchased from: Used

Features: I bought it in 2004, its probably made in Korea. Has 22 Frets marked with dots. 2 humbuckers apparently made by Gibson, a volume and tone knob and a toggle Switch (treble/normal/rythm). It has a perfect sized neck and body. This guitar is pretty light compared to other electrics. // 8

Sound: Sound is not bad. I play rock/punk/metal and use a Fender Champ 30 amplifier. It sounds pretty good distorted however can get very hissy at times (higher gain). Normal sound is very clean. I havent been playing long enough to push this guitar to its full potential however right now I wouldn't expect miracle sound to come out of this guitar. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was made pretty good! My only problem is my toggle Switch can cut out sometimes when turned to treble, and one of my knobs came loose (easy fix). Everything seems to work perfect still. The finish on the guitar (mines red) has few flaws and looks really good. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I wouldnt try playing with this guitar live but for any beginners like myself or people looking for a cheap guitar to practice on, this is the one for you. There is no pick guard but the finish doesnt even seem to wear out. My guitar has been used a lot, taken a beating and still looks almost new! // 10

Impression: Well as I already said I play rock/metal/punk and this guitar is doing a good job keeping with my style. My next guitar will most likely be another SG. I wish it had a whammy bar but I guess you dont really need one. It's comfortable to hold and doesn't weigh much so playing for long periods of time isn't a problem. If your beginning and looking for a cheaper model guitar to buy I recommend going with this one. I would take it over other models in its price range any day (Fender Squier, Ibanez, Jay Turser etc.) // 10

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: Charlie401, on february 01, 2007

Price paid: $ 196.84

Purchased from: Guitar Paradise, Richmond

Features: The guitar itself was made in late 2006. I'm pretty sure it is made in Korea. It has 22 frets and a solid top, and it's neck is made from rosewood. It has a black, glossy SG style body. Tune-O-Matic bridge, a 3-way pickup selector (rhythm, normal and treble) and 2 open-coil humbucker pickups. The guitar itself looks amazing, and if you screw in the input nut whenever you play (as I do) then there are no issues with this guitar whatsoever. // 10

Sound: I play a lot of rock and punk, and it does both with no issues whatsoever. However, I also play soft rock and classical, and I'd rather use my cheap Strat for that, so it's better to thrash on. It is definitely a rocker's guitar, it sounds so much better with crunch and distortion, but if you don't want to, nor need to play soft music then this guitar is perfect. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar strings were low to the fret board and didn't get any feedback whatsoever. The pickups look fantastic and work well too, so no complaints here. The only problem that I found with the finish is that it smudges, and the black finish really shows up fingerprints under lights. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar can withstand Live playing, and it works fine while it does, however, if you're playing in front of and audience for cash then it's probably worth using the extra cash to get a better guitar. This one looks and plays well, but there are better, and for a beginner this guitar is perfect. The hardware is solid, and it works fine. The strap buttons are really quite secure, however they are placed quite awkwardly, but once you've played with a guitar with the same strap buttons as this, then they become extremely simple. I would bring a backup to a gig, but then I'm a worst-case-scenario sort of guy. You probably won't need one, but I would bring one anyway. The finish seems like it wil not wear off, but it does show up fingerprints (read above). // 9

Impression: I play rock and punk, it works great, I play soft rock and classical, it works well. I've been playing for over two years now, and own a cheap Stratocaster and a Laney amp. I wish I had asked if I could get a hard case with it. If it were stolen, I would probably not buy it again but that would be the case with anything in my life, I like to try different things, so I would probably save and buy a Les Paul Copy or something. I chose this guitar because it looks fantastic and has reviews that back it up performance wise. I wish it had a Gibson logo on the headstock. Apart from that, there are no major issues with it, and it works fine. // 10

overall: 7

Reviewed by: bassbrother41, on january 30, 2008

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Features: The Epiphone SG Special series was manufactured along side it's brother the Les Paul Special. Following very closely was the G-310 which was desired to portray the image of it's earlier cousin while adding a few design and control tweaks. With 22 frets and 6 strings you can be sure that you would almost never need more frets. The rosewood fretboard is polished and smooth enabling quick movement to nail every note with perfection. it's not the most fancy fret board but it's very secure and straight. I never once had a neck stability problem and I've had this guitar for three years. And I mean three years of extreme playing (and dropping:) I'm not sure about what type of wood the body is but I'm assuming it's a heavier wood like maple. Although this guitar as if it had two or three coats of paint and then like a thousand coats of clear polish finish. So that might be a contributing factor of the weight. The SG Special is equipped with a tune-o-matic bridge and a dual sidded cross threaded head which enables the user to tune and string quickly. I am amazed at how well it stays in tune. The two open coiled reversed magnetic humbucking style pickups are are beasts fo your buck with them I am able to nail an aray of harmonics and the sustain is amazing. When I used this guitar I used it with my Crate GFX-100 amp and believe me it sounds full and the pickups can scream pretty well with overdrive kicked up. Unfortunatly it only came with a 2 knobs one for volume and one for tone. I pulled my knobs off and replaced them with metal ones from my Schecter California Custom 5 bass. It came with various things in the package that would start anybody out for sure. // 8

Sound: I play everything from metal to jazz and sounds great with any gauge string you can get. I used a Standard pack of 9s or 10s and it was a harmonic beast. But when I used 12s and 13s it was a metal montser full and rich in tone. And with me amps overdrive and me metal master pedal it was great, that's when my mom said I had to do something else. It really is a great and versitile guitar even if it's not as good as my Gibson SG it's still amazing. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The one I bought had bad electronics but I fixed it up and soldered it back together than it worked fine. But don't worry I've never heard of anyone else having that problem. The pickups need to be raised and I recommend lowering the bridge a little you don't have to but it improves overall sound quality. Another problem I hade was the styrofoam left white smudges on the front of the guitar and mine was black. So if there are any musicians friend staff reading this please change the way you package them because several of my friends had similar problems. // 3

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is reliable but you may need to buy new pickups because for some reason some of the ones in production have haggard sounding pickups wheras some have pretty good ones I have no idea what that's about but my friends pickups were crap on the same guitar whereas my were great. This guitar could survive a nucleur bomb well ok maybe that's an exageration but seriously it's tough and it's almost indestructable. // 5

Impression: Overall it's great even for a $300 guitars standards.however It comes nowhere near myGibson but it's worth getting if your a begginer or just want to get a cheap guitar that's great in quality! I don't play mine anymore but it's forever going to hang on my wall as my first guitar I ever owned in order for me to reminise my sucess in chosing a great quality guitar to be my first. // 9

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: ChildOfBodom666, on october 07, 2005

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Larsen Music

Features: Hell, when Lucifer decided to start playing! This axe blows all others away within it's price range! Maple neck, 22 frets, smooth finish, Tune-O-Matic bridge, single volume and tone, rhythm and treble, two humbuckers. // 9

Sound: This is a beast from hell, I play black metal, metalcore, and thrash metal, and it kicks ass, I've played it on a Roland MicroCube, and a 120 watt Crate, and it impressed me both times. It's a great all around guitar, it can play anything from Layla to The Trooper, to A Death In The Family. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Everything was fine, I didn't notice anything except the volume knob being loose. Other than that, everything is great, although the stock pickups are a little muddy. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar has and will withstand live playing, the strap buttons aren't the easiest thing to trust, so get some straplocks. The finish is good, there's a scratch... But I dropped it down concrete stairs, it still works like new! All it got was that scratch, Note I don't suggest you drop it down anything, because there's still that chance. // 10

Impression: This guitar kicks ass for solos, it's got a fast neck, but the humbuckers might need to be replaced if you plan on playing live. If it were stolen, I'd probably buy a Jackson King V, but! I'd buy another one of these soon after as a backup! The best part about it is the sexyness, it looks great. I've been playin for about 6 months now, but I practice from 4:00 to 9:00 almost every weekday, and all day Saturdays and Sundays. Right now all I have is a Roland MicroCube, but that amp kicks ass! // 10

overall: 7.4

Reviewed by: CAMMO202, on may 12, 2008

Price paid: $ 266

Features: I have had my Epiphone for 4 years. This guitar is made in China and has 22 frets. I am pretty sure they are jumbo frets. My SG is in a silver matte colour and is very nice. The bridge style is a hard tail. It has a tane knob and a volume knob and a 3-way Switch. It has 2 humbuckers. My guitar came with a gig-bag and strap but it was included in a deal. // 7

Sound: The sound is great. It is great for everything from jazz to rock to metal. I use a Laney Hardcore Max and it works fine, I am looking to upgrade my amp. It has a bit of noise but not much, it has less sound when I use my Behringer Ultra-Distortion pedal. I think this is because of the amp. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: From the factory the guitar is not very good. I have had so much trouble with the bridge it wont stop snapping strings, I have done a little bit of sanding off the sharpness. It helps a little bit. The pick ups are fine. The only thing that wasn't up to Standard was the jack plug in. I have had it replaced about 3 times. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I think it could withstand gigs but I would have a back-up guitar just in case the jack fails. I would also change the strings before a show to lessen the chance of them breaking. It would be fine to be jumping around with because the strap buttons are very sturdy and wont come loose or fall off. The finish would be great. Mine is in a silver matte and is awesome because there is no finger prints so it will look awesome in the lights. // 7

Impression: For the style of music I play (hard rock, metal, punk etc.) this is a good guitar and gets the job done. I have been playing for 4 years. I wish I had it set up when I bought it. It it was stolen or lost I wouldn't buy it a gain only because I have had so much trouble with the bridge and the jack. The thing I love about this guitar is the sound and the large variety of music genres you can play, I just hate the bridge and the jack. The main reason I bought this guitar is because I wanted a Gibson SG but I could not afford it and I hadn't been playing long enough. When I bought is I had a choice between a Yamaha Pacificer and I chose this basically cause it looks like a SG, but I made the batter choice. The SG is better to play and sounds better than the Pacificer. I still wish I had it set up. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 04, 2007

Price paid: $ 245

Purchased from: Private EBAY vendor

Features: I got this guitar about a year ago as my first semi profesional guitar since it's made by Gibson. I'm not entirely sure it's year or country or origin (USA I'm guessing)It has 22 frets (medium to jumbo I believe). Mine has a solid ebony finish. It has double cut aways that resemble horns. It comes with chrome hardware, and a stop bar/tune-o-matic bridge. It has two passive open humbuckers. It includes one tone and one volume control knob, with a three way Switch. I regret that I'm pretty ignorant or in the category of tuners. // 7

Sound: This guitar is very versatile. I can play basically anything with it. I use some second hand Peavy with it and it has a pretty bright sound. It however, does not have a variety electronics wise, because it only boasts two knobs. The guitar is pretty basic with most Gibson components. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know how the factory set the guitar up since I bought it second hand. I raised the action up really high (I like a high action because it makes bends and finger vibrato easier, and the guitar is very prone to fret buzzing) and some of the open strings still buzz. This guitar has been babied since I got it, and the truss rod still broke. You could flick it's body and take off an inch of paint. The finish is very prone to scratching. All in all, this guitar is not very durable. // 4

Reliability & Durability: Stripped down this guitar is pretty reliable. The hardware is sturdy, however I have one tuner that is a little loose and goes out of tune easier. The pickups are pretty durable, and the wood (contarary to the finish) is resistant of dents. The strap buttons are reliable and with a good strap (that which I lack) this guitar probably wouldn't need strap locks. Even though the finish scratches like talc, it is thick, and I play on it constantly with dirty, sweaty, etc. hands, and the finish on the neck is still at it's original thickness. (contarary to my Dean, which I've had for about a month and the back of the neck is already begining to wear out). I would entrust my life with this guitar. It has been workhorse for a year of constant playing, and hasn't failed me in any way shape or form exception to one time that a wire tore, but I had it proffesionally sauterd back together. // 9

