RobinTheHood

They came in vintage sunburst and heritage cherry burst. The colors may vary from guitar to guitar, but it sounds like you want the vintage sunburst model.

Probably Epiphone 700T & 650R ceramic pickups. That's what came stock, anyway.

1989 Flying-V. Only made for one year. http://epiphonewiki.org/index/Flying_V.php#1989_Flying_V

Yes, this is a LP 100. They began in 1993, so it's not a 1990 and some of the details are wrong for that year anyway. The other two options are 99 and 2009. However, many details are also wrong for 2009, such as the headstock shape, the Les Paul script on the headstock and the truss cover. Thay would have to make this guitar a 1999. The zero at the beginning of the serial doesnt make sense for that year though, so you could have either a replacement neck plate (which is unlikely) or there was a translation error when the serial was stamped and the zero should actually be a O, which would indicate the Choice factory in Korea. This is the most likely answer, as everything about the guitar indicates that it is a late 1990s Epiphone. No later than 2004, at least.

These were made in the early 2000s, so yours would be a 2001. Not sure what the G stands for. The only G serials we are aware of are from early Qingdao Masterbilts, which is for some reason unrecognized by Epiphone as a factory code. A pic may help, but maybe not.

Oh, I remember the make your own contest now! It was for a pickguard design. Neat idea. Not sure who makes the tuners. Chinese generic probably. I've never done straight drop-ins, so I can't help you there.

From what I understand they usually deface the serials before applying their label. Not sure why, exactly. With the serial gone, you can possibly figure out the era of the guitar, but not the precise year.

These coronets were used mainly for promotional purposes from around 2009-2011. Giveaways, raffles, company promo, etc. I've never heard of the "make your own" version of these. They were most likely left overs that didn't get used for any promos, if I had to take a guess. The full body pickguard is consistent with the promo coronet. The neck is most likely some type of Asian mahogany substitute. The body could be anything from Asian mahogany, to alder to basswood. The pickup is aftermarket. You'd have to pull it out to see what it is. These probably came with a basic Epiphone ceramic pickup or an alnico classic. Again, not sure as there aren't really any specs for these because they weren't for sale to the general public. The stamped tuners are typically subpar, but if they hold tune then they should be fine. Any die cast tuners would probably be a vast improvement, however. As far as the bridge, it's a matter of preference. I've not heard many complaints about Epiphone's wrap around bridges. They are a basic, yet tried and true design. Unless the slots are worn down or off center, it should be just fine.

Probably a Les Paul 100, but I'd have to see the front to he sure.

Inspect the nut with a flashlight. Make sure the Allen is going in all they way and isn't catching on a bushing. A truss rod with no tension shouldnt be tight enough to strip the nut. If it is, you have bigger problems.

2010 Qingdao

1996 Saein.

It's an average price for a used studio. If you like it, buy it.

If it's not in a catalog, Epiphone/Gibson are usually clueless about things like this. Especially from this era when records weren't well kept. Most, if not all, customer service people that work for Gibson weren't around at that time or have any in-depth knowledge of the era. Sometimes you get lucky, but not usually.

It sounds like a factory 2nd refurbed by MIRC.

Ooh...a mystery! The i435, i635 & i935 are the only Epiphones with a neck like this one; 24 frets, top dot inlays and explorer headstock. However, the Epiphone by Gibson logo was from 1986-1988. The i-series came out in 1989. The body looks a little similar to the spotlight (1988-1989) and del-rey (1995-+2000) but not quite. It also has a few small similarities to the i-series. The pickups look like the Tech-II's they used in the S-series super strats from 1986-1988. The Steinberger tremolo would have been used on some models during this time period as well, but not after 1988, IIRC. This is not like any production model Epiphone that I've seen. As much as I hate to fall back on the idea, it's possible that this is a prototype or a small run market test for a limited area that was unsuccessful. Unless you get lucky and find another one on the web, the most you can do is tear it down and look for other Epiphone hallmarks to verify it's authenticity. There were no counterfeits back then, but there have been some custom one-offs made from Epiphone bodies and parts floating around. None that I have seen tend to look as good, or factory made like this one though.

It was made in Korea. Epiphones of that era with no factory code were made at the Samick factory. 92=year 12=month XXX=batch number There are no Gibson markings because it appears that someone replaced the truss rod cover. There is no where else this guitar would have those markings. As for the serial format, they used Y and YY depending on the year and factory. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the year by the serial alone without seeing the guitar to determine the proper era. I know thay these guitars were only made from the early to mid 1990s, so 1999 would not be an option . The angle of the Epiphone logo on the headstock is another indicator of the era. By 1996, they were more angled instead of straight across the top.

1992 Les Paul-300. Never seen one in cherry before. Pretty nice.

Gibson truss rod cover, Epiphone logo angle and harmonica bridge indicate a late 80s or early 90s Sheraton. The pickguard looks right to me, but is easy to swap out. Pickups were probabaly swapped too.

That's a weird serial for an 86. We would need to see pics of the guitar and serial to make a positive ID.

Yes, but during the 1980s and early 1990s they were on a sticker on the back of the headstock and would either wear off or get taken off. And of course, the acoustics and hollow bodies have serials on a sticker inside of the sound hole which can also be removed.

The LT, for all intents and purposes, is the same guitar as the 100 with some minor differences. If the LT does well, I wouldn't be surprised if they phase out the 100. So yeah, see if you can find an LT if you like the 100. If you can't find either of those, the next in line would be the AFD. It's the same as the Special II, but has a nicer finish and a tuner on one of the pickup rings. Very handy. If you are buying new it comes with an amp.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? 😁

Cute. Much of this is a copy of my info on the Epiphone wiki.

S4 = Samick Korea 1994