Epiphone Wildkat Electric Guitar With Bigsby Tremolo For Sale (2024 Update)

Based on the CONS people have listed here, after 55 years of playing everything from Folk to Country to Praise and Worship on everything from my first 'cross-the-border, nylon-string classical to the Big Boys' Strats and my big-bowl 1976 Balladeer, I guess I must still be tone deaf and have no feel for an instrument because I liked this guitar from the moment I saw it, felt it, played it, and heard it. Not being the most expensive guitar on the rack, I did not expect it to be perfect. But, I have been greatly and very positively surprised at how close it is to meeting my every criteria. I have a full-size hollow body that cost me a bunch more and the tone variation from Neck PUP to Bridge PUP on the Wildkat is so much better! The volume balance between the PUPs is spot on. However, I purposely did not buy the Bigsby-equipped model: not because of expected tuning issues but because I like a clean appearance and the Bigsby really loads this little guy up! And, replace the P90s with 'buckers? Wow, I bought the Wildkat SPECIFICALLY for the P90s! Seems there is no explaining differences in taste. I applaud you all for your own musical and tonal discernment and for your comments! My summary? If you are looking for a fun guitar with great sound, this is your baby!Brother Lou

I purchased the blue royale model and, there is a review for that one. Super Guitar but, the blue just didn't do it for me so I ended up selling it to a guy that loved the blue color and, he was in heaven and, he a got a nice instrument. It wasn't but a short time and, I started missing the whole guitar except the blue color so I got the wine red Wildkat, I guess I'm kind of a red guy because I have several guitars in shades of red. This wine red color is stunning and, all the chrome hardware is a perfect match. I also have a Riviera in wine red but, it has gold hardware and, this guitar is a thing of beauty in looks and sound but, lets get back to the Wildkat. The semi hollow with the P90's is what sold me in the first place. The Bigsby vibrato is very cool, in all my years of playing I never touched a Bigsby until this one and, I like it very much. I have not had any problems with tuning. With a new guitar the strings must be stretched and, retuned a few times or there will be tuning problems as the same with restringing. Also lube the string slots in the nut and bridge and, that goes for any guitar with a vibrato. I usually use a No2 lead pencil and, run it in the grooves that's it. This is a semi hollow guitar but, it comes very close to being hollow as in the picture I've posted. That's why this guitar has the sound that it does. I've played it through every amp that I have, Fender Twin Reverb to a small practice amp and, it sounds Great through every one. The electronics are a little different but, it doesn't take long to get used to it. I'm always up for a challenge anyway. I am very pleased with this guitar as I was with the blue one but, red is my color. I would highly recommend this guitar to anybody looking for that something different in a guitar as I was. I have noticed that P90's are showing up more and, more with artists on TV, videos and, in magazines, must be a reason! Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised.terrygh

This is really a Great guitar. I was looking for something different, something that I didn't have. A semi hollow with P90's and a Bigsby and, a beautiful color! I had to do a little setup, the normal stuff I always do with any guitar that I own, action, a litttle truss rod tweak, slight adjustment of pickup screws, intonation was perfect, stretched the new strings a few times with retuning and, that was it. Play time! The only way I could get this guitar out of tune was to work at it. Normal playing with string bending and subtle use of the Bigsby which is the way it was meant to be used yeilded Great results and, no tuning issues. The Bigsby is meant to be used like the vibrato on the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar (subtle) If you're a divebomber with a vibrato get something with a Floyd Rose and, go from there. The P90's definately have a different sound than Humbuckers that's what makes them what they are. If you experience a hum or 60 cycle buzz, be sure your amp is plugged into a grounded receptacle, It does make a difference. Nice feel, Good balance, Vintage sound, these Royale Wildkats are superior made guitars. Highly recommend one if you're looking for that something different guitar. The pic that I posted looks Great but, in person it's stunning!terrygh

Based on the CONS people have listed here, after 55 years of playing everything from Folk to Country to Praise and Worship on everything from my first 'cross-the-border, nylon-string classical to the Big Boys' Strats and my big-bowl 1976 Balladeer, I guess I must still be tone deaf and have no feel for an instrument because I liked this guitar from the moment I saw it, felt it, played it, and heard it. Not being the most expensive guitar on the rack, I did not expect it to be perfect. But, I have been greatly and very positively surprised at how close it is to meeting my every criteria. I have a full-size hollow body that cost me a bunch more and the tone variation from Neck PUP to Bridge PUP on the Wildkat is so much better! The volume balance between the PUPs is spot on. However, I purposely did not buy the Bigsby-equipped model: not because of expected tuning issues but because I like a clean appearance and the Bigsby really loads this little guy up! And, replace the P90s with 'buckers? Wow, I bought the Wildkat SPECIFICALLY for the P90s! Seems there is no explaining differences in taste. I applaud you all for your own musical and tonal discernment and for your comments! My summary? If you are looking for a fun guitar with great sound, this is your baby!Brother Lou

