Vintage G-400 Review

Here's the Vintage guitar you're not afraid to play every day! Epiphone's SG-shaped Vintage G-400 has the well-worn look and feel of a favorite guitar.

Features:	9.1
Sound:	8.9
Action:	8.8
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	9.4
Overall rating:	9.1
Users rating:	7.5
Comments:	32

overall: 10

Featured review by: angusyoung_sg, on march 25, 2006

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Surridges

Features: I have the 2005 model that was made in Nashville. It has 22 jumbo medium frets, with a worn brown finish. It's kind of a glossy dull finsh and it looks pretty sweet in bright lights. Because of this finish it is easibly maintainable. The neck is made of mahogany as well as the body, and the fretboard is rosewood with marble trapezoid inlays. It has the original Gibson SG style body, with 2 tone controlls and 2 volume controls (one for each hmbucker). it has a Tune-O-Matic Bridge just like on the gibsons witch are really easy to operate and play around with. The bridge pickup is a Hot-B Gibson humbucker and the neck humbucker is a '57 classic Gibson humbucker (witch is the exact same humbucker that Angus Young's signature SG has). It has a 3-way humbucker selector (rythm/both\treble) this enables you to play wih the bridge humbucker, the neck humbucker or both. It also came with a free gigbag but that was a deal I made with the salesperson. // 10

Sound: This guitar has amazing sound. I love the look and feel of this guitar and it has amazing tone. I use a Peavey 15 watt practice amp, but to show this guitar's full potential I would need something a with a little more kick. I play mostly AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, GN'R, Black Sabbath, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton and this guitar more than meets my needs. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The factory action was a little low but that took all of 2 minuets to adjust that and then it was good. The factory srtrings were really good strings, just not the ones I like so I changed them to my personal preference, Ernie Ball Super Slinkeys'. The one flaw (witch I wil not lower the rating for) in this guitar is that it does become top heavey because of the neck button placement but there really is no other place to put it, espacially with those evil lookin devil horn cutaways (and not to metion that, that is the way the SG has been forever). // 10

Reliability & Durability: It never goes out of tune unles my strings are really old, and if I were to gig with it I would never need a backup because this guitar could withstand any amount of playing I can throw at it. I have had this guitar almost a year now and I play probly 3-4 hours of guitar a day and everything has stood up exceptionaly. I do trust the strap buttons, but with the amout of jumping around I do when I play I put washers on the butttons just to make sure the strap doesn't come off because I love this guitar so much I would be devistated if I dropped it and it broke. // 10

Impression: I play mostly AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, GN'R, Black Sabbath, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton and this guitar more than meets my needs. I have had this guitar almost a year now and I play probly 3-4 hours of guitar a day and everything has stood up exceptionaly. If this guitar were to get stolen I would buy the same one that day. Angus Young is my hero and I have always wanted a Gibson SG just like his, but of course I didnt have the cash so I researched and found the next best thing. Probably my favorite thing about this guitar is the like and style of it. It is modeled after the '61 Gibson SG Re-issue. the devil horn like cutaways are probably the coolest feature about the guitar. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 10, 2005

Price paid: $ 350

Purchased from: local store

Features: New 2004 Korean made but not noticed. You can tell some of the corners the Koreans cut to make this guitar seem so awesome, for example the nut is made of this almost gel plastic that needed to be replaced ASAP. It were down within a few months. Tuners are very nice. Bridge is also mediocre, if you take it off (which you should not do) the chrome finish is peeling off the bottom. No big problems its just no Gibson. Make the proper adjustments and it is the same thing. // 6

Sound: Playing all corners of rock; funk, metal, classic rock, etc. It's pretty versitile. I'm thinking about upgrading the bridge pickup to something with a bit more output. But with the stock humbuckers is not bad. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: I love the finish on this guitar that is the main reason I bought it. It's very fast and very smooth. You may want to raise the neck pickup a bit but no rush on that. Action was set up very nice from the factory pretty much as low as it could go. After I replace the nut I'm hoping it may go lower. One flaw I realized is that there is a screw over the neck pickup thats in cockeyed. Korean craftmanship for you. No problem though I disregard it and keep on rockin'. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Definatly good enough for a gig, Georgia Dome maybe not but clubs would be fine. Everything is holding up fine after about a year of constant playing (you have to realize I play this 3-4 hours a day, thats probably the only reason the nut is so worn). // 10

Impression: Awesome guitar for the middle of the road rocker, in between greatness and beginner. I guess I'm guitar spoiled after owning a 62 Strat for a long time then it was stolen but I couldn't afford anything else. If it were stolen and I magically had 400 dollars again, I'd save up more and go with a better quality guitar. But for anyone without the $$$, definatly buy this. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: nariek, on april 01, 2006

Price paid: $ 503.25

Purchased from: thomann

Features: I've had the guitar since Christmas, and it's great. Rosewood neck, with 22 frets. The neck and frets are quite fat, so I wouldn't recommend this guitar to any one with small fingers, but as I've got large hands so its ok for me. It has a solid top, nothing flashy, subdued worn brown colour, however in the sun or strong light it looks killer, you can really pick out the grain of the wood. It has a nice clean finish that's what's important. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge, and stays in tune with hard playing and when its been left alone for monthes. 2 tone and 2 volume knobs, with a 3-way selector. The pickups are Epiphone USA, Alnico classic magnets, double vacuum waxed with enamel wire. All the hardware was chromed out, nice feature. It came with a few tools and a cable. // 9

