US-Made Epiphone SG?

[Twiz]

I spotted this Epiphone SG today on eBay. The seller says it's made in the US. Have any of you guys seen anything like this before? It looks like a pretty cool guitar anyway...

[sellen]

Very cool and special .

[GIANTRobOT420]

Looks cool but I smell fish

[jimmiJAMM]

Buy a Gibson.

[BigKahune]

Very unusual to say the least. I've bought some Epis over the years and I thought in the 70s Gibson moved their Epi manufacturing to Japan and in the 80s added some Epi manufacturing in Korea. In 2002 most of Epi manufacturing was moved to China.

 

That sure looks like a Schaller "bad ***" bridge to me, not an Epi stock bridge. But maybe that's what the factory put on those.

 

I think it's legit. I believe the "Spirit" and "Special" lines were made in Kalamazoo. The Spirit was like a doublecut LP Junior and the Special like an SG Junior.

[pohatu771]

Kahune's got it. The Spirit and Special were made from 1981-1984, both in Kalamazoo and Nashville. I believe all of the Epiphone-branded instruments were Nashville. Some were re-branded as Gibsons when they didn't sell well, and they were eventually produced as Gibsons.

 

There were several variations, the most common being the I and II - the number of pickups. I have a heavily-modified Spirit II that I'm quite fond of. The Schaller bridge was stock on most models - there was one with a tremolo.

 

The pickguard, however, is not original. None of those models shipped with one.

 

The best comparison is that it was the precursor to the SG Special model, but not quite - the SG Special uses traditional Gibson woods, and the Spirit/Special wasn't so picky - mine has a poplar body and maple neck.

[gibplayer]

Buy a Gibson

 

 

Ignorance is bliss

[jimmiJAMM]

I know Gibson owns Epi. I obviously meant buy a Gibson SG instead of an Epi. IMHO he'll be happier in the long run.

[Rewddawg1]

Some of you people need to stop knocking Epi SG's. I own an Epi Prophecy SG Custom GX. It has 24 frets, mahogany body & neck, slim tapered speed satin set neck,Ebony fingerboard,Quilt maple dark cherry finish, graphite nut,Grover tuners 14:1, gold hardware and Dirty Fingers pups w/ split coil tap. This guitar will blow away any Angus Young Sig guitar at $4300 and my guitar now go's for $650. Oh my guitar didn't come with a HS case but that's alot of money differance for a case. Other than that SD Pearly gates pups can't even hold it's own to Dirty Fingers pups as for as rock and metal go!!!!

[NeoConMan]

Some of you Epiphone owners need to get a clue - and learn some manners.

Do you really think that all of us who own Gibsons never owned an Epiphone?

And if your $650 guitar is "blows away" an Angus signature, then how in the world does Gibson ever sell one?

 

Your Ebony fingerboard is probably stained, your Quilt maple is a veneer, your dark cherry finish is enamel, your graphite nut can be installed in ANY guitar for $20, same for Grover tuners 14:1, gold hardware will not be gold for long, and I've installed just about any pickup you can name in a number of Epiphones.

Any guitar worth anything should come with a HS case.

SD Pearly gates pups can indeed hold their own to Dirty Fingers pups as far as personal preference goes.

 

I've removed lotsa wood from the inside of lots of Epiphones to put in electronics that would work.

I can tell you for a fact that it's somewhere between Balsa wood and chalk.

 

How many Gibsons have you owned?

How many have you worked on?

And how many of them had bolt-on necks?

 

 

There IS a difference, even if Gibson doesn't want you Epi buyers to think so.

[Dunwich]

Neo pretty much said it.

 

To sum it up in understandable terms, there's a huge difference between hamburger and a sirloin steak.

[sellen]

Some of you people need to stop knocking Epi SG's. I own an Epi Prophecy SG Custom GX. It has 24 frets' date=' mahogany body & neck, slim tapered speed satin set neck,Ebony fingerboard,Quilt maple dark cherry finish, graphite nut,Grover tuners 14:1, gold hardware and Dirty Fingers pups w/ split coil tap. This guitar will blow away any Angus Young Sig guitar at $4300 and my guitar now go's for $650. Oh my guitar didn't come with a HS case but that's alot of money differance for a case. Other than that SD Pearly gates pups can't even hold it's own to Dirty Fingers pups as for as rock and metal go!!!!

 

[/quote']

Have you tryed the new angus sig? I havent tried Epi Prophecy so i want say anything about it other than it looks cool. The pearly gates i think covers up more style in music.