I purchased the blue royale model and, there is a review for that one. Super Guitar but, the blue just didn't do it for me so I ended up selling it to a guy that loved the blue color and, he was in heaven and, he a got a nice instrument. It wasn't but a short time and, I started missing the whole guitar except the blue color so I got the wine red Wildkat, I guess I'm kind of a red guy because I have several guitars in shades of red. This wine red color is stunning and, all the chrome hardware is a perfect match. I also have a Riviera in wine red but, it has gold hardware and, this guitar is a thing of beauty in looks and sound but, lets get back to the Wildkat. The semi hollow with the P90's is what sold me in the first place. The Bigsby vibrato is very cool, in all my years of playing I never touched a Bigsby until this one and, I like it very much. I have not had any problems with tuning. With a new guitar the strings must be stretched and, retuned a few times or there will be tuning problems as the same with restringing. Also lube the string slots in the nut and bridge and, that goes for any guitar with a vibrato. I usually use a No2 lead pencil and, run it in the grooves that's it. This is a semi hollow guitar but, it comes very close to being hollow as in the picture I've posted. That's why this guitar has the sound that it does. I've played it through every amp that I have, Fender Twin Reverb to a small practice amp and, it sounds Great through every one. The electronics are a little different but, it doesn't take long to get used to it. I'm always up for a challenge anyway. I am very pleased with this guitar as I was with the blue one but, red is my color. I would highly recommend this guitar to anybody looking for that something different in a guitar as I was. I have noticed that P90's are showing up more and, more with artists on TV, videos and, in magazines, must be a reason! Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised.terrygh

This is really a Great guitar. I was looking for something different, something that I didn't have. A semi hollow with P90's and a Bigsby and, a beautiful color! I had to do a little setup, the normal stuff I always do with any guitar that I own, action, a litttle truss rod tweak, slight adjustment of pickup screws, intonation was perfect, stretched the new strings a few times with retuning and, that was it. Play time! The only way I could get this guitar out of tune was to work at it. Normal playing with string bending and subtle use of the Bigsby which is the way it was meant to be used yeilded Great results and, no tuning issues. The Bigsby is meant to be used like the vibrato on the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar (subtle) If you're a divebomber with a vibrato get something with a Floyd Rose and, go from there. The P90's definately have a different sound than Humbuckers that's what makes them what they are. If you experience a hum or 60 cycle buzz, be sure your amp is plugged into a grounded receptacle, It does make a difference. Nice feel, Good balance, Vintage sound, these Royale Wildkats are superior made guitars. Highly recommend one if you're looking for that something different guitar. The pic that I posted looks Great but, in person it's stunning!terrygh

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

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

Overall: Gone are the days of buying an Epiphone for the bones and upgrading everything.Out of the box, the bass side action was pretty high. 3 turns of a screw driver and a retune and it's perfection.Sweet, sustaining tones. The neck pickup is thick and rich, the bridge pickup bites with nice midrange.I have the Iced Tea finish and it is flawless.It's pretty loud, acoustically as well.The fingerboard is a nice, even, dark chocolatey color. There are no sharp frets, and the frets themselves are smooth and there's no grittiness when you bend a string.The tuners feel like quality.the right amount of resistance when you turn the key,.very smooth tuning.This guitar holds tune amazingly well. The nut is cut very, very well. I just spent an hour bending the hell out of notes and it's still perfectly in tune.Even the strings that come with It are decent.If this was my only guitar (it's not, I own over 20 lol), I would be happy.If you've got less than $600 to spend and you want a high quality guitar, this is the one.Now, can it be made better with some upgrades?Maybe. We shall see. It's very easy to swap out the tailpiece for a lightweight aluminum one, the studs for locking steel studs, and the inserts for steel inserts. You can even find brass saddles that fit this bridge perfectly if you know where to look, as well as steel thumbwheel posts. Throw on some locking tuners while you've got it apart, and Bob's yer auntie.This one is a keeper. And with a 12 month payment plan? I'd only have to sell plasma twice a month to pay for it!Cody

Epiphone did a good job of recreating the classic semi-hollow body, but it isn't perfect. To start, it's very heavy. The neck and giant head (while very cool) causes significant "nose dive". I find myself pulling it up way more often then I would like. My second con is the pickups. They are good but break up a little too early for me. But, other than those two things it's an awesome guitar. The features like the binding on the neck, a burst finish, and inlays all over make it beautiful to look at and feel on the hands. You would pay big money for a Gibson with the same level of features. Build quality on mine is fine, binding edges are crisp, frets are level, wiring seems to be assembled well. I'm putting a better set of strings on mine (no idea what comes on it but I hate it) and smile every time I pick it up.James