Sound: My style is punk, rock and metal. The strings provided were ok, but I changed them for a lower guage. Right now cause I'm at school I'm using it with a crappy BB Blaster-10 watt amp. Surprisingly the guitar has awesome bite, with such a rubbish amp. The guitar has a bright sound but not with much tonal options. With distortion it sounds awesome. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is alright, just a tad too high. The pickups were pretty well adjusted nothing that caused any concern. The guitar was pretty much in perfect condition, finish was fine, body was fine, the only thing that surprised me was that the guitar arrived with a neon orange pickup selector Switch, so I just took one of my other guitars and replaced it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand live playing, it feels solid and has good build quality. I'm not sure how long the chromed hardware finish will last, it doesn]t seem to be a cheap finish so I think it will last a while. The strap buttons are pretty solid had no trouble with them so far. // 9

Impression: This guitar is a perfect match for my style of music, I've always wanted an SG guitar, they just look so killer. I've only being playing for a year, so I've got a lot to learn. But out of the three guitars I've got, Vintage Metal Axxe, Epiphone Les Pauls Custom and Epiphone Vintage G-400 this guitar has to be my favourite, the custom woos the girls, the Axxe scares the head bangers but the SG rocks the rockers, that's what I like about it. If it got stolen I would definitely get a new one. The only thing I wish it had was a sunburst paint job like the deluxe. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 06, 2007

Price paid: $ 390

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: // 10

Sound: The sound of this guitar is fantastic, I can get everything from Rascal Flatts, John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan style to Relient K, Green Day and Good Charlotte running clean (excluding some distortion, hey now, they're not DiMarzzio's, but they're good pickups). This guitar is also extremely versatile, due to the broad variety of available sounds clean, I can hook it up to my friend's metal zone and get most everything else I play (Christian hard rock, blues and jazz, metal and screamo with some nice varieties of soft and hard rock. I am very eclectic). The sound also has that unmistakable SG crunch without sacrificing that Les Paul-style warm, rich tone. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: Gorgeous guitar, go see it, don't look online, I have the cherry red finish and it is so much richer and sexier than online! It is such a gorgeous guitar, the silver screws and pickup sleeves give beautiful contrast. Amazing finish. Action is good, a little high, but when in drop-D I get a little fret buzz if I play too hard, but so do all guitars just about. It may not have a Floyd rose, but you can still bend the strings without them leaving their tune thanks to the Grover tuners (and yes, the Vintage does have Grover tuners, I found so many differing reviews, trust me, their genuine Grovers.) I gave it a 7 because after owning the guitar for 1 week the second tone knob came loose and popped off in my hands, I thought: "hey, things happen", that is until the plastic label on one of the volume knobs came loose as well. Then I thought: "it's fine, just take it too Guitar Center and they'll glue it back on." Then I was playing some John, (John Mayer, sorry I call musicians I like by their first names, sue me.) Anyway, playing some John and during a solo it felt like I scraped of the soft covering of part of the 14th fret and replaced it with sandpaper. I rubbed it and blew it off and it seems to be better, I don't know what happened. I love this guitar and can only hope and pray nothing happens to it. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I have gigged a few times so far and am quite happy to report no problems at all; everything runs smoothly and is flawless. I don't have to worry about anything except my playing. I've been playing guitar for 6 years and I have played acoustic for all that time (:rolls eyes: yeah yeah, my mom banned me from getting an electric because she doesn't like the sound.) Back to this, I have, against all intentions and attempts, injured my Takamine and my old Samick a few times, again nothing major but the Samick always took the hits better than the take. The SG is a beast. A sexy one at that; ), anyway, it is very durable as it is solid mahogany. If there's one thing that I hate, it's that the SG's scale is larger than my tak's, so I wasn't used to the longer, and as a result I hit the neck a few times on things as I would bend down to mess with something on the amp. After about the third time I was paranoid, but also perturbed. Mainly because I just beat up my guitar, but it was quickly replaced with joy because it took the hits like a tank! The finish is solid, it's beautiful. I am quite clean, I clean the surface ALL the time and every time I'm done playing. The surface is reflective, highly reflective and thus highly prone to fingerprints! but it's not too bad. I replaced the strap buttons with Dunlop straplocks, hey, I'm a guitarist! Every guitarist should have straplocks on their guitars. I also replaced the strings with Elixir mediums which I got for free because I talked to and befriended the salesman at Guitar Center. They'll lower their prices! Just talk to the guy, I got a $90 case for $40, $15 strings for free, with the guitar, but still, I also got a $400 guitar for $290ish. Anyway, off topic. I would probably not gig without a backup if I had the option, but then again, Who wouldn't, since that's not going to happen for those of us Who have budgets under $1000! So in answer, I would gig without a backup, yes. I feel very confident in this guitar, it's solid. // 9

