maniak Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 First off let me just say to all you China Guitar bashers out there,,i dont care if this ax was made on Venus,,,it KICKS ***. I seem to recall the same kind of attitude towards japanese guitars in the 70s but i bought an Ibanez Strat in76 anyway ,,,and that turned out rather well,,still have it and it will DESTROY any fender from the same period. Anyway ,,,my GX has a rosewood fingerboard ,,anyone else seen this??,,,i thought all of the Prophecy line were supposed to be ebony,,The salesman said they come in both,,but every piece of info i've read anywhere says ebony ,,.The way she plays,,i would have bought her if she was made of muenster cheese but i'm still curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I was under the same impression, Maniak ... that is ALL Prophecy model featured an ebony neck. I own both the SG and the LP GX ... both ebony. Additionally, anything I've ever read about them, including Epiphone's own info says ebony. Where did you buy it? By the way, I agree with you ... they are great guitars regardless of where they were slapped together! MIDI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maniak Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 I bought it locally here In Bellmore NY ,a store called Music Emporium.I've been buying stuff there for abut 30 years now so there's no question there that everything is what it should be. Lets see ,,ive also gotten an Explorer and a Flying V from him (both Korina made in Korea 1998)) as well a 1981 handmade Bc Rich Mockingbird that i bought in 1982.Still this Ebony/Rosewood thing has got me very curious,,someone's gotta know something.aslo ,,wow you have the Paul too,,that that must be really sweet,,i love my SG,,,the top is jsut gorgeous ,,,just the right amount of quilting going on there,,not too much to make it too busy,,ill post some pics another time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Please do, Maniak! I was looking at pics of the SG Prophecy GX on the Sweetwater Gallery site one day and I was surprised to see just how different looking from one another they were. I know lighting can make a huge difference in these pics, but I also know that my SG is MUCH darker than the Les Paul. Back to your original question about the rosewood neck. I'm curious what makes you think its rosewood in the first place? Ebony, when used to describe a color, like a guitar body, for example, usually means it is jet black. The wood itself, however is still a dark brown in color when its used as a fingerboard material. The reason it is desireable it that it's very hard, slick surface makes it a much more percussive material than rosewood ... more along the lines of rock maple but still keeping the dark color. Ebony on a Les Paul style guitar is not the preferred fingerboard. The guitar just does not sound like a Les Paul when there is an Ebony fingerboard although Zack Wylde, Peter Frampton, & Ace Frehley to name a few use Ebony fretboards on Les Paul's. Ebony sounds great on a guitar with a long neck, making it a natural for use on the 24 fret giraffes that all Prophecy models come with. Take another look at your SG's neck. Compare it with the necks on your V and Explorer. I did this and while the ebony neck was a little darker, the BIG difference was in how solid the surface of the wood was ... a lot more even and less "pores" for want of a better word. Who knows? Maybe Epiphone did change the specs. Enjoy your guitar and remember to post a pic when you get a chance! MIDI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardog Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Maniak, thank epi for that one. I had the lp with the dirty fingers and it was missing the white binding on the heel of the neck. the rest of the binding was cream not white. I took it back to local gc and they swap for one that was too specs. i noticed it was heavier than the true to spec one also. unless gibson says it is both, you have a defect. The worst of it is. i went to the local gc yesterday and their it was on the wall at the 849. dang. now, it was sweet and played awesome. my only thing was i paid for a lp phpecy, then i should have one per factory spec. The one i have plays awesome and feels better in the neck then the returned one. but, i had to clean her up. little over spray on back and around heel of neck. it shines just like midiman56's.;) But, as we say. IF IT SINGS TO YOU KEEP IT. SEE WHAT YOU CAN GET FOR THE DEFECT FROM EPI!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maniak Posted February 12, 2009 Author Share Posted February 12, 2009 Midiman,,,i thnk you are indeed correct on this,,you see the only other ax i have with an ebony board is my 68 les paul custom and that is just soooooooooo dark that it is practically black. Comparing the tightness of the grain and the "pores" if you will, or the lack of them on the Prophecy to some of my others with rosewood boards oyu can definitely see a huge difference. Its funny ,,my 2003 G-400 Korina SG Custom has a rosewood board that is actually darker than the ebony one on the Prophecy. Heres a pic of the Gx if i did this right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Nice guitar, Maniak! Your's is much lighter than mine ... the flame really stands out against the darker edge ... great catch! I'm glad that you're feeling better about the whole neck business. I know Epiphone screwed up the binding on Wardog's guitar, but to change the specs on a guitar that drastically just seemed impossible to me. I'm also a little pissed that your "salesman" just tossed out that line of BS about it coming "both ways" instead of knowing his business. Anyway, you got a great guitar and I hope that you're enjoying it! MIDI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.