ESP Custom Sword Guitar
June 30, 2007 by Jo Minor · 2 Comments
ESP custom guitars come in all shapes and size, but this one beats them all - a sword-shaped electric guitar.
According to the Ebay listing:
It was custom made for the Alfee’s guitar player Takamizawa. This is an awesome one of a kind guitar. The Alfee is one of the biggest rock acts in Japan and Takamizawa is well known for his Angel and other Gothic themed guitars.
Notice the cool as hell wings on this baby!!! I have included some links to sites featuring his guitars etc. But look around on your own too!!I imagine whoever buys this will have been wanting something like this and know all about them already though.
These guitars usually can only be found at the ESP Craft House in Tokyo and they are NEVER for sale!
This sale / auction was over by the time I saw it. No idea if it’s still selling on Ebay, but you can try searching!
Cute Lil Squier Hello Kitty Mini Guitar
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
So you’ve got a little girl in the family who wants to be a rocker. Or maybe you’re just a punk who likes to make people notice you. The Squier Hello Kitty Mini guitar is a pink, girly electric guitar in the traditional shape of a Fender Stratocaster. In fact, you’d be surprised to find out this is really a rocking, good sounding axe. Don’t think of this as just a toy.
For a little company and product history, you have to start with Fender guitars. Leo Fender started the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company in 1946. The first electric guitar style they came up with was called the “Telecaster,” and it was quite popular. But when they realized that many guitarists wanted a tremelo, which the Telecaster lacked, they went to work on a new design.
As a result, in the early 1950’s, Fender and another instrument designer named Freddie Tavares came up with an electric guitar style that has become one of the most familiar and popular of all time. They called it the “Stratocaster.” The name was chosen to make people think of modern technology. It doesn’t ring a bell with us today - just sounds like a guitar! But at the time, the people were familiar with a jet aircraft called the “Stratofortress,” so the name Stratocaster sounded advanced and futuristic. One feature they added when designing the Stratocaster is that they carved the back of the body to make it fit against the player’s body better.
By the early 1980’s, other, cheaper companies had copied the Fender Strat so much that Fender’s sales were falling off. To combat this trend, the Fender Company acquired the Squier brand of guitars to use as a second line. Squier guitars are actually Fender guitars, but in a reduced price and made for students.
Hello Kitty is a registered trademark name of a popular cartoon character. The simple white cat face is loved by little girls everywhere.
Of course, all little girls also love the color pink. Some little girls want to grow up to be rockers, too. So the combination of all these facts led to the release of the Squier Hello Kitty electric guitar in 2005, and the Squier Hello Kitty Mini soon after in July, 2006. It’s really a low priced Fender Strat dressed up to appeal to your daughter. Sounds good through a Fender Blues Jr. amp.
Advantages: Reviewers say over and over that they were surprised buy the good sound and quality of this guitar. It’s a good guitar for shredding or playing rhythm and has a good “punky” sound. It’s really a good student guitar and has a better sound than most guitars designed for new players.
If you like the looks of this guitar, it’s an advantage. There are other pink guitars out there, but none of the others have the Hello Kitty insignia, and the shape of a Strat. In addition, you could choose to get the guitar in black. The Hello Kitty Mini is built on a little smaller scale than the basic Hello Kitty guitar, so those smaller hands can get some experience.
The three pickups will give your young rock mistress a chance to experiment with sounds and techniques.
The list price of the Squier Hello Kitty Mini electric guitar is only $248.99, making it extremely affordable as a first guitar. Considering the quality and sound, it is really a bargain. Most people who’ve bought it think it was worth the price and then some.
Disadvantages: This is a beginner’s guitar, and the small size will make it hard for a larger person to play. Squier also makes a plain, single-pickup Hello Kitty guitar for older teens and anyone else who wants to play a girly pink guitar.
Specs:
- Strat styled hardwood body
- Maple c-shaped neck with satin polyurethane finish
- Maple fingerboard with 9.5 inch Radius
- 20 medium frets
- 3 single coil pickups
- one volume knob, one tone knob
- 5-position switch for pickups
- hard tail, strings through body, 6-saddle bridge
- Standard die-cast tuners
- Chrome hardware
- 1-ply white pickguard
- 22.75 inch scale length
- 1.61 inches wide at the nut
- Pink dot inlays on the pink guitar
- Black dot inlays on the black version
- Fender Super 250L strings, nickel plated steel, sizes .009 to .042
If you like this kind of thing, you’ve got to check out the Fender Hello Kitty website. It features photos of average girls playing electric guitars, a journal of interviews with female songwriters, and more.