[jimmiJAMM]

I own an Epi LP. It's for sale on Craigslist if anyone's interested.

[Rewddawg1]

Some of you Epiphone owners need to get a clue - and learn some manners.

Do you really think that all of us who own Gibsons never owned an Epiphone?

And if your $650 guitar is "blows away" an Angus signature' date=' then how in the world does Gibson ever sell one?

 

Your Ebony fingerboard is probably stained, your Quilt maple is a veneer, your dark cherry finish is enamel, your graphite nut can be installed in ANY guitar for $20, same for Grover tuners 14:1, gold hardware will not be gold for long, and I've installed just about any pickup you can name in a number of Epiphones.

Any guitar worth anything should come with a HS case.

SD Pearly gates pups can indeed hold their own to Dirty Fingers pups as far as personal preference goes.

 

I've removed lotsa wood from the inside of lots of Epiphones to put in electronics that would work.

I can tell you for a fact that it's somewhere between Balsa wood and chalk.

 

How many Gibsons have you owned?

How many have you worked on?

And how many of them had bolt-on necks?

 

 

There IS a difference, even if Gibson doesn't want you Epi buyers to think so.[/quote']

 

Get your facts before you say anything. Gibsons SG Elegant Quilt Top sells for over $3000. It also has a maple veneer top, only 22 frets, goofy looking tuner keys and lame pups. Other than that it is basicly built the same as my Prophecy. My dark cherry finish is hand stained and no 2 look alike. As you know most SG's are built with mahogany bodies and necks so obviously the maple is a laminated top but so is the Gibson. I have owned a few Gibson's and still own one now. None of my guitars have bolt on necks and I don't do extensive work on my guitars because I buy guitars that don't need modding. Now your comments may hold true for some of the low end Epi's that sell for $200 -$400 but my guitar is a Custom Prophecy. Now I do agree that gibby's have a nitro finish and my guitar has a poly finish but there are pros and cons to either finish. My point is I got a gibson quality guitar that is stage ready for $650 and I bought a HS case for it that is also well built for $60 on sale.That's a total investment of $710 vs. $3000- $4500. You Gibson die hard fans are just trying to justify your decision to pay 4 to 6 times as much money for a guitar that really isn't any better! I can tell you haven't played a Prophecy Gx due to your comments cause if you did your tune would change.

[Rewddawg1]

Have you tryed the new angus sig? I havent tried Epi Prophecy so i want say anything about it other than it looks cool. The pearly gates i think covers up more style in music.

 

I played one in my local music store. It didn't seem that special. The pups were kinda hot for alnico mag. pups but the neck was nothing special. The neck on my Prophecy was much faster and more player friendly. Now as I said before the Dirty Fingers pups are mainly for Blues, Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. That's where they shine. They have coil split which opens up some other tonal possibilities. DF pups can play bright and clear with any distortion, the more the better and they have the sweetest clean sound imaginable. I think pearly gates sound muddy under heavy distortion. IMHO

[Rewddawg1]

Neo pretty much said it.

 

To sum it up in understandable terms' date=' there's a huge difference between hamburger and a sirloin steak.[/quote']

 

You forget that some hamburger is merely ground up sirloin steak LOL

[jimmiJAMM]

You forget that some hamburger is merely ground up sirloin steak LOL

 

 

Mooooooooooooo

[NeoConMan]

Ooooohhhh....

Another Epi-Crusader bent on CHANGING THE WORLD!!!!

 

This oughta be fun - just like the others I've sent home crying to Momma (or the Mod Squad)

 

[biggrin]/

 

 

 

Get your facts before you say anything.

First off' date=' let's talk about tone.

Specifically [i']your[/i] tone.

You may want to get away from the shrill metal buzz when addressing me.

I speak more of an honest, straight-forward Classic Rock/Blues tone.

And a quick glance at my avatar pic (since my posts helped you with no clue) will hint "No BS."

 

Come blasting in a forum pissing on EVERYBODY'S shoes and telling them what pieces of sh!t

their Gibsons are because they aren't smart enough to buy YOUR Epiphone will limit your stay.

 

Wanna take bets how long you'll last here?

Watch your tone, Mr. Badass.

 

 

 

Gibsons SG Elegant Quilt Top sells for over $3000. It also has a maple veneer top' date=' only 22 frets, goofy looking tuner keys and lame pups. Other than that it is basicly built the same as my Prophecy. [/quote']

Me?

I find the Prophecy line to be goofy in its entirety.

