Sharwood73 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I'm thinking about buying my first electric guitar. I like the SG style. Here is my problem, I can buy a Gibson SG special (faded Cherry model) for $629 or I could buy a G-400 Epiphone for $349. How would you rate the two? Which would be the best bet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 If you can afford the Gibson, I'd say go for it. The only other option at that price point would be to try and find a nice used Elitist SG... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Sentry Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I'm thinking about buying my first electric guitar. I like the SG style. Here is my problem' date=' I can buy a Gibson SG special (faded Cherry model) for $629 or I could buy a G-400 Epiphone for $349. How would you rate the two? Which would be the best bet? [/quote'] It really depends.....seriously. I think if you're looking for a guitar that will hold its value if you decide to sell it down the road? Gibson. If you're looking for a guitar that will play well, and can be upgraded for a minimum price? Epiphone. If this was my first electric, I'd go for the Epiphone. You may decide that it's not your bag, or you might find another model of guitar you prefer.... Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JefferySmith Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 If you can afford the Gibson' date=' I'd say go for it. The only other option at that price point would be to try and find a nice used Elitist SG...[/quote'] The thing that has steered me away from the faded Gibson is the pickups. Are they more like the heavy-metal distortion type? Another choice here (but not for me) might be the newly minted Prophecy SG. The looks of it give me GAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Gibsons, will retain their value over a longer period of time. But, the Epi's are quite playable and a great guitar, for the price point. As RotcanX said...the "Elitist" being the top of the line. But Elitist SG's have been (temporarily?...we hope) discontinued, so you'd have to find a "used, but not abused," or a (much more rare) left over new stock, in some music store. Modding, is possible with all, but the Epi's, being lower cost, are the least expensive, that way. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JefferySmith Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 But ElitistSG's have been (temporarily?...we hope) discontinued' date=' so you'd have to find a "used, but not abused," or a (much more rare) left over new stock, in some music store. CB[/quote'] I have a dragnet out there for Elitist SG's, and nobody seems to be willing to part with their's at the moment. My home page right now is fleabay with "Epiphone Elitist" as the search key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cujo Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I say go out and play every SG and G400 that you can find. Here's why- I was shopping for an SG and had played every one that I could get my hands on. I was looking for that one special sounding guitar when I Happened on a G400 that played and sounded better than all the SG's that I had played. I bought it on the spot. Be it a G400 or an SG, find one that was made on the right day, and you'll have a player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I have a dragnet out there for Elitist SG's' date=' and nobody seems to be willing to part with their's at the moment. My home page right now is fleabay with "Epiphone Elitist" as the search key.[/quote'] Here you go, http://corpuschristi.craigslist.org/msg/683377620.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I think if you're looking for a guitar that will hold its value if you decide to sell it down the road? Don't count on it holding it's value. Whoever spread that propaganda was full of schitt. When I bought my Gibson SG Standard, with case paid 1187.00 dollars. When I went to sell it, I didn't even get half of that. When I sold my Goldtop, didn't take as bad a beating on it as I did the SG, but a beating nonetheless. And this is after the guy said mine looked better than the brand new Goldtop hanging on the wall! Unless it's ridiculously old, don't count on making your money back, unless you got an ebay account, and even then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafaelh Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Not saying this is the case here at all, but I do know of some folks that would go with the faded just because of the Gibson logo on the headstock. Between those two for ME the G-400 is a much better guitar....then again I've never cared for the Gibson faded SG's so my opinion is defintely biased. At any rate as already mentioned I'd try as many as I could.....you'll know which one it's going to be. (Ha...might not get this post deleted:-" ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 The thing that has steered me away from the faded Gibson is the pickups. Are they more like the heavy-metal distortion type? Actually, no; the Specials have two 490s (490R/490T) so they're actually pretty mellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 (Ha...might not get this post deleted ) Now Raf, why would you get deleted??? Yer such a nice guy!:- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 It's not easy for a novice to choose the first guitar, because choosing one is not easy for someone who already has a couple either. Playing a lot of different guitars before making the decision is important for many reasons, including playability which is a personal matter. The one and only Gibson SG Special faded I've played had an huge neck angle and the T-O-M bridge was very high up in the air. Did not like it. Gibson SG Standards on the other hand, are IMO just wonderful (in every colour but ebony). My friend owns a Tokai SG and he was planning to upgrade to a Gibson SG Standard. A few visits to the shop and he announced he hates Gibson necks. He eventually bought a Tokai Tele copy instead... And I can't stand the necks on Tokais. Having only Epiphones with different style necks I still haven't decided if I like the Gibson necks better, or at all. I'm also having hard time deciding which ones feel better for my hands, the '50s or '60s necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubstar Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 "Are they more like the heavy-metal distortion type?" no... http://www.gibson.com/Products/Accessories/Gear/Gear%20SubPages/Pickups%20Guide/ http://www.