N(used)GD 2009 SST Classic

[fromnabulax]

First off, I just came in from an unscheduled 2 hour set, and then packed up all my PA and gig gear for another 5 hour set tomorrow. I am too beat to take my own pics, so here's a link to the site where I bought the guitar which has plenty of photos.

 

http://elderly.com/vintage/items/28U-2901.htm

 

So, I really love the sound if a nylon, but I do a lot of outdoor gigs in all sorts of severe and unpredictable weather conditions. A nice hollow body classical or flamenco guitar, both of which I do own won't cut it due to there fragility. Some years back I shopped for Gibson Chet Atkins electric nylon, but it just wasn't right for me.

 

I have thought about those Godin solid body nylons, but where I live there is no place for me to try one out, and without trying one, and not having a favorable opinion of Godin guitars, I was unwilling to shell out a thousand clams for a guitar I would only be returning.

 

I had read some mighty bad reviews of the Epi SST Classics, but the one at Elderly that I found with shipping still came in under $300.00. At that price I was prepared to roll the dice. I ordered Tuesday, and got it late this afternoon (Friday). Knowing I had my season beginning tomorrow, I offered my services for free to my local public library tonight for 2 hours (please, support your local public library) for an art show opening using the new classic. You know, trial by fire and all.

 

I opened the box and did about 6 hours worth of work in about 90 minutes. The action was way too high, the strings were rusted, the truss rod needed adjusting, and I needed to install a second strap button.

 

I first plugged the guitar in first to a Fishman Loudbox Performer, and the darn thing sounded great with very little amp tweaking.

 

Then I plugged it into an electric amp, my Fender Mustang III v2, and it again sounded really nice. Far more like an acoustic nylon then any of the other actual nylon acoustics I own when plugged in.

 

I stripped the strings very quickly get at the saddle and discovered that the tuners are just plain awful and cheap. They will be replaced!

 

Pulling the saddle I saw there was no shim in place and so began sand it down by a third. It could still use more, but time was short.

 

I pulled out the drill and installed the strap button. I could've done a perfect install, but settled instead for avery good install. Time was short.

 

Wrestling with the cruddy tuners again for far longer than I would have liked, I got the guitar restrung and began the process of stretching the strings out in time for the gig.

 

This being the 2.0 version, the neck was wider than I prefer, but I can still move my way around that extra acreage without too much trouble.

 

Well, I pulled the 2 hours with very little effort, the guitar is only a bit larger than a Les Paul, sort of the size of an ES339 and was very comfortable the whole set. The guitar sounded remarkably fine for an under $300.00 purchase, and even the wife who is notoriously stingy with her critique offered that the guitar sounded very nice.

 

Now, I know from first hand experience that Epis can be great, not so great, and sometimes even just plain awful, even when they are the same models from the same factory. Now maybe I just got plain lucky, but I got myself a fine player, and sweet sounding axe here built just right for outdoor mutilation. I don't know why there were so many bad reviews of this guitar. With only a very little bit of effort I have a goody.

 

By the way, the photos at Elderly show no large golden E logo in the soundhole cover even though every other one I had seen had one. It turns out the previous owner simply took some black paint to it.