Read the original press release from the Fender company, dated January 2006.
Epiphone Goth Les Paul Studio
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Guitar manufacturers know that some of you want that dark goth look right down to your instrument. Epiphone endeavors to meet this demand with the Epiphone Goth Les Paul Studio guitar.
When you’re researching guitars and trying to figure out just which electric guitar is right for you and your band, you’re going to run across the name Les Paul a lot. Les Paul is a jazz guitarist who is still alive at over 90 years of age right now. In the 1930’s and 40’s he was playing the going thing as far as electric guitars were concerned, but he had ideas to make it better. He got linked up with the Gibson guitar manufacturers, and ever since, his design has become legendary.
The Epiphone instrument makers have been around for a long time, being founded way back in the 1870s in Turkey by a Greek man named Anastasios Stathopoulos, who made fiddles, lutes, and mandolins. By 1928, the company was called the Epiphone Banjo Company, and started making guitars. If you’re wondering where the name Epiphone came from, it was named after family member, Epi Stathopoulos.
The company has quite a legacy. Even the Beatles used Epiphone guitars on occasion. Noel Gallagher and Lenny Kravitz are a couple of modern musicians who play Epiphones. Gibson bought out the company in 1957, and now uses it for lower priced versions of their high quality, and high priced, guitars. Those high end guitars include the Les Paul electric models.
Some of the characteristics that make a guitar earn the name Les Paul are a rounded, single cutaway, solid hardwood body made of mahogany, and a couple of humbucker pickups. The Les Pauls tend to be heavy, but are loved for all sorts of music types. Even though they go way back to the 1950’s in their design and production, they are the instrument of choice for many of the youngest generation of rockers.
Humbucker pickups are so named because the earlier type of pickups, called “single coil,” tend to pick up stray radio frequencies and cause a hum. Single coil pickups, which provide a crisper tone, are still used on many guitars, but the Les Pauls generally avoid them. Humbuckers tend to produce a tone that is fatter, thicker, and warmer.
The Epiphone Les Paul models, including the Goth LP Studio, are finished in polyurethane instead of nitrocellulose lacquer, like the more expensive Gibsons. Polyurethane is a more practical finish that is much less time consuming to apply in the factory, but it not as conducive to a really great tone. Therefore, you can expect the LP’s from Epiphone to have a darker tone with more mids and bass, than the guitars from Gibson.
The Goth Les Paul Studio is distinguished by a satin black finish and open coil pickups. The hardware is all black chrome, and the inlay on the rosewood fretboard is a Roman numeral 12 (XII) at the twelfth fret. It also features a Celtic cross on the headstock. Creepy, huh? Epiphone also makes Goth versions of the G-400, the Flying V, and the Explorer style guitars.
Advantages: The list price is $499, and you should be able to get it discounted. That makes it pretty affordable for a Les Paul. The look is really special, too. It’s a good guitar for beginners. Deep and crunchy tone, for those who are looking for that sort of sound. It’s suited for hard rock and metal, but some players use it for jazz and blues, too. The Epiphone Goth Les Paul Studio electric guitar sounds good run through a lot of different effects. It sounds good distorted.
Epiphone guitars have a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. They are a nice way to get a good Gibson-style guitar without having to lay out the big bucks. Like all Les Pauls, it has a heavy, solid feel.
Disadvantages: You are probably going to want to change the stock strings, but that’s not a big deal. You might or might not like the matte nature of the finish, as it can scratch up pretty easily. The neck is on the thick side, which makes it more suitable for power chords than getting round quickly. It does not have a really fast neck, in other words. Also, you might miss having fret markers on the lower frets. It’s also reported that the tone knobs don’t do a whole lot.
Specs:
- Mahogany single cutaway solid body
- Black satin polyurethane finish
- Set Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- 24.75 inch scale
- 22 frets
- XII inlay at the 12th fret
- Celtic cross inlay on the headstock
- Grover tuners
- 1.68 inches wide at the nut
- Black chrome hardware
- 2 ‘57 classic Alnico V exposed coil humbucker pickups
- Two volume controls
- Two tone controls
- Three way switch
Musician’s Friend has a nice article you can read that tells you all about choosing a Les Paul guitar.
