outforblood Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Anyone know where it comes from? Africa? Asia? Floating down a third world river?? My faded brown G-400 seems...very light to be a solid piece of mahagany....is it chambered? Why are there veneers on the front and back? Is it to hide the original grain? It looks cool and all. So what part of the world does the wood on these Epiphone guitars come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSDx Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Anyone know where it comes from? Africa? Asia? Floating down a third world river?? [confused] Only Epiphone/Gibson knows for sure.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKitten Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Anyone know where it comes from? Africa? Asia? Floating down a third world river??My faded brown G-400 seems...very light to be mahogany....is it chambered? Why are there veneers on the front and back? It looks cool and all. So where does the wood on my guitar come from? I'd be extremely surprised if your guitar has a veneer. Pics? The G-400s are usually built in China and I'd guess that the wood therefore comes from... a tree in China. Or somewhere else. Why does it matter? Asia isn't some strange different planet where the trees are featherweight and people have to chain them down to stop them from floating off into the atmosphere. Remember that light wood is often a good thing. That's the whole reason Mahogany is chosen for guitars in the first place, it's tough but light and resonant compared to many other woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outforblood Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 I'd be extremely surprised if your guitar has a veneer. Pics? The G-400s are usually built in China and I'd guess that the wood therefore comes from... a tree in China. Or somewhere else. Why does it matter? Asia isn't some strange different planet where the trees are featherweight and people have to chain them down to stop them from floating off into the atmosphere. Remember that light wood is often a good thing. That's the whole reason Mahogany is chosen for guitars in the first place' date=' it's tough but light and resonant compared to many other woods.[/quote'] I guess you didn't sense my sarcasm. I am half Korean, half Irish. My mother is 100% Korean, Asia is a strange and different place than here.(If you've never been there) So is their wood apparently. But no...I really don't give much of a flying rat's *** where the timbre comes from as long as it sounds good. Just curious is all. Thanks for the reply there "Kitten".:) p.s. Good one there paruwi6172... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman345 Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Again, spouting off my "expert" opinion about things I know not of... Veneer can "cover a multitude of sins". From what I remember reading in a previous thread, flawed, cheaper, or ugly tonewood that is still structurally sound will be used in the body, often with 2 or more pieces glued together side-by-side and/or on top of each other, then covered with an attractive veneer, often of the same species of wood. The result will (should) be a resonant instrument at an affordable price point. This can still be sold as "solid wood". On the other hand, I have read that the Epi ES-1275 SG-style doubleneck 6/12 is actually a laminate (plywood) guitar covered with veneers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outforblood Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 Again' date=' spouting off my "expert" opinion about things I know not of... Veneer can "cover a multitude of sins". From what I remember reading in a previous thread, flawed, cheaper, or ugly tonewood that is still structurally sound will be used in the body, often with 2 or more pieces glued together side-by-side and/or on top of each other, then covered with an attractive veneer, often of the same species of wood. The result will (should) be a resonant instrument at an affordable price point. This can still be sold as "solid wood". On the other hand, I have read that the Epi ES-1275 SG-style doubleneck 6/12 is actually a laminate (plywood) guitar covered with veneers Man..it keeps getting stranger... The g-400 I own obviously has a top and bottom veneer...the shades of brown and the drastic changes in the grain from the top(veneer)and sides(non veneer) is like night and day. They did do a good job covering up whatever they are trying to "cover up". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewddawg1 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hey outforblood, If you get a chance when you change strings remove them all and pull a pup and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Man..it keeps getting stranger...The g-400 I own obviously has a top and bottom veneer...the shades of brown and the drastic changes in the grain from the top(veneer)and sides(non veneer) is like night and day. They did do a good job covering up whatever they are trying to "cover up". Outforblood' date=' it's hard to tell whether you're really being sarcastic (as you told one of the respondents) or whether you're being real about this. First question is, "Do you like your guitar?" i.e. the way it looks, feels, plays, etc.. If so, then what difference does it make exactly what type of wood it's made from (supposedly mahogany) or where Epiphone gets their wood (I would imagine from various places around the world, depending on the supply and the cost)? I have a Les Paul Standard Plain Top VS. It's suposedly mahogany with a maple cap, but other than the top being vintage sunburst, the rest of the guitar is black, so I couldn't tell what the wood looks like (the maple cap that's sunbursted looks nice; some fine grain in it, nothing fancy, but beautiful). All I know is that before I bought it, I compared it with about 10 others of the same model. The colors varied, as did the weight. Mine happened to be lighter than some of the others, but it had a nice ring to it when played acoustically, and then when I plugged it in I was sold on it. I don't think it's chambered, though, like the Ultra model. I could have bought a LP Standard Plus Top with a flamed veneer finish on the top, but for $100.00 more the guitar didn't play any better. So, regardless of the veneer top and bottom finishes on your G-400 (I think that's standard on that model anyway) are you happy with it overall? If not, then all the questions in the world won't make it better, or you more happy with the product. If that's the case, then check into another guitar and really give it the go over before you purchase it and you can be happy with it. If you're doing this just to bash Epiphone guitars, then go buy another brand that will be more satisfying to you. I've had two Gibsons before and I loved them, but had to sell them for economic reasons. My Les Paul Custom was Alpine White, so could I really tell if Gibson was using real nice mahogany or could they get away with a lesser grade because you couldn't see through the finish? The same with my Cherry Red ES-335. When I was back in market for a decent electric guitar, the current prices put Gibson way out of my league. I tried Epiphone, first a Korean made NA Sheraton II for a semi-hollow, and a Chinese made Les Paul Standard VS for a solid body. For the money I paid, I could not be happier with the guitars I got, getting best bang for my buck. I play out regularly and people (especially other guitar players) are a little surprised when they hear how great they sound and then see they're Epiphones. I've even let a couple other players play my guitars and they were really impressed with how well they felt, played, sounded, etc. They also impressed with how well the guitars are made. So again, were your questions just being inquisitive? If so, great! Or were you just politely trying to say you're not impressed with your G-400 and that Epiphone is cheap? Well you can look at a Gibson model for $1,000.00 or more. Maybe that has veneer covering up mystery wood, too, but then you're paying for the Gibson name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.