Impression: I don't have a designated type of style, so this guitar fits anything I want to play. I've been playing for a year, and this has been my prime instrument for all that time, and for a while to come. I don't see it wearing out for a while. The only thing I wish about this guitar would be some protection on the finish. I love it's versatility and comfort, being that it has beveled contours, and is very comfortable to sit down and play for hours. (belive me, I would know). My only gripe beside the finish is the broken truss rod. There is nothing to counter the strings tension besides the wood of the actual neck, and over time, I don't doubt that it will probably bow, but fortunatly, it has a bolt on neck, and I could just buy a new one. But this guitar is a reliable back up. It's pretty basic so it is probably not well suited for lead play, but you can make that desicion. // 8

overall: 7.6

Reviewed by: 11thHour, on july 02, 2007

Price paid: $ 252

Purchased from: Local Music Shop

Features: A 22 fret Rosewood fingerboard SG style guitar with two Epiphone double coil humbuckers. It has a bass/treble Switch, a volume and tone control, a Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece and chrome hardware. The body is laminated Maple and has a nice pretty cherry red finish (it can also be purchased in Ebony). I got a gig bag with it. It was made in Indonesia. This was one of my first guitars, and for the money paid, you can't expect anymore, a good deal and ideal for begginers. // 8

Sound: This is the best guitar you can get if your only starting. it's not too pricy, and best of all, it can suit any style you want to play. At the time I played, blues, rock, and metal, and the guitar was ideal for all styles. I was playing with a Roland Cube 60, and I got some of the sweetest tones ever with my SG. You can't expect too much for the price, and you are literally getting what you paid for, if not just a bit more. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was poor, and I got a lot of fret buzz off of it at first, this was easily fixed with some readjustment. If you want to keep this guitar in mint condition I advice be very careful it is easily damaged! The volume and tone knobs were loose and would fall off. The pups are poor, they were very low, and would regurally sink in to body, so regular screwing in necassary. I was a bit disapointed with the finish, but as I've said, you can't expect too much for the price paid. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar has been hundreds of times, thrown around, and just completely mistreated I have to say. Even though it withstood these beatings to the best of it's ability, I would still say the guitar is fairly unreliabe and not very endurable. The paint is easily chipped, and the wood on the head, body and stock can easily be scratched and chipped as well. The Strap buttons were fairly decent, I only had to tighten up once in it's lifetime I believe. The hardware is poor, and knobs would fall off. The bass/treble Switch was flawed and I had to send it back for repair, It was during the guarantee and was replaced with a Switch from a Gibson SG. One serious problem was the tuning, it would go out of tune very easily. Live you would probally have to constantly check is she still in tune. // 6

Impression: At the time, despite the blatant negatives and the terrible quality. I still loved this guitar like no other. Its sound was sweet, and for a begginer, it gets you in the habit of retuning, fixing action, getting repairs, and from these flaws (which you will get from any beginner guitar) you will learn through trial and error. The sound is excellent, sexy tone, and you truly are getting a good deal from this guitar. if it was stolen, I would not buy another for one reason, I'm no longer a begginner and have moved on to better more expensive guitars. Really you can't expect much for the price, if you are a begginner, or even low on cash and just want something to jam around with while having a cold one with your mates. This guitar was made for you. // 8

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: krymson, on august 14, 2006

Price paid: $ 197.5

Purchased from: Steve's Music

Features: I have no Idea when this guitar was made, I do no that it was made in China though. It has 22 thin frets, with a rosewood fretboard which is fairly thin. It also has a laminated top, I find sometimes that my hand will stick slightly to the neck. It has the SG double cutaway which gives it easy fret and a Tune-O-Matic bridge which is much easier to change strings than a Strat. It also has two humbuckers. It also has a 3 way pickup selector with two volume and and two tone knobs. It has everything I'd expect a SG to have. // 8

Sound: This guitar is great for rock, hard rock and abit of metal. Those are the main styles I play with it and it suits it fine. I use this thorugh a marshal MG100DFX and the distortion it gets is beefy. A little bit of noise if you turn of the volume knob up too much and you can't get that much of a variety out of the tone knobs. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: When I got the guitar it was perfect the way it was, everything, the pickups, the action all of it. The bridge is solid and as far as I can tell there is no flaws except the head of the Switch falls off if you pull it, but that is hardly a flaw. The controls are set in just the right place. // 10

Reliability & Durability: So far this guitar has taken a few spills and endless times it has smashed into my desk, everything seems to last and nothing seems like it will needs repairs any time soon. It built like brick basiclly. I would definitly rely on this without a backup. The strap buttons seem solid and the finish scrathed easy but that's what a pickguard is for anywase. // 10

Impression: I play just about everything, but it's best suited for rock. I've been playing for two years and at this point this is just the guitar I need. If it were stolen or lost I would porbably go for a Jackson or Ibanez for a better metal sound though. I really like the shape and acces to the frets but I wish it was abit more veristile. // 8

overall: 8.6

Reviewed by: gravensuicide, on march 26, 2007

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Features: I bought this as a pack because I needed a new guitar really bad and I didn't have much money. I figured this would be something I would use until I got enough money, but this guitar is really nice for the price. It came with a gig bag, the gig bag isn't really that great, it has a small pocket and that's about it. The little 10 watt amp that came with is pretty good for practicing on, it has a nice tone to it. It comes in two finishes; cherry and ebony. It has 22 frets, 2 pickups, one volume knob, one tone knob, and your rhythm/treble switch. All in all, beginners or just looking for a decent guitar for the price, this is the one. // 8

Sound: The sound is pretty nice, with the equipment I use with it. I mainly use it on treble, to me the rhythm is just too flat sounding. My amp is a Rogue GS-100. So the amp is half of the sound, so it might make a difference, I haven't really played it on too many other amps. Anyway, on treble is nice and rich sounding, it's great for rock, metal, and punk. I play in a metal/punk band and this guitar suits me fine. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: One problem that really sticks out with me is the typically Epiphone problem: the tuning pegs arn't that great. As of right now, the only one that is really that big of a deal is the G string, it's really stiff. I didn't have any flaws from the Factory, but on Musicians Friend, some of it's reviews said that it had some damages. It's just something to look out for. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Heres were this guitar suits me best. When I use it at shows it gets covered in sweat, it holds up nice with jumping. I did have to put some strap locks on, but that was the straps fault. I've had it for about a year now, and there isn't any bow or hump in the neck at all, that was the problem with my old guitar, it got a hump in its neck. The finish is still in mint condition, it does get finger prints on it, but I haven't had any flakes or chips yet, which is surpising from the use it, and some hits that it gets. // 9

Impression: I think that this is a great guitar for the price, if your willing to spend more money, you can get a lot a way better guitar, but if your a penny pincher like myself, it's great. I play metal and punk like I stated, and it just fits in there and sounds great with the style. Some other effects that I use on it that sound really good are: Boss Metal Zone, a Dane-Electro Super Chorus and a Washburn Wah. They all sound really good with it. One thing that I really would like it to have is a volume knob for reach pick-up, because you can do a really cool effect with that. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 26, 2008

Purchased from: Steve's music store

Features: this 2006 Epiphone SG Special was my first guitar. I didn't even know how to play guitar but I had educated myself on this topic and made sure that I knew what I was getting for my budget. It didn't come with any case unfortunately but it came with the tune-o-matic bridge, 2 open coil pick ups and a mahogany body. // 8

Sound: When the salesman plugged it into a Line 6 half stack and started playing thunderstruck, Hells Bells and you shook me all night long (at my request), I knew that it was the guitar for me. It's open coil pick ups are pretty Standard for every model, but for a player that hasn't decided what sound he wants or what exactly what he wants to play, it's perfect. For experience guitar players, it is just a great for a flexible sound. Guys it's a great beat around guitar that will take years of abuse and still play. it's sound is bright, even sometimes the trebel is just to high for your ears, but it can be toned down. It suits my playing style perfectly since I mostly play classic rock. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: One thing that I needed change was the action. I notice that on my guitar, but not all SG specials, my action was to far from the strings, I don't if it was a mistake of the manufacturer but after getting it adjusted, I can hear my hammer ons and pulls offs ten times more. it only buzzes from time to time on the fifth fret of the a string but that is on rare occasions and you really have to listen for it. I also noticed that the selector Switch feels a little loose but I flick it very often and it may need to get changed eventually. The tuner pegs are great and stay in tune for a very long time, especially since I bend a lot. // 7

Reliability & Durability: For the price you can't go wrong, it is very reliable a part from the selector Switch which is my only worry, a part from that every thing will last the life of the guitar. The strap buttons are still solid, and I jump and move around a lot, so it does take abuse and they still hold like new. I use this as my primary guitar even though I now have two guitars. I just grew accustom to it. As for the finish, the paint stil has it Shine and it does have any fading or peeling. the only thing to be careful are the horns, they have a tendency to hit either nearby mic stands or amps so the paint is chipped there but nowhere else. // 8

Impression: I love this guitar, and I plan to keep as long as I play guitar, the only thing I changed were the pick ups, not because I didn't like the sounds, it's just that I changed my sounds a little and I am aiming at a jeff beck sound. I put Godin LGX pick ups and it sounds amazing. I won't change anything else on this guitar. // 9

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: cheeseisthebomb, on january 07, 2008

Features: // 9

Sound: Well, the sound of this guitar can't be characterized. This is because it sounds cheap. The pickups are pathetic. They can't put out much of a variety at all. You couldn't play metal on this because the sound can't handle high gain settings without making noise, and you can't play blues because the sound of bending a note through these pickups can give you a headache! I tried a Peavy and a Marshall solid state amp and I had no luck. I also tried it with a Peavy tube and still got nothing. Terrible! // 4

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was the way you'd think it to be on all SGs. The red finish was almost hypnotizing, but that was before it started to wear. The tuning pegs were also loose. The pickup selector is also very loud. Other than that, I havn't really found any flaws. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The finish hasn't lasted two years without starting to fade wich is is bummer. The strap buttons arn't very solid either. It comes out of tune a lot as well. This guitar wasn't put togather well at all. I couldn't really see anyone pulling off a gig with this thing at all. // 7

Impression: This gutiar isn't really a good guitar to play. It isn't really worth putting money into, since it would be a lot easier just to buy another guitar. I wish the sound could have a little more variety. I don't think I would really recomend this guitar to a beginner either to tell you the truth. The Epiphone G310 is a really good guitar to get started out on, and the Epiphone G400s are better still. // 6

overall: 9

Reviewed by: ZanasCross, on november 06, 2007

Price paid: $ 149.99

Purchased from: Wilcutt Guitars

Features: 22 frets, rosewood neck, solid top, vol and tone knobs (only 1 of each), 3-way switch, two humbuckers, Tune-O-Matic, SG Style, pickup in front, got strings, cable and gig bag with it. The frets are solid, no buzzing. Not sure about the tuners, they are Standard Epi (I checked it side by side wiht the epi lespaul. The lack of separate vol and tone knobs for each humbucker is a little disappointing, but nothing worth sobbing over. As is the lack of a whammy bar. Fairly Standard set-up for an Epi, but nothing terrible. // 8

Sound: I play mostly rhythm for rock, blues, and metal (yeah, kinda strange variety). It plays well in all of these styles, and even keeps up fairly well when I set it in for some classical style. I've been playing for two years, have played on a Gibson Les Paul and gotten fairly similar playing out of this guitar (albeit, slightly lower quality). I have played this through a Marshall 100W Stack, Vox AD15, and Roland Micro Cube; no matter the setup, this guitar delivers quality cleans and quite the punch when you turn up the gain. I've never had any buzz, and it fit for tapping/chords/lead. I've done all of these with strong success. Be warned, when switching between rythym and treble on the 3-way, you are gonna have to adjust tone adn volume due to the lack of seperate controls for the two humbuckers, which sucks for gigging. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Bought it, brought it home, plugged it in, rocked hard. Only problem I had was that the pickups kept dropping randomly while playing, got them cleaned out (and a bad cable replaced) and that's gone away. There is one scratch across the top of my guitar, but I got a discount for it as it was a shipping problem. Sometimes, the sound drops out if you don't get the 3-way switched completely to one selection or the other though. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Been playing a couple hours a day for 6 months now and it's still kicking. No new damage or wear in the finish. I'd go in to a gig without a backup, this thing just doesn't wear out. I have had some problems with the strap coming out on it's own, but I think that's partially my fault because I'm using a strap that was made in the '70s. I've had no hardware problems. // 10

Impression: This is a beautiful guitar. I'm sure there are better, but as a beginner or intermediate guitar, this is the best bang fr your buck, hands down. I looked into a Fender Strat, and was just much more impressed with the overall sound this one has. This is a good match for all styles of music, and honestly as I mentioned before, I didn't hear a huge difference between this and a Gibson Les Paul, they were comparable and considering the money you are saving, it's worth it. If this guitar came up missing, I'd definitely pick it up again. Only bad things to say are, get the red finish the black is hard to keep clean and I wish it had seperate tone and volume for both humbuckers. // 9

overall: 8.2

Reviewed by: driftrs13, on june 16, 2008

Price paid: € 200

Purchased from: Ad-Lib music

Features: Made in China, not sure of the year. 22 fret bolt on maple neck with Dot inlays on a laminated Adler body finished in ivory. The entry level SG so two cheap sounding open coil pickups with one two controls, one tone, one volume. Comes with a Tune-O-Matic bridge and reasonable quality non-locking tuners. // 8

