Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Modular1 on January 16, 2009, 10:38:20 PM
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Whats the quality of em like? how do you rate them? i was thinking of getting one of the vintage faded ones and sticking some riff raffs in it. would this be a worthwhile endeavor?
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a lot like them.. (especially on the harmony central forums) but i really dont.. id use the cash on something different, for an epi SG arn't you asking about £300?? and the BK set £200... for £500 id go for a jap fender strat for that price, then you have an awsome guitar and not just some awsome pickups.
Maybe (http://www.fareastguitars.co.uk/usedtl7.htm) or This (http://www.fareastguitars.co.uk/usedgr4.htm), just 2 suggestions.
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Not very helpful Mr Spitfire - the man clearly wants an SG! :)
I gig an Epi. It's been pimped up quite heavily, in fact almost completely! As standard they're OK, but with a bit of work they're very good indeed. Mine has Riff Raffs and it's very "Angus", which is OK because that's what I was after ;)
A used faded model, with a set of Riff Raffs, would make a good value for money choice. A slightly more expensive option would be to get a Japanese Tokai SG, which you may prefer. You should try a few different brands/models out and see what you think.
(http://www.ycdc.co.uk/IMG_1933.jpg)
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Not very helpful Mr Spitfire - the man clearly wants an SG! :)
I gig an Epi. It's been pimped up quite heavily, in fact almost completely! As standard they're OK, but with a bit of work they're very good indeed. Mine has Riff Raffs and it's very "Angus", which is OK because that's what I was after ;)
A used faded model, with a set of Riff Raffs, would make a good value for money choice. A slightly more expensive option would be to get a Japanese Tokai SG, which you may prefer. You should try a few different brands/models out and see what you think.
yea i play a tokai sg... but my point was to get something good instead of a low down epi.. which in my opinion is a waste of money
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Harsh words fella. Nowt wrong with a good Epi.
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ive had a few epis... i know a fair few ppl use them, i just cant see it.. not enjoyed playing one ever... so cant recommend them to anyone
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Ok, i can admit one epi tempts me, but i know NOTHING about bass's so maybe its an unwise choice..
(http://www2.gibson.com/getdoc/bbfc3c88-40dd-47b4-8da6-8fd01dd112ac/EBTPTBBH-Finish-Shot-jpg.aspx)
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Harsh words fella. Nowt wrong with a good Epi.
+1, mine is great. I think I prefer the Pearl to it now though, but it's not a bad guitar and still sounds better (probably just prefering humbuckers to p90s at the minute).
I have played some godawful ones though, but then again they've been badly treated and have never been set up so its clearly down to the owner and how they treat their guitars..
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I've had my epi sg for nearly 6 years now. it's got a pair of cold sweat in now but I only put them in about a year ago, whereas my other two humbucking guitars got bkps far sooner. if you get a decent one and have it set up properly then you'll have absolutely no problems with it whatsoever, and tbh paying £300 for the guitar and £200 for a pair of riff raffs is still much better value than paying ~£900 for a gibson which still might leave you wanting a set of bkps
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I used to have an epi sg korina, it looked cool and played quiet nicely but the build quiality wasn't great especially when you can get a decent ibanez for that kind of money
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I am in with the Epi love as well, My lp is great - although it has been completely pimped
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I had a vintage faded brown Epi SG. It was OK, but a bit "fake" if you get my meaning. The front and back were veneers, and it was neck heavy (unlike any of the many Gibson SG's I've had). The fretboard had been dyed.
The playability was ok, but there was a fair amount of buzzing, and it's likely it would have benefitted from fret dress. The pickups were actually very good.
All in all I felt a bit disappointed, and sold it. It was not as good in terms of feel as either of the 2 Epi LPs I've had, and nowhere near as good as TF's Epi SG.
It seemed good value, but in the same position again, I'd put the £180 (ish) towards something else. Maybe a Tokai SG?
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I have an old Epi SG that I used to gig with. It's got Riff Raffs in now, funnily enough. It does the job, but it needs some attention due to old age and overwork over the years.
However, if I was serious about playing an SG, like others I'd probably look at a Japanese Tokai to replace it instead. For me this is based on my Japanese Tokai Love Rock that has completely eclipsed my Epi LP, which was a better player than my Epi SG anyway...
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With you guys on the Epi love.
Get a decent secondhand one and then pimp it would be my opinion if you don't want to spend the extra dough on a Tokai (the Tokais are actually very good, but a bit more pricey). I still have my exceedingly old Epi SG although it is now completely in bits in the garage as part of a new project.
The worst thing in my experience with Epis are the electrics. The humbuckers are usually shocking (Gibson designed.........of course they are......Gibson created the original Humbucker. Doesn't mean the went anywhere near the Epi ones though) and the on board electrics are a liability.
Get a good secondhand Epi SG, stick in some 'Riff Raffs', rip out the wiring, and replace with CTS pots and a Switchcraft 3-way toggle and you'll have a gutiar that will last you for a number of years without giving you any grief.
