Epiphone G 400 Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I've been playing guitar for over 15 years. I got an 05' Gibson SG Standard for my 13th birthday. Over the years of influence in your ear about other guitars, you decide to dabble with different sounds and set ups. After playing a few strats, a ES-339, and a LP Standard over the years, I've always found myself to be happy at home with my SG. The 490R and 498T pickups are the best pickups Gibson made in my opinion. The versatility is astounding, ranging from jazz-fusion types like Larry Carlton, to the crunch of post hardcore, while pitching perfectly on iconic 70s solos and leads. Wether you're new to the Gibson family, or looking to add to your Arsenal, the SG Standard will forever please, and forever fit into any track.Jack

Absolutely love this guitar. It has taken the spot of my main Gibson for playing out. I alternate between this and my Dark Night American Pro II Stratocaster. The color schemes go well together and match my band's logo color scheme and branding so that's kind of a cool plus. I love the neck profile, the U shape is chunkier than a 60's Les Paul but is very comfortable in my hand and really reduces fatigue when I'm playing chords. I am still able to shred away with ease during solo time. I'm a huge fan of the nitro cellulous finish. I really like how the mahogany body resonates…I think it improves the tone. The QC, fit and finish on this guitar seems flawless to me. Gibson has really stepped up. Lastly, I want to comment on the soft case. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I was very surprised at how much padding there is and how plush it is on the inside. It is much more portable than a hard shell and honestly, with the shoulder strap….I may prefer it over the hard shell. It's easier to take to practice or a gig and the pocket has enough room for my wireless buds, iPod and foot controller (for iPod). I'm really stoked with my new SG, and I'd love to get one in white with gold hardware if AMS will ever offer it;-).Jon

Overall: This guitar showed up in need of a complete setup. Nothing was properly adjusted and setup, and I’m still not sure about the neck truss rod. Fortunately for me I know how to setup a guitar, however everything was out. When I set up a neck I usually adjust for .009” relief. I am unable get that with this neck probably because the truss rod was installed wrong at the factory. I might send this one back for that reason because if I ever go to a light gauge string I’d have to raise the action at the bridge so high it would be unplayable. As far as the CTS pots, they’re a very cheap version and they’re not very good. I replaced all of them with Bournes 500k pots and installed a Switchcraft jack. It definitely makes a big difference. Now that it’s been setup and fixed, except for the neck truss rod, it’s a great guitar. The Epiphone pickups sound great and the tuners are nice too. The finish is perfect and the stock hardware seems good. I certainly can recommend this guitar, but I feel zZounds should at least try and send these out in better condition. A setup like what I did would cost about $150. The last guitar I bought from zZounds was perfect, they let me down this time.Scott

I wanted an SG for a long time and finally went for it – no regrets! For under £300 this is a great guitar. The sound is excellent, it is well crafted and constructed and once you get used to the unique way an SG feels (to hold or play sitting down) it is very comfortable as well. It is worth noting that this guitar very 'neck heavy', but like I said SGs have a unique feel anyway and it doesn't generally take long to adjust to that. I personally switched out the pickups to a pair of Seymour Duncan Black Winters (well worth it), however that's just my preference and the stock pickups actually sound very good. All in all this guitar was an excellent purchase and what you get for the money is spectacular. For anyone who wants an SG or just a great affordable guitar this is something I would highly recommend.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I traded in a couple of guitars and a 5150 III combo amp at MF in Medford, Oregon with the aim of picking up a Takamine 12 string. The amp was never practical for me, but yeah, I took a hit on the trade. Anyway, I was left with enough balance that I really didn't care to get added to a gift card, and spent less than 5 minutes evaluating the G-400 (not pro model). Long ago, I figured I wasn't a Gibson guy—not for sound, but for the feel—of a Gibson LP Studio Faded. Saddened me, but I let it go a few months after the purchase. Never gave the SG a thought, let alone an Epiphone, but that spontaneous grab has been nothing short of amazing. I have not been inclined to bring it to my "local guy" for a set-up yet, it plays amazingly. I will say I changed the strings out pretty quickly, as the stock ones gave me the "black fingers of death". Knowing the recommended gauge for the strings is 10, I only have packages of 9's laying around; the D'Addario XL 9-42's have actually played pretty well for me since stringing up. Mine is the faded cherry color, looks immaculate, and I couldn't be happier with appearance, feel, and the tone that I haven't had access to in all of these years. Yeah, it's an Epiphone, but so what! It's just as played & loved as my Fenders, Ric 330-12 and Duesenberg Caribou.Donnie G.