Sound: Considering the price and rather cheap sounding pickups the overall sound it pretty decent. I play mostly rock and metal and hte guitar responds well. This guitar gives quite a wide range of sound considering it's limited tonal features the sound is decent to say the least, maybe not a guitar for a pro but excellent for any beginner up to intermediate players. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought the guitar first the action was set marginally too low and gave fret buzz on the 6th string, this was no major problem a few minutes work and the action was set to a more comfortable and usable height. All the wiring and electronic components worked fine, pickups were ok and no real buzz from switches or pots. Finish was flawless and hardware all worked fine. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I don't gig with this guitar but it seems to be standing up well to quite a lot of punishment. Having been dropped and knocked more than a few times the finish is still in excellent condition, no major noticeable marks or scratches. The hardware hasn't corroded or rusted and the tuners hold tune reasonably well, a minor adjustment every so often but nothing major. Overall seems to be holding up well and should last a long time. // 9

Impression: Overall a good quality very well priced guitar, perfect for beginners but a solid guitar for any player. Required some minor adjustment but mostly you can just plug n' play. Would recommend as a first guitar for anyone and if stolen would replace with another special or if the budget allow a possible upgrade to a G-310 or 400. Good sound, great looks all round excellent value for money. // 9

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: Drakathan, on january 05, 2009

Price paid: € 215

Features: This guitar was made in China, not sure what year though. It has a Standard neck with 22 frets and rosewood fretboard, and the scale is 24.75 inches. The body is made out of alder and maple and the fretboard is maple aswell. The bridge is a normal Tune-O-Matic system with stopbar tailpiece. There are 2 passive humbuckers and there is 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob and a 3-way toggle Switch. The tuners are non-locking no-name(epi? ) tuners. I bought this from a guitar store so I did not get any accessories. // 8

Sound: I play metal and some rock and this guitar suits that pretty well. The bridge bucker is really dirty and gives you a full sound that works perfect with palm muting too. The neck pickup is a bit too stiff though and the sweetness is not that good. There is some noise coming from the bridge pickup but that might be cause it's so close to the strings. The problem could be my cheap amp too. I play my guitar through a Zoom G1X multi-fx pedal with extreme dist and full gain (of course). The pickups are sensitive to pinch harmonics and it gives you a heavy ass sound. In overall, this guitar sounds badass. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The action of the guitar is not that great. At the headstock the strings lay on the frets causing a LOT of fret buzz. It is pretty comfortable to play there though. Over at the neck joint, the strings lay really far away from the fretboard making it hard to solo. The intonation was poor. The tuners are pretty crap and don't hold the tune very well. They don't work well when tuning neither as they become losse when you loosen a string so that it will probably drop even lower a few times after you tightened it up. (example: you tune the E string down to D. It drops to somewhere round C or C#. You tune it up. it drops again.) After a while it stays in tune but not for very long. If you somehow manage to make it stay in tune for a long time, it will stay in tune pretty much forever unless you do something to it. I have mine in D Standard and that makes the tuning stability even more poor. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Other than the tuning pegs, there is No Doubt that this guitar would withstand Live playing. This guitar would survive armageddon if it had to. Once it flew out of a bicycle basket and it hit the ground really hard. Only trouble after that was that the volume knob came loose and the neck pickup stopped working. The knob was just to push back and the pickup revived itself after a few weeks. (As you might notice I don't use the neck pickup a lot) I could smash some amp stacks with this guitar without it taking any damage. The strap buttons are good. I feel I can depend on this guitar. The finish on the thing is SOLID. Only way to get it off would be a jackhammer. // 10

Impression: In overall, this guitar is a steal. Low price and great value. Exchange the tuners for some locking ones and fix the action and youve got yourself a hell of a guitar for under 300 bux! If this were stolen or lost, I would not buy a new one. Not because I don't like it, but beacause I would use the money for an other guitar instead. what I love about this is the DIRTY sound and the pinch response mentioned above. What I hate is the bad soloing capability. My favourite feature will have to be the bridge pickup. // 9

overall: 6.6

Reviewed by: Cher0keeChi1d, on march 17, 2009

Price paid: $ 180

Purchased from: Rick's Music Shop

Features: Made in China, the Epiphone SG Special has 22 frets, a bolt-on, maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, a laminated alder/maple body, with an SG body style, and an ebony finish. The bridge is a tune-o-matic with a stopbar tailpiece. The pickups are 2 Epiphone open-coil humbuckers. It has a 3-way selector Switch, 1 volume control, and 1 tone control. // 7

Sound: I play mostly rock and metal, and this guitar can definitely handle it. I play it through a Fender G-DEC amp, and a Crate GLX212. It doesn't make that much noise. At this price, you can't expect much from the pickups. Distorted, it's decent. It really has a "crunch in the punch" when set on the bridge pickup. Middle position, it's softer, and slightly muddy. At the neck pickup, it has slight fuzz to it. Clean, it sounds bright on the bridge, slightly crisp at the middle, and smooth and warm at the neck. Overall, it sounds okay clean. It would be nice to have the extra volume and tone controls. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know a thing about setting up guitars, so the local shop owner does that for me. I didn't have any problems with fret buzz. The only flaws were a bit of dust here and there, and the nut around the input jack come off, so the jack fell inside the guitar. These things were easily fixed, though. The controls were not loose, and the selector isn't too noisy. Ebony was the only color available, but I would have chosen cherry, were it an option. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I don't play live, but I would have a backup, or just use this guitar as a backup. The hardware seems like it will last for a while. I haven't had any problems with the strap buttons. I never drop my guitars, but I do bump them into things, or they will occasionally fall over, but there are no nics/chips on this guitar. I play this guitar for a few hours everyday, but the finish is still fine, just some small, harmless scratches. You wouldn't even notice them if the finish wasn't ebony. // 6

Impression: It's a pretty versatile guitar, which is great. I also own an ESP LTD F-100FM, a Squier Standard Strat, a Jackson JS30KV, a Silvertone SIK1, and an Ibanez IJX40. After the LTD, this is my favorite one to play. If it were lost or stolen, I would buy it again, but with the cherry finish, and also buy a better amp to go with it. What I like most is the neck. It's very comfortable. I also like the crunch it has on the bridge pickup. I don't like the finish, though. All in all, it's a good guitar for the price. It's good enough for beginners and even intermediate players. If you can't blow a lot of money, give this guitar a go. // 7

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: toyboxmonster, on march 20, 2009

Price paid: C$ 100

Purchased from: Used

Features: The Epiphone SG is reminiscent of the Fender Telecaster in it's simplicity: one tone knob, one volume knob, and a three-way pickup selector. The pickups are uncovered 'no-name' humbuckers. This guitar is immediately distinguishable from other SGs by it's lack of a pickguard. There are 22 frets, which can be a little short for the hard-rock guitarists the SG is marketed towards. The SG Special features the typical Epiphone/Gibson tune-O-matic bridge. The tuners are also nameless. As I understand it, this guitar was part of a beginner pack of some sort, but I bought it used and cannot tell for sure. It's nothing complicated, but it's all a beginner needs to get started. // 7

Sound: The SG Special's sound is particularly lively and edgy considering it is equipped with humbuckers. The tone, however, isn't particularly bright and is typical of low-end humbuckers. The front pickup can be very muddy on it's own, but switching on both pickups at once results in a fairly smooth and pleasant sound. I find that the tone control has a considerable impact on the SG's tone, much more so than it does on a Telecaster. On some settings, it can sound warm, but on several others, it sounds tinny and metallic, but it's nothing less than should be expected of such an inexpensive guitar. With a few modifications, this can be an excellent player. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: The intonation was completely inaccurate when I obtained this guitar, but I suspect this was the original owner's fault, and not Epiphone's. The action was much too high as well, but once again, I'm not sure this can be blamed on the manufacturers. I receently decided to turn my old SG Special into a project and took the guitar apart. Overall, the workmanship is fair; however, I did find that a small piece of sandpaper was used as a shim and that some glue was used to stabilise the neck. I cleaned the glue and removed the sandpaper, and it plays none the worse. Now that it's all fixed up, it plays quite nicely. // 5

Reliability & Durability: I cannot begin to explain the amount of abuse this guitar has suffered. It was the guitar on which both my brother and I learned and was therefore subject to the clumsiness of a beginner twice over. It has been dropped on it's face, on it's headstock, and on it's side, repeatedly. The neck has had a number of confrontations with doorways, with walls, and even with ceilings, yet I can't for the life of me find a scratch, dent, or blemish on the guitar. Surprising enough, the strap buttons are nice and solid; however, one button does have the immense flaw of being on the back of the guitar (a design flaw common to Gibsons & Epiphones in general), which means that the strap slides off much too easily. I would definitely recommend replacing the buttons with Dunlop StrapLoks. It is surprisingly light, and yet does not feel fragile at all (and years of unintentional tests have proven that it isn't). The output jack makes a habit of getting loose often, but it's nothing that can't be solved quickly. My real issue is with the tuning pegs, which are probably the cheapest pieces of metal you'll find on the market. They slide very easily and become loose very quickly; they definitely need replacement. The problem is that new holes need to be made, as the only tuners that fit in the original holes are the cheap ones. // 8

Impression: I've played a number of guitars, and the SG Special is neither worst nor the best. For it's price, it is definitely not a bad guitar. Because of it's surprising solidity, it is a perfect candidate for upgrades and is ideal to turn into a project guitar. The sound is very lively compared to other humbucker-equipped guitars, so right out of the box, it was suitable for the grunge/noise-rock I used to play, and is still appropriate for the ambient music I make now. As part of it's renovation, I'll be changing the tuning pegs for higher-quality ones, removing the pickups to put in either some p-90s or high-output humbuckers (I have yet to decide), and possibly change the pots. All in all, it's a very good buy for it's price, and it is a guitar you can easily upgrade and keep for a long time. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 01, 2009

Price paid: $ 200

Features: Made in China, 2008. 22 medium jumbo frets on a 24.75" scale neck with a rosewood fretboard. Basswood body with a maple neck. Available in solid black or Vintage cherry red. Tune-o-matic bridge. It is equipped with 700T/650R humbuckers in the neck and bridge respectively. It has one volume and one tone knob along with a Standard three-way Switch. The tuners are cheap. It cam in a package which included am amp, gigbag, tuner, strap, and some picks. // 7

Sound: With the amp that it comes with, it honestly sounds terrible. The amp is noisy and crackly and isn't very versatile. However, with a proper amp this thing sounds great! I can play everything from blues to metal with this thing. On clean settings it has that great blues tone. With heavy overdrive it can do some screaming hard rock and metal. When I got this I was planning on replacing the pickups but at this rate a probably won't need to. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The finish was good. No blemishes. No scratches. The problem I have with the all black model is that it shows smudges really well. The pickup heights were a little funky. Nothing that a screwdriver can't fix. The action was set high from the factory. However upon lowering, there was a good amount of fret buzz. This was fixed by polishing the frets with some steel wool. Some of the screws were of low quality. I've stripped out the heads on three of them. Also the springs on the pickup height adjustment screws were way too long. It made the pickup height adjustment really hard. I had to clip down the spring just so I could reinstall them. The strings is came with are crap. Just buy yourself a set of strings when you get this. Other than that there are no problems. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This is a pretty reliable guitar. I've owned it for about seven months and not had any catastrophic hardware or electronic failure. In fact, I've had no electronic failures. The strap buttons are ok. If you want to jump around and be wild on stage you'll definitely need some strap locks. There are no problems with the finish even after using it every day for seven months straight. Bottom line is that if you take care of the guitar it'll do any thing you ask it to. // 9

Impression: Great beginning guitar! It has good tone in an attractive and comfortable package. However if you plan to be serious, get a new amp because the 10w it comes with is horrible. If it were stolen I would probably buy a better guitar but mourn the loss of this axe. My favorite feature is the looks. It looks like it's ready too rock with an attitude. I wish it had 24 frets but it's fine with 22. Great value for the money. // 8