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Plus the tokais are made of nato/agathis/basswood. Think the lower priced sgs are alder, and the g400s are mahogany.
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I've got a couple of them. My custom 3 pick up was my main gigging guitar for 2 or 3 years and is a great reliable rock guitar. Ive got another one that was my back up guitar that wasnt quite so great, but only cost me about £100.00!! Im not even sure where it is now!
The singer/rhythm guitarist in our band has an Epi Les Paul which is a great sounding/feeling/looking guitar-i'm quite jealous of it really :lol:.
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Plus the tokais are made of nato/agathis/basswood. Think the lower priced sgs are alder, and the g400s are mahogany.
the jap ones aren't.
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Keep a look out for a Japanese Epi SG with the proper Gibson shaped headstock. I haven't actually tried their SG model, but I have two LP Juniors and an LP Special and they're totally excellent.
They do crop up on eBay occasionally, although there don't seem to be any at the moment.
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/episgsml.jpg)
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Plus the tokais are made of nato/agathis/basswood. Think the lower priced sgs are alder, and the g400s are mahogany.
the jap ones aren't.
The ones in the same price bracket as epi sgs are.
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I had a vintage faded brown Epi SG. It was OK, but a bit "fake" if you get my meaning. The front and back were veneers,
funnily enough this was the model i was looking at. is the body not a solid piece of 'under-finished' wood then? i wanted to stay away from a glossy 'new' paint job
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I had a vintage faded brown Epi SG. It was OK, but a bit "fake" if you get my meaning. The front and back were veneers,
funnily enough this was the model i was looking at. is the body not a solid piece of 'under-finished' wood then? i wanted to stay away from a glossy 'new' paint job
No, they're a piece of who-knows-what, with two nicely figured (mahogany?) veneers. The finish isn't like the Gibbo ones, which is very thin, and is actually quite a thick layer of matt poly varnish. Not nice.
Like I said, I was disappointed.
If I was getting an SG, I would save up the extra for a Gibson Special. I've got 2 budget Gibsons (a swamp ash SG 3SC which cost me about £450, and my Vintage Mahogany LP Studio which was £480 with Burstbucker Pros and a hard case) and both are stonking guitars. Loads of character, and the real deal.
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I have the SG with meastro vibrola like the Angus Young Gibson, and I use as my main guitar, over my Squire fat strat and my peavey V-type. I definatly dont think its a bad guitar especially for £320ish. I payed the same for my peavey and its so shitee and tacky. Nice neck to play and it stayes in tune nicely.
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I have the SG with meastro vibrola like the Angus Young Gibson...
Me too ;)
(http://www.ycdc.co.uk/IMG_1932.jpg)
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I think its awesome!
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I hate my friend's Epiphone SG, it's just.. cr@p. I'm always tempted to give a Les Paul a go, but I can never find any to try.
As for Tokais, I decided to try one out but the sheer weight of the thing, I didn't want to even try and keep it on my lap.
Are Epiphone Les Pauls chambered? Or would I expect the same as the Tokai?
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Epiphone Les Pauls seem lighter to me, for no good reason. They may well have the swiss cheese rather than chambering, but more likely poor quality wood.
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My Epi LP, I found out, is made of basswood with a maple cap (and a thin "flame" veneer over it). I've had it for years, and gigged it with it's own pups - sounded very good.
I don't knock basswood myself, my JV Squier strat seems to do a fine job made of it, but when my Mules didn't seem to do what I expected in the Epi, I did end up wanting a mahogany beast.
I tried a few Epis, but none of them seemed to greatly outshine the one I own, and then I found and bought myself a Japanese Tokai Love Rock - that definitely does what I was expecting :D It is heavy-ish, yeah, but I'm not too good a judge on that - I like a solid plank hanging off the strap :lol: (I'm a strat player after all!)
I do have to say though, my basswood Epi LP has a FAR better accoustic tone than my old Epi SG that is apparently made out of mahogany - that one's always been prone to sounding "boxy" when amplified unless you put a lot of effort into the amp settings... I don't gig anymore, and so haven't run it through a real amp recently, but I suspect that it'll still have that "issue" even now its got Riff Raffs.
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Yeah my Epiphone LP Custom is a bit lighter than my Pearl, dont think theres much in it though really and they both sound fairly similar, the pearls just slightly thicker.
My mates Epiphone SG feels $%&#ing horrible but I have no problem with Epi Les Pauls for some reason.
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Whats the quality of em like? how do you rate them? i was thinking of getting one of the vintage faded ones and sticking some riff raffs in it. would this be a worthwhile endeavor?
Used to have a G400, it was great after I changed the pickups. But I no longer have it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v305/Bucketbot/Guitars/EpiG400.jpg)
My advice is try a few as they vary considerably. I only bought this as I picked it up in a shop & was surprised by the playability & feel of it!
Alternatively the low end Gibson SG's have come down quite a lot in price so why not consider that?
Depends on how much you plan to spend really.
The G400's are still around at bargain prices in some places as long as you like the 3 pickup look.