As with most people, I'm hesitant to buy guitars sight unseen through the mail. But with the current state of the world, that's becoming more and more the norm. Luckily the guitar arrived in absolutely perfect condition and set up nicely. The Red is really deep and rich. I know it's cliche, but the pictures really don't do it justice. I've been on a quest all these years for a guitar with a neck that properly fits my small hands and extremely short thumbs (nearly impossible to roll my thumb over the top of the neck ala Hendrix). I was torn between the Sheraton and the Casino, but decided on the Sheraton. When the next 48 month 0% promotion rolls around I may get the Casino as well. The tone of the Sheraton is very surprising for this price range. I also own a Clapton Strat (almost 3 times the price), and I absolutely enjoy the sound of the Sheraton more, as hard as that might be to believe. Obviously that is subjective. However, the place the Sheraton really shines for me is the neck! It fits my hands better than any other guitar I've ever played. Rolling my thumb over the top still isn't an easy proposition, but at least it's in reach (no pun intended), and with some practice I'll eventually get there. On the Strat it was impossible. I mainly play on the neck pickup, and it has a nice creamy, warm sound combined with my Blues Deluxe Reissue. I've never owned a 335 type guitar, as I always thought they were for jazz, but this guitar is very versatile. It's still a crapshoot with ordering through the mail, but I highly recommend the Sheraton if you (like me) can't afford a Gibson.Patrick B

Overall: Ive had this guitar a little over 24 hours now and cant put it down!! I got the blemished wine red model and the only blemish it had was a smidge of paint got on the binding where it meets the neck, i mean you had to really look close to see it and zZounds being the grandslam hitters that they are knocked 100 bucks off the price!!!I recieved it in a 1 1/2 days ( doesnt get any faster than that) and straight out of the box the action was perfect the intonation was spot on! The D string was maybe a cent out of tune. The guitar in wine red with the gold hardware is visually stunning, build quality you ask? Its built like a tank from the grover tuners, bone nut, loctone bridge and tail piece with a 3 way toggle you can litterally abuse and the probuckers sound amaZzing in full humbucker and coil split. This is a 1,000 + quitar with an intermediate price tag! Got to take a minute to shout out to the guys and gals at zZounds this is the third guitar that ive bought from them and they just keep knockin it out of the park!!! I will never shop for a guitar any where else you guys are first ballad hall of famers all the way!!! If your sick of the used car salesman approach and being followed around the lot, zZounds is the answer, they are the most professional ive ever dealt with period. Whem the extura prophesy in purple burst gets in stock, put one back for me, that is my next purchaseTommy

Overall: I've been a guitarist since the late 80's, but I no longer play professionally, but I do play at home a lot. I've sold off most of my Gibsons (I held on to my '19 Les Paul Traditional) and I'm having a blast with these new Epi models. Everyone is raving about the Standard and the '59 models, and rightfully so. I own both, as well as a new Custom Silverburst and they're all great. This Classic is no exception. It actually arrived needing the least amount of setup work of all the others. The Alnico Classic Pros are brighter and a bit hotter than the Probuckers, but they're not at all harsh. The electronics work as expected, the neck pickup sounds sweet when split and the Phase feature sounds good with some moderate gain. The nut was cut extremely well and the frets don't need really much dressing. The neck is a little slimmer than what I'm used to, but it's easy adapting. The fretboard is a bit dry, but that's normal. Actually, these new Epiphone models all arrived in better condition than most of my Gibsons did in the past. The new Epiphone models are players guitars. Not wall art or collector's (cork sniffers) guitars, I wouldn't hesitate to take any of them to a gig and have fun with them. That's the whole point, right? I just wish they had made import guitars of this quality when I first started playing.Uriah