Impression: As I said, I play everything from hard rock to blues, this guitar covers all, it is truly by far the most versatile guitar I have ever played, and it’s BETTER THAN A PAUL! I know, blasphemy, I love the Pauls too, but this SG knocks their socks off. I have been playing for actually 6 1/2 years, I own an old old old Gorilla amp, three knobs: volume, tube stack (not actually a tube amp, it's old-time dist.) and EQ, with that little amp I can get all sorts of sounds, mainly from the guitar, but the distortion opens the door even wider. I am also borrowing my friends little Fender Bullet, it's like a kit amp, 15 watts, but good for bed room practice, it has a line out and actually an aux in, so with the right cable, which I have, you can hook up the iPod and jam with all sorts of stuff. Awesome. I am also in the market for some good pedals. I'm looking at Boss, cause most Boss makes pretty much everything else look like crap, but I'm currently borrowing my friend's metal zone, which again, opens the door ever wider! This pedal is also amazing! $100 pedal 50 bucks on eBay. I don't know, but hey, worked for him. So anyway, this guitar is truly fantastic it sounds like a beast coming through the metal zone, it's fan-freakin-tastic! I can honestly say that because of all my guitar friends I weeded through nearly hundreds of guitars before settling on this one, actually, I settled on a cheap Les Paul, don't get the studio or the LP-100, they're both total crap-piles. Moving on, there were no questions I would've asked before buying this guitar. I got more than I paid for, and more than I expected, get this guitar, it's so very worth it. If this guitar was stolen, (let me pause to say I'm not going on some stupid rant about what I would do to the person Who stole it, and I'm not going into explicit detail about what I would do to him, needless to say) guitar is my life, I have 3, I play 2 and I have owned 4 or 5 over the years, if this was lost or stolen, needless to say I'd be ticked off, very ticked off, but I would almost without hesitation go back to guitar center and get it again, and again and again. If I had more money, I might buy the Les Paul Classic quilt-top, or the Les Paul Custom flametop, both gorgeous guitars! Anyway, I would pretty much hands-down get this guitar again. If there's one thing I love about this guitar it's the amazing looks! They say guys are very visual, yeah, I confirm that, to you little perverts out there I'm not hinting to anything, I am a Christian and not ashamed of it, but this guitar is beautiful. I also love the versatility, if you want a guitar that can get you versatility, quality, reliability and durability, without wrecking your summer savings, get this guitar! If I had to hate something about this guitar, it might be the fact that if you're gigging outside or playing hard and you start to sweat on your palms or something, it's real hard to slide your hand up and down the neck, but that's most every guitar. Another thing I love is this guitar is solid, it's a tank, it feels like you've got a solid steel guitar in your hands, but it's quite light for such a thing, I always mistook weight for quality, heavier the better, I was dead wrong. This guitar is like nothing on your neck. (then again I'm a guy, but hey, it's better than the brick Pauls hanging around your throat). I did compare this guitar to a few Gibson’s some low-end Epi's and a HOST of other brands, (note: all guitars except the Fenders and Gibson’s were in the same price range) here are a few: ESP, Ibanez, Aria, Fender, Squier (shudders), Agile, Jackson, Grestch, Schecter, Dean and PRS, for what I play and a few other reasons, this guitar came out on the TOP of the list. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: rnrsoldier1461, on august 28, 2006

Purchased from: Musician's Friend

Features: It was made in November 2005 in Korea. It has 22 fret jumbo rosewood frets. It has a mahogany body, a mahogany single piece set neck. It is an SG body style. The finish is a worn satin finish. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and passive electronics. It has a volume and tone knob for the neck and bridge pickups and a 3 way pickup selector. It obviously just has a neck and bridge pickup, which are both Alnico V's. It has non-locking grover tuners and includes a crappy cable that's small. // 9

Sound: I play all rock music and it fits the style great. I just have a really crappy 10 watt Crate practice amp and it sounds surprisingly good through it. I also use a Marshall Jackhammer overdrive/distoriton pedal. It has a very full or rich sound to it and not too bright. It can give you a great sound for anything from today's rock to AC/DC or Kiss. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was really high on it and there was some fret buzz because it had been shipped in hot weather, but that was easy to fix with a little set up at a shop. I had to adjust the pickups a little bit but not much. There were a couple of spots on the left side of the neck about half the size of a dime or so where lacquer (sp) had been spilled but it wasn't very noticeable unless you were looking for it. Everyting else was fine. I love the finish. It looks so Vintage because of the satin finish, and also the aged frets look amazing. It looks so much better than in the pictures on the internet. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I would play it live without a backup. The hardware will last a lifetime and then some it seems like. I replaced the strap buttons with the schaller locking ones. The finish is never going anywhere. I think I could definitely depend on it. It is a very solid guitar, probably more than other guitars a little more expensive. // 9

Impression: Like I said, I play all rock and it is a great match. I have played for almost 2 years and the only other guitar I have is a Yamaha pacifica, and this guitar blows it out of the water. If it were stolen, I would get an Epiphone Les Paul Standard just because I haven't owned a les paul yet. I wish it had a cooler design on the headstock, came with a hardcase (probably a little too much to ask for with a $300 guitar). Overall a great guitar for the price. // 9

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: AngelOfHatred, on november 06, 2007

Price paid: $ 276.5

Purchased from: Fromager Music

Features: Mine was made in 2007, not sure where. It has 22 frets, and a not so thin but not so thick neck, with a rosewood fretboard. Mahogany body, with a mahogany set neck. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge, and grover tuners. It has the very beautiful SG body (very easy to access upper frets), with a natural finsh. The finish is very smooth, and rough in only some parts. The chrome hardware goes very well with the finish. The guitar comes with 2-Alnico V humbuckers, which sound great. There is 2 volume knobs, and two tone knobs, top hat style. The 3-way toggle switch can be used as a killswitch, a feature I really like. I managed to bargain a hardshell case for free with mine. // 10

Sound: I play it through a Fender De Ville 212 amp, and it sounds lovely. You can get pretty much every genre of music out of this guitar. I play many different styles (rock, metal, shred, punk, etc) and it all works with this guitar. The neck pickup has a great sound for lead, it can cut through anything. The bridge pickup is very muddy/bassy, and is good for rhythm. It sounds lovely when playing unplugged, for people Who don't always like to use an amp. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came set up perfectly for my liking. The action was low, but not so low you get some bad fret buzz. There was absolutely no flaws in the guitar when I got it, except for the finish. the finish is very smooth, but there is a few places where it is rough. In the bottom cut-away, it is rough, feel like it wasn't sanded well. On the 15th fret, there was what looked like to be a clump of paint, that was very rough. It made bends hard to do, but I removed my strings and cleaned it all off and it's good now. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have played Live with this guitar, and it's great. Afterwards, I have had guitarist come up to me and ask how I got an Epiphone to sound so good. The truth is, I don't know how I got an Epiphone to sound so good. If this guitar had no headstock, I'd swear it was a Gibson. I would play Live without a backup, even though I need other guitars for Alt. tunings. The finish doesn't seem like it could wear off. Even if it does, it will only add to that "Vintage" look. The strap buttons on the guitar need strap locks. I got some for pretty cheap. The hardware doesn't seem like it'll need replacing. The stop piece falls off when I remove strings, but once you put strings back on, it's not gonna come off. // 9