I've owned Epiphones most of my playing life…….50 years. These Epiphones are a far cry from what they used to be. It seems Chinese labor is very inferior to American guitar makers. This guitar, while producing a good sound, has very bad fret work. I've scored better with a 20 buck garage sale special. The fret ends stick out so much the skin wears down on my left index finger. Due to working 60 – 80 hours per week, I was unable to return it in the allotted time. Lesson learned. Need a guitar ? Do NOT buy one unless you can hold it in your hands !Pete

What a brilliant guitar and superb value package! I have owned ‘real’ Gibsons over the years and bought this outfit as a birthday gift for my granddaughter who is learning to play. She has had a fender acoustic for a couple of years and now wants her own electric guitar. I chose this outfit as having previously owned one in the past I like Epiphone guitars. Before giving it to her I thought it best to check it over and set it up but there was nothing to do really, after tuning this guitar was perfectly playable right out the box! The feel, balance and weight is very like my Gibson and the sound is superb. The amp is excellent and packs enough punch to put a smile on your face too. She’s delighted with the built in tuner as well as the other essentials included in the outfit. What’s not to like? I can’t find a better value package!W O.

My original review still stands, but I made cosmetic-only upgrades for less than an average couple's meal at a casual restaurant that makes this look much, much more expensive. No tuner, pickup or pot swaps. Replaced black plastic parts with cream, added cream pickguard, replaced chrome tuner knobs with Klausen-style ivory-look knobs. Installed chrome pickup covers. Replaced speed knobs with gold top-hats.Easily done to make this look like a proper Les Paul. I'm happy with the looks for the little extra money spent.Steve

As the song says: "I'm a Sucker for a Cheap Guitar". I own over 30 – some cheap, some not so cheap. This one arrived perfectly set up: low action, no buzzing, no sharp fret edges, easy to play – amazing for a guitar in this price range. Although not great, the pickups even sounded acceptable. It's heavy, which to me means good, though not as heavy as my Gibson. It's OK-looking, but needed something to enhance it – a pickguard. I added one and it looks much better – more expensive. Instead of cutting off part of the guard to accommodate the knob as I've seen some others do, I drilled a hole big enough for the nut on the body underneath the knob to fit through the guard (see photos). Since the guard isn't much thicker than the nut, it allowed the guard to fit flush with the body and the knob to turn without any restriction of motion, and the pickguard is not butchered. It's a very clean look – like it came that way – not modified. So, I am pleased with this instrument, and would recommend it to anyone for any purpose: especially beginners to play or someone like me who just collects cheap guitars to hang on the wall of their studiio.Steve

What can you say? Epiphone has always made a good guitar, even before they became part of the Gibson family. The Epiphone SG and Les Paul models are top notch guitars, and are a great value for the price. So if you're looking for a good starter electric guitar, I recommend Epiphone all the way.krimzo_96

Great guitar, looks good, plays quite easily. Barely had to tweak it at all. A lot more economical than a Gibson(most don't realize it isn't.) I am very happy with this guitar and would recommend it to anyone who wants quality on a budget.richa.schau

I am a professional musician and play 5 days a week — I play my Epiphone SG full time. I don't have to take my Gibson 335, Les Paul, SG or Tele. This guitar holds it's own with any of them. I've been a player for 50 years. Highly recommend…musiclane301

I love this Casino. I knew I wanted a P-90, and I really wanted a fully hollow body. I wanted to see if I could replicate a I've been agonizing over the purchase for months, looking for every possible solution, and was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Epi USA version, and after MUCH research, finally decided to go with the regular Epiphone. The construction, from everything I read, is excellent, and I knew that if necessary, I could always switch out the pups. Well, I can't say enough about how good this guitar is! I am extremely fussy on setups (I do setups on my own guitars and for other people) and this thing was ready to play right out of the box! I literally didn't touch a thing except to tune it up. I won't even have to dress the frets. I may touch them up just a bit (again, I'm really fussy) but they feel better than most guitars that cost three times as much. It is really beautiful. I love the vintage sunburst. The finish is flawless. Now for the important part – it plays like a dream. The neck profile is extremely comfortable. I can move up and down the neck as fluidly as on any guitar I own. And the sound! I was amazed at how present it is, even before plugging it in. I see this little sweetheart spending a lot of evenings on the couch with me. Soft enough not to overly bother my wife, but again – very present. Plugged in – well lets just say I won't be replacing these pups. It is exactly the sound I was hoping for. I'm no Grant Green, but I can certainly understand why he loved this guitar. Would I recommend it? Heck yeah! Country? Check. Classic rock? Check. Rockabilly, surf, blues and even jazz? Check, check, check, and check.Jess