Out of the box and tuned, this guitar was completely unplayable with the neck so bent that pressing the strings at anywhere beyond the 8th fret fouled the frets higher up the neck, this also meant the action (measured at the 12th fret) was over 6mm. Fortunately I’ve a good understanding of how to set-up a guitar so adjusted the neck to have minimal relief with the truss rod – as a point of interest there was no truss rod allen key in the box, so just as well that I have my own tools. Once the action was set to my preferred settings (and by no means not as low as many like it) I had loads of fret buzz all over the place. So resetting the neck flat and using a ‘fret rocker’ I found 17 of the 22 frets (at various points across the neck) in need of remedial work to get them level. However as the guitar was new I decided initially to just add a bit more neck relief & set the action a shade higher, while I decided if I should just send it back or spending some hours sorting the frets in the near future? There are some positive points! I really liked the ‘worn’ (satin) finish although I feel there should have been a higher discount over the gloss finished versions as this must have saved loads of time during the finishing process. The Alnico Classic PRO pickups sound powerful with loads of variation between the neck and bridge and support coil-splitting. With the coils split option, with push/pull volume pots, there is (as expected) a significant drop in output but they do sound good, verging on P90 territory, rather than Strat/Tele sound ‘alikes’. One of the areas that lower cost guitars usually fail on is the quality of the tuners, here they have fitted Grover Rotomatics with an 18:1 ratio. They are smooth and easy to operate with the large kidney button heads, holding tune very well. The nut, a Graph Tech, was superbly cut, but unfortunately this was completely wasted with the poor quality of fret levelling from the factory as several of the strings would buzz when played open when set at a reasonably low action! The trapezoid neck inlays are very well fitted and although acrylic, do a very good impersonation of mother of pearl. Visually the guitar look stunning with its unusual colour and matt (worn) finish, but I do find the inclusion of gold knobs a bit of a clash with the all Nickel hardware and at the back cream control plate covers just don’t look right and should have been black. But both of these last two issues are a really cheap to resolve at about £12 for both black cover plates and 4 clear knobs. Overall both positives & negatives to consider and if I’d been unable to adjust the guitar myself, there would have been no option but to just send it back for a refund/replacement (hence 3 stars which I think is quite generous) as it is I’ll be keeping this. If I could have bought this locally it would have been great to try before I bought, but my local Epiphone dealer (90 mile round trip) didn’t have any in stock and was unlikely to get one, so I went the mail order route. The guitar is now playing well and will be even better when I get the time to sort out the frets and put a set of 9-42 gauge strings on.Paul

This guitar is absolutely stunning. At about $450 the Epiphone Les Paul Special certainly hits its price point without question. This is the 2nd time I bought this guitar, but I couldn't resist buying this again. I'll start with the cons first, that I noticed applied to both Special's I've owned.. The poly finish is thick. The combination of the "tv yellow" color and the thick polyurethane sort of gives a toy like feeling, or a bit of a cheapness to it.. Speaking of "tv yellow," it's really more of a Dijon mustard/ Carmel color. I don't think that's a bad thing or ugly by any means, but as other reviewers may have stated, the Epiphone isn't quite as accurate to its high end counterpart. The pickup routes and control cavity were also a little bit choppy, but that's just nit picking. If you buy this guitar, you will most likely need a setup. 2nd time around, I knew that going in but both guitars I bought needed set ups. That being said, this guitar is awesome. Surprisingly the laurel fingerboard was really smooth and moist. I do not sense bad or tall frets, but are scratchy at first. The P90 pros are so good. The CTS pots are so dynamic. The volume and tone sweeps combined with these P90 pros are so dynamic and touch sensitive, that they can hang with the best of em. The guitar resonates so well and plays both clean and crunchy top notch. Punchy and warm…Absolute quality electronics. I haven't found a bad tone in any position. If your used to playing your guitars with everything at 10, this guitar with inspire you to play around with all the tonal possibilities by simply rolling in & out your pots. The neck on this is fat, and so nice but not absurd. I highly recommend it. For the price, you can't go wrong and will love the tones, just plan on getting a setup and you will absolutely love this guitar.Zac F

I have always wanted a 335, but did not like the larger size. I saw this 339 and stepped up and bought it home. Had to wait 6 weeks, but was it ever worth it. This is the best guitar I have ever played or been around. Cannot make my mind up if it plays better than it looks, or if it looks better then it sounds. It came set up really well, intonation and all. All I had to do was tune it and go. Cannot find one flaw in the paint, assembly or anything wrong at all. It rings so true, holds a note and there is a major difference when selecting either pickup or both, and the tone and volume controls lets you have an infinite setting control on tone and volume. Set the bridge to really ring out and the neck one a little muddy and together it is killer, but can flip the switch and brighten a solo up good. An absolute joy to play. Just strike your favorite chord and let it ring…beautiful fun. I was worried about the neck thickness, but it is a non issue. Easy to chord, simple to fret in any way you please. I cannot express just how happy I am with this guitar. Michael at musicians friend was a great help in every way getting it here.Keith

Very comfortable to hold and play, with a slightly chunky neck which is my preference. Combines the best aspects of 335s and Les Pauls. It's also heavier than I thought it would be (again for me a good thing, I don't like feather-light guitars) I was expecting SG weights and annoying neck dive. As suggested already it seems to sound somewhere between a full-sized 335 type and a solid body, which again isn't much of a surprise. Seems to have more twang than my LP which is good for my taste, which is more soul and funk. The finish is also perfect, though slightly different to the one advertised at the time of purchase. The neck fades into a natural varnish rather than the all-black paint. Also the sides are solid natural varnish rather than the fading between black and natural effect.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Mine is a sunburst 2013 made in China. Maybe I got lucky, but mine plays and sounds great, and the fit and finish is excellent. This is a not a premium guitar. This shows primarily in the fretwork, which look a little rough, but other than one slightly high fret, no issues. The paint job on mine is fine, the tuners are solid (Grovers) and the pickups sound great. The coil tapped sounds are a bit weak, but that's usually the case in my experience. I see a lot of complaints about the pickups being angled – this is a problem on all ES guitars – even Gibsons. There are various ways to resolve this, if it's an issue for you. I was going to do something about it, but then realized that I don't really care. I like how it sounds – I lowered the pickups away from the strings until they were balanced – but if it becomes an issue in the future I'll figure out what to do. I really like the 339 size. It's comfortable and really fun to play. I had to raise the action to make it to my liking. The neck is a nice D shape, I like chunky necks and this is good enough, there's a reasonable amount of heft to it, but it's not huge by any means. Any mass produced guitar will have duds. It's unfortunate that some people have had negative experiences with these. I also own an Epiphone Hummingbird – a guitar which I love, but I had to have the saddle relocated by about 1/8" so that it would intonate properly. Not ideal, but now it's right and that guitar will outlive me.Mr. AF

