Help ID/date this Epiphone

[Krentz]

Hello all.

 

I recently picked up a fairly beat-up Epiphone solid body. I have searched all over the guitar and I don't see a serial or product number anywhere. After doing some research on these forums and elsewhere on the internet, it seems to most closely resemble an S-310b. However, there are a couple distinct differences:

 

- There is no "Gibson" truss rod cover. In fact, the truss rod sticks out of the head stock a little bit.

- Pickups are 2 single and 1 humbucker.

- The Epiphone logo looks unlike any other Epiphone logo I can find online. Most obviously the "N" doesn't hang down and the "E" at the end is cursive and curved instead of the more square style E I see most often.

 

Does anybody have any idea what this may be? Thanks for the help!

 

Pictures:

 

 

 

Common headstock I have seen on most Epiphone strats:

[RobinTheHood]

You have an S-400. Your particular guitar is a bit of an oddball though. That logo is more likely to show up on late model Matsumoku or early Samick guitars like the Flying-V 1140 or the 1985 Flying-V. The headstock shape would generally indicate that it would be a 1988-1989 model. The logo, on the other hand - as well as the headstock, are a bit different than the 1988-89 models. Its possible that this is a 1985-86 model without a Jackson-style headstock. The neck bould very well be a leftover from some 1984-85 guitar models. There were several logo variations used on the 1986 S-Series guitars and this is one of them. However, I'm still not positive of the origins of this particular headstock or when, exactly, they were used on the S-Series.

[Krentz]

Thanks for the info! After your reply I looked up the specs for the S-400 and it looks like you nailed it. However, like you said the headstock is puzzling. It was driving me crazy trying to find a picture of a matching headstock, and the only one I was ever able to find was on this Flying V here: My link

 

I would be tempted to assume that the headstock was a donor from another guitar, but the finish on the body matches the head perfectly (black with "glitter" you can see in the light). Maybe it's possible they had some extra necks at the factory and just threw it on there?

[RobinTheHood]

I briefly thought about the possibility of the neck being a replacement or from another model, but IIRC, the Flying-Vs were 24.75" scale and the S-Series is 25.5". I suppose the neck might fit, but it would never intonate. As far as the color, other models with that headstock came in black, but I am not certain if it was a metallic black like the S-series guitars. I know the reds were metallic on the old Vs. It could just be a very early model.