Impression: I play pretty much every kind of rock out there, and this is perfect for it. I've been playing for about 6 years (I'm only 14). I only 2 Fender Strats, a Washburn G-IV, a Les Paul knock-off, and some other no-name guitars, and I like this SG over all of them. After playing this, I can't stand playing Fenders. Their necks just aren't nearly as smooth, and the sound isn't full enough. If it were stolen, I would either buy this back, or buy an Epi Les Paul Custom, since I know Epiphone's are good now. I love the look and feel of this guitar. I can't name one thing I hate about this guitar. My favourite feature would have to be the toggle Switch, since it can be used as a killswitch. It helped me develop my own style. When looking for a guitar, I compared it to some Fender Teles, and a Gibson SG Special. This guitar blew those two out of the way. I'm glad I bought this over them. The only thing I wish it had was a Floyd Rose, or a Maestro tremolo, but I can Live fine with out. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Kawzmo118, on january 11, 2008

Price paid: $ 350

Purchased from: Texas Music Emporium

Features: Ahhh, yes, the Epiphone Vintage G-400. Of Epiphone's Gibson copies, personally this was my favorite. But reminiscing aside, let's get to business. Mine was an '04 model, bought in '05. Built at the Unsung plant in South Korea, which by the way, Korean guitars trample Chinese ones. Talking about the neck, it had the basic 22 fret configuration, BUT with the nice inlays and neck binding, a feature missing on current or Standard G-400s. The body I'm pretty sure was Mahogany, if not, it was an Epi concoction of Mahogany, alder and maple. I could tell though that body, right down the middle had a separation, making it a 2 piece. It had a Satin Cherry Transparent finish that wasn't terribly durable, it was guite susceptible to cieling fans, careless friends, and an incident involving a drunk stepping on the cord (can you say crunch) As far as the bridge goes, basic Tune-O-Matic, but as a birthday surprise along with the guitar itself my dad had a Maestro vibrato installed! The electronics are so-so, like most Korean Epis, but the pickups are lovely, Epi's rendition of the PAF, the '57HB. For controls, you get 2 volume, 2 tone, and a 3 way selector Switch. The tuners are Grover's, but I highly suspect knockoffs, they didn't hold tune all that well, but I guess that was the Maestro's fault. The goodies with it included a USA Gibson gig bag, some pics and a cord. // 8

Sound: When I got this guitar, I played simple power chords, I wanted to be like Angus and Tony Iommi. So for it's purpose it worked. That was until my drummer friend decided we should play some ungodly mixture of Acid and Black metals. Let me say this, for that purpose, it was kinda not so great, but I could blame the amp too, and my immaturity, Iw as running it through this great 2X10 Fender Princeton Chorus, that didn't quite have the gain for metal. But as I got to where I was a few months ago (when I still had it) it suited my Clapton riffs perfectly. Neck pickup with 1 or 0 tone. Woman tone heaven. Crank that bitch and get ready to jam some "Strange Brew". Bridge pickup and treble more of your thing? Alright, click it down to the bridge, get the amp on clean and you're in Liverpool. When I was naive, I cried for EMG's in this thing. But as I got older, I would've only swapped them for Gibson '57s, and even then, I'd be a bit hesitant. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: I never played it when we first got it, it went right into the shop for the Maestro. I always had it set for 9s (I was quite wimpy, I'd prefer 11's now) and kept the neck pickup way low, than my bridge high up. Of course, I got older, loved that sweet bluesy neck pickup, and went the other way around. For flaws, when this guitar came over from the DMZ there was nary a problem, all the knocks and chips were of my own mishappening. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar was a tank, in fact, if it were camouflage I'd say Epiphone nabbed one from a US base near the factory and dubbed it a guitar. The hardware never corroded, always held tight, the strap buttons were replaced with DiMarzio Cliplocks, which held it secure, but it still had the tendency like all SGs do, to neckdive. The finish like said before was it's weak point, looked good, but it a bit to0 thin. // 9

Impression: My overall impression? Buy it, do it now. If you play classic rock of any sort, or Blues Rock even! Get it, get a Korean one, love it, cherish it, paint it with funky shit and be called "God", just whatever you do, buy it! I very much regret selling this thing, of course I had to do it to finance a tube amp, but now I'm wishing I had sold my Gibson "The Paul" II right now. This guitar was it for me, and if anyone, I mean anyone laid a hand on it in anger, they wouldn't have a hand to do it with again! // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on july 14, 2008

Price paid: $ 300

Features: I don't know exactly when this was made, but I got it new so it can't be that old. It has this funny "handcrafted in China" sticker I love to laugh at. Other than that, I love everything about this guitar. This color (mine is cherry) is downright beautiful. The whole thing is made of mahogany, making it light, but it sounds like heaven with the right pickups. You've probably read all the stats a couple times if you're reading this, so I'll stop now, aside from clearing up a couple things: this guitar definitely has good Grover tuners, a Tune-O-Matic bridge, and an angled headstock. // 9

