Best Guitar For Psychedelic Rock (2024 Update)

Overall: Let's start at the top. I have never had a guitar with in house tuners that are this good. The charvel locking tuners are phenomenal. Very smooth and precise, every bit as good as any gotoh tuners I've used. The nut does what it's supposed to, I've not had any tuning issues due to friction when using the trem. The neck. My god the neck is fantastic. It's a very comfortable thin shape that works for me perfectly. It is very very close to as smooth as my strandberg. The frets are about the only thing that leaves a bit to be desired. They're polished and rounded very nicely, however there are sharp edges. Pretty much every fret, bass and treble side. It isn't to the point where it's uncomfortable to play, but noticeable. I absolutely love the spoke truss rod adjustment wheel, not that I've needed to use it. The neck joint is absolutely the most comfortable bolt on I've ever played. The pickups are fantastic as well, not super high output but the clarity is insane. Exactly what I was looking for. The gotoh bridge was probably my biggest surprise. I've never played a non locking trem that actually stayed in tune and even after abusing it like I would a Floyd, lo and behold, still in tune! It's very comfortable as well. The output jack placement is genius and is comfortable in any sitting position. It would be perfect for sticking the cable in between the strap and guitar. I know it's cliche, but the pictures do not do it justice. It is a stunning guitar. The satin burgundy mist is about the coolest color I've seen on a guitar and compliments the roasted maple neck perfectly. Overall, the fit and finish of the guitar, aside from the frets, is flawless. I would still 100% recommend this guitar to anyone. It would be a great guitar for any type of music you play.

Overall: Not much more I can add to what’s been said so far (hit or miss QA, super smooth neck, really nice finish, crazy number of sonically pleasing tones, premium components work great..); it really is an excellent guitar. The matte blue version of this guitar I received had a really janky and loose pickup selector switch, so I had it swapped out for the exact part used in the (*ahem* almost identical $3500!!!!) American version. The fret edges were finished smooth right out of the box, but it badly needed a setup. Once that was done, it was perfect. It’s almost effortless to access all of the frets. The tremolo is different than a traditional Stratocaster style 2-point trem in that it’s way more sensitive and much tighter and way more stable. The only issue I’m having with it is, because of where the volume knob is and my way of playing, I roll the volume down on accident quite a bit. Kinda takes the edge off of a solo when it’s fading out as it’s building up. Also, I’ll eventually swap out the no-load tone control for a conventional one. The stock no-load tone control works just fine to control the tone, but I don’t like the extra click when it’s dialed all the way up. And at this price it should come with a bag.

Overall: This is very nice guitar! Last year I ordered a 2019 SG standard that turned out have some QC issues. I sent it back and ended up getting a Gibson TV yellow special that's turned out to be the best guitar I've ever owned (go figure) but I still couldn't get the SG jones out of my system so I decided to order one of these tributes. I have always like the stripped down looks of the faded specials of the past but I never pulled the trigger on one. These new tributes look to be very similar to the old faded specials but I think that they've done some minor cosmetic upgrades to them. I like the lighter walnut stain on these tributes more than the darker worn brown specials. They also added a silk screen Gibby "thistle" to the head stock which really doesn't mean much to me but I guess it makes it look a little more like a standard. The satin or "vintage gloss" finish looks a little different than the old faded specials to me. It looks more like a semi gloss than the matte finish they applied to the faded specials. I may be in the minority but I like the looks of this SG more then the fancy but boring "cherry" or "ebony" of the standards. I like the visible texture of wood grain and the lighter shade of walnut stain they used on these tributes. The wood on mine was very well matched on the front. On the back you can tell that they used two, maybe three, pieces of mahogany for the body but from the front it looks like one solid piece of wood until you get right up on it. The fretboard on mine was dryish and needed a lemon oil treatment but it wasn't as bad as the fretboard on my Special. There were also no tool marks from dressing the neck binding (because there is none) like there was on my special. I feel as though this guitar would look better with nickel pickup covers and reflector knobs so I will probably add those as an upgrade. The "poker chip" was included in the gig bag but not installed on the guitar. I will probably leave it off as it makes the control area look cleaner and allows more of the beautiful wood grain to show through. The frets and dot makers were well done with no sharp ends. The fretboard played great and the frets appear to have been "plekked". Setup was great and ready to rip right out of the box. Tuning stability was good after I changed the strings and stretched them in good. Pots and controls seem sturdy and responsive. The satin maple neck felt nice as far as the texture but it was a little fat and wide for my liking. I was expecting it to be more like the neck profile on my Special which is fatter than a slim taper but it just fills the web of my hand, between my thumb and forefinger, and doesn't impede the "thumb over top" playing style that I use quite a bit. This SG has a flat area on the back of the neck and thicker shoulders and I fell like it favors more of a thumb behind the neck playing style that jazz players and shredders tend to prefer. It's not a thin "shredder" neck like an Ibanez but the flat spot on the back and thick shoulders made me have to shorten my strap and play the guitar higher up on my torso than I like in order to play some songs but I soon got used to it so it's not that big of a deal. The upper fret access was hindered IMO by the thickness of the shoulders and width of the neck which increases the farther up the neck you get but I use this guitar more for heavy rhythm playing so, again, it's not a big deal to me. If Gibson would improve the neck profile on this guitar I feel as though it would be a much more versatile guitar but then it would compete with higher end SG's so there ya go. The 490s in this guitar are very good pickups IMO. They are slightly hotter than PAF in output with prominent vocal like mids to my ears; great blues-rock p'ups for sure. They are noticeably lower in output than the P90s in my special which is okay because I use pedals to compensate for the differences in tone and output when switching between guitars during a set. They 490t in the bridge is probably my favorite. It can go from a jangly, chordy, rhythm to crunchy power chord riffs using the volume knob on the guitar and it retains clarity and definition when playing heavyish drop D rhythms with more gain. My LP Special is my go to guitar for playing "chordy stuff" (which is about 90% of the time) and soloing but the SG comes out when I need more chunk to my palm muted drop d riffs although the 490s are bright and articulate enough to do do the chordy stuff too. I use this guitar to do a drop D version of "Copperhead road". I play Steve's mandolin riff in the middle position then switch over to the bridge pickup after the "smell the whiskey burning" part and it sounds great never muddy or harsh. It also does the lower gain double drop D Neil Young rhythm stuff very well. The "soft case" that came with this guitar is the same as the ones that you get with the regular Standard. It's very nice as far as "soft cases" go I suppose but, IMHO, it's still not much better t