Had the money to buy any guitar in the shop. Liked the looks of the SG, worn ebony with rosewood fingerboard and the Gibson speed knobs. Having only played guitars with 9.5 radius, I found the 14 radius was better for bar chords. The craftsmanship is excellent, can find no flaws the body or neck. The truss rod was out of adjustment, considerable back-bow. I fixed that, and set the action low. The intonation was spot on. Frets were polished with no sharp edges. I plan to upgrade the cheap electronics with new pots. As for the pickups, they sound ok. Since I use a modeling amp, not a big issue for me. The nut is a GraphTech synthetic bone. Nice touch for an inexpensive guitar, since i do not like changing them out…too much risk of damage. I have fender Strat and Tele, but have not put this down since purchasing it. Once I upgrade the electronics, this will be a very solid guitar.Jeff

I am basically play for my own entertainment, and this LP Modern is rapidly becoming my favorite, even though I also really like my G&L Tele and Strat models. The shorter scale makes a difference and I find the neck fits my hand really nicely. The sound is great, as is the finish. Having said that, I would have given it 5 stars, but my guitar came with 5 areas of light scratches and scuffs, including under the protective plastic on the pick guard, but I was able to polish all of them out to where all but one area is completely gone. The worst spot was by the toggle switch, which is all but disappeared and probably with a little more polishing, would go away completely. I didn't want to take the chance of going thru the clear, but am happy with the results. Someone else who is uncomfortable with that process may find it unacceptable, but I doubt those issues are common on Epiphones and MF's return/exchange policy would certainly cover that as I was assured if I wished to do so. The Sparkling Burgandy finish is a real eye catcher and now it makes me want to pick up the guitar and play it, which is the whole point. The added weight relief makes it enjoyable hanging on your shoulder. This is a very nice guitar for the price and then some. And Devan Miller has been great during the whole process and follow up. Very knowledgeable, patient, and extremely helpful in answering all my questions. Highly recommend him as a rep.Steve R

Overall: The Epiphone Les Paul Modern sounds great and looks amazing. The new/old Kalamazoo headstock is a game changer for the overall look of the instrument. With push/pull coil split and phase switching there are a wide variety of useful sounds over and above the traditional Les Paul. Any differences between Epiphone and Les Paul pickups can be compensated for with EQ, especially while using overdrive. There is a bit of noise similar to single coils when using the coil split function.The guitar came with a great setup from the factory. Action and intonation are about the best I have seen of any of the dozen or so guitars I have owned. Tuning stability is exceptional. This is noteworthy for an Epiphone as there are often issues with tuning stability on Gibson LP's due to the angle of the headstock being greater than the Epiphones. The locking tuners are an excellent upgrade, and should be standard on most guitars these days. Regarding quality control, I identified three high frets that are causing some minor fret buzz, but not enough to send it back. Some minor fret work will resolve this, but you should take this into consideration if you are not inclined to spend extra money on a brand new guitar for fret leveling. I have read that this is a common issue with 2020-2021 Epiphones. Fret ends have some sharpness to them. The black pickguard has a gap around the neck pickup. Not very noticeable unless you are looking for it, but I am not sure why this is an issue. I have seen it on other guitars of this model. Though it is an Epiphone, this seems to be one area that would not be difficult to fix in design. Finally, there are minor quality control issues on the finish mostly around the binding with paint bleed or similar. Overall, at this price point, the guitar is a great purchase for the hobbyist, considering the Gibson version will cost about $3,000. However, with so many quality guitar choices in the $1,000 price range, I am not sure I would pay much more for an Epiphone, and am glad they kept the price point in this range.Shanon

I've been playing guitar fairly seriously for about 6 years now, playing out at a few gigs and jamming pretty regularly for a couple years. My guitar collection has included PRS SE, Ibanez, LTD, Fender, and Kramer. After the initial break-in period, the G-400 pro definitely plays and feels like a significantly more expensive guitar. The neck feels great, the frets don't poke out like some other guitars in this price range, and the action was set pretty low with only some loss in sustain at the last five or so frets. That might be down to the higher frets apparently being less polished though they seem to have worn in after a couple weeks of playing so the sustain on the upper frets has improved (This won't be an issue for you if you're just interested in playing rhythm in lower part of the fretboard or if you crank up the gain on your amp). If you look closely enough you'll be able to spot tiny imperfections on the fretboard but for a guitar this price, the overall finish is excellent. I really like the finish they used on the neck- it doesn't get sticky with any buildup of oil or sweat. The pickups sound great. Through a Marshall DSL40C and a Yamaha THR10C, I can get everything from beautiful, articulate jazz tones, classic rock crunch, through 80's hair metal tones. The coil split tone is too thin to be usable in my opinion but it's there if you want it. Overall, I am very satisfied. For the price, this guitar is such an unbelievable value. Very good fit and finish, comfortable neck, awesome pickups, good setup from Musician's Friend out of the box. Would highly recommend this guitar whether you're a beginner or experienced.FrankTank

