Miguello Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Just bought a used one at a pawn shop this evening, and regretted it once I got home. It's an 08 Special, which should be the same model and construction as my slightly older green SG. Not. Construction is completely different. Like plywood with possibly masonite front and rear panels? I know they are all plywood, even my green one. This one, it looks like the routing was cut out before the plys were glued together? clear glue had oozed out between the different levels. The paint quality is dismal. There are actually low spots around the knobs, and as I attempted to polish the finish, it was actually getting duller? It was full of pinholes and areas that would stay dull, that were shiny(ish) before I hit it with polish. Thankfully with a little help from some different waxes and polishes, I was able to get it back to a little better than when I bought it, so returning it won't raise a lot of questions. The "routing" for the controls was like amateur day. The older model was routed correctly, with one level all the way across, where the hardware bolts down. The newer one was all over the place level wise, and was routed deeper in circles where the pots and such bolt in. The body also has different dimensions? The newer one is about an inch or so wider top to bottom? The knob and output jack locations are completely different. The tuners on the old one, Grovers. The ones on the newer one? Completely different design, and no name. Literally the only things that look the same, are the neck, headstock shape, and nut. I didn't look it over closely, because it all looked right, and I thought I was buying the same guitar. Nope, totally different factory, and maybe even a totally different country. The headstock logo is white paint, not MOP like the green one. Thankfully I have until tomorrow to return it, which I plan to be there when they open the doors. This one looked to be in nicer condition, and I was going to use it to mount all the nicer parts from the green one. No way! I will definitely look over any SG's or any "Specials" VERY carefully, before I pay money for them. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this one is a fake? Even the pickup placement looks off, as the bridge pickup is about a half inch from the bridge. It's about an inch on the green one. The main killer, is that I found hairline cracks around the output jack. They seem to be only in the finish, but apparently that means the stress bearing surface there is weak enough to flex, and allow the finish to crack. Not a good sign of quality. It was black too, which looked really nice to me. It even sounded okay, actually better than okay. It is what it is though, and I will stick with my beater green machine. If I want it black, I can always tear it down and shoot a coat of paint on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 No one can tell anything without pics. Sounds fake to me, never heard of or seen Epi use "white paint" on headstock logos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyRay Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I have a 08 G-400, alpine white. It's pretty nice. The specials are their real low end, see them around the holiday for like $ 149.00 or something. It could be it's just a cheap a$$ crap guitar. look for a used G-400, I picked mine up with a case for like $ 250.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguello Posted October 8, 2016 Author Share Posted October 8, 2016 I have a 08 G-400, alpine white. It's pretty nice. The specials are their real low end, see them around the holiday for like $ 149.00 or something. It could be it's just a cheap a$$ crap guitar. look for a used G-400, I picked mine up with a case for like $ 250.00. My older, which I think is a 99, is totally different. WAY nicer quality, and is a Special. That must have started mid 2000's? The switch to junk. Mother of pearl inlay headstock logo, on my older one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguello Posted October 8, 2016 Author Share Posted October 8, 2016 I took it back, and got this. They were lazy, and would only give me a store credit. So, $38 more, at another location, was this black beauty. All cleaned up and restrung, and sounds as good as the black SG. I've kind of always wanted one of these crazy shaped guitars anyway. Flying V, etc... Everything works, and nothing on it is junk. Maple neck that even has a hint of flame in one spot. MUCH nicer than the SG at any rate. I'm happy. The model name is my initials, so even cooler, hehe. VERY odd knob configuration too. Two volumes and one tone. If there's room, a phase switch is in the works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Nice Dean ML, looks great! Congrats, HNGD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguello Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 Thanks, I love finding off the wall stuff like this, especially if it's in nice condition. I got done cleaning it, and installing the strings, and found it had excellent intonation without messing with it. I started playing, and then my wife comes home less than 15 minutes later. Off the amplifier must go, sigh. I probably won't get to hear it again until tomorrow in the early afternoon. What I heard so far is nice. As good as both of my Epiphones, at least. The SG has a slight edge because of the E series pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I have a 08 G-400, alpine white. It's pretty nice. The specials are their real low end, see them around the holiday for like $ 149.00 or something. It could be it's just a cheap a$$ crap guitar. look for a used G-400, I picked mine up with a case for like $ 250.00. Yeah, there is a reason they price the epiphone specials so low. It sounds like the OP got a real bad one, but you get what you pay for. I think they're great for a hundred dollar guitar, but that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguello Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 The main difference is the year model, IMHO. The special was an acceptable entry level guitar back in 99 or so when my green one was made. The 07 was a cheaped out bad quality excuse for an acceptable guitar. Totally different animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 The main difference is the year model, IMHO. The special was an acceptable entry level guitar back in 99 or so when my green one was made. The 07 was a cheaped out bad quality excuse for an acceptable guitar. Totally different animal. There were good specials in 07 and there were good specials in 99. There were bad specials in 99 and bad ones in 07. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguello Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 There were good specials in 07 and there were good specials in 99. There were bad specials in 99 and bad ones in 07. Well I onlt have the two as a frame of reference. If you've held, played and opened multiple specials sonce 99, then I guess you know more than I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Well I onlt have the two as a frame of reference. If you've held, played and opened multiple specials sonce 99, then I guess you know more than I. I haven't but this can be said of any line of product really. It just may depend on how many good ones there were for a particular year. For all we know, every other special from 2007 could have been wonderful and you got the lemon that ended up in a pawn shop. You can't make conclusions after testing such a small sample size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguello Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 I haven't but this can be said of any line of product really. It just may depend on how many good ones there were for a particular year. For all we know, every other special from 2007 could have been wonderful and you got the lemon that ended up in a pawn shop. You can't make conclusions after testing such a small sample size. Well, with as many things as were different construction wise, how can I come to any other conclusion? The body dimensions were even completely different. The headstock dimensions were completely different as well. This was not the same product with different build quality. This was a completely different product with the same name. Neck pocket, different. Routing for the controls, different. Paint quality, different. Headstock logo, different. The pickups had more output and a little better sound, but that is all that was improved. I am going to hit GC again this weekend, since I got a gift card, and need some quality pots for my LP. I am going to check out a 2016 SG special if they have one, and see how many things are different from both the 99 and the 07. If everything looks the same as the 07 I found, then...? This is the green 99. MOP logo, Grover tuners. Note the distance from the E string tuners, to the nut. BTW, my 07 Epiphone LP shares the same headstock dimensions... This is the black 07. No name stamped tuners, painted or decal logo under the clear. Note the shorter distance between the nut and the E string tuners. Also the truss rod cover plate. It's larger, and doesn't fit correctly because the holes don't match up. It's bowed out in the middle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.