Sound: I like playing everything from John Mayer to (poor attempts at) Herman Li. This guitar does most things surprisingly well. I really can't get John Mayer's glassy tone with these pickups, but I'm pretty sure that an upgrade could get me mighty close. Other than their slightly nasal sound that slightly lacks upper treble definition, the pickups are great, mainly because they're completely silent in terms of noise. No microphonics thanks to the nice wax-potting job they did. The guitar is definitely more of a "full" or "rich" sounding model, rather than a Fender-y bright sound. I love the downright raunchy distortion this guitar can wrench out of my cheap amps, but the clean tone is wonderful as well. This is a wonderful guitar for someone Who has an idea of what they're looking for in a guitar and knows what SGs sound like. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I've heard some complaints about the knobs coming off and the nut being low-quality, but I feel like my guitar is about as close to perfection as $300 can get me. The only things I can think of that I have issues with are that for a while the bridge had a burr that kept cutting the 3rd (G) string on mine, but an emery board and #2 pencil cleared that up. Other than that, this guitar is awesome. I can't stress enough how much this guitar's finish rocks. See it in person, because I have yet to see a picture that looks as good as the actual guitar, and I've tried myself with a high-end Nikon. Find it in a store. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar will last me long into the future. I've already dropped it a couple times, including one really horrendous one when my strap popped off and I didn't react fast enough, letting it drop 3 or so feet and landing headstock-first onto another guitar. The other guitar sadly got a rather nasty scratch, but this one didn't even go out of tune. I love it! The hardware is great, the strap buttons would be better if they were a bit larger/held better, but they're OK as long as you're careful. I could, do, and will depend on this guitar for a while because I don't have enough money for another one, and I would absolutely gig with it without backup, not entirely because I don't have another electric. This finish is satin, so it's obviously thin, but since it's basically just a stain it will last forever as long as you take care of it, and if you're unhappy, you can sand it down and re-stain it however you want. // 10

Impression: In short, I love this guitar. If it was lost or stolen, I would probably be brought to tears because I am really attached to it, plus I wouldn't be able to buy it again for a while. The only guitars I've really played extensively enough to compare with are two Squier strats, one better and one worse. The better one was one of the famed Japanese Squiers of years ago that have been known to be on par with American Strats, whereas the worse one was a modern (Indonesian) one, which frankly felt something like a poorly made imitation of a guitar after playing this for a couple minutes. My only problem is that I learned soon after buying this guitar that I love the sound of a Fender with single-coils, although I don't like the way they look. I still managed to find quite a lot to love with this guitar, and I think that it's more versatile anyway. I'm not sure I could be much happier. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: eurodude, on august 02, 2006

Price paid: $ 540.54

Purchased from: Local guitar store

Features: The Epiphone Vintage G-400 (SG) is a great guitar. It is korean made, has a worn and Vintage look, 22 frets, A 2-piece Full mahogany body (rare for an Epiphone)and a mahogany neck. it had a nice transparant cherry finish, real Grover tuners and all the other things you expect on a real SG. It's probably the best SG Epiphone has ever made. // 9

Sound: This guitar suits my music style perfectly, it has an incredible sustain and a nice, warm sound (like the intro on GN'R's Knocking On Heavens Door)on the neck pickup and the typical SG sound on the bridge pickup. I play al kinds od music. this guitar fits blues, metal, classic rock, punk, everything. I replaced the bridge humbucker for a Gibson tony Iommi signature and after that it sounded even better. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar plays like he is from heaven, at first you have to get used to it, but after a few weeks playing you can't imagine an other guitar. You can solo great on it because of the very accessible neck. The only little problem is that the guitar has a little downfall, but buy a good strap and that problem is solved. An other thing (like on almost all the Epiphone's), is that the Switch sucks donkey ass. But after replacing this the guitar is great. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I play it live all the time, together with an Epiphone Slash Signature (modified into a Gibson) and a Gibson SG Standard, and I must say this one is still my axe of choice. I would play this guitar n front of 50000 people without backup. It's a rock-solid guitar! // 10

Impression: on this guitar you can play from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Angus and ofcourse Slash, and from Trivium to Britney Spears. Everything is possible on this beauty! I own a lot of guitars and have been playing for a long time now, and this axe has allways a special place in my heart. If it was stolen, I would hunt the thief down and stick some crappy Squier Strat up his A-hole (after taking my guitar back) and let him listen to britney spears till his ears would fall of. If It would get lost, I would simply throw myself of a building. // 10

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: aceroks, on may 29, 2006

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Brook May's Music

Features: My guitar was made sometime in the last 5 years. Not sure, they never told me. All I know is that it was new. It has 22 frets, and no buzz. It has pearl trapazoid inlays. Solid top. Mahogany body. It has a standard Tune-O-Matic bridge. Obviously a double cutaway, since it's an SG. Active electronics. 2 volume, 2 tone. 3-way switching. Grover tuners. 2 Alnico V pickups. // 10

Sound: It suits my music style very well. I play classic rock, almost 90% of which is Kiss. I also have a Les Paul to emulate the feel. I use a 50 watt Marshall AVT pre-amp series with an RP-80 digital effect prcessor, and a Hot Head distortion pedal, and a few bosses. This guitar can play any style it wants to, it just matters how much you try to make it do. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The action and set up were great. Pickups were and are flawless. Yea, bridge had to be adjusted a little, but only for intonation. No body damage or visible flaws, except for a loose wire around the back, but it was expected. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have used it live and I know it will play fine. The hardware has seen no signs of wear. Strap buttons are fine, just use a good strap, because it wont hang on as well as a high end strap. Yes, I would use it without a backup. Finish is great, much bettee than the picture. // 10