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: andrewphanley, on january 05, 2009

Price paid: € 120

Features: Ebony black. Good tuners. Ebony finish. Only 2 control nobs; tone and volume. stock tail piece. Rosewood neck. 2 humbucker pickups. 22 frets. non locking tuners but rarely goes out of tune. 2 stock humbucker pickups but very good. 3 way pickup selector: rythm, middle and treble. Fixed, bolt on neck. // 9

Sound: It suits rock and metal very well which is what I usually play. I play a lot of Metallica and is very good. Not very versatile because of the 2 control nobs, Very nice sounding though. I am currently using a glx distortion pedal and a crybaby wah. Very nice rich, deep sound. I'm very pleased with the sound. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: All stock, no custom pickups or anything. Has no flaws what'so ever in my opinion. I bought it 2nd hand(3 years old) and the neck is still perfectly straight, hardly any fret buzz, all the electronics working. Basically no damage exept for a few light scratches. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is 3 years old and still in mint cond. Not very reliable strap buttons. I'll probably get locking ones. Very nice finish but no pickguard but I don't think there's any need for one since there are no chips in the paint at all. Overall very reliable. Could last a long time if looked after properly. // 10

Impression: It matches my playing style very well. I've been playing 4 years and this is my second guitar. If it were stolen I would buy a better guitar but I would highly reccomend buying this if you're a beginner or intermediate guitarist. I love the look of it.The only thing it's missing is a Floyd Rose. overall: a really nice looking, nice sounding solid guitar. // 10

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: skatertrev, on december 08, 2008

Features: This guitar was made in Indonesia and put together in the USA it has 22 frets, tune o matic bridge, one tone, one volume knob, a three way selector Switch, two pickups, and came with a nice padded gig bag and the warranty, instruction manuel ect. I don't think all of these guitars come with a gig bag, mine is a special rock honor one and I think I only got it because I won this guitar. // 8

Sound: This guitar deffinetly suits my music style, I play a lot of AC/DC, blues rock and classic rock. I use it through a Zoom G1X multi effect and a Crybaby GCB 95 into a Crate GT212. This guitar is not noisy! I can definelty get an Angus/Malcolm Young sound with this guitar. I think part of the reason it sounds so good though is the GT212 I play it though. I have played this guitar through other amps and I sounded like crap. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is set up good and the pickups needed a little height adjustment for my taste. The itonation was off a little also. The only things that are messy about this guitar are the Tuning pegs and the pickup selector. A few of the tuners are wobbeling when they don't have unstrung and the selector sometimes makes small "clicks" when being adjusted. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar can with stand playing gigs and jaming whatever. Seems to be a rather solid guitar and is really light compared to my other guitars. I havn't found any major flaws with the guitar exept lack of pickgaurd. I hate when you have a nice finish and it starts to look like crap after a while. // 8

Impression: I have been playing for about 3 years and this guitar matches my playing style and aids me in getting the blues rock tone I like. If this guitar was stolen I would be mad because I like it but wouldn't buy it again. I would definelty buy a Gibson SG Standard. I don't like how there are ony one tone and one volume knobs. I really like to do the Tom Morello toggle swich style of playing every now and then. Over all this guitar sounds great and plays great for the price that you pay. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 04, 2007

Features: Not sure when it was made, but was made in USA. Action was a bit crummy on the low strings but that was fixed easily enough. Has two volume nobs and two tone nobs, but they don't work independently (ex. if you turn one pickup all the way down they both go all the way down). // 8

Sound: Has a great metal sound. I personly enjoy the shear cutting power of this guitar, it can be heard through an entire band. I use it mostly with a Vox 30 amp, sometimes with a marshal hardwire at gigs. Tone is very bright but has a lot of back to it, so it doesn't get annoying. Has a pretty good variety, but don't expect to play smooth stuff as good as say a Casino or something. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Never saw the guitar from factory, was set up at a retail store. Action on the low strings was poor, fixed it easy enough. Pickups were perfect, havn't had to adjust them at all. The only flaw in the guitar was in the amp plugin, mine keeps going loose and almost falling into the guitar. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will and has withstood live playing. It has been dropped many times, the head has clashed with other guitars, and it is perfectly fine. Hardware is stuck in there tight, never rattles or comes loose. Strap buttons are solit, but a bit too short for me (strap quickly rubs on finish). I never bring a backup to gigs, I depend on this guitar daily. The finish is pretty good, not the best, but it simply looks amazing in bright light. Blinding even. // 9

Impression: I play blues and jazz with a lot of distortion. I had tried many other guitars and oddly found a sound I love with this one. Mixed with a crybaby wah-wah, the highs on this guitar are simply incredible for the price. I would recomend this to anyone. The only thing I would recomend with the guitar is a wah-wah pedal, because the tone is so sharp that unless you are tremeloing the note or wahing it, it quickly cuts into the ears of your listeners. // 10

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: metalishreddr13, on september 08, 2008

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I don't know what year it was made, but I know it was made in China. It has 22 frets, Rosewood bolt-on fretboard. Laminated top. Made of Alder. Has a Polyurethane finish. SG body style with a fixed bridge. Passive electronics with one volume, one tone control. Two stock open coil Humbuckers, stock tuners. In all, pretty sturdy guitar for a begginer's guitar. // 8

Sound: I play a lot of metal, and hard rock (Slipknot, Metallica, Disturbed) and it goes great with it. It has a nice deep tone for distortion and a bright sound on clean. I use a small Crate practice amp and a DigiTech Death Metal distortion pedal. Works pretty damn good for the sound I want to get. The only thing is that it gets preety noisy on overdrive. It can get sounds from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to some heavy deathcore. Overall, great for a beginner guitar. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Set-up was okay, I had fix the action a little to my liking though. Nothing wrong with pickup adjustments. Properly bookmatched top bridge was routed alright. I can't really say much, everything seems to be spot on. No problems for the past 2 years I've owned it and played it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It should withstand Live-playing, but it seems to have a problem with warm weather and staying in tune. doesn't really work too well. What can you expect though from a begginer's guitar? Hardware has lasted me and it should last awhile. Doesn't seem it's going to die on me anytime soon. Strap buttons are pretty solid. I could depend on it, but I would recommend to bring a backup always (this guitar would probably be the backup if anything). This guitar will last, it is well built and sturdy. // 7

Impression: I play heavy metal and it is a pretty good match. I've been playing for two years and I don't really own any other guitar. I've learned everything on this piece of wood. If it were stolen or lost I would just step up to something better like an Ibanez. I love the fretboard comfort that allows the player to move pretty fast. My favorite thing happens to be the acessability to all the frets.it definitely beats my friends First Act and the quality is better than any other begginer guitar (believe me, I've tried them). I just wish it had 24 frets and some more tone and volume controls.Also, I do wish it had better pickups. // 9

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: MoroneSaxatilis, on october 17, 2008

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Features: This is the Epiphone SG Player's Pack. I am unsure of the year of manufacture. It is a solid body, bolt on neck, in a glossy cherry red finish. It has no pick guard, but keeps the devil horns SG body style. It has a rosewood fretboard, Dot inlays, and a 22 fret neck. It has dual humbuckers, a 700T at the bridge and a 650 R at the neck. The SG Special has one rythym / lead Switch and one volume and one tone knob. This package comes with a tuner, softside gig bag, and a 10W solid state Epiphone practice amp. // 7

Sound: This was my first electric guitar, and I didn't want to break the bank if it was a hobby I was not going to stick with. So far, it has suited me fine. I like to play hard rock, metal, and some blues, and it's versatile enough to play them all. The amp is quite noisy and poor- I have already replaced one speaker on it and I have not ever had it turned all the way up with the gain up. The amp makes the guitar, making the tone knob more of a knob for bass and treble than for real tone. On a better amp, the guitar sounds much better. The guitar can play about anything, I don't see that it's limited by anything about it. I can even strum along to country if the amp is set correctly without trouble. After about a year I changed the strings to Ernie Balls, which did make a big difference in the sound- much brighter and more clear than the stock strings. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came set up perfectly. Everything worked fine right out of the box. Since it is a cheaper guitar, I will say I have to tune frequently, it does get out of tune. It seems as though the guitar responds quite aggresively to humididty and temperature changes, going quite flat or quite high depending on the change. Since it comes with a tuner, this is not a big deal to me, and I understand I did not buy an expensive guitar. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I think this would withstand Live playing as long as you could check your tuning once or twice. I have dropped it twice and it has not become damaged. I would use this at a gig since I would not be worried about it getting damaged, it's an inexpensive guitar. The finish is fine, although it appears that after two years the finish on the fretboard is starting to fade / wear off. // 9

Impression: This is a great product for a beginner- looks cool, sounds cool out of the box to a novice. As you get better you will definitely want to upgrade the amp and keep the practice amp as a spare or sell it. I have been playing for two years, and I also own a Fender amp and an old acoustic (unsure of manufacturer, it's old and beat). If it were lost or stolen I would most likely replace it. I like the looks of it and the ease of play, it came set up quite nicely. I compared it to the LesPaul players pack, but for the cost and my love of Angus Young, I went with this one. I could go either way, again, it's an inexpensive package. I wish it has seperate controls for the two humbuckers, as I think this limits your different sounds. For the cost of it, I think it's fair to okay, and with a new amp could be okay to very good, but not great. // 7

overall: 5.8

Reviewed by: acoustic459, on october 24, 2008

Price paid: $ 236.26

Purchased from: Sweetwater.com

Features: This guitar has two humbucker pickups with three way selector(back, front, both)and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. IT has 22 frets with a 24.78 inch scale, red body finsh, (or black. Not very havy, very lightweight great for playing leads. It has Two levys for your strao and comes with a strap. The fingerboard is rosewood and the guitar is a solid body with double-cutaway design. It has chrome hardwood. Laminated body and alder/maple. Stop bar tail piece. One tone control and one volume control. // 9

Sound: This guitar has a kinda full sound great for lead guitar. Not very good for chords and Indie music. Not a very wide variety of sound. Mainly for lead. but you can play songs with chords like the band Nickelback. I'm playing with reverb effects and sounds almost exactly like the real song. THis guitar has great osund quality! // 3

Action, Fit & Finish: Pickups were not adjusted at all good. I was playing and they fell out so I had to take whole guitar apart and fix them. a few wires were shorted so I had to fix them but other than that the guitar was fine. No scratches or scrapes or missing nuts and screws. One tuning peg was loose but that was no big deal. Bridge was fine and everything was fine. I strongly suggest getting this guitar from Sweetwater.com
I had to replace all strings oncce I got it in mail. And I did not come with any picks? // 3

Reliability & Durability: Guitar came with a 10 year warranty and I 100% believe that this guitar will last at least 13. Very nice guitar. NOt that reliable in Live shows. Not proffesional quality guitar. Everything about the guitar should last, very durable. I've dropped it about three times and there's still no scratches on it or gouges out of the wood. // 6

Impression: This guitar is a great buy. Very cheap and very lightweight for great playing. Durable and very reliable. I've been playing for about three months and I've learned fast. I play mainly lead guitar and fast slow solos but I've also played chords and wrote some songs using chords. This guitar is e great practice, first learners, guitar but I wouldn't trust it at a Live show. Guitar has a very clean and full sound. Not very good with distortion but fine with a mix of treble and middle. That's about the best you can do with distortion. When I use distortion it makes too much of a static cound and you can't tell the difference between frets and sounds. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 10, 2008

Price paid: $ 146.4

Purchased from: Friend

Features: I personally don't know much about this guitar, but I'll try my best. It has a 22 fret neck, with good size frets. The finish on mine is black, and it looks lovely. Tune-O-Matic bridge. 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob and a three way selector Switch. It has 2 Epiphone Open-coil humbuckers. // 7

Sound: It performs well for most my styles of music. I am a huge fan of Radiohead and this guitar works well to suit that style, especially the agressive playing of Jonny Greenwood. Currently I have a Fender Frontman 15R amp, which is a great amp for distorted tunes. It can be noisy at times but I'm not sure whether it's the guitar or the amp. The variety of sounds isn't great, but it suits me, whether I'm doing really high pitch solo stuff, or deep sounds. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this guitar is okay, but I must say that I find the neck isnt smooth enough for sliding up and down the fret board. The pick-ups seem rather loose and flimsy, but they're okay. The guitar had no flaws when I got it late last year, just the loose pick ups and the imput jack can come loose sometimes, but it's all cool. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is brilliant for Live playing, even though it's my back up guitar as I also own a rather beautiful Fender Telecaster Plus. All the hardware seems fine, it seems as if it can last. the main problem I have when gigging is that it is top heavy, so it just sort droops, which I find rather annoying, and really the only let down. // 7

