S900 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Hey guys! Just wanted to say that i'm new to this forum, though i've been owning an Epi S-900 (or atleast i think it is one) for almost 2 years now. Just wanted to stop by and introduce myself and this beautiful guitar to u guys.. Anyways, i was wondering if you guys had any info about the guitar? I can't seem to find any specs about it anywhere. Atleast not about my specific model.. Picked it up from a dude who knew nothing about guitars for about 130 $ The guitar is in one piece (neck-thru), that comes with 3 mic-switches and a Steinberger trem (standard for the s8/900? can't find that one either on Google.), high gloss red paint and some white inlays around the body. Shark tooth inlays on the fretboard aswell! 80's yummy! :) It originally had 1 humbucker protected by a plastic ''shield'' and 2 singlecoils both also protected. I did change the humbucker since it started to squeak and shout at higher volumes, and it also sounded really thin (probably due to corrosion and tiredness). Swapped it for a Seymour Duncan full shred who really gives the thick body justice. Witch brings me to my next question, what kind of wood is the guitar made of? And where/when was it produced? Don't have the serialnumber left, since some really bright kid who owned it before me must have been scarping it off. The guitar is a wonderful piece to play on, much more ''robust'' than a Charvel or Kramer from the mid 80's era. Neck-thru contributes to a fantastic sustain, and the guitar is really heavy aswell. Hope you guys has some answers to my questions. Embedding a cpl of images, and a youtube-link where the guitar can be heard at is most ;) LINK: Hope to hear from you guys soon!! EDIT: Youtube-link whith sounds from the guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjael Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Welcome to the forum! Happy New 2-years-ago Guitar Day! Yeppers, it's an S900. They were made in Korea from 1986 through 1989. I believe the s900 is all-maple, and obviously neck-thru like you said. The Steinberger trem is standard (they came on most S-series Epiphones,) in fact just about all of the hardware on it is upgraded from the more basic models. Your specimen there appears to be completely stock (barring, of course, the pickups.) As for the link you provided, yes, your amp sounds nice, no clue about the guitar though! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S900 Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Thanks man! Never gonna get rid of that beauty, it's a fantastic piece of handcraft! The link was more of showing what capabilities the guitar got! I've done countless of productions and recording with this guitar, and it has never let me down, all the way from reggae to death metal! Still got the old worn-out humbucker lying around, so the guitar can get all stock if needed again ;) Even got the small original black insex-key to unlock the locking-nuts. But unfortunatly not the serialnumber. :/ Happy almost-xmas dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 WELCOME! Enjoy the fun here! I myself had never seen an S900, so thanks for the introduction. The triangular fret markers are cool looking, and interesting "Epiphone by Gibson" on the headstock! Well, the whole guitar is interesting! two quick questions: Is it a flat top (which it appears to be by the pics) and is the finish metallic or is that just the great shine? Thanks for sharing. Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S900 Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Hey! Talk about fast replies here! Well, to start with, all inlays are Nacre ("mother of pearl"), even the ''Epiphone by Gibson logo. The guitar is a flat top and the finish is metallic. Can upload some more pics if y'all want some, figured this guitar isn't too common round the globe? /Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Hey! Talk about fast replies here! And fast replies too replies! Thanks for answering my questions. really had not even heard of the S900, makes me wonder what else all you guys are holding out on me!!! We love new guitars around these parts! You are always free to post your pics (we are all closet Voyeurs here!;) ) There is also a thread to put pics of your collection, including amps, effects, etc. After all, we are all watching!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S900 Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Great! Will do that!! Can't seem to find any other around here with a S-900? Or even an S-800? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 It turns out there was another S-900 posted here last year: http://forums.epiphone.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=4172 I like the finish on yours. Very sharp! Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S900 Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Though it seems like the models differs alot from each other. I'm just judging by the headstock and bridge, rest of the electronic seems to be switched some time ago, apart from the from the front mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Here is some info taken from a letter in a magazine. It doesn't speak directly to you, but has a bit of info that could help. "When Juszkiewicz, Berryman, and Zebrowski bought Gibson in January, 1986, the redevelopment of Epiphone didn’t lag far behind. Even though Epiphone was acquired by Gibson in 1957, the company continued to operate mainly as an independent brand under the corporate umbrella. Epiphone was produced by Gibson in Kalamazoo, Michigan, until 1970 when all production was moved overseas to Japan. Gibson tried many things with Epiphone during the 1970s and 1980s; however, Epiphone’s sales had fallen to record lows by the mid-1980 and the brand was in a free-fall to oblivion. Once Gibson was sold to the boys from Harvard, they revived Epiphone and turned it into Gibson’s budget brand. Although it seems at this point that Epiphone had lost its identity completely, the fact that Gibson could produce their budget guitars (Les Pauls, Firebirds, Flying Vs, etc.) under the Epiphone name allowed Epiphone to carry on their traditional models (Sheraton, Rivera, etc.) and introduce a few new ones (S Series, Pro Series etc.). According to Epiphone’s catalogs, your guitar is part of the S Series. Epiphone followed the popular industry trends of the eighties by adding a Strat-style guitar to their line and calling it the S Series, as well as a new line of Tele-style guitars called the T Series. Models in the original S Series included the S-310 and S-400, which featured traditional Stratstyle appointments, and the S-600, S-800, and S-900, which had higher-end appointments including sharktooth fingerboard inlays, Steinberger tremolos and advanced pickups/electronics. The S-600 had regular pickups with a five-way switch and the S-900 had the same pickup setup as the S-800, but with maple neck-through-body construction and body binding. Your model is the S-800, featuring a carved basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and pickups that can be individually turned on or off by three individual switches. There is also a coil split in the tone knob. Although there is no accurate serialization from this era of Epiphone, your guitar was probably built in 1987 by Samick in Korea. Cort and Peerless also produced guitars for Epiphone during the late 1980s, but Samick was the larger provider. The eight digit serial number conforms to Samick’s system where the first number of the serial number indicates the last number of the year. According to a 1986 price list, the S-600 retailed for $269 in 1986, but I don’t have any record of the S-800 and S-900. It is estimated that the S-800 was produced between late 1986 and 1989. Replacement parts are widely available today, especially with the popularity of the internet. I would try contacting Gibson first to see if they have a replacement tremolo bar. If they don’t, allparts.com is a large website for guitar parts, and JK Lutherie is another company that can be found online or at many vintage guitar shows for parts. Based on your pictures, the guitar appears to be in Excellent Plus condition and valued at $300. Used Gorilla amps are typically found for under $100, so essentially you bought a guitar and amp for $100 in 1992, a time when popular guitar/amp packages weren’t made by most major manufacturers. Today, the whole package is worth less than $400, but the S-800 itself is much better than just about any other guitar available today that is part of a guitar/amp package – especially since no guitar/amp package comes with a hard shell case. It’s a treasure indeed." And a photo of the S-800 in question: Notice the serial is on a piece of tape, probably why your serial number is long gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S900 Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Thanks man! Had totally forgot about that article! Anyways, the bridge was not a Steinberger, but a Westone Bendmaster, as it were for all s-8/900s? I'm judging from the pics i found from google, it looks exactly the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Thanks man! Had totally forgot about that article! Anyways' date=' the bridge was not a Steinberger, but a Westone Bendmaster, as it were for all s-8/900s? I'm judging from the pics i found from google, it looks exactly the same. [/quote'] Nice guitar! She's a beauty! Westone Bendmaster.... So thats what those are! I've been wondering about those, actually. My S-500 had one of those on it. It was pretty beat up and missing parts, so I replaced it with a Floyd Rose. I Believe the Pro Series had the Steinberger tremolos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S900 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 Nice guitar! She's a beauty! Westone Bendmaster.... So thats what those are! I've been wondering about those' date=' actually. My S-500 had one of those on it. It was pretty beat up and missing parts, so I replaced it with a Floyd Rose. I Believe the Pro Series had the Steinberger tremolos. [/quote'] Yeah! It seems pretty common that people mix up the pro and the s-series. Have any idea what the differences are besides from the bridge and possibly the headstock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Not really, off the top of my head...except I do know they had different PUPs, inlays and coil tapping/splitting (not sure which) and I believe alder or maple bodies. Oh, and some of the Pros were made