Impression: Classic rock is my game, and this is the ticket, but any old Epiphone would do the job I think. 2 years experience, and a Les Paul also. I would get it again if it were stolen. I love the toggle switch. It has never shorted out, and I use it a lot. Others have cheap switches tha do not work. I dont like the fingerprints I make on the pickups, and thats it. As good as any LP. The only thing I didn't have was the tremolo bridge on the custom. When I bought it, it was the day it was discontinued, apperently. Of course, like a month later, it was recontinued, but thats life. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 29, 2005

Price paid: $ 399

Purchased from: Elderly Instruments

Features: It was made in korea with 23 frets its a medium side neck. Body is mahogany but it doesnt have a finish on it it really looks like an old peice of furnature. It's got a normal SG body. It's got 2 tone and 2 volume knobs and a 3-way selector. It's got non locking grover tuners. // 8

Sound: I play punk abd netal and I just don't really like the way it sounds it sounds kinda twangy and I would have chosen another guitar. I'm using a Mesa Boogie. The sound isnt really that bright and it has like no low end. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this thing sucked to put it point blank it was buzzy and didn't sound great. I adjusted them but it stll gets the occasional buzz. When I got the guitar there terent any flaws but if your a little harder on your instraments don't get it cause it chipps. Belive me I have a chip in the bottem left corner of the guitar that I'm afraid might spread. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I've played a couple shows with it and it goes out of tune very easy I've had to retune it up to 5 times in a show. I've had to retune it in a song. The strap button let go alot and I have strap lock now so they dont but the positioning of the front strap button is set in a place where when let go of the neck its top heavy and the neck slides down twrods the ground. I don't even play with it at shows now because of its indepedability. The finish isnt there really so it's not gonna come off. // 4

Impression: Personally I would not recommend this guitar to anyone if your going to go SG spend the extra 100-200 dollars get a Gibson Faded or something cause Epiphone is better at making the Les Paul. // 4

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: Big_M, on december 06, 2005

Price paid: $ 549

Purchased from: GAK

Features: I have a 2004 model in worn brown finish, Made in korea. 22 frets with a satin finish makes it very nice to play. Easy to get used to. Tune-O-Matic bridge, 4 knobs 2 volume and 2 tone (1 for each humbucker) and 1 selector Switch. Standard pickups. // 10

Sound: I play a lot of hard rock i.e. AC/DC, RATM, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, Hendrix. It copes very well woth which ever style or sound I am tryin to recreate. I use it through a Boss DS1 dostortion pedal and chorus pedal. Running through a Vox Venue 50watt amp. The only thing is sometimes on the really high fidley stuff sometimes it squeeks a bit but only rarely and is easily cured with a better quality pickup. But for the most part I love the sound of this guitar. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Had to do a bit of tweaking when I first got the guitar and put some new strings on but thats just due to personal preferance. Also having never never used a Tune-O-Matic bridge before took a few attempts to get it how I wanted. The guitar body will chip if you are too rough and bash it on stuff but generally quite tough. Again the factory setup was very good but you may want to lift up the bridge humbucker or do other little tweaks yourself just to your taste. The only other thing is that the jack plug on the front the nut came came loose and came off. I found it tho luckily and I don't know if it was this one off or not but just something to be wary of. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Very reliable. Only gigged it once though in a small venue and it was superb. Strap buttons very sucure in my experience. I always have a backup at a gig but that's just me. I would probably trust it without one tho. Having only owned it a year or so and now only get to play it like an hour or 2 a day max the finish is still pretty much perfect. I think it will last though. // 10

Impression: I love this guitar. I got it originally because I was an intermediate player with not a huge budget to play with. This was the best I could find after doing lots of reserch. If it was lost or stolen I would definately buy another one. I still play it today and it is very sexy guitar and lives up to its looks. When looking for a guitar I compared this to the Fender Standard Strat, and the Custom Epiphone SG and also the PRS Santana SE but that was 100 over budget. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Freddedonna, on december 28, 2004

Price paid: $ 410.8

Purchased from: Musique Richard Gendreau, Quebec City

Features: Made in 2004 in Korea, this 22 fret guitar is just perfect for me. I started playing 3 months ago and I didn't want to pay a lot of money, but still wanted quality. Well I got it. The body and neck are made of mahogany, and I think that the fingerboard is mafe of rosewood. The finish practicaly looks "un-scratchable". It has a tune-o-matic bridge, and a nice SG style body. I'm not sure what pickups are on this guitar, but they sound great and they don't buzz. The guitar features 2 Tone and 2 Volume switches and a 3 way selector. It has Grover tuners that stay in tune very well (except the 6th string, but I still have to go to the shop to let them check that). // 10

Sound: The guitar suits my music style very well, my style being mostly punk and metal (mostly Bad Religion and Rammstein not to name them). I use it with a Roland Micro-Cube amp and it sounds incredibly good. My guitar teacher also played jazz and blues with my guitar and it sounded good too. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Everything was perfectly set up and adjusted, and nothing failed me since I bought this guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar (and everything that comes with it (hardware, pickups, etc) would definetly withstand gigs. Strap buttons are incredibly solid. I always use backups when I gig, but I don't think I'll ever have to use my backup guitar. As I said before, the finish practicaly looks "un-scratchable". // 10

Impression: If this guitar was stolen, I would definetly buy another one ASAP. I only wish it had the neck strap button placed on "the pointy part" (lol) because the neck always falls when you let it go, but all SGs are like that and that's one of the reasons why I love SGs. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 23, 2004

Price paid: $ 389.97

Purchased from: American Musical Supply

Features: First off, remember this is just me, I like the feel of Epiphone next to Gibson on a buntch of levels. I like Epiphone because their the kind of guitars that have a guibson feel and your not afraid to take the thing out of the case. The model that I got is a faded brown, but it comes in faded cherry as well. It has 22 frets and two sets of volume/tone controls and a 3-way pick-up selector. In my previous guitars I've had, I've always prefered that kind of a set-up volume/tone wise. It just works best for me. It also has a Tune-o-matic bridge and an SG style body to it for that classic double cut feel. The body finish has that special satin feel to it which, unless your playing a satin Strat, your not going to get that feel anywere else. // 10