Bought the ES 339 online in early April. My initial impression after playing it for a day was that it is a great guitar for the price. The only negative I found was that the frets were a bit 'rough', but they seemed to smooth up as I played so I wasn't too concerned. After spending almost a month playing this guitar I have to say I am less impressed now than I was initially. There have been a few small issues, some of which you might expect in a lower end guitar, but I was hoping this one would be the exception. First, the little Epiphone emblem on the pickguard started peeling up within a few days of getting the guitar. No big deal, it doesn't really ad anything so I just peeled it the rest of the way off. But still, this is a brand new guitar. Then, while changing strings the second time (did I mention I've played this quite a bit?) I noticed the tuner for the high E string was becoming harder to turn than the others. It still turned, but the difference was noticeable. I emailed tech support to ask about it, and the tech suggested I try loosening the tension screw, and if that didn't work he would send me a replacement (I can do many guitar repairs myself, so was going to return it just to replace a machine head). I couldn't find what he was talking about, but did remove the tuner and gave it a good oiling, which seemed to resolve the problem. Now the E string tends to go out of tune more often, but that could be because I unwound/rewound the string, so I'm not ready to call that a failure yet. Now, just in the past few days, I've started noticing the pickup selector switch is making an 'static' noise when switching pickups… Again, none of these are huge problems, but taken together point to a bit of lack of quality IMO. Maybe I was just expecting too much from a sub – 500 guitar. As it is, I will hang on to it, fix the things that need fixing, and use it when a want a nice, clean sounding guitar.ERinVA

I love this guitar. It is probably the best for-the-money guitar deal I ever came across. One minor flaw is that I can sometimes detect a little scratchy sound when I flip the selector switch. Very subtle but it's there about half the time. Other than that, it looks, feels, and sounds like the finely crafted instrument it is. No sharp fret ends, the pickups are loud and evenly matched, with plenty of tone variation available. I bought the cherry red finish, which is much more appealing than the photos tend to show. The color is rich and deep, and the wood grain shows through beautifully. Most photos I have seen on-line tend to make the guitar look solid red and plain. It isn't. I'm by no means a tech so I won't even try to get into the finer points of measurements and intonation. I bought mine at Guitar Center so I was spared any out-of-the-box surprises. It stays in tune all the way up the neck, where I spend a lot of time. High-ish action doesn't bother me, though some may like it a little lower than mine came with. The 339 P90 has it's own character and delivers that hot P90 growl I thought I would have to buy a classic SG to find. A side by side comparison to my CV Tele found the pickups to be louder and, unlike the bucker version, perfectly balanced. Best of all, I found that setting the pickup selector to the center position and rolling to tone knobs to their midpoints I could get the pleasing mellow chord tones I wanted from a semi-hollow. Would a legit jazz player agree? Probably not, but I'm satisfied. I would prefer a 50s style neck, or the asymetrical neck offered on the LP Tribute, but this one is comfortable enough and, for the money, I know I made the right choice.William