To start this off, this is not your typical Epiphone versus Gibson review. It's an Epiphone (China) Versus Fender Madein Mexico review. Both Value lines of great guitars. This month I Bought several guitars on musicians friend. A Fender Deluxe Ash Telecaster (MIM) and an Epiphone SG Limited Edition 1966 G-400 Pro. I have always played Les Pauls and recently got an Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Plus with a bone nut, Gibson 57s and plek'd. It is not a good comparison for most epiphones and it outperforms some Gibson's, no question. This is their top of the line for Les pauls and probably an outlier. Then I really bonded with a Fender Stratocaster. I found myself leaning toward the fenders from the Gibson/ Epiphone models. I was going to GC to play telecasters and fender amps and when doing research and everyone seemed to say how made in Mexico was far superior to Chinese Made Epiphones. When the musicians friend sale hit this month I decided to get an Epiphone 335, Epiphone SG 1966 G-400 Pro, and a butterscotch MIM deluxe ash telecaster. All of them needed a set up and would not intonate. But by far the Epiphone SG arrived in the best condition and craftsmanship. I couldn't find any flaws in the finish. Didn't notice anything with the frets. The Epiphone really stood out in craftsmanship. At 1/3 to 1/2 the price (even on sale). You will need a setup, new set of strings just factor that into the cost. If you can do it yourself, great. If not plan to spend another 75 to knock that out. But the Chinese made Epiphones are really legit and a great value for the money. This guitar is beautiful sounds great and comes to you in really good condition to begin playing.Matt8999

I've owned a '95 Gibson SG Standard in ebony since new. This Epi version with it's full pickgaurd, neck binding and trapezoid inlays is almost a dead ringer for it. I purchased the Epi because the old Standard has served me well on the road over the decades, but It's now worn, beat up and it's time to replace it and put it in a safe place. I have other Gibson SG's, all Specials and faded Specials, but this Epi is a better direct replacement for the old Standard than they are. The major difference in this Epi and the Gibson Standard is the neck tenon. The Epi has the short neck tenon of the original SG and the Current Gibson '61 (the Standard and "Faded" models have the long tenon). The Epi also has the body contours of the original models. The feeling between the two is near identical otherwise. This Epi has far better fret work and a better overall feel than two of my most recent mid 2010's Specials (I hate to say it, but it is what it is). As far as electronics, current Epi's feel just as good as the Gibsons' and are far superior to what they were putting in their guitars in the 90's and early 2000's. The stock pickups will stay for now. They sound close to the 490r and 490t of the Specials. I think they sound great. Overall, I now feel that current mid and upper range Epiphone's are a better choice for working musicians than lower end Gibsons. This was the second Epiphone I've bought in as many months. The deals on the GC and MF exclusive models, like this one, can't be beat.The Vox

I've been dabbling with learning how to play the guitar for several years, I've even took a guitar class at the local community college but have gotten frustrated easily to where I quit. I'll say that I have had a "on again, off again" relationship with guitars for the last 15 years. I am not an expert in guitars and am steadily learning the process – how they are built, the electronic parts, etc. I decided to give it a go again with this inexpensive guitar that is a great little learning tool for the novice player like myself. One thing I did do when I got this is change the strings. I watched several review videos on this model and one the the first things people recommended was to change the strings. So I bought a box of Ernie Ball Regular Slinky's (10-46) and re-strung the guitar immediately after I got it out of the box. I am pleased with my progress so far. Could be the fact that I found a great website that gives excellent beginner lessons and helps me to understand the fundamentals of guitar playing. Things that the college instructor didn't teach very well. Of course, it helps that I can play the videos over and over! I'm upgrading to a Fender Mustang LT 25 amp, which will give me a huge range of different tones that I can get out of this guitar. As my skills develop and I get better (hopefully), I will look at upgrading to a higher price point guitar. I would love to get an SG! If you are looking to get started in the guitar community, I would recommend this model to get started. I've watched many videos of experienced guitar players jam some pretty cool riff's with this thing!Jason