I see the equipment you own posted in your sig, besides the Wah and Taylor, I wouldn't have it.

Few Gibson owners (especially the ones who can afford the nice stuff) are metal heads.

Few metal heads I've ever met own much in the way of nice gear - it's usually budget driven.

That, and they usually live with their parents.

 

 

 

My dark cherry finish is hand stained and no 2 look alike.

As you know most SG's are built with mahogany bodies and necks so obviously

the maple is a laminated top but so is the Gibson.

I have owned a few Gibson's and still own one now.

Okay' date=' I'll take the bait.

Which Gibsons - exactly - have you owned?

For how long?

Why did you sell them?

 

 

 

None of my guitars have bolt on necks and I don't do extensive work on my guitars

because I buy guitars that don't need modding. Now your comments may hold true for some of the low end Epi's that sell for $200 -$400 but my guitar is a Custom Prophecy.

In other words, the fact that you don't know what you're talking about is no reason to stop.

Gotcha.

 

 

 

Now I do agree that gibby's have a nitro finish and my guitar has a poly finish

but there are pros and cons to either finish. My point is I got a gibson quality guitar

that is stage ready for $650 and I bought a HS case for it that is also well built for

$60 on sale.That's a total investment of $710 vs. $3000- $4500.

Okay' date=' go do it again - today.

Can you repeat that performance?

Or are you talking about garage sale/pawn shop prices that are once in a lifetime?

 

If you don't care what your gear looks like (or your car either, I'm sure) and all you wanna do is

play gigs (Do you actually [i']play[/i] gigs?) then I have no problem with ANY of that. To each his own.

Me? I play an odd gig here and there with friends - when I have time.

Day job, family, side business, and other hobbies vie for my time.

I've become much more a collector in recent years for those very reasons.

And collectibility is why I sold EVERY Epiphone I ever owned. They played okay, but weren't worth keeping.

 

 

 

You Gibson die hard fans are just trying to justify your decision to pay 4 to 6 times as much money for a guitar that really isn't any better!

Would you run your f-ing mouth like this if we were standing in a bar?

Not for long' date=' I can assure you...

 

 

 

I can tell you haven't played a Prophecy Gx due to your comments cause if you did your tune would change.

I can tell that all you give a damn about is metal, leaving HUGE gaps in your interest - and knowledge.

I've played many metal guitars over the last 30+ years, owned a few that leaned that way.

I don't care for them, and beyond the amateur projectile-vomiting rants of guys like you, I don't

seek out much information on them. Furthermore, take a look at a few of these;

 

Probably not metal enough...

 

I would say you might change your tune after you played some of them, but I doubt it.

Pearls before swine, and all that....

[Rewddawg1]

Ooooohhhh....

Another Epi-Crusader bent on CHANGING THE WORLD!!!!

 

This oughta be fun - just like the others I've sent home crying to Momma (or the Mod Squad)

 

:D/

 

 

 

 

First off' date=' let's talk about tone.

Specifically [i']your[/i] tone.

You may want to get away from the shrill metal buzz when addressing me.

I speak more of an honest, straight-forward Classic Rock/Blues tone.

And a quick glance at my avatar pic (since my posts helped you with no clue) will hint "No BS."

 

Come blasting in a forum pissing on EVERYBODY'S shoes and telling them what pieces of sh!t

their Gibsons are because they aren't smart enough to buy YOUR Epiphone will limit your stay.

 

Wanna take bets how long you'll last here?

Watch your tone, Mr. Badass.

 

 

 

 

Me?

I find the Prophecy line to be goofy in its entirety.

I see the equipment you own posted in your sig, besides the Wah and Taylor, I wouldn't have it.

Few Gibson owners (especially the ones who can afford the nice stuff) are metal heads.

Few metal heads I've ever met own much in the way of nice gear - it's usually budget driven.

That, and they usually live with their parents.

 

 

 

 

Okay, I'll take the bait.

Which Gibsons - exactly - have you owned?

For how long?

Why did you sell them?

 

 

 

 

In other words, the fact that you don't know what you're talking about is no reason to stop.

Gotcha.

 

 

 

 

Okay, go do it again - today.

Can you repeat that performance?

Or are you talking about garage sale/pawn shop prices that are once in a lifetime?

 

If you don't care what your gear looks like (or your car either, I'm sure) and all you wanna do is

play gigs (Do youactually play gigs?) then I have no problem with ANY of that. To each his own.