Sound: The style of music that I play is mainly rock influence over any other. And this guitar accomidates almost any style of music your playing. It can go from a clean clear tone to a heavy bottom sound in nothing flat. In my style it does what it was ment to do real well. What ever your plannning to play this should go right along with you and your music just fine. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is fast on this guitar, and comming strait from the factory over the rush of the holiday season I was surprised at how well everything handled. The pickups are fantastic and haven't let me down once. As I said befor, this guitar has a nice worn finish to it and has the feel of an old guitar thats been taken care of since day one. // 10

Reliability & Durability: As for the durability of playing a garage concert this can take anything that you throw at it, just don't smash the thing to kingdom come. The finish is solid and seems to last for the rest of time. The trapazoid style frets are worn as well and have a very Vintage look to them, and that adds greatly to the Vintage concept. Everything that this guitar seems very very solid, from the strab buttons to the finish its a great rock solid guitar. // 10

Impression: This guitar is a rock solid guitar with everything you would want in an SG. I love my G400 like a brother and if it were stolen I would definatly get another ASAP. If your looking for a guitar thats under the $500 line then I suggest considering this guitar above everything else. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 16, 2005

Price paid: $ 400

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: It is a 2005 Vintage G-400 and it was made in Japan. It's a 22 fret normal size frets and a maple neck. It's a solid topwith I think a maple body. It is stained wood so you can see the would trough it and it looks nice. The bridge is a I think a Tune-O-Matic but I'm not sure. 2 volume and 2 tone knobs. // 8

Sound: It suits my music style I play grunge metal and punk so it is good for all of those types of music. I am using a 15 watt practice amp and a RP-80 efect pedal by DigiTech. It has a very noce full sound to it but the stock strings are very cheap. The guitar is a great slide guitar and it can make nice mutes. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: It was set up to my satisfaction but had to do a neck job to get it how I wanted. The pickups are really nice they are nice Gibson pickups but the only thing I didn't like was that I found a ding in my fret that I fixed with super glue and it is all better. The only flaw I can think of is the neck job because the neck was warped when I got it. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is super super durable and I would play it in a show anytime. You I have had it for a while and the hardware shows no signs but any probalems so I am very happy. Yes the strap buttons are secure and they are in a cool place too. I don't need a backup when ever I play it becuase it is very sturdy. // 10

Impression: I play grunge and I feel that it is a good match I play AC/DC and other metal to and Angus play the same type so I trust it and I like if it was stolen I would get a new one. I have been playing two years but I am broke so I couldn't get the Gibson but my Squier was falling apart. I don't hate any thing about it but I do love the way it feels and sounds it can go from grunge to metal to punk it is amazing. // 10

Comments

[sTyleFree]

I can second the whole review, made the same experiences the last months.

[mrsi]

can epiphone not make an original guitar, all they do is copy off gibson

[SG!]

Epiphone is made by gibson idiot

[marvelboy_04]

they have a few original designs like the sheraton

[Homer F.]

Isn´t the Casino original too?

[Mr.Awesome]

wildkat too, i think

[sampz]

im thinking of buying this for my bday.it sounds good and the only bad review out of them is by a guy who plays punk and metal (which i think sucks).

[hendrixmusicman]

they're not really original, they're just combinations of older guitars from gibson. and the first review, made in nashville? no. it's made in korea and i beleive it's assembled in america. if its made AND assembled in nashville, you have a gibson.

[jthm_guitarist]

So the Vintage G-400 is $100 cheaper than a standard G-400?

[cjagstang]

I think some people are confusing this with the Gibson Vintage SG if the prices paid are any idication...

[angusyoung_sg]

ya so when i bought the guitar i played the floor model and they gave me the one in the back that was still in the box (never been played). right on the box it said MADE IN NASHVILLE, TN. i was like sweet and i never put it down since

[angusyoung_sg]

oh ya and my truss rod cover says SG on it instead of GIBSON. witch i have researched and it seem that only the gibson SG's say that on the truss rod cover. and also i opend up the back the other day and after looking closely i noticed that the tone/volume/input jack all say Gibson on them. anlso my price was in Canadian Dollars being as i am from Canada

[im_bored]

im planning on getting this, but im not sure if the frets are to big or not, im 11 almost 12

[RickyDude]

Got myself one of these about 4 months ago and it sure is worth the cash
Though i figure it must be a knakered shop demo or something cause the metal disc on the tone knobs come off once and the pickups are screwing up a bit...
guess i should get it looked at =P

[hop_goblin]

this guitar is just as good as a gibson, except maybe on the sound, but i would definitally recomend it. I lvoe the look it has....i have a cherry finish

[mjj4]

mrsi :
can epiphone not make an original guitar, all they do is copy off gibson

do you know anything??

epiphone are the licensed copies of gibson, they ONLY make gibson replicas, not like "vintage" or someone who copies everyone...

idiot

[mjj4]

hop_goblin :
this guitar is just as good as a gibson, except maybe on the sound, but i would definitally recomend it. I lvoe the look it has....i have a cherry finish

mate ive played the gibbo version and the epi, they are VERY different, its not just the sound

[metalfla5h]

Would this be a good slide guitar?

[harlan42]

buy this guitar, put a gibson 496r and a 500t in it and you'll have a fukn screamer. I guarantee. And all for less than $600.