This is an incredible guitar for the money. Only thing that needed serious help was the action at the nut. Using the stock nut and a set of nut files, I set it up to my preferred specs of 1/64th of an inch a two the first fret. This ensured comfortable playing as well as tuning stability. After cutting the nut slots to the right height, looks like the file made sure the strings wouldn't catch and now the guitar stays in tune much much better. I would replace the pickups with p90s if I could. Some modification to the pickguard might make this a possibility. Sometimes, I forget I'm playing an Epiphone. With the nut corrected it really is possible to get it feeling pretty good. Here are my personal specs: .005" neck relief measured at the 8th fret. 1/64ths action at the first fret across all strings. 1/16ths of an inch action at the 15th fret. It does not play as well as my Gibsons do: the explorer feels much lower and faster with the same specs and my les Paul traditional does reel in some "big time" tone. In spite of this, the Epiphone SL really does hit the mark. It's capable of all the same specs after adjusting the nut, making for a very playable guitar. I also don't believe the tuning issues are due to the economy tuners since after I adjusted the nut the guitar stays in tune much better. I bought a replacement black tusq nut but have not installed it. I wonder if there's even really a need to do so. This action at the nut is very low but the guitar pulls it off very well. I'm sure that with better pots (remember this is an economy guitar) andLeón

My first electric. Got it in a combo kit with amp and bag. Hook it into my computer now and rarely use the amp for anything. That being said, as many people have mentioned the bridge. If this isn't your first guitar, or you are looking for a second guitar – don't get this one. I learned about intonation and action and all that while having this guitar. You can only set the intonation on the outside E's and everything else is just what you get. My the height of my bridge for medium action on the low E is maybe a 1/16 from bottoming out, any lower it will buzz more. To get the same range of action on my high E my bridge is almost a 1/4" in the air. I do not know enough to get into shimming the neck to get it leveled out more, I just know enough to assume a 1/4" rise over 3" space probably isn't a good thing. However! I've learned plenty on it over these last 6 months. I bought this guitar because I did not want to invest a lot of money into it if I wasn't going to stick with it. I bought this in February of 22. The first 5 months I probably played on it maybe 50-60 hours. These last 4 months I've probably played on it 1-3 hours a day. I started using apps to learn and being able to plug it directly into my computer has been amazing. It's served it's purpose, I'm now getting to the level of playing where I'd like a better quality instrument and am looking in the $400-$500 range. For a first guitar, and you're not sure if you're going to stay with it, this was great for me and I will pass it on to someone else to get started with. Other than the bridge intonation and probably not flat fret board, I have had 0 mechanical issues with it.Jay

I'm reviewing the gold top model. I own a lot of guitars but I didn't have a gold top Les Paul and always wanted one. This is an amazing guitar for the price! Fit and finish are perfect. It sounds and plays great. I love it. Note, always put a new set of strings on a guitar that comes with strings on it. It's a simple fix for a lot of problems you thought you had, but don't. Who knows how long they've been on or what brand they are. Now, the details. Frets were perfectly level, no sharp ends. Slight amount of oxidization. I polished the crowns and ends with Micro-Mesh pads. I used 6000>8000>12,000 grit pads. I wasn't taking metal off, just polishing them to a jewelery finish. Really makes bends and vibrato silky and smooth. I do that to all my guitars. I like the Indian laurel fingerboard. It's a good alternative to rosewood. I cleaned it with alcohol, then applied a very light amount of fingerboard oil/conditioner. Let it sit a few minutes then wiped it dry. It has a beautiful look and feel now. As for setup, the only thing that was set correctly was the intonation. So I lowered the bridge to the (low) action I like, and it was pretty clean, a little buzz on the upper frets. The neck was trussed completely flat, so I loosened the truss rod about 1/4 turn and that gave it the right amount of relief. No more buzz. Next, I filed the nut slots slightly wider and deeper. Action was too high off the nut. I use XL strings (9-42) and the slots were even too tight for them! That was the only real glaring problem on this guitar. Tight nut slots cause tuning issues and your average customer isn't going to have the tools or skills to fix that. I have a set of precision nut slotting files and feeler gauges to cut them to the proper depth. Man, that was the magic touch. The action is amazing now, all the way up the neck. No problems with tuning stability. And that's all I needed to do. It plays like a dream. I thought I would need to swap out the pickups but I like these. I'm old and play mostly classic rock, and these sound just right for the Les Pauls of that era. I get that sound that Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon), early Joe Walsh, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Joe Perry, Page, Billy G, had in the late 60's – 70's. I ran it through a Goat distortion simulator and got Tom Scholtz Boston sound perfectly. It was actually better than another LP I have with DiMarzio super distortion pups. Easier to control the overdrive. All in all, Epiphone has really raised their bar. If you have typical electric guitar setup skills, you'll make this a sweet playing guitar. If you don't, it's worth it to find someone who does. Just a few minor adjustments and you'll have a fine axe to play.Rich