Value: This guitar and others in the Epiphone line at this price point to $100 more are excellent value for money. If you need a set up and want to replace something, you still come out well under the price of the Gibson equivalent. The Wow Factor: It's different. It has character. It's sexy in It's own way. Just like me, haha 😉 Overall: It's been long years since I had an Explorer, mostly playing acoustics and Teles for a long time. I wanted humbuckers and a flatter fretboard than what Fender typically supplies, so I tried just about every Gibson and Epiphone model I could get my hands on. There were some contenders: LPs, 335s/Sheratons, even SGs which I never really cared for but was pleasantly surprised. None really felt comfortable to hold or play, all other factors being equal. Nostalgia called me back to the Explorer. It's big, drips with character and attitude, and is so easy to play sitting down or standing. If Gibson had a korina-bodied reissue model, I would have gone with that. The Olive Drab Green stood out to me, not positively at first, but I kept coming back to it. At this price, I could afford to upgrade everything from pickups to tuners for less than the price of a Gibson model. So, I pulled the trigger with zZounds because of their payment plan and great customer service.That being said, I had a few QC issues with the first one zZounds sent. It was shipped only in the box Epiphone packages them in, which got squished and shorted out the selector switch, and the neck was VERY bendy, like rubber spaghetti. zZounds was very cool about everything and I got a replacement in short order. It came with a box around the Epiphonr box, everything worked, and the neck was much more stable. It had some minor fret sprout in the upper frets, but that was the only issue.The guitar itself plays great, and the ProBucker pickups really push my amps. The bridge pickup is especially nice, but I plan on replacing them down the line with something with more clarity and definition like I've grown accustomed to from playing twangy Telecasters for so long. The ProBuckers are NOT muddy, dull cheap pickups like you would expect from an affordable sister company. The neck is probably the least articulate, even for a neck pickup, but it can still put out some great tones when pedals and amps are dialed in. Suitable for rhythm parts. Middle position is probably my go to, with the neck rolled back to 6-7, the bridge at 8-9, and tone at full tilt. The bridge pickup is excellent at driving leads and solos with the tone at 7-8 or at maximum. My first non-maple or ebony fretboard, I was well pleased with the Indian laurel. A bit of lemon oil conditioning was needed to bring it from Sahara dry to non-gritty playability. A couple of frets need some polishing to bring back in line, but nothing makes it unplayable. Just a little TLC and refinement, like any new guitar, and you're ready to rock and roll. So to speak. About versatility, the Explorer is a dark horse. Decades of hard rock and metal guitarists using them gives them a stigma, but they can play anything from blues and jazz to rock to metal if you fiddle with the knobs and get your pedals and amps dialed in correctly. My tastes are eclectic, and I wouldn't have bought or kept this guitar if I couldn't get the sounds I wanted out of it. Things I would like to see: push-pull coil splitting, a quieter selector switch, regular pickup soldering instead of quick connects, and a better-cared-for/out-of-the-box fretboard. Honestly, it was dry enough to be used for kindling.What I really liked: playability, fit of parts, very decent ProBucker pickups, Tusq nut, and the color. The Olive Drab Green gives a military/Cold War vibe that I love, and the poly finish is going to be able to handle years of my clumsiness and abuse and still look good. Say what you will about poly finishes, but they will survive the nuclear apocalypse.Jefferson

I bought this guitar 8 months ago and now have run it thru it’s paces. What a great instrument this is. I compared my Epiphone to my Gibson Explorer and honestly the sound on the Epi is right there. My Gibson is mahogany as opposed to the Limba on the Epi but the Epi still holds its own. The Epiphone is lighter and has a sweet, solid attack with a rich mid range that sings. The neck is super straight, the fit and finish is beautiful and hardware is great. The pickups are very sweet however I replaced mine with Pro Buckers to darken the sound slightly. The original pickups are great but with my rig I like the darker Alnico 2 sound. In my opinion the difference between the Pro Bucker and Classic pickups are the magnets. Not a lot of difference in output. Other changes I made were a white pick guard, CTS pots and bumblebee capacitors but upgrading these guitars is the best part. Stock it’s fantastic and adding a few new parts is just a joy ride. I consider this guitar completely ready for professional performances all the way.Roger

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 wanted the Extura Prophecy when it first came out, unfortunately like many of us reading this, it was pretty hard to come by. So I joined the waiting list on 4 different music store websites and AMS got them first, but I bought a Schecter E-1 SLS while on the waiting list. I own a barrage of Explorer style and an actual Explorer. The Extura's action is set-up a lot like my 1983 is. The bridge and action is set higher than most typical Epiphones, but plays very easily. It has the '59 style LP fat neck, which I prefer, the older I get the less picky I am I guess, but a great comparison to it would be the Epiphone Les Paul Custom, whereas the Schecter has a fast neck, and lower action kind of like the Peavey Rotor EXP Vandenberg. As far as weights between the two they are almost identical. Now the sore subject for most connoisseurs, the Fishmans Fluence Pick-ups. I did not know what to expect of them until my Schecter arrived. When paired with my HeadRush Pedalboard it produces amazing tones and sustains. I've had the Twin for at least 6 months, another item I purchased from AMS, and I am still learning what they can do. It literally goes from the Ibanez Destroyer DTT700 DiMarzio D Activator-X distorted signal to the cloth pushback neck pickup of a Fender Strat, and everything in between. Both guitars have them, and I really recommend them. The Extura's pick-ups sound exceptionally bright, and the string to pickup height is not at the typical 5/64th's of an inch. It takes a little getting used to, but if you ever owned or played a Bronze series B.C. Rich in the mid to late 80's you know exactly what I am talking about, it's the same feel. Right now I have been playing the Extura extensively until I can figure out what I hate about it, and I go and buy my next adventure. So far it's been 95% positive, the electronics were a little wonky at first, right out of the box (it was 13°F when the guitar arrived and it sat in the box to come up to temperature for 24 hours before I even unpacked it), but as I worked the toggle switch, everything appears fine. When I get it on stage will be the true test, the heat of the lights, and my super acidic sweat will determine how it fairs, I literally change strings after every show, but as I said it will be the true test. Oh, is it the Schecter E-1 SLS Evil Twin Killer, no they are definitely two distinctly different animals, each with their own traits, but they sure do sound a lot a like.Brett