[Fender_Tele'71]

jthm_guitarist wrote:

So the Vintage G-400 is $100 cheaper than a standard G-400?

yes

[dinosaur sr]

I just want to know why the vintage version is 100 bucks cheaper than the standard

[yoyodunno]

There's really no reason why the Vintage g-400 is 100 bucks cheaper, maybe because its newer and some places haven't lowered the prices of the regular g400. But I tried a bunch of guitars at GC and really liked the vintage g-400 since its neck is nice and smooth instead of glossy, and it uses the same PU's as the regular g-400. Its weird tho that on the epi website it says that the Faded g-400 has gibson humbuckers...maybe there's a difference between them since it looks like there is a Faded Gibson sg.

[AngelOfHatred]

dinosaur sr wrote:

I just want to know why the vintage version is 100 bucks cheaper than the standard

I think it's cause of the finish. It's dull, not glossy, so there probably wasn't as much time put into it. The headstock isn't glossy, either, it's flat/dull. It looks real nice. The natural isn't nearly as bright as the picture, though. It's a dark walnut colour, which looks good.

[Ali-b912]

angusyoung_sg wrote:

oh ya and my truss rod cover says SG on it instead of GIBSON. witch i have researched and it seem that only the gibson SG's say that on the truss rod cover. and also i opend up the back the other day and after looking closely i noticed that the tone/volume/input jack all say Gibson on them. anlso my price was in Canadian Dollars being as i am from Canada

ur full of shit. all the parts say gibson on them on epiphones. its like how a chevy has GM parts. your guitar was not made in nashville. why would the gibson, not say gibson? and my brothers g400 says SG there and was made in korea. it says in big letters made in korea. also it has 2 alnico humbuckers not a hot-b (whatever the hell that is) or a 57' classic, and angus's signature sg doesnt have 57' classics, it has the angus pickups. also angus hates his signature model anyway. also you make the tune-o-matic sound amazingly special even tho its the most basic bridge design possible and is on just about every gibson or epiphone. and you dont operate the bridge, it holds the strings, its not an active component of playing.

[angusyoung_sg]

Ali-b912 wrote:
ur full of shit. all the parts say gibson on them on epiphones. its like how a chevy has GM parts. your guitar was not made in nashville. why would the gibson, not say gibson? and my brothers g400 says SG there and was made in korea. it says in big letters made in korea. also it has 2 alnico humbuckers not a hot-b (whatever the hell that is) or a 57' classic, and angus's signature sg doesnt have 57' classics, it has the angus pickups. also angus hates his signature model anyway. also you make the tune-o-matic sound amazingly special even tho its the most basic bridge design possible and is on just about every gibson or epiphone. and you dont operate the bridge, it holds the strings, its not an active component of playing.

mine has a hot b HB in the bridge (i also have no idea what is is but thats what the site said) and a '57 HB in the neck. i looked on the epi website right after i bough it and thats what it said. they have changed the guitar since i bought it cuz now they call it the faded g-400 http://epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=25&CollectionID=16 and it has alnico buckers. i can tell mines diferent because the epi name and little logo on the headstock are in gold, and the inlays are more of a goldish color. but on the epi site everything is silver. mine alos has the peices that run down the side of the fretboard(the name escapes me right now). the one on the epi website doesnt have that. and when i bought mine it was more than 100 dollars more than the g-400 standard. oh and also angus young signature sg has a '57 bumbucker in the neck position and an angus young signature HB in the bridge. check the gibson site bud.
http://www.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Divisions/Gibson%20USA/G uitars/SG%20Specials/Angus%20Young%20Signature/

[suicidehummer]

These are the stupidest comments I've ever heard.

I could never possibly point out every piece of incorrect information because there's too much. Wow.

[digman50]

you've got a g-400 elitist retard.

[the_bastard]

hey guys small q here i mostly play blues & classic rock , would this be a good guitar fr me?

[barrybynum]

you guys calm down -its not a dang spitting contest!
This config is pretty good for blues to a point, but if you want to go more the SRV-Hendrix-y tones you'll have to tweak your other equipment a bit more. But as far as the 60s Brit Blues based stuff or even BBKing Freddie King etc, yeah SG guitars can do that pretty decently, I did it for years. (i had the Gibson 1971 which really was a '61 reissue) I have playe one of the G400s recently in Guitar Center and I was not too crazy about how it was set up, and it felt a little stiff, but that was that 3 pickup white one. Its almost like you cuold fel like you were trying to play the paint and not the guitar. But alot of folks seem to be saying you can 'glide' differently on this satin finish and that the overall feel is smooth, fast and nice. On MusFriend the average rating out of 640+ reviews is 4.5 out of 5. I have a Sheraton II that's pretty good but I only use it for certain things. The Casinos are lovely. My point being that Epp makes good guitars. But like Gib or Fender or anyone there are some years and some models that are better than others. I dont look at names. i picked a used '82 Squire off a wall of new Fenders and it was the sweetest Strat in the store regardless of money. i bought it and probably the Fender rep got mad. So play more than one of them of the same model guitar, go to several places too and dont be scared to ask the dealer if you can sit there for a minute and play with the action adjustments or put good strings on it.

[gerardk]

Can someone tell me if there is much of a difference between this and the standard G400??

[Ziggle]

Since you're asking, I'll assume that the difference is minimal enough that you won't notice, save for glossy polyeurethane. It's virtually the same. For that matter, side by side playing with the Gibson Faded SG Special, aside from the pick-guard and obvious name-brand difference, it's the same guitar. I played both, and an Epi G-400. Worth the money savings if you want an SG.

[Ziggle]

Just as an afterthought correction, it's not THE same guitar. It is different, but for a beginner or intermediate, the difference isn't worth the $$$...all I was trying to say.