Impression: It's an excellent guitar, good for a beginer. I don't I will own it for long though, but let that put you off, it truely is an excellant guitar. I've been playing for almost two years now, and as I said above, I also own a Fender Telecaster Plus, which is a masterpeice of a guitar. If it was stolen, then I might go back to an SG, but probably a better one, preferably a Gibson. The thing I love about this guitar is it's different, and it looks the part. I bought it for a cheap back up and it has served me well. // 8

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: sonicbob2001, on april 06, 2006

Price paid: $ 254.37

Purchased from: Soundcontrol, Milton Keynes, UK

Features: Brand new, made in China, cherry red colour, rosewood fretboard, one volume, one tone, 3-way selector, two humbuckers, bolt-on neck, came with free gig bag. No complaints about spec. // 10

Sound: Really nice sound, both humbuckers sound crisp and full, no buzzing or interference. Excellent range of tones across the guitar, but lack of separate volumes and tones for both pickups means a bit of onstage fiddling, but I don't tend to stray far from the bridge pickup anyway so it's no real problem. Sounds great on both clean and Drive, the clean sound is almost 'piano'-like in its delivery. Would suit a vast range of music styles, but loses one mark for the volume/tone problem. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was flawless when I bought it. The action may be a little high for some, but I like a guitar that puts up a fight! The varnished neck may hamper some fast guitar runs, but it's not an issue for me as I tend to play rhythm mostly. Frets are all seated nicely with no buzzes at any fret. Tuning pegs feel tight and hold tune very well. Pickups are at the correct height. Fretboard looks a bit dry but that's only because it's brand new and not played-in yet. Drop two marks for varnished neck. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It looks a little thinner than a standard SG, but still feels substantial enough to withstand the gigs I play! The light body will appeal to those who (like me) have to stand and play for hours on end! The slimness does worry me however, I'd invest in a hard case or at least a good padded soft case, it's not going to recover from any serious accident. If you take care of it though, I'm sure it'll last a good while. The strap buttons and general harware feel secure, so no worries there. Drop two marks for thinness. // 8

Impression: Overall, I would happily recommend this as a good solid workhorse of a guitar, anyone who's after a great sounding guitar without paying out Gibson money will be pleased. It definitely looks the business and proves great fun to play. It's not really for lead players, who will have a hard time with the neck and lack of tone controls, but for your average guitar player looking for a bargain, this is it! // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 24, 2004

Price paid: $ 149.99

Purchased from: Elderly Instruments

Features: This is an Epiphone guitar, so all I know is it is orient-made. This guitar has 22 frets and a great cherry finish. The double cutaway allows complete fret access, which is what made the SF's so popular. The humbuckers give great sound for the price. More tone and volume knobs would be better, but one volume and one tone still gets the job done. The stop-bar tailpiece is great for staying in tune. // 10

Sound: I play classic rock, but mostly AC/DC and Black Sabbath. Needless to say, I needed an SG and this one delivers. While it's not as good as a true Gibson USA, it is unbeatable for its price. I am playing it out of a Marshall MG15CD amp, and I couldn't be happier. Both items are cheap but give extremely high quality. The clean sound is ok, not great, but effective. The overdrive wow. You can't get much better. The distortion can cut through the ai rlike a knife. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was amazing straight from the box. There's no fret buzz and no cosmetic flaws whatsoever. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I haven't gigged with it, but I have played at school a lot and it is very reliable. I have encountered no problems with the hardware yet. The strap buttons haven't come loose like other guitars I have used. // 10

Impression: If this thing were stolen I would definitely buy it again because it fits my budget. I also have the Epiphone LP Special II and the SG is of same quality. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: elsingtonhall, on march 31, 2005

Purchased from: Long and Mcquade

Features:
- 22 frets
- Laminated Top
- Double Cut-way (easy-fret reach)
- Tune-O-Matic bridge
- 3-way pickup Switch
- One volume control, One tune control
- Duncan designed humbuckers
- Hard-shell Gibson case
- Strap
- Picks
- Cables. // 10

Sound: This guitar is very versitile. I play hard-rock/metal, and this guitar works awesome. But it's not that great when its distorted. So I switched my pickups and it sounds great now. But it can be hard to get that 'perfect' tone, because it only has one tone Switch. Not very rich sounding, but it has a bright sound. As I said before, this guitar is versitile and you can make lots of diffrent sounds and tones on this guitar. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: It is a very cheap guitar and it is great for starters. It has quality everything. But the pickups aren't very good. So change them. Everything is proper on it. Sort of hard to clean. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I've played four live gigs with this. I usually use my Fender but it broken at the time. This one did fine. It has a great look to it. The hardware should last. The strap buttons are fine. It's dependable and the finish is good enough to last for a while. Great beginers guitar. // 10

Impression: It plays great for all music styles. I've been playing for 5 years and I bought this one to practice on the road. It sounds great on a big amp. If it was stolen then I would buy another one, or a used one. The only bad thing is that it's hard to clean. I just bought this one cause it was so cheap. I wish it had more tone controls. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: Rattlehead666, on april 29, 2005

Features: I ain't sure what year it was made in but I know that it was made in China. There are 22 frets and the neck scale is 24.75". The body and neck wood is alder/maple. The bridge style is Tune-O-Matic. The Body style is SG. It has one volume and one tone. The pickups are two Epi open coil humbuckers. They're okay. I bought this seperate because I already had tuners, strap, etc. // 10

Sound: Well my music style is heavy metal and it suits my music. The amp I use is a Traynor 30 watt amplifier. I only use the distortion effects on the amp since I dont have a distortion pedal yet. It has good sound. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar didn't contain one flaws. It was perfect. The bridge is great but I keep breaking my strings off them because of one certain part. I already been through like 6 sets this year. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The guitar will withstand live playing and the hardware seems it will last. The strap buttons are sold. I would depend on my guitar but I'll bring my Series A just in case the strings or something break. // 10

Impression: Like I said the style of music I play is heavy metal its usually Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer and Black Sabbath and it's a excellent match. I have been playing not even half a year and I'm better than all my friends. I own two other guitars a Series A and a Nova but the Nova is an acoustic. If this was stolen or lost I would get a BC Rich Platinum Pro Jr. V or a Jackson King V with the floyd rose tremolo bridge. What I love about my guitar is that it got double humbuckers and 22 frets when all my friends only got 21 but what I hate about it is that it got a Tune-O-Matic bridge when I wish I had a floyd rose tremolo bridge. My favorite feature is her body style and I like that it dosen't have a pick guard. I cmpared this to a Fender Strat, and a Nova Electric. Well the Fender was okay I suppose but the Nova was the worst thing I ever had seen. I would never recomend a Nova to anyone unless I didn't like them. I wish this guitar had 24 frets, a cooler headstock and a liscensed floyd rose tremolo bridge. Thats all I can say about this guitar. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 12, 2005

Price paid: $ 180

Purchased from: Sam Goodies

Features: I bought this when I first started playing. I thought it was the s--t all flat black n what not. I didn't know anything at all about guitars back then. I had no idea what action or a bolt on neck was. If I would I might taken another look around before getting her. It doesn't have a very wide variety of tones to select from only volume knob and tone and the 3-way. // 4

Sound: You get what you pay for, really. Like a white boy takin a shower in shawshank. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: Needs set up but if lower the strings you'd think a swarm of bees were playing Smoke On The Water. Fret wires got ridges in them from strings. The end of the nut by the 6th string broke off. Never got it fixed, it's not worth it. // 4

Reliability & Durability: Well I wouldn't take it to Maddison Square Garden. // 4

Impression: If I were a youthful Angus Young wanna be I would save up a little more sell my school boy uniform and buy a 400 or atleast the 310. But go for a real Gibson baby Faded Specials are so cheap, you'll be the hottest thing in 6th grade since go-gurt. // 4

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 06, 2004

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: daddys junky music

Features: It was made ah maybe 3 years ago and its still in one peice. Has 22 frets thin neck smooth and fast the finish on the neck mixed with some good ole body sweat makes for some rather fast movment along the neck. I think the body and neck are made from mahogany. The finish is red with a whole lot of clear sprayed over the top. Double cuts "Devil Horns." Tune-o-matic bridge and tail peice. One tone and one volume pot with 3 way selector Switch I had mine drilled and added two more tone and volume pots so it looks like a real SG 61 reissue. Two open coil humbucker pickups they sund good so I'm not ganna change them. Stock factory tuners almost like a kidney bean, soon to get grover green key tuners to make it look better and hold tone. Didn't come with a bag or amp bought it straight and forward. // 8

Sound: Well true to its history and its legendary artsist usage I play alot of AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Cooper, Skynard, ZZ Top, old stuff like that. At the moment I get all the sound I need with the guitar and a regular Marshall AVT Tube amp. Doesn't scream or make any abnormal noise unless your practically inside the amp or hitting a harmonic. I can get some really nice sounds from it but like I said I had it customized with two more tone and volume pots. I was once asked if the guitar could sound like a Fender Strat I told the guy well if you want the sound of a Strat then buy the Strat if you want the sound of an SG then buy the SG but hey what ever affects you wanna use you can make what ever sound you want. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Action was horrible the strings were way to far from the fret board and the pickups werent even close. After you have it set up raise and lower the pickups and bring the bridge down or up what ever case it may be set the neck and inotation the guitar is flawless. The wiring should be checked over sometimes they leave wires open causing a short or some fuzz and crackling so get that checked out (I did). // 8

Reliability & Durability: It might stand up to live playing after you put some cash into it but I'd rather hit the stage with a authentic Gibson SG but right now I'd do a gig with mine so I'm confident it would last. I would change the tuner keys but the bridge and tail peice are great. The neck strap button strips out on some models quick fix tooth picks and wood glue works great. The finish seem like it would last because it looks like they put 20 coats of clear on it. // 8

Impression: I play alot of classic rock and it works in that area very well suites me fine. Playin for about 3 to 4 years now and I'm limited on gear I had a Strat rip off but that was the worst thing I ever played. One thing I would have done was get the extended warrante. If I lost it or it was stolen I'd go out and buy a Gibson SG 61 Reissue because its not worth putting all the money into for a second time. I like its looks and playability plus the sound I can get from it, I don't like the fact that it comes with one volume and one tone and no pickguard and the bolt on neck. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 29, 2004

Purchased from: Music Pro

Features: - 22 frets.
- Laminated.
- Basic blood red (maybe darker) finish.
- Volume and tone controls, 3 way Switch (rhythm, mid, treble)
- Dual open humbuckers
- Got a case, patch cord, and Peavey amp as a beginner's package (bringing the total to around $400).