Satin neck is slick. Thats good. Pickup kickass except when i pull pots for Hot p90 single coil they have huge, swailing feedback through my Katana 100 mkii. Could be fun but i recoiled instantly from horror and pushed the pot back in. P90 like pickup Fishman Fluence could be a flaw. Need to try again when alone. The fret work is amazing. Flaws. The Tone pot is twisted on. It is fitted slightly crooked. Pots have a sensitive volume and tone swell. Beautiful- purple tiger flame satin paint is really nice. Dont regret. Five star. Fishman Fluence pickups are articulate and clean. Raunchy as well.Bloodyglove

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

First off, I'm a heavy metal guy who wanted a shred able guitar with the classic and vintage aesthetics. Let me say straight forward, this is not a budget guitar. And I've been playing guitar for 15 years.
Every batch is like a drawing, they vary by guitar as no two guitars are 100 percent identical, down to the craftmanship. I got a great example of what it should be from zZsounds in the emerald green color. This is definitely the guitar that would make a special model by Epiphone in terms of the contrast between the typical les paul and sg guitars. It appears to have brass frets, I'm not exactly sure, but they have a gold hue. Not a single sharp edge sticks out from the frets. The playing is very sensitive and requires adjusting to if you've been playing on cheap guitars. To many 660$ taxes included is considered a budget guitar, and to many it is not. Definitely not to me. Has full sized pots, not the cheap alpha pots. The 2020 – 2022 models have an new improved bone nut versus the original "Nu Bone". it has 3 push pulls, and a 3 way toggle switch, this is a prefect guitar to record with and nail the tone you need in a mix, or to layer guitars. Pickups are based on the early Gibson burst buckers. Well, I shall say they are burst buckers, just manufactured over seas instead of the USA. A total of 15 tone combinations can be achieved with this guitar alone. While it comes with a limited lifetime warranty through Gibson, yes you read that correctly. It also comes with a set of Epiphone strap locks. The cut away is a little shallow if you got large hands, but the playability and beauty will easily forgive that. Its a good value for your money. Grab one, because they may be pulling this away soon, since it is an older model 2017 ish. This is my second Epiphone, after buying my Traditional Pro IV in Worn Classic Blue Burst, I was hungry for more.Virulent Resurgence

I ordered the Mojave Fade on a Saturday and had it the following Wednesday. Plugged into the amp and was impressed with the low action and no buzzing. I actually put the guitar down for a sec without turning down the volume and no noise whatsoever was coming from the amp. The electronics are great, I'm digging these probuckers. The neck fits me just right. The beauty of the Mojave Fade is even better up close. Definitely a keeper. Only problem I had was the case that was recommended for it doesn't fit the guitar. They recommend the Les Paul case, but the upper horn wouldn't fit when it was in straight in the center. To fit I had to push the headstock to the edge of the case so the upper horn could go inside and even the the strap holder was on the inside edge of the case not in the protective padding of the case. I had to return it and customer service was great about it. The rep was a guitar player as well and he quite understood what I was talking about. The right case for this is a Gemini case, which I was informed that they don't carry. I should have researched the case a little better, so lesson learned. But that does not stop me from enjoying the guitar and appreciating the great great customer service. This is my first experience with AMS, definitely will be doing more business in the future. I recommend these guys and this guitar model to anyone.Thanks.Victor H.

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 keep playing, buying, selling, looking for MY guitar. High cost, low cost, Epi, Fender, Gretsch, Spear, Ovation, Martin, Tak. I keep listening and trying. More than reputation, I want TONE. I'm a P90 guy because P90s sing loud and clear – no rumble. So, I bought this Wildkat – P90s, sound, looks, finish, feel, balance. I love it. The volume pots amplify all the way down to "1" which many guitars cannot boast. This may be the guitar I have been searching for. Give me time. We shall see.Lou

A friend of mine bought one of theses and loves it. So I decided to buy one. I got the Gold finish and could not be happier. The set up out of the box was pretty good, the strings being a bit low for my tastes but nice. It has a nice round sound with no fret buzz at all. I played it through different amps and it comes alive through my Marshall. It also sounds really good with the Boss GT-8. This one is a keeper. Don't let the low price fool you, this is a great guitar. Way to go Epi.Fender man