Overall: I bought this guitar from zZounds a few weeks ago. First of all, I love the way it looks. When I opened the box, the strings were set very high from the fretboard. I had to lower the bridge to remedy this. It buzzed and fretted out. So I changed the stock strings which were Gibson 10s to D'Addario 9s. It helped but it still buzzed a lot. Thankfully, when plugged into an amp the buzz doesn't pick up. It plays well, but it feels sort of cheap. An almost plastic feel.I swore I would never buy a Chinese guitar. I own a Jackson USA King V, a Gibson USA 60s Tribute SG, a made in Japan Jackson Dinky, a made in Japan Ibanez Prestige, a made in Japan Edwards/ESP V, a Mexican Strat, a Korean made Fernandes Vortex and a Korean made Wolf "Les Paul"You can feel the difference in quality, BUT…It is a nice guitar, even though $900 is a little steep for a guitar that is made in China.Chris

My first electric guitar was an ebony v made by epiphone. I lost track of it over the years and was feeling nostalgic when I saw this one online at American Musical. They were out of stock at the time so I asked to be notified when more came in. Anyway, a few weeks later they were back in stock and I ordered it as soon as I got the notification. Shipping was fast and it came in brand new and in great shape. Looks good and it is just as good as I remembered. Epiphone makes great guitars so don't be a guitar snob because it isn't a Gibson. If you want a V, this is a great guitar. Looks good and price is very fair. Rock on.J Madsen

Takes a while to get used to because of the asymmetrical neck, but once you do it’s very comfortable to play. The volume and tone controls are incredibly responsive. As for the build quality it’s pretty good, with some elements being outstanding, in particular the hardware, specifically the tuners, bridge and tail piece, and the volume and tone knobs. Very impressed so far. The only potential downside is that it’s very particular with guitar straps, I’m lucky because I have a few so could try different styles before settling on one. I’d recommend either one with triangular ends (fender style) or a wide soft leather strap.Jay M.

I love the look of Les pauls. Theres nothing that sounds like a Les Paul. However Ive owned three Gibson Les Pauls over the years and they have all been disproportionately heavy in the body to my liking and dont sit comfortably when playing as the body always wants to slide down. When I heard about the Epiphone Muse with its lighter body I had to have a go with one. Its perfect. I expected the pickups to need replacing but Im astonished by how good they sound. The finish is beautiful. Only slight niggle is that one of the knobs pulls off too easily when you use the push pull – easily rectified though.simonkerr

This is pretty good guitar. Epiphones are hit and miss as far as set up, but mine came in set up well. I bought it because I have left shoulder problems and my les paul custom pro killed my shoulder after a bit. This is a lighter guitar and was a relief to my shoulder. Stays in tune well, sounds good, and feels great. I don't know if I got a fluke or what, but this guitar plays like butter. Frets all feel good ( which I usually have to do some work on most Epiphones) The pearl white looks really clean, and goes great with all my other white guitars.Gorden

Overall: This is my umpteenth Epiphone custom sg guitar ive bought since the last guitar i had which was the more lower end 61 standard i bought here used last year. The caps pots and Gibson USA burstbuckers are definitely a step up in the right direction and are true to the original reissue Sg standards back in the beginning of the Gibson sg. It sounds like a 2000 dollar Gibson reissue sg but at Epiphone import prices. I intend on keeping this guitar for a lifetime and is a good backup guitar to my similarly pricef esp ltd viper 1000 deluxe i bought a year ago from a competitor in the now disconnected tiger eye finish from zZounds. Lastly i also intend on getting a real Gibson sg custom 63 version used for a discounted price. One more thing i might buy a backup les Paul sg standard by Epiphone just in case this one gets stolen or lost. Thank you Epiphone custom for stepping up your game and making better sg custom shop guitars than in the past. The black Epiphone sg custom with gold hardware is no joke either and i might another one when i get done paying for this Les Paul sg standard first fron here.Isaac