From what I've seen of the Gibson version of the SG, with four knobs, I'd say this one fits me, as I'm still just starting out. I've only been playing for about 11 months, and about six of those have been playing regularly. For $250, I can't complain. // 10

Sound: Well, I play a lot of Metallica, and other metal. And, nu-metal (usually dropped D stuff). So, compared to what I hear on the CDs of what I play, this guitar gets pretty close. I think the only problem is my playing. I use a Peavey Rage 158, which puts out 15 watts of floor-shaking power. If I put the amp at the "metal" setting in it's manual, and put the guitar's volume to about 3, tone in the middle, Switch to rhythm, my floor starts to vibrate. I don't much like the sound I get when I put the tone to full, and setting it at zero sounds quite tinny. So, around 5 works for me. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This thing was built perfectly. Granted, it's my first electric, so I can't compare, but I've found no problems with its construction. Actually, I lie. The tone and volume knobs aren't on straight, and I can't figure out how to change them. Nor can I be bothered. I know what they're at, and that's all that matters. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I think the guitar itself would easily withstand live playing (I can't really see why it wouldn't anyways). It's more a question of my amp. It feels like it will last a long time, and I hope it does, because the next one I get will probably be either the Godin XTSA or John Petrucci's signature, both above $1000. The strap buttons are just about perfect for me. They don't move, and I've proven that. If I'm sitting and doing nothing, I suddenly find myself trying to turn the one on the back of the guitar. I think I could depend on it. The problem is strings. I broke my high E tuning the guitar, and that's the only forseeable dilema. The finish seems pretty good. I play the guitar sitting down a lot, so I fear that my arm resting on the body might eventually cause harm, but I'm not too worried. // 10

Impression: For playing a lot of heavy stuff, the Epiphone SG Special is quite the good guitar. As I said before, I've only been playing for about 11 months, so this is an excellent beginner's guitar, based on my experience in that category. Haha "Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this product?" Yeah, "Can you suggest a good distortion pedal?" However, that's not applicable to the guitar itself, so I'll move on. If the guitar was stolen I think, in that case, I'd go for the Godin. If I was short on cash, and needed a guitar, yeah, I'd get the SG again. When I went to get an electric for under $500, the salesman showed me two different guitars. To be honest, not knowing anything about electrics, I went for appearance. And I'm very happy with my choice. My favourite feature about my SG is the volume of the guitar itself. With just the slightest movement, the sounds just cranks. Which is great, because it makes the distortion of my amp sound even better. I don't think there's anything I wish the guitar had, as I don't need a whammy bar as of yet. It'd be great if it was there anyway, but it's not necessary. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 08, 2004

Price paid: $ 149.99

Purchased from: West L.A. Music

Features: I bought this guitar last year (July 2003) and have been very pleased with it. It had a few chips off the black body when I got it but it worked really well. It has 2 humbuckers (with no metal covering) a tune-o-matic bridge, a 3 way pickup Switch, 1 volume and 1 tone knob. It has a thin body with 2 sharp looking cutaways, a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays and the headstock and neck are painted black. It does not however come with anything but 6 strings. // 6

Sound: It sounds hard which suits my style (punk, hardcore) but sounds overly bright and springy when played without distortion. Distorted its great. I have a Rogue GS50 amp and a zoom 505II pedal I use with it and it sounds good with gain, overdrive or hard metal distortion. Its never noisy and has an ok tonal range with the pickup Switch and tone knob. It's pretty simple and I play it hard. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Its a cheap guitar but it was put together well and the fingerboard is good. Ive never had any mechanical problems with it breaking or loosening. Its finish is shiny and I think the chips came from the store not the factory. The parts seem quality. It looks good and plays well. It was ready to go when found it at the store.
// 10

Reliability & Durability: All the parts are put together well and work well so I would use this without fear of it breaking but its not a great loss if it does. I would use it on a gig without a backup unless I wanted to use different pickups or did something to it. It doesnt have a pickguard but the bridge raises the strings off the body pretty high so there arent many scratches on the finish. The strap butttons are tight and the top one is behind the neck. // 10

Impression: This guitar is great for beginning rockers on a budget. I would choose this over an Ibanez or a Squier. The two humbuckers are great for hard rock and its body style shows attitude. It works great but its not the end of the world if something happens to it. It has a good Gibson feel but looks really good too. It comes in red or black and the black looks very dark and goth. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 05, 2004

Price paid: $ 237

Purchased from: Musicians friend.com

Features: 2004 22 fretslaminated top tone and rythm controls, maple neck, black satin finish with hard rock cafe' orlando finish, stop tail piece, Fender tuner. // 10

Sound: It has great music style but goes out of tume quickly if played for several hours. Distortion is used and straight solid tone jazz and hard rock tone. Never noisy exept when GAIN IS ON 10 and volum is on 7 or higher. Great sound. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Ggreat setup, pickups greta except once in awhile tone doesnt work, no problems otherwise. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I would use it for a gig with a larger amp. Strap buttons solidwould use strap locks though. Hardware I would guess last up to 5 years. // 10

Impression: If your a frequent player I would recomend this guitar to any starting guitar player because im getting a B.B king little lucille. // 10

overall: 8

Reviewed by: calires01, on july 21, 2004

Price paid: $ 210

Purchased from: pawn shop

Features: This fine guitar was made in the US of A. It was 23 frets, a nice red finish, chrome hardware and it is made of maple and alder wood. Unlike other SG's, it only has 1 volume and 1 tone knob. It has 2 epihone open coil pickups, and they sound pretty good (although it doesn't compare to my Angus Young SG). // 8

Sound: Luckily, this guitar can be considered a SG (in my opion one of the best guitars). It has a good sound and it plays pretty well in all playing styles, I moslty use it for punk rock with my band, and some Classical, like Beethoven (don't start with me the guitar is a fine instrment for all kinds of music) and such. It has open coil pickups, which can be esasily adjusted. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar has great action, it is definetly a good buy if your looking for something on the less expensive side. I got this guitar almost new, about 1 ago, it seems a young man lost it at a pawn shop, poor him. The pickups adjusted well when I got it. Everything is just where it should be, and it a perfect neck for my hands, it's small but still wide. I love the color, it has a fiery red finish. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I've only played this guitar twice to a live audince. One time was at my guitar school, in a live performance, and the other for my cousins birthday party, with about 60 people! It did alrigt. I wouldn'y really worry about bringing a backup, the only thing that might go wrong would be if a string snapped or if pickup got loose (which happened to me one time, kind of weird). You shouldn't go crazy though, it hs no pickguard. It's been through a lot, but now when ever I play I always use this as my backup for my supreme. // 6

Impression: If you love the SG look (like me), and you can't afford the model, than this is the guitar gor you. Overall it is a pretty good guitar, but I wouldn't pick this guitar over another SG. It's worth the money, it hasn't let me down. You should watch the paint though, it has no pickguard. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 21, 2005

Purchased from: DC Music USA

Features: I'm not to sure about all the features to be honest with you. The guitar came in a package with a gig bag, Marshall 10watt amp and other various extras. It is my brothers guitar, purchased as a beginner and the only electric I've got right now. With only a volume and tone nob, the different tones are pretty limmited. It has a classic axe shape and is red. Extras aren't important if you ask me, it's more about how you feel when you play, not how fancy your gear is. // 6

Sound: As far as sound goes, I was pretty impressed after hearing my friends Epiphone Les Paul. It easily passes by a Squier in quality and sound. With a Marshall MG10CD amp the distortion is decent, as well as a clean treble. The rythme distortion and clean is not the greatest especially when the amp is turned up high. Not a good variety but again, fine for a begginner. I've also plugged it into a Crate BX15 bass amp and gotten a much mellower cleaner rythme tone which sounds great. I think a lot of the tone problems come from the amp more than the guitar. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: When the guitar was purchased, the guy who sold it to us was an experienced guitar player and basically set up everything before selling it to us. The strings are set pretty low which I like, but it can result in occasional buzzing if you play too hard. It is all personal prefference. When we got the guitar, there were no flaws of anykind, it was already tuned up. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I've now had the guitar for almost a year and it still plays very nicely. The treble is starting to cut in and out but that may just be an error on my part or somthing to just my guitar. Because my brother never played it after he bought it, it probably sat for about 3-4 months which may affect its reliability. I've never had and problems with tuning cranks or hardware. I recently replaced the strings and they played in tune in only three days. It is a fun guitar for playing at home or with friends in a garage, but I don't think I'de trust it for a gig. // 6

Impression: Overall this is a great guitar for beginners and even experienced players looking for a "practice/goofaround" guitar. For the price it is a much smarter buy than any squire. I really like playing mellow/rellaxed music like sonic youth but also more fun music like White Stripes. It works great with the bass amp for that rhythm tone. It is a great guitar for anyone to get started on, rather than buying an expensive guitar and it still has the great looks. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 13, 2005

Purchased from: Swee Lee

Features: I bought this from Swee Lee in singapore. It cost me 399 singapore dollars with a Epiphone hard case. My SG Special was in the limited edition sliver colour. It has 22 frets, made in 2005 in China (which explains the extremly cheap price). Very light and useable guitar. Tune-O-Matic bridge, one volume and tone nob, 3-way selector. It came with Epiphone designed pickups (actually not too sure if it was Epiphone or Gibson pickups). Very nice and extremly playable for a beginner like me. // 10

Sound: I play a lot of punk rock but also nu-metal. I'm in a band called "Fine" and this guitar really suits my style. For practises, I play it through a Marshall MG15CDR but for gigs, I play it a through a Mesa Boggie Amp (can't remember the model). I also use a Zoom 505II when using this guitar. The SG Special is not very flexible though but it suits my style and thats what matters. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set-up wasnt very satisfying. The action was ok but not good enough. So I straightened out the neck. The pickups were really good and produced a good full sound. No flaws other than the average action. I wouldn't really call that a flaw though. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Yes this guitar diefinetly withstands live playing. Although I've only had it for hardly half a year and played only a few gigs on it, it is very playable so far and I think given Epiphone's reputation it would continue to last. I would use it on a gig with out a backup and it diefinetly last. // 10

Impression: Overall, This is a great match to the punk-rock and nu-metal that I play. Other than this, I own a SX (it's a budget guitar) and a Fender Tele. If it was stolen or lost, I would diefinetly buy it again. Great product. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on february 20, 2006

Purchased from: American Musical Supply

Features: It is a 2006 model made in the USA. 22 fret neck, solid top, I'm not sure of the body material, but I think it's either Mahogony or Maple. I got it with a glossy (shiny) finish which shows a lot fingerprints in light but dont they all? The SG body I love! It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and good action. It only has 1 Volume, 1 tone, and a 3-way control instead of all the other SGs which have 2 volume, 2 tone, and the standard 3-way control (included on this guitar anyway). // 8

Sound: All I play is AC/DC and all I can say about this guitar is perfect. It's just perfect for my style. In fact, Angus Young (lead for AC/DC), in one of their early, early music video he uses this guitar. Believe it or not. The cheapest SG around used by Angus Young. It's not noisy at all. I only play on a standard Marshall amp and it sounds excellent! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Like I said earlier, the action is good on this guitar. The neck is straight and it is really quick. The neck's paint is very durable unlike the white SGs that the back of the neck turns red after you play it a while. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is good for practice, recording, and small gigs. But if you're looking for a good live guitar at least get an Epiphone 310. The hardware is very good on it. It seems like it will last a very long time. The strap buttons are like any other. I would use this guitar as a front guitar, not a backup. I would use it at a gig even if I didn't even have a backup. The finish is excellent and never show scratches! // 10

Impression: All in all this is a great guitar if you play classic rock, metal, blues, or just rock period. I've been playing for about 13 years and I have to say it's an awesome guitar! If It were stolen or lost I would just buy another one. I love the SG model and the neck, and the feeling of just having a pure good guitar. Especially an SG. I hate the fact that there are only 3 types of controls on the guitar, though. Oh well. I wish it just had 5 controls like a standard SG. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 25, 2003

Purchased from: Mes Music

Features: This guitar rules!!! It has 22 frets, cherry red and laminated it has a tone Switch, one volume control, a tap and a tone tuner. It has two black humbuckers made by Gibson. The neck is all black and i got it with 2 cords alien levy strap, levy gig bag and a screwdriver with Epiphone engraved in it. // 10

Sound: I play lots of metal and punk so i really liked it. Im using a Peavey amp that abotu 5 feet hihg about my height(im 13) its my uncles and for xmas i asked for a Zoom 505 pedal. It can make a lot of sounds and its great for playing harmonics(steve vai is my idol and it looks just like the one he uses in the guitar duel in crossroads). and i cant really say any dislikes. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: It hasn't broken or anything yet it seems prett heavyduty to me. Pickups are fine they sound great and the only problem with them is that they come loose alot but it doesn't have many flaws other than that. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Very durable guitar. // 10

Impression: I play heavy metal and classic rock cant et enuf of that ac/dc. Ive been playing about 2 years I also have a Gibson and an acoustic made by stella guitars. If it were stolen or lost I would definitely want to buy this again. When I bought it I look at some arias but I hated them. This guitar is great and I recommend buying it. // 8

overall: 7.6

Reviewed by: witty fool, on may 01, 2006

Purchased from: Guitar Paradise

Features: Made in Indonesia, this guitar features an SG shaped body in a very nice cherry red finnish. It has 2 Epiphone open coil humbuckers, 1 volume 1 tone 3-way switch, stop bar tailpiece with Tune-O-Matic bridge and chome hardware. It has a bolt on neck with 22 frets and a rosewood fingerboard. The neck is fairly thin and fast. It came with an Epiphone harcase, lead and allen keys. Its a nice looking, light weight, well built guitar for its money but there is certainly room for improvement. // 8