 

 

 

Would you run your f-ing mouth like this if we were standing in a bar?

Not for long, I can assure you...

 

 

 

 

I can tell that all you give a damn about is metal, leaving HUGE gaps in your interest - and knowledge.

I've played many metal guitars over the last 30+ years, owned a few that leaned that way.

I don't care for them, and beyond the amateur projectile-vomiting rants of guys like you, I don't

seek out much information on them. Furthermore, take a look at a few of these;

 

Probably not metal enough...

 

I would say you might change your tune after you played some of them, but I doubt it.

Pearls before swine, and all that....

I think you have a gret looking collection of guitars, Kudos. AS far as these posts, I think things have gotten out of hand and many statements were taken out of context. I don't think Gibson's are crap and they make some wonderful guitars for what they are. My point is that Gibson's pricing is getting out of hand IMHO and epiphone's quality control has increased in the past couple years. I also think that from turning from a debate to personal attacks is pretty juvenile. Grow up man. I guess everyone has opinion and opinions are like A$$holes and they usually stink LOL

[NeoConMan]

Agreed.

Just pay a little more attention to the posts you make.

Maybe avoid starting off with statements such as these....

 

Some of you people need to stop knocking Epi SG's.

Get your facts before you say anything.

 

 

How about "I own blah' date=' blah, blah and it works great for me. Here's what made me decide to buy it..." [/b']???

 

The whole "Epi is just as good" thing invites scorn in the Gibson forum.

Disagree all you want, but that's the way it is.

Choose your words with more diplomacy and you'll find most anything can be discussed.

But I've NEVER heard of anybody selling nice Gibsons so he could afford to buy an Epiphone.

 

 

 

Gibson's pricing is getting out of hand IMHO.

Ya think?

Nobody here needs YOU to make that observation!

 

:D/

 

Gibson is doing many' date=' many things far worse than the pricing over the last two years.

Nobody's noticed more than I have....

 

 

 

Grow up man.

Is this another direct order you've issued for me to immediately comply with?

Wow, you don't learn very fast do you?

[jimmiJAMM]

My point is that Gibson's pricing is getting out of hand IMHO.

 

Actually Gibson's have always been priced fairly high. One of the reasons the first SG's weren't the biggest sellers of their day but as they say... you get what you pay for.

[Yew]

The main differance is that with epiphone your looking for a good one, but with a gibson your looking for the bad ones

 

Nuff Said.

[pohatu771]

Buy a Gibson.

The issue with this statement is that in this case, the Epiphone and the Gibson are the same guitar. When the Epiphones didn't sell well, they put Gibson logos on the headstock - and didn't even remove the Epiphone logo. You can see Epiphone underneath Gibson.

 

 

That said, I'm so glad an Epiphone-branded guitar made in the Kalamazoo factory has sparked a Gibson vs. Epiphone debate.

[jimmiJAMM]

The issue with this statement is that in this case' date=' the Epiphone and the Gibson are the same guitar. When the Epiphones didn't sell well, they put Gibson logos on the headstock - and didn't even remove the Epiphone logo. You can see Epiphone underneath Gibson.[/quote']

 

The issue with this statement is you missed my following statement.

 

I know Gibson owns Epi. I obviously meant buy a Gibson SG instead of an Epi. IMHO he'll be happier in the long run.

 

Furthermore, if "Epiphone and the Gibson are the same guitar" why the difference in quality and price? As for seeing the Epiphone logo under the Gibson, where can I get some of whatever you're smoking?

[Rewddawg1]

Agreed.

Just pay a little more attention to the posts you make.

Maybe avoid starting off with statements such as these....

 

 

 

 

How about "I own blah' date=' blah, blah and it works great for me. Here's what made me decide to buy it..." [/b']???

 

The whole "Epi is just as good" thing invites scorn in the Gibson forum.

Disagree all you want, but that's the way it is.

Choose your words with more diplomacy and you'll find most anything can be discussed.

But I've NEVER heard of anybody selling nice Gibsons so he could afford to buy an Epiphone.

 

 

 

 

Ya think?

Nobody here needs YOU to make that observation!

 

:D/

 

Gibson is doing many, many things far worse than the pricing over the last two years.

Nobody's noticed more than I have....

 

 

 

 

Is this another direct order you've issued for me to immediately comply with?

Wow, you don't learn very fast do you?

 

Confucious Say " Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"

 

P.S. You admit you are a collector and not a player so your opinion on this matter is pretty much Irrelavent. We were not discussing future values of guitars only time will tell that.