I got this guitar in sparkling burgundy and the finish is beautiful. The workmanship on this guitar is great; it feels very high quality. The fretwork is also really good, with no fret ends sticking out to cut my hands. That being said, the pickups are not very good. I initially debated purchasing the guitar since it sounded very ice-picky and thin when I played it in the store. But I decided to take a chance, knowing the return policy that GC has. I brought it home and the first thing I did was go over it completely. The fretboard was very dry. Even my wife, who doesn't play guitar, looked at it and commented on that. So removed the strings and polished the frets and cleaned/conditioned the fretboard. Then I swapped out the Alnico Classic Pro pickups, which are rather bad, and put in a set of Probucker 2/3 pickups that I had sitting around. Better strings, polished frets, and some nicer alnico 2 pickups made a huge difference. It sounds full and thick and warm, and it plays like an angel. I highly recommend it, as long as you can swap out the pickups.Robert

Too many options to mention here, and they all work great. I especially like the Split coil on the neck pickup and the out of phase with some distortion. The Ebony fretboard plays and looks great. The neck shape is perfect, it balances nicely and the output jack on the side is a perfect touch. Oh, and the locking tuners are sweet, especially at this price. This SG plays and sounds as good as it looks. And they look MUCH better in person than on this websites little photos. I don't get won over very easily but I love this guitar.Pluto

Overall: Mahogany body and neck 3/4” maple cap, Ebony fingerboard, locking Grover tuners makes this an outstanding guitar. The asymmetrical neck is thicker on the upper part and slimmer on the bottom which makes this neck feel more comfortable than any I’ve ever played.There is no neck dive at all, which the SG was plagued with through out its lifetime. I saw the other day a documentary on the SG which said that the SG is the biggest selling guitar in electric guitar history. This model is also much lighter than other SG’s.This is the best looking and playing SG I’ve ever had.The finish is flawlessStan

Overall: I've had my SG Modern (Honeyburst) for about a week now and I'm very impressed. I've always liked the look and feel of the SG but sold my old Gibson SG Standard because of the "neck dive" issue. It just drove me crazy. This Epiphone version seems much better balanced. Perhaps the Maple cap is adding just enough weight to help with balance. As far as the pickups go,I wasn't a big fan of these Probucker pickups in the new Les Pauls, they seemed muddy and un-responsive, but they seem to come to life in the SG body. They're brighter and clearer here. And with all of the tonal options at hand with the coil-splitting and phase inversion, it's impossible not get a good tone. The playability of mine, out of the box was pretty good. It only took a minor neck adjustment, a little intonation tweaking and some new strings to get it just right. The only modification I've made was to swap out the ugly clear knobs for some reflectors. The Ebony fretboard looks and feels great, especially at this price point. A big step up over the Indian Laurel on most other Epi's.The asymmetrical neck is just freaking perfect, it really feels natural and is my favorite feature of this guitar. It fills the hand but makes chording and lead runs almost effortless. Changing strings was a breeze with the Grover locking tuners and the nut was cut very well on mine. No tuning issues at all here. I had been wanting to add an SG to my collection and with all of the features on this Modern, it was the clear winner over the other models. If you're also looking into a new Epi SG, I'd go for this. It's a great playing, great sounding guitar at a really good price. It's really fun to play. Plus, it's a unique, cool looking finish.Zappa

Working in a big chain music shop in the late 90s, I have always detected a big blindfold test difference between Gibsons and Epis. There's a certain difference in quality that could not be denied. Epis just felt cheaper and lighter. This new Nighthawk, much like a lot of reviews for other new Epi models, feels more substantial. Cracking open the back panel reveals full size pots (Korean made; not CTS) and a quality megaswitch to pull off an interesting and useful array of pickup selections. I won't bore you with details you can gather from the specification tab. All I'm saying is the gap in quality between Epiphones and Gibsons are narrowing. The fit and finish is excellent (with exception of minor fret sprout) and it comes with a quality hardshell case. Not as nice as a Gibson case, but its similar but more plush to the case that came with my PRS SE Hollowbody II. If you have any interest in this guitar, better act quick before Epiphone raise their prices!Bob

Overall: QC is lacking I believe they was in a hurry to get them out and things were missed. The soldering is sloppy position 3 and 4 did not work due to wires touching and the finish on the neck started cracking I emailed zZounds and was sent a copy of the warranty and basically I can mail it in and at my expense to epiphone and they may or may not fix or replace it. I'm starting to really question if I will buy anything else from here and that's sad because I have bought many guitars and amps from zZounds I know the guitar's failures are not there fault but I've had the guitar less than a month and it's been nothing but issues. I expected more from epiphone and zZounds. On the bright side the case is one of the nicest if seen to come with a guitar especially at this price point. Well done epiphone for making a great caseMike