in the U.S.A. There was also a Pro2 series. Thats about all I really know without doing some research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I have a S-900 also, with the Coil Tap on the Tone pot. Im replacing the HB with a Seymour Duncan SH-6, and the wiring is a mess! Any idea how to wire the Bucker in this thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcom4535 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 im planing on buying one for $200... Its red and is looks sweet. The only thing is that it doesn't have a tremolo arm... and i've been trying to find one... i have no luck on finding one. What size of tremolo arm is it or where can i buy one that fits? it would really help me if someone tells me, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 im planing on buying one for $200... Its red and is looks sweet. The only thing is that it doesn't have a tremolo arm... and i've been trying to find one... i have no luck on finding one. What size of tremolo arm is it or where can i buy one that fits? it would really help me if someone tells me' date=' Thanks![/quote'] It probably depends on what type of tremolo you have on yours. They came with either: - Epiphone Bennder - Schaller licensed Floyd Rose - Steinberger KB First you need to determine which it is. The Floyd Rose would be easy. Not too sure about the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 so 800 or 900? anyway the colour is great! i had the 635i which was white metallic. that through neck look has it too! i hope to find something like this soon. the pickups are the "tech 2" ones then? do you know the impedance of the bridge? i assume it to be alnico 5... oh what is the radius on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 so 800 or 900? Is this question for the OP? If so, it is indeed an S-900. The only S-Series with binding. It had Tech-II pickups with coil tap. It has a maple neck-thru and alder body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 post 10 seems to say it's an s-800... although yes i would have said it's an s-900. who the hell are tech 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Post 10 was in reference to the pic of the S-800 at the bottom of the article. In the time since this thread was originally started, I have compiled a guide for all of the Epiphone strats. I got tired of not knowing the differences. But yeah, definately a 900. No doubt about it. Not sure about the Tech-II's. Never heard of them outside of being in the S-series guitars. I can tell you though, that the Tech-II's in my S-500 were not very good. Very muddy and gritty from what I remember. I swapped them out for a single EVH clone from GFS. Sounds much better now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suicidehummer Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 These pages should help you guys out: http://epi.p3net.net/wiki/index.php/S-Series http://epi.p3net.net/wiki/index.php/Pro-Series The Pro-Series and S-Series had nothing in common other than that the Pro-Series was most likely created to replace the higher-end S-Series models that were discontinued in 1988. The OP's S-900 is a 1986 or possibly an early 1987 judging by the headstock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinlamans Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Hey, came across this looking into a guitar i purchased a a few months back. I got a white s-900 for $89 in a shop in PA missing two of the steinberger saddles and the locking nut. after much time searching for the parts no one was selling the base plate which was the major component i needed. details on it are antique whit(metallic), black binding-pickups-hardware. push pull in tone knob for coil tapping. after giving up on the needed parts i took a leap and made it my own by retrofitting a surface mount bridge after some minor woodworking. came out amazing and has all the sustain i hear of as well as tone. the surface mount really throws a tele style twang to it, coupled with the pickups its surely a beauty. if you would like to see pics let me know. totally worth it for $89 plus the $ spent on new parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Hey' date=' came across this looking into a guitar i purchased a a few months back. I got a white s-900 for $89 in a shop in PA missing two of the steinberger saddles and the locking nut. after much time searching for the parts no one was selling the base plate which was the major component i needed. details on it are antique whit(metallic), black binding-pickups-hardware. push pull in tone knob for coil tapping. after giving up on the needed parts i took a leap and made it my own by retrofitting a surface mount bridge after some minor woodworking. came out amazing and has all the sustain i hear of as well as tone. the surface mount really throws a tele style twang to it, coupled with the pickups its surely a beauty. if you would like to see pics let me know. totally worth it for $89 plus the $ spent on new parts.[/quote']Pics are required! And congratulations on your score! Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Yep. We wanna see pics! I love me some Epiphone strats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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