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Divisions/Gibson%20Gear/Pickups/Modern%20Classics/ my SG special faded LH is much nicer than any G400 I have ever seen or played...I am not referring to the elitist...however, the recent 66 SOR or wahtever they are calling G400 with full pickguard looks nice...as always, results will vary with individual guitars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafaelh Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Now Raf' date=' why would you get deleted??? [/quote'] Ha....should change my name to The Eraser. Although this last time, and I have to let the little kid in me come out, but Spud started it!:-:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarman3001 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 The thing that has steered me away from the faded Gibson is the pickups. Are they more like the heavy-metal distortion type? Another choice here (but not for me) might be the newly minted Prophecy SG. The looks of it give me GAS. Beware the prophecys!!! They are decent guitars in their own right but they do not play or feel anything like regular SGs. Completely different necks and fretboards. I ordered a prophecy SG EX and had to return it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Beware the prophecys!!! They are decent guitars in their own right but they do not play or feel anything like regular SGs. Completely different necks and fretboards. I ordered a prophecy SG EX and had to return it. So, was that because it felt so much different, that you didn't like it, or the construction, the tone, or...Alll? Just curious. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkinnison90 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I would get the Epiphone for now and save up for a better Gibson down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I have the faded Gibson and while it's certainly not their best work......it is Far better IMHO than an Epi with that thick poly or whatever finish. That's one of my biggest gripes with Epi's in general...that thick finish coat. The neck on the gibson is a little on the chunky side but not a baseball bat like the 57RI LP's. By the time you buy a g-400 and replace the pickups,switch etc....etc.....you are not too far from the Gibson. I got mine for $599 shipped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldpriest Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I have one of the Gibson faded models and the pickups are like the 57 classics...the standard gibson SG has a 490R in the neck and a 498T in the bridge. The 490T is not as hot as the 498T and alot of peole think they are not hot enough. I like the 490 pickups because they are not super hot and are great when you are playing clean songs like Stormy Monday or the like. The faded SG's are also thinner and lighter than the standards and the EPI's. So if you need alot of gain in your pickups or like a really shiney finish, the faded is not for you....if you have an amp or processor that has plenty of gain and you like a light guitar that still has alot of sustain and ring to it, then the faded might be for you...try them both..you can mod the crap out of the G400 for the money you spend on the faded and I don't think either one has a great resale value any way. Like Layboomo said though you will have about what you would into the Gibson if you change alot on the EPI....exactly why I chose the Gibson instead of the G400 myself, and I spent $100.00 more than he did for mine with three pickup configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarman3001 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 So' date=' was that because it felt so much different, that you didn't like it, construction, or was it tone, or...all? Just curious. CB[/quote'] It was a combination of things. The way the strap peg is place on the back of the guitar instead of on the front of the top horn causes it to be neck heavy so the neck keeps dipping down as you play. Also, the fretboard is 24 fret instead of the 22 frets on normal SGs. That made it feel very strange to me. Also, the fretboard is much flatter than a normal SG. With that and the 24 frets it made it feel very cramped. My fingers were tripping all over each other. It almost felt like if it was a toy. As for the tone, the one mentioned on this thread was the GX which comes with the dirty fingers pickups. I'd guess that that one would sound much better to me than the EX I got with the EMGs. The active EMGs are just way to sterile and dry sounding. I couldn't get any kind of bite or real dirt out of them. They lack character and balls. I gigged it once and all of my bandmembers told me they absolutely hated the way it sounded. The GX would probably have some more character with the dirty fingers pups. IMO, the EX would be a great shredder guitar with its fretboard and active EMGs. The GX has the same neck but might sound better with the dirty fingers. Again, this is just my opinion but what's not an opinion is that the prophecies do not feel, sound, or play like any of the regular SGs. The only thing they have in common is the body shape. Everything else is a completely different guitar, so if what you really want is the genuine SG feel and sound, don't get the prophecy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 IThe faded SG's are also thinner and lighter than the standards All the ones I've seen are the same thickness as the Standard. As to any weight differences, that's pretty much going to vary from guitar to guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharwood73 Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 Thanks guys, that certainly gives me something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everdying Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 It was a combination of things. The way the strap peg is place on the back of the guitar instead of on the front of the top horn causes it to be neck heavy so the neck keeps dipping down as you play. Also' date=' the fretboard is 24 fret instead of the 22 frets on normal SGs. That made it feel very strange to me. Also, the fretboard is much flatter than a normal SG. With that and the 24 frets it made it feel very cramped. My fingers were tripping all over each other. It almost felt like if it was a toy. [/quote'] but then all SGs have the strap peg at the same position. anyway, i checked the specs of the neck and it is indeed flatter. 14" to the regular 12" radius. it is also thinner than the gibson 60s slim taper neck...1mm shy of approaching ibanez territory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I have one of the Gibson faded models and the pickups are like the 57 classics...the standard gibson SG has a 490R in the neck and a 498T in the bridge. The 490T is not as hot as the 498T and alot of peole think they are not hot enough.I like the 490 pickups because they are not super hot and are great when you are playing clean songs like Stormy Monday or the like. The faded SG's are also thinner and lighter than the standards and the EPI's. So if you need alot of gain in your pickups or like a really shiney finish' date=' the faded is not for you....if you have an amp or processor that has plenty of gain and you like a light guitar that still has alot of sustain and ring to it, then the faded might be for you...try them both..you can mod the crap out of the G400 for the money you spend on the faded and I don't think either one has a great resale value any way. Like Layboomo said though you will have about what you would into the Gibson if you change alot on the EPI....exactly why I chose the Gibson instead of the G400 myself, and I spent $100.00 more than he did for mine with three pickup configuration.[/quote'] I thought those fades came with duel 490's?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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