Having tried playing MANY of these in my hands, it seems that the quality control out of the Jackson Indonesia factory is hit-or-miss. If you get a good unit without problems, it is a great guitar with a great sound for a great price! And the looks are so nice as well. The neck thru body construction is so smooth and sweet. However, you might get a dud that sounds horrible. Or it might have severe defects in the neck or locking nut. In my experience, about 50% are of poor quality.

Sweetwater did right by me, setting up my Hendrix signature guitar with loaded pickguard with Seymour Duncan signature Hendrix pickups, bone nut, and pleking. Delivered double boxed, and in tune! Wow! Service was above and beyond at Sweetwater. The tones out of this guitar are killer, that is without any boxes! They have made themselves a lifetime customer! I highly recommend Sweetwater to anyone buying the guitar of your dreams! Thank you Sweetwater! You knocked it out of the park on this one!

Having tried playing MANY of these in my hands, it seems that the quality control out of the Jackson Indonesia factory is hit-or-miss. If you get a good unit without problems, it is a great guitar with a great sound for a great price! And the looks are so nice as well. The neck thru body construction is so smooth and sweet. However, you might get a dud that sounds horrible. Or it might have severe defects in the neck or locking nut. In my experience, about 50% are of poor quality.

Overall: The Good: took a chance to save some money on a "blemished" deal. Have had good luck with these in the past with zZounds, and as before, could not find any blemishes in regard to the finish. The setup, however, was abyssal. Once setup, the guitar is fantastic. Lighter weight than my other Epi, and.my.Gibson. The Probuckers are amazing. Great clarity and I see or hear no reason to replace them. Liking them better than my 57+ classics. Black guitars and me don't get along, as I have always sold them off. The graphite black and plain back on this guitar is gorgeous. Most likely a keeper. Neck feel is perfect. Coil split and tone controls really make a difference. Many sounds can be had. May soon become my #1 guitar. Plays effortlessly. The Bad: guitar setup was non existent. Tuners were crooked, nut slots too high, pickup height too low, pick guard installed incorrectly, uneven frets, action set for limbo, and scratchy pots. After cutting deeper nut slots, leveling and crowning the frets, lowering the action, adjusting truss rod, readjusting tuning pegs and pick guard, spraying the pots, and installing quality knobs, the guitar is now fantastic. I can understand why it was returned as it took a lot of work to get it playable. Luckily, I do that all myself so no extra $. Sadly, although great luck with zZounds in the past, this will be my last order until either:1) zZounds offers shipping options other than FedEx. Or2) Fedex gets their s**t together and figures out how to deliver packages to the correct address, with accurate tracking, and without damage.

Having tried playing MANY of these in my hands, it seems that the quality control out of the Jackson Indonesia factory is hit-or-miss. If you get a good unit without problems, it is a great guitar with a great sound for a great price! And the looks are so nice as well. The neck thru body construction is so smooth and sweet. However, you might get a dud that sounds horrible. Or it might have severe defects in the neck or locking nut. In my experience, about 50% are of poor quality.