Bought this online at a great price and I am very impressed with the build of the guitar-it is like a smaller and much lighter Les Paul! Soundwise it is unique with 5 settings from the 2 pickups. Can play rock with ease and any other type of music from the different sounds. Fantastic value and it comes with a lovely hard case! These may not be one of the popular models but it is well worth a try!gerrylh61

I got this guitar in sparkling burgundy and the finish is beautiful. The workmanship on this guitar is great; it feels very high quality. The fretwork is also really good, with no fret ends sticking out to cut my hands. That being said, the pickups are not very good. I initially debated purchasing the guitar since it sounded very ice-picky and thin when I played it in the store. But I decided to take a chance, knowing the return policy that GC has. I brought it home and the first thing I did was go over it completely. The fretboard was very dry. Even my wife, who doesn't play guitar, looked at it and commented on that. So removed the strings and polished the frets and cleaned/conditioned the fretboard. Then I swapped out the Alnico Classic Pro pickups, which are rather bad, and put in a set of Probucker 2/3 pickups that I had sitting around. Better strings, polished frets, and some nicer alnico 2 pickups made a huge difference. It sounds full and thick and warm, and it plays like an angel. I highly recommend it, as long as you can swap out the pickups.Robert

I've been looking for the right Epiphone SG for years now, but it's been difficult to find one that I loved the feel of. I love this guitar. The neck feels fantastic. The fit and finish are very high quality. The pickups are great, if a little muddy at the neck, and they drive my Hot Rod DeVille just right. The split coils are decent and you really can get a workable single coil sound from it if you want. It sounds surprisingly close to my 40th Anniversary Stratocaster even though there is still a noticeable difference. The only real upgrade I'm thinking of is some locking Grovers in nickel, but the stock tuners are serviceable. I took a really close look at the Fender Classic Vibe Telecasters with humbuckers, but Epiphone is just crushing it with their Inspired By Gibson line. If you've always dreamed of owning a Solid Guitar, you owe it yourself to play one of these.Dustin

I saw the deal on the 4th of July at $399 but I wasn't sure if I should jump in it without testing one out. So I decided to take a ride to my local Guitar Center and check one out. Let me say the quality felt great and the tone sounded great and I was sold at the price. I own 2 Gibson SG Standards and this Epiphone hits all the marks. The tone sounds great clean or dirty and the setup was perfect out of the box. I did change the strings and tuned them to D standard. The guitar will last for years and I think it's a definite buy. Do not sleep on the new Epiphone guitars.Michael

I got this guitar in sparkling burgundy and the finish is beautiful. The workmanship on this guitar is great; it feels very high quality. The fretwork is also really good, with no fret ends sticking out to cut my hands. That being said, the pickups are not very good. I initially debated purchasing the guitar since it sounded very ice-picky and thin when I played it in the store. But I decided to take a chance, knowing the return policy that GC has. I brought it home and the first thing I did was go over it completely. The fretboard was very dry. Even my wife, who doesn't play guitar, looked at it and commented on that. So removed the strings and polished the frets and cleaned/conditioned the fretboard. Then I swapped out the Alnico Classic Pro pickups, which are rather bad, and put in a set of Probucker 2/3 pickups that I had sitting around. Better strings, polished frets, and some nicer alnico 2 pickups made a huge difference. It sounds full and thick and warm, and it plays like an angel. I highly recommend it, as long as you can swap out the pickups.Robert

I bought this on a whim, I really didn't need another guitar, but when I saw the price was down to 429, I figured a Gold Top SG might be kinda cool. And it is. Mine is well balanced (no neck dive) stays in tune really well and sounds good. I don't see myself using the coil splits, but they work well. Yeah, it needed a setup after I got it out of the box, but most guitars do. This probably won't be my #1 guitar, but there are certain times when only an SG will do. I'm glad I bought it.Buzz

I've been looking for the right Epiphone SG for years now, but it's been difficult to find one that I loved the feel of. I love this guitar. The neck feels fantastic. The fit and finish are very high quality. The pickups are great, if a little muddy at the neck, and they drive my Hot Rod DeVille just right. The split coils are decent and you really can get a workable single coil sound from it if you want. It sounds surprisingly close to my 40th Anniversary Stratocaster even though there is still a noticeable difference. The only real upgrade I'm thinking of is some locking Grovers in nickel, but the stock tuners are serviceable. I took a really close look at the Fender Classic Vibe Telecasters with humbuckers, but Epiphone is just crushing it with their Inspired By Gibson line. If you've always dreamed of owning a Solid Guitar, you owe it yourself to play one of these.Dustin