Sound: I baught this guitar when I was fairly new and at that time I was mainly playing songs by Clapton, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and some Metallica. It seemed to handle these styles fairly well, but once again it could of been better. I played it though a Marshall MG50DFX amp and I could get a really nice acdc rock sound out of it and it does distortion suprisingly good. Also it handled blues really well. For it's price this guitar sounds excellent. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Unfortunately this guitar didn't come to me that well set up. The volume and tone knobs were loose and would come off, but I fixed that easy with a big of superglue. The action was set fairly high and I needed to adjust that, some of the hardware was lose like the washer around the jack input. The neck had a bit of overhanging wood at the pickup end and a few minor cosmetic flaws on the body. I adjusted some things and tightened up the loose screws and she was right to go though. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't play this guitar live without a second guitar handy. It doesn't play well standing up because it becomes unbalanced and the strap comes off quite a lot (this can be fixed easily though). The hardware seems of decent quality but it's certainly not a guitar to last forever, probably a few years. I haven't dropped this guitar yet or banged it and wouldnt want to even though it looks well built theres always a chance. The body doesnt have a pick guard, but from what I've noticed the finish seems pretty durable and only showed signs of wearing off after about a year or so of me playing it. // 7

Impression: It handled playing my style of music fairly well but no where near as good as the Strat I own now, but for a beginner Who wants to play some tabs and get there skill level up then I'd recommend this over other beginner guitars and starter packs. Overall, it's a nice little guitar that would suit beginner guitarists or someone on a budget who wanted a decent guitar for the money. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 16, 2006

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Music Royal

Features: SG stlye body, great neck, 2 humbuckers, one tone and one volume control, 3-way selector, Tune-O-Matic bridge makes it really easy to change strings the only issue I have it the output plug it straight out the front but I bought a L shaped plug and in the end it is actually better than the normal plug on the side of the guitar. No whammy bar but I never used mine on my other guitar anyway // 10

Sound: I play a lot of pop, but mostly rock such as Van Halen. This guitar suits my style of playing perfectly. I'm using a Kostum (don't know the model) and a DigeTech RP 200, all the effects just make it sound even more incredible. I like the clear tone I can get out of it, it can sound soft for eric clapton or hard for AC/DC. For the price there is a great selections of sounds you can choose from. I suggest buying the DigeTech RP 200, its just so amazing, a tuner, drum machine and like 120 effects. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar strings were nice a low to the fret board and didnt buzz, perfect. I really like the pickups for the price. The only flaw that I found with this guitar is that it smudges, not scratch but since I have the black one you can see your fingerprints in the right light. I think it's totally worth every penny. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will deffinetly withsatnd live playing and has. The hardware looks pretty good but I think I might Switch out the nobs on it. Solid strap buttons have had it come undone yet! I always binf a backup guitar to a gig with me but if I couldnt I wouldn't worry about it The SG Special is a really good guitar. I've payed this guitar for a while now and the finish is withstanding everything I through at it. // 10

Impression: I play pop but mostly rock and roll and and its a great match. l I've been playing only for a year but I can tell when I'm playing a good guitar. I also own a Harmony Flying V, Ovation Celebrity, Yamaha electric, and a Dean Espana CSCM (my favorite). If it was stolen I would have to buy this guitar again because its sweet. I love the soft sounds you can get out of it but I hate how it smudges (but it's not big deal, you could get another color than black). This guitar sound exactly the same and plays the same as a Gibson SG Special, the only thing differant is that it says Epipone on it! // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 21, 2005

Price paid: $ 149

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Features: This guitar is an SG style guitar with 22 frets and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. It has 2 passive humbuckers, with a shared tone and volume control between the two. It also has a Switch for the tone with 3 settings: rhythm, normal, and treble. The guitar I bought has a ebony (black) finsh which is flawless. The tuners are non-locking and are pretty good for a while, but after a while mine started to loose their hold and now they go out of tune quite often. The guitar came with a few tools to adjust the truss rod and the action but other than that it didn't come with many accersories. // 8

Sound: It is a very good starter guitar for any genre of music. When I first got this guitar, I was just learning to play guitar, I played blues and rock and it worked fine until I got better and relized it's not the best guitar for an intermediate player. It has a slight hum at all time, but it may be because I lowed the action, I'm not sure. It can make a variety of sounds for only having one tone and one volume knob. It does good pinch harmonics if you get the settings right. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up fine from the factory, but I did adjust the action when I got it out of the box becasue it was too high for me. The pickups needed to be lowered a little after I adjusted the action, but It was not a big deal. The fret wires had a few burs on them but, nothing I coulnt fix with a quick filing. The finish looked very good once I got it out of the case. After a while it gets scratches where the pick rubs, but you can only see them in the right light and otherwise you can't tell. The finish is very nice for the price. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It will withstand live playing, but it is not the showiest guitar in the world. You can't rely on a just cool looking guitar if you go play with this axe like you can with a Jackson or anything. The harware will last but the tone/vol. knobs are a thin plastic and my tone knob broke once when I dropped my guitar. The strap buttons arent very big because they a very small, but for a couple of dollars you can replace them and you'll be on your way. If you don't abuse it too much it should stand up to the wear and tear of live playing. // 9

Impression: Now I play music like Trivum, Avenged Sevenfold and other metal/hardcore music and classic rock and the blues. It is good for a strter guitar like I said but the neck isn't really fast enough to play fast solo's on, and it doesn't have a good enough sound to be your main axe if you are a musician for a living. I like it alot though because I can play it any time, and it was cheap so I don't have to be "too" careful like I would with a Gibson of not trying to mess it up. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another one because it is a great guitar just to have laying around. My only wish is that they would have had more color choices for this guitar. Other than that, it's cool. // 10

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: AFuriousMind, on june 27, 2005

Purchased from: 4

Features: // 8

Sound: I play thrash/death metal. And over an Ibanez or Fender, this thing kicks ass. Not as good as the Goth series. I'm runnin it through a new Vox AD50VT with a Boss distortion pedal. I flipped the neck pickup and lowered the action. You can fly across the fretboard. I don't recommend this for classic rock artists, considering they all get too technical and whiney. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Once again, I lowered it to my liking was a bit too high. I measured the bridge on it and it was ok. Nice finish, pretty light weight. It's still Epiphone so it meets its requirements. // 8

Reliability & Durability: // 8

Impression: Get a good amp! That's all I can say. Play around with, learn to custom set your strings, etc. Most guitarists first live guitars weren't very impressive, but they are the ones that made them expensive and worthwhile. Don't listen to others, I highly recommend this axe. Your selection on tone may vary, but if you know how to play, people won't care. // 10

overall: 8.2

Reviewed by: JimiSlashPage, on september 25, 2005

Purchased from: Musician

Features: 2005 Epiphone SG Special. Came with Epiphone 19 watt amp, gig bag, picks, strap, cable, tuner, and the guitar. 22 frets, chrome hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge, one volume and one tone control, 2 open-coil humbuckers, ebony color. // 9

Sound: It suits my music style quite well. I play mostly Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Some newer stuff like Coheed And Cambria also. It does well with distortion. This guitar has an amazingly wide range of sounds for the price. It is a little lacking in the upper ranges though. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set up was not all that good. I had to go get the bridge adjusted because the strings rode too high. But now that is fixed and they are low. If you listen close enough there is slight fret buzzing coming from my low E string. Other than that everything was great. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar could stand live playing, but I would never use it without a backup. The hardware probably would last for a few years. The strap buttons are pretty solid, but I've had the strap fall off a few times. The finish does wear off or scratch very easily though. // 8

Impression: Overall this is a very nice guitar if you are just starting out. This was my very first guitar and I still use it. If it were stolen I would probably just wait to get my Gibson. I like that fact that it sounds nice for a cheap guitar. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on october 31, 2005

Features: This guitar had pretty decent features for the price. Although theres nothing fancey about this guitar there is nothing really wrong with it. It's a very beauitful insturment. I got this guitar with the cherry finish and it's flawless. The main thing that bugged me about this guitar is that it's not as light as more expensive SGs. // 8

Sound: This guitars really good for begenners because it can play many diffrent types of music and does a good job at it. I play eveything from Eric Clapton to The White Stripes and this guitar can do it all. I have played the guitar on many diffrent amps, it sounds pretty good on most all of them. I haven't played it on a tube amp yet though. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The only problems I had with guitar was the input nut came loose and brigde needed adjustments. Both were fixed easlly. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have droped this guitar at least a dozen times. It's very durable and hasn't got a single scracth after droping it so many times. Most of the hardwear seems durable to me. I would problebly use this guitar if I played a gig beacause it seems pretty durable for the most part and the strings are prett easy to change. // 8

Impression: I am over all am happy with this guitar. It's a great begennier guitar and a good guitar for someone on a buget. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 02, 2006

Price paid: $ 159

Purchased from: H&H

Features: First to start off his review. Your going to get what you going to pay for. Its a chinese SG Special. Not the standerd special's, Its the worn Zebro Limited Edition. Its a solid Mahogany bodie with a Four screw two peice bolt on neck, Tho the area the Screw plate covers is small compared to most. Its a Satin trans and has the same ol' SG double cut. All passive eletronics, Tho it does have those duncan Design Zebras. They are not true Duncan. One volume, One tone with a three way "Peg" selector. Tuners are cheap factory unsealed. It came with a truss wrench and a cable, tho it went in the garbage. // 6

Sound: I play blues. A rock sort of blues but blues none the less. It's an OK guitar, But dosent stand up to my Ibanez Artcore. I run it into A slaved pair of Marshall 12watt leads, both 1980. It's got the standerd buzz, it's not sheilded at all for that matter. I usually play it with a sort of Fender tween drived clean sound, and it's a good mellow tone with a bit of clank to the higher octives. If you go past the tenth fret, it's going to start cutting itself short. Like I said you are getting what you paid for. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: It was set up OK. I had to tussle with the pickups tho, the polepeice screws don't like to be moved much. I'm pretty sure its a one piece body, And it looks great with the trans finish. The bridge is the standerd Tune-O-Matic, so not much problem there. The only thing that is wrong with this guitars action is simply this: any strings over .10's won't stay in tune. I'm not sure if its the intonation or if it's the necks wood but I love 13's. This guitar dosen't. // 5

Reliability & Durability: Live playing. That's a joke. The hardware is OK, but if your gunna make this your main guitar pick up some new Pots and a higher class switch, when I got it some of the wiring came lose and I had to re-connect. I wouldn't take this guitar toa gig, Perioud. The finish it lasting so far. But the stain on the neck seems to not be so strong. I've had it for a year now and its allready going tan. // 5

Impression: It's an OK guitar. Really it is. I've been going for 4 years and through all the guitars I've played, this isn't the highest. But at the same note, isn't the lowest. I would of checked a few more reviews about this thing before putting the money down on it. If I was stolen I would probally rejoice. The only thing I really like about it is its fairly smooth when your under the 6'th fret, god playing and all. The only thing I would change about this guitar is the neck, and then id love to have the full 4 set of knobs. // 7

Comments

[OttovanZanten]

A shop not too far from my home has a
"Epiphone Sg Special Ltd Zebra"
for sale, for ONLY 399 euro's :|
That mutch difference in price, just because it is limited? :|

[Tedward]

do you have to buy a bridge with a tremolo system or does it just not have any pictures of it with a whammy bar?

[Tedward]

sorry, the first review answerdd my question.

[joey9]

sg' are awesome

[GreenFurby]

Yeah!

[Stop Messin']

Standards are always the best. I find anything with Special, Custom or Deluxe in the name is always crap.

[Greendaygeek10]

(For the price) this guitar rocks! The E string gets untuned really quick, but other than than, it's pretty sweet. When I was at the guitar store, this one sounded better than Epiphone's $400, and I only payed $150 for this one

[deadnihils]

I bought mine 4 years ago and have played it (almost) every single day for hours on end. I have no complaints. Easily the best $179.00 I`ve spent. I`ve gigged with it, dropped it, thrown it, and it still hasn`t let me down. I can go from playing Lamb of God to some old school Weezer, to Rancid to Chuck Berry... this thing`ll do it all.

[zerg lurker5]

this thing will last you a long time, it was my first guitar, and is one of my favorites

[mikeiscool]

i got one of those ..good for ur money

[synysterSG]

my first guitar, still works perfectly. i know its not the best guitar out there, but its still pretty good.

[bobthesgman]

this thing is awesome, the pic makes it look bad but in real life you will be awed at this thing

[Zeppelin_31]

Ok, there's a huge difference between a Gibson and an Epiphone. One is good quality, and the other is crap. Why do you think they're half price to the real thing?