Overall: I'm no stranger to the scratch and dent game. I think half the fun is trying to figure out where the scratch and or dent is. When this model V came out I already knew that it would be a great guitar. Never played a Dean I didn't like. This model is a steal even at full price. Mahogony body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, Floyd and hot pickups. Actually, very hot pickups. My guitar has a bright sizzle to it in the bridge pickup and the neck pickup sounds great. Pretty balanced out put. The bridge is a Floyd Rose Lic. Stays in tune well. The fretboard is high quality. No fretsprout to speak of. Intonation is good, stays in tune and no high frets to speak of. The profile is the C shape. Similar to a 50s Lp just a tad thinner. The flat black finish is awesome the blem is only a slight discoloration on a portion of the binding. What that tells me is that the regular price model will be no doubt flawless. If you want that grind, metal, searing flamethrower sound the bolt on is the way to go. Bolt on necks are usually a little brighter. Sustains very well. I'm very very happy with it. It is exactly what it is advertised as. Buy one. You'll love it. Getting the ML X Floyd next. No doubt due to my own preference I will be swapping out the bridge pickup only. All my main guitars have Seymour Duncan TB and SH 6 bridge pickups. Great guitar for nodding to tour own preferences. You'd be doing killer as is too. I'm in no hurry to swap pickups. Great buy.

Having tried playing MANY of these in my hands, it seems that the quality control out of the Jackson Indonesia factory is hit-or-miss. If you get a good unit without problems, it is a great guitar with a great sound for a great price! And the looks are so nice as well. The neck thru body construction is so smooth and sweet. However, you might get a dud that sounds horrible. Or it might have severe defects in the neck or locking nut. In my experience, about 50% are of poor quality.

Overall: A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at buying the Gibson les Paul Standard 60's Bourbon Burst for $2,499.00, as I was doing my research checking out reviews when I came across a side by side review of the Gibson verses the Epiphone les Paul standard 60s. The similarities in quality and sound were eye opening, still skeptical I thought to myself, I owe to myself to at lest checkout the Epiphone les Paul standard 60s what's the worst that could happen, if I don't like it ill send it back and order the Gibson. Well I'm here to say I don't JUST like it, I ABSOLUTLY LOVE IT. Right out of the box I was super impressed with the look and feel of this guitar with the flamed maple top to the deep rich cherry back and sides, I sat down tuned it up plugged it into my amp. I went from being impressed to ka-ching I hit the jack pot. You know after I bought this guitar and before it arrived I had that feeling of buyers remorse, thinking that I somehow compromised and I should have bought the Gibson. Well the first few licks on this guitar and all that washed away instantly. This guitar has it all, value, quality, sound, playability and the flamed maple top…. just wow…!!!!! thank you zZounds and Epiphone for this fantastic les Paul.

I just received this guitar a few days ago. It's already my favorite. Love the slim taper neck, and the probucker pickups are great. The pickups are fine on clean tones, but where they really shine is when the gain is cranked up. Build quality is very good, and it's a beautiful instrument. I prefer a rosewood fretboard, but find the Indian laurel to be completely acceptable. Only 2 negatives: 1. No coil splitting option, 2. it's a heavy guitar. This doesn't matter much to me because as a hobbyist, I typically play sitting down. But I can see that if you play standing, this could get tiring after a while. But these are minor quibbles – overall I'm very pleased with my purchase. Finally,kudos to Dave Hoffman, who held my hand during the 3 month period it took to get a new shipment in.

This thing is easily worth 4 times the price. The build quality is impeccable. The binding is perfectly flush, the finish is beautiful and evenly applied and the intonation was extremely close out of the box (I only had to move the G string saddle back a bit to set it, all the other strings were perfect). The headstock has a nice molded profile to the sides – this is something I haven't seen on other Epiphone guitars. The PRO p90 pickups are fantastic. I have 11 other electrics from an epi 335 to a Gibson Les Paul Traditional to modded teles and strats and I never could quite find that classic clear tone with a thick rich drive when you dig into it that I've been looking for – this Casino has that sound! Every website/listing likes to talk about the Beatles… that comparison doesn't speak to what this guitar is capable of. This is more in line with Gary Clark Jr., The Black Crowes, Jack White and The Allman Brothers Band sounds. Think rich, bluesy rock. It's much cooler than "the Beatles guitar". Plug this sucker into a Vox and you're in business. The C shape neck is very comfortable- it has a flat back with rounded sides. Plus, with the satin finish your hand moves more freely up and down the neck. It's nice to play unplugged too, it's fully hollow so it plays/sounds like a quieter acoustic unplugged. The knobs/pots are really cool looking and work great with no scratching. They have even adjustments – no quick falls after a certain number like you see with others in this price range. They have a cool old school tab to show where you are on the dial (no pictures show this little detail). All in all – super cool vintage vibe, sweet clean tone with a fun roaring bite on the gain – excellent guitar.

I purchased this guitar for my teenage son who has just started to play, so I wanted a budget guitar. The sound is really great and I'm very impressed with both the quality and aesthetics of the guitar. Delivery was efficient and within the estimated date of delivery, which having read other reviews I was expecting it to be later. The item was very well packaged and I was sent the tracking details for DHL and then for Parcelforce once the guitar had made it to the UK. I can recommend using this company based on my experience and this guitar.