To start, I've been playing guitar for over 26 years & own over 20 guitars. In that time I've played a lot of axes and periodically will add a new one to the collection. I had my eye on this one for quite a while, but the model with the Bigsby was just not for me. (I wasn't interested in the trouble I have with my Gretsch always going out of tune with the Bigsby) So when I saw this one, I knew I needed to try it out. I went to GC & bought this guitar about 6 months ago. The appearance is beautiful. The hardware & guitar body is of excellent quality. (You can feel that it is a quality guitar when you're handling it) The neck is wide, but I like that feel. The things that may be a matter of preference would be the following: (1) The weight of the guitar….it is a quality guitar that makes it a bit heavier than your average axe. (2) The hollow body sound: I personally think it sounds great, but then again, not everyone may agree. (3) The pick-ups. These babies are awesome!! I love them!! Definitely not your dual humbucker or SSS sound. These things are in a league of their own. Again, this may not be to everyone's liking. Conclusion? Great all around guitar at an exceptionally low price. If you've been admiring this beauty from afar, get in to try one out. If you appreciate good classic tone, you'll love this instrument.FreakyBro

Overall: Gone are the days of buying an Epiphone for the bones and upgrading everything.Out of the box, the bass side action was pretty high. 3 turns of a screw driver and a retune and it's perfection.Sweet, sustaining tones. The neck pickup is thick and rich, the bridge pickup bites with nice midrange.I have the Iced Tea finish and it is flawless.It's pretty loud, acoustically as well.The fingerboard is a nice, even, dark chocolatey color. There are no sharp frets, and the frets themselves are smooth and there's no grittiness when you bend a string.The tuners feel like quality.the right amount of resistance when you turn the key,.very smooth tuning.This guitar holds tune amazingly well. The nut is cut very, very well. I just spent an hour bending the hell out of notes and it's still perfectly in tune.Even the strings that come with It are decent.If this was my only guitar (it's not, I own over 20 lol), I would be happy.If you've got less than $600 to spend and you want a high quality guitar, this is the one.Now, can it be made better with some upgrades?Maybe. We shall see. It's very easy to swap out the tailpiece for a lightweight aluminum one, the studs for locking steel studs, and the inserts for steel inserts. You can even find brass saddles that fit this bridge perfectly if you know where to look, as well as steel thumbwheel posts. Throw on some locking tuners while you've got it apart, and Bob's yer auntie.This one is a keeper. And with a 12 month payment plan? I'd only have to sell plasma twice a month to pay for it!Cody

I keep playing, buying, selling, looking for MY guitar. High cost, low cost, Epi, Fender, Gretsch, Spear, Ovation, Martin, Tak. I keep listening and trying. More than reputation, I want TONE. I'm a P90 guy because P90s sing loud and clear – no rumble. So, I bought this Wildkat – P90s, sound, looks, finish, feel, balance. I love it. The volume pots amplify all the way down to "1" which many guitars cannot boast. This may be the guitar I have been searching for. Give me time. We shall see.Lou

A friend of mine bought one of theses and loves it. So I decided to buy one. I got the Gold finish and could not be happier. The set up out of the box was pretty good, the strings being a bit low for my tastes but nice. It has a nice round sound with no fret buzz at all. I played it through different amps and it comes alive through my Marshall. It also sounds really good with the Boss GT-8. This one is a keeper. Don't let the low price fool you, this is a great guitar. Way to go Epi.Fender man

To start, I've been playing guitar for over 26 years & own over 20 guitars. In that time I've played a lot of axes and periodically will add a new one to the collection. I had my eye on this one for quite a while, but the model with the Bigsby was just not for me. (I wasn't interested in the trouble I have with my Gretsch always going out of tune with the Bigsby) So when I saw this one, I knew I needed to try it out. I went to GC & bought this guitar about 6 months ago. The appearance is beautiful. The hardware & guitar body is of excellent quality. (You can feel that it is a quality guitar when you're handling it) The neck is wide, but I like that feel. The things that may be a matter of preference would be the following: (1) The weight of the guitar….it is a quality guitar that makes it a bit heavier than your average axe. (2) The hollow body sound: I personally think it sounds great, but then again, not everyone may agree. (3) The pick-ups. These babies are awesome!! I love them!! Definitely not your dual humbucker or SSS sound. These things are in a league of their own. Again, this may not be to everyone's liking. Conclusion? Great all around guitar at an exceptionally low price. If you've been admiring this beauty from afar, get in to try one out. If you appreciate good classic tone, you'll love this instrument.FreakyBro

This is one incredibly good sounding, well built beautiful guitar. Besides sounding great and looking phenomenally good, it was seriously well put together. Not a single screw or bolt was loose, neck was straight and the binding is stunning. In short, this is one fantastic guitar and a insane value for the cost. A HUGE bang for the buck.Dean

Great guitar for the price and superb service. Arrived in perfet condition, with all necessary accessories, on my selected day for delivery. Great set up attention by the PMT team.Philip L.