[volkspower]

This guitar is not much better than a limp dishrag. Go play a Jay Turser 55 and tell me its not 300% better for the same $150.

[rokrdude]

better than my old squier... the fingerboard finish is not at all consistent... plays better than a g-400... sounds alright, if you plan to keep it for a while you need to buy new humbuckers, these aren't that good... good guitar to start out with... if you've beeen playin for more than a a couple of years go for a gibson or a schecter or maybe a fende(not really tho... unless it's a tele)... overall it's alright

[philywest]

This guitar is a good beginner guitar, but nothing else. People who compare this to the gibson... I mean come on!! This is a cheap imitation. Although it is very good for its price, and good for a beginner, i dont think it should be used for anything else.

[mack attack]

i find it sorta ironic tht the fendernator is reviewing a epi guitar

[emokiller1]

you know epiphones are MADE, better than gibsons. i never said there better. i did not believe this until i found out for myself. it turns out that the asians, koreans, etc., make it an art form. they put so much detail into them, making the neck, pickups, body, and other parts. they are put together in the USA though, where the bad quality mainly is. gibson really cuts corners when it comes to open coil pickups. i compared an epi sg open coil pickup to a gibson, and on the epi, where there was cloth, there was tape on the gibson. but the gibson still sounds better, im just talking about quality.

[Pingis_Or_Death]

My friend has this guitar and i gave it a good test. It was very easy to get pinch harmonics on it, and it felt really nice. The tone wasn't too bad either. The only thing that bothered me was the extremely thick neck, compared to my strat. You wouldn't be able to shred easily on this guitar, but as it probably is desgined for beginners, i wouldn't call it such a big problem.

[ace man]

I bought this guitar for $270AUS, which is real good value considering the quality of the instrument. It seemed just as good, if not better, than the G400 model, which was the next up in price. It sounds like a pig as well, the twin humbuckers are perfect.

[treyhughes32]

for sure a great guitar, 300$ on musicians friends ,throw in some new pick ups and you will have the gibson u wanted.

[Dark Aegis]

This guitar is a piece of junk

[gh2dude]

i have one (my only,unfortunatly) and its decent.its very slow,the output jack is always loose,and theres a very annoying buzzing sound sometimes, what i really want is a dimebag dixie rebel.*sigh*

[Aethen]

i have this guitar, it was the first one i bought and i still prefer it to most of the guitars i've played

[Slacker996]

people heres where you should get it,the guitar center.they're sellingit for $150

[MxGuitar]

this was my very 1st electric guitar, i bought it at guitar center in a package, which included a 10w marshall amp, among other stuff only for 200 bucks

[Pingis_Or_Death]

My friend has this guitar and he tells me it's easier to play on my legend stratocaster (which you can buy for 99 euros here in Finland).

[luketalon]

to witty fool:
it is really come from INDONESIA????
i can't think,my countries can make this guita....

[Tanmanno5]

i have that SG epicphone it is my first ever guitar and im playing about a year now it is a good guitar iv noticed it lacks a little something doh but its still dam good
cheap and a good starter guitar

[thesecondman]

I bought this guitar for a friend, and had it airbrushed with out band logo, black, with blue tiger stripes. Once we put it back together (very carefully, mind you) and we have had a SERIOUS problem with tuning. We've used several different kinds of strings, different tuning strategies... and still it's already detuned partway through a song! I don't know what the problem is, and the guitar sounds good otherwise, but it's really really annoying.

[randumbsk8punk]

I have the epiphone les paul special and I must say, it pretty much rocks. Esp for how much it cost. Very affordable. I imagine the sg special isnt any different. How about a thunderbird special lol. Or do they already have that???

[wigers will die]

buddy yer mudder is hot

[CaptainInternet]

emokiller1 wrote:

you know epiphones are MADE, better than gibsons. i never said there better. i did not believe this until i found out for myself. it turns out that the asians, koreans, etc., make it an art form. they put so much detail into them, making the neck, pickups, body, and other parts. they are put together in the USA though, where the bad quality mainly is. gibson really cuts corners when it comes to open coil pickups. i compared an epi sg open coil pickup to a gibson, and on the epi, where there was cloth, there was tape on the gibson. but the gibson still sounds better, im just talking about quality.

You goddamn idiot.

[EllttEll]

does this really need this many reviews?

[mr. ...]

emokiller1 wrote:

you know epiphones are MADE, better than gibsons. i never said there better. i did not believe this until i found out for myself. it turns out that the asians, koreans, etc., make it an art form. they put so much detail into them, making the neck, pickups, body, and other parts. they are put together in the USA though, where the bad quality mainly is. gibson really cuts corners when it comes to open coil pickups. i compared an epi sg open coil pickup to a gibson, and on the epi, where there was cloth, there was tape on the gibson. but the gibson still sounds better, im just talking about quality.

omg go die. ur hella dumm this guitar is a joke compared to a gibson. gibsons are 400000 times better than than epiphones- law of nature. dood common sence...

[mr. ...]

emokiller1 wrote:

you know epiphones are MADE, better than gibsons. i never said there better. i did not believe this until i found out for myself. it turns out that the asians, koreans, etc., make it an art form. they put so much detail into them, making the neck, pickups, body, and other parts. they are put together in the USA though, where the bad quality mainly is. gibson really cuts corners when it comes to open coil pickups. i compared an epi sg open coil pickup to a gibson, and on the epi, where there was cloth, there was tape on the gibson. but the gibson still sounds better, im just talking about quality.

omg go die. ur hella dumm this guitar is a joke compared to a gibson. gibsons are 400000 times better than than epiphones- law of nature. dood common sence...

[fenderboy20]

wow. if this sounds nice and plays nice, id definitly go buy one. id also like to see a thunderbird special.

[80'smetaladdict]

i own this guitar its good for beginners trying to learn techniques and such

[Kayfan]

emokiller1 wrote:

you know epiphones are MADE, better than gibsons. i never said there better. i did not believe this until i found out for myself. it turns out that the asians, koreans, etc., make it an art form. they put so much detail into them, making the neck, pickups, body, and other parts. they are put together in the USA though, where the bad quality mainly is. gibson really cuts corners when it comes to open coil pickups. i compared an epi sg open coil pickup to a gibson, and on the epi, where there was cloth, there was tape on the gibson. but the gibson still sounds better, im just talking about quality.

Umm no, USA guitars are hand built from step one while Korean ones are mass produced using low quality robots and inexpensive labor.

[Ali-b912]

no the asian ones are hand made and assembled in asia but its not an art to them. the quality checking of most of them is done in the USA. ive been past the squier factory in indonesia, it is a hole. i feel so sorry for the people in there, not shitting you. you may have had a fake gibson too. i saw a fake SG with a truss rod cover saying "SG-335" i lolled. it had tape around the fabric. also i think if it was a gibson it was probably electric tape. which would make sense as pickups are electronic. the procedure of making guitars in america and korea is identical but the South korean factories employ North koreans on cheap labour. the americans are well trained luthiers, the north koreans are told basically how to attach 2 peices of wood and left to their own devices. the only difference is the training of the people in the workshops. the quality checking of the korean/chinese ones is done in the US and the shit quality is actually the gibson guys fault. i think the jap epiphones are checked themselves since they are made by luthiers who are as well trained as the US ones and the japanese have the most anal quality control possible.

[deadnihils]

I`ve had mine for about 6 years, I can tell now that this thing is excellent for beginners and some intermediate... no regrets at all. I`ve put this thing through hell, and there is still not one single ding or scratch. I still pull it off of it`s stand and shred out somethin ugly with it quite a bit.

[sg7474]

i have had this for three years it is awesome plays anything and does it well great price great value awesome finish overall great buy would do it agian all day

[Timmypadgett]

I've been playing for 4 years and this is my 2nd electric guitar, I've had it for about a year. It has a nice fast neck but it doesn't stay in tune well and the pickups are a bit noisy, however mine has been used and abused. This is a good beginners guitar and is quite sturdy.

[emokiller1]

WOW...


I see that nobody these days can take a joke...

[DestinPhil]

well i just bought one for my 18 y/o he was wanting a sg or les paul.....and my bugit didn't afford a les paul.....but he is excited about the sg.....but i liked it for nostalgec reasons....and the weight was great.....it was a very light guitar....

[deckerbastard69]

Zeppelin_31 wrote:

Ok, there's a huge difference between a Gibson and an Epiphone. One is good quality, and the other is crap. Why do you think they're half price to the real thing?

well your also paying to have Gibson on top of your guitar too...

[JuanesLaNegra]

ok...rather than gettin a crap ibanez gax.....go for this beaut ....all you beginners

[ray10010]

does it have a pick guard?

[SG46]

ray10010 wrote:

does it have a pick guard?

nope

[SG46]

Pretty awesome guitar, fast neck, and the pickups are good for the price

[Guitar_SG]

I got this guitar for christmas, 8 months later i'm playing shows at 11 years old with nearly 1 thousand fans. This guitar is unbelievable! I dont care what you think but this is the best guitaqr ever! go ahead and shove my words right back down my neck, it wont change a thing

[Newtoguitar]

Which guitar is better, this or the Gibson Epiphone SG-310?

[metal-master666]

ok this guitar will last period and does feel nice but the pick ups are.....sh*t

[Rock Boy]

Why do almost all reviews have 8.5 or more as overall score? It's a decent guitar but not great! 10 is supposed to be perfect and the scale goes all the way down to 1 for a purpose! I give it a 5 - not terrible, but nothing outstanding.

[MoroneSaxatilis]

Rock Boy wrote:

Why do almost all reviews have 8.5 or more as overall score? It's a decent guitar but not great! 10 is supposed to be perfect and the scale goes all the way down to 1 for a purpose! I give it a 5 - not terrible, but nothing outstanding.

I didn't give it that rating- I think you are correct, it's at best a 7 to an 8. It's not junk, but there's MUCH better out there.

[skatertrev]

The input nut on this guitar comes loose alot! It is moderatly annoying.

[skatertrev]

luketalon wrote:

to witty fool:
it is really come from INDONESIA????
i can't think,my countries can make this guita....

It says right on the back of the headstock "100% inspected and set-up in the USA by Epiphone 40."
Then there is a little silver and gold sticker that says "Made In Indonesia"

[beatrocker]

i love this guitar. I've got one with a scalloped neck, and i love the way it plays.

[rocker12344]

thinking about getting this for my little brother for his b-day seems like it'll do the trick
is it light enough for a nine year old?

[Mrfussytabs]

is this guitar heavy? and could you compare the weight to something like a les paul so i have an idea?

[djk55]

Idk about the guitar itself. My one friend that I guess is part of the band has one and it doesn't have much distortion. It's either the guitar with a defect or the manufacturer's idea of doing that. I even pressed off the overdrive u can barely hear the thing. Although its sound stunk on me, the playability on the fret board is great, smooth. I would give it 7*'s

[pacsabbath25]

mine says inspected by gabor china
it is heavier then a les paul, had it for a year and the only thing wrong is a paint chip between the right horn and the neck other then that it is great

[pacsabbath25]

also for the 9 year old i suggest straplocks cause the straps come off alot

[C_guitarhero]

I find the SG a powerful strong guitar with a lot of potential in the tone. I lowered the strings nearer the fretboard for faster playing and I think it's a keeper. The only problem is that i needed better strings because when I detuned it (all the way to drop B) they eventually started to weaken and mishape which meant that they went out of tune imediately after I tuned them back up to an E.

[RockShaft]

Epiphone SGs, or any Epi for that matter, are hit and miss. No two are alike. Some stink and some are absolute jewels. As a result some deserve a high rating and others a very low rating. Price means nothing. Play them before you buy. I play a PRS as my main guitar, but I picked up an SG Special for $150.00 which I absolutely love. Great sustain and sound and I gig it on certain songs, just because of its unique tone. Once I set up the action it played as well as many Gibson's I have owned, and yes there are crappy Gibsons out there as well.

[WatUWant???]

Hi guys!!
i sort of need a lil help here....
im a beginner, so i dont want to spend too much on a guitar (max $300) but i'd like a good quality one that will last me a nice while. i've investigated the epiphone les paul special 2 and the epiphone SG special. they both seem to be exactly what im looking for and they're both rated 8.4. Now, for my question(s) Which one is better? The SG or the Les Paul?And Is there another guitar from ibanez, fender etc. that would be better than both?? Please let me know =)