Here’s an example of a suitable case for the Epiphone Goth Les Paul Studio electric guitar.
White Ibanez RG350DX for Heavy Rockers
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
The white Ibanez RG350DX is a sharp looking electric guitar suited to playing all sorts of heavy rock. It has two humbucking pickups and one single coil pickup, so it’s capable of making a wide variety of sounds. It retails for around $530.
In 1900, a little known division of the Japanese Hoshino book company began selling musical instruments. It was to eventually evolve into the manufacturers of Ibanez guitars. They bought the name Ibanez from a Spanish guitar company and began making acoustic Spanish style guitars. This was in about the late 1930’s.
In the mid sixties, they moved to America because “made in Japan” was a synonym for low quality at that time. Of course, we know now that some of the items produced in Japan are the best you can get anywhere. Be that as it may, in 1965, you wanted your guitar made in America.
Ibanez got into some trouble in the 1970s because they were mostly producing guitars that were copies of those made by Fender, Gibson, and Rickenbacker. They were good quality but low priced, so they started crowding into the market for those higher dollar brands. The result was a lawsuit which was eventually settled out of court. Ibanez began designing their own styles of guitars, both acoustic and electric, and have come to be thought of as quite a good brand of guitar in their own right. Many pros use Ibanez guitars, including jazz great, George Benson.
The Ibanez RG series has been around for about 20 years, and are favorites with rockers everywhere. According to the Ibanez website, they are the “unquestioned monarchs of metal guitars.” This designation comes because these guitars have the right pickup placement and flat, fast necks. The strikingly attractive white Ibanez RG350DX has been produced since the early part of the 21st century. It is made in Indonesia. In other words, the company began in Japan, took up a Spanish name, moved to the US, and now makes this angelic white axe in Indonesia. . . I guess you could call this a guitar with a global perspective, couldn’t you?
Advantages: The neck of the White Ibanez RG350DX is thin, flat and fast. The three pickups give you a lot of options. The neck humbucker pickup is good for rhythm and distorted playing, while the bridge pickup is better for playing clean. All in all, it’s a really good sounding guitar for heavy rockers, especially those who are beginners or intermediates. The price is reasonable, making it a good value. Of course, the white finish makes the Ibanez RG350DX a real beauty that stands out in a crowd. In addition to the white exterior, the sharks tooth inlays are very hot-looking.
This white guitar has solid strap buttons and is very durable in the way it’s put together. It’s easy to play because it has low action and jumbo frets. It holds its tuning well. The rosewood neck is good for warmth in the tone and for easy pick attack.
The Floyd Rose style locking bridge system allows you to lock your guitar in tune at both the bridge and the nut, so that you might get by with only tuning your white Ibanez RG350DX about once a week.
Disadvantages: Since it has a whammy bar and locking tuning nuts, you might have to be shown how to tune it. The action might need to be adjusted when you first bring the guitar home. It’s so low that some of the frets buzz. Some say the locking system doesn’t work well.
Specs:
- Basswood solid body in white
- Body shape similar to a super-Strat with more pointed horns
- Wizard II Three piece maple neck
- Width at the last fret is 56 mm.
- Thickness at the first fret is 19 mm.
- Thickness at the 12th fret is 21 mm.
- 400 mm. radius
- Low profile fine tuners
- Bound rosewood fretboard
- Sharktooth shaped inlays
- 25.5 inch scale
- 24 jumbo frets
- 3 pickups
- IBZ INF3 Humbucker pickup at the neck (dynamic sound suitable for chords and rhythm)
- IBZ INFS3 AL magnet, single coil pickup in the middle (traditional sound, high output)
- IBZ INF4 Humbucker pickup at the bridge (suitable for warm, lead sounds)
- Whammy bar
- 1 black tone control
- black 5-way pickup volume control
- Edge III tremelo bridge (Floyd Rose style)
Here’s a Wikipedia article about the way bridges on stringed instruments work. Scroll down a bit, and you can read all about the locking tremelo bridge, if you are a bit unfamiliar with the term.
Here’s a much more in depth treatment of the same topic in a blog that has other information about guitars and how they work.
High Output Peavey Rotor EX
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Are you interested in a loud, screaming electric guitar with great good looks and a trusted name brand? The high output Peavey Rotor EX fits that description to a “T.” Peavey, a name well known and respected as a source for great amps and other electronic items, offers this extreme X-shaped guitar at a list price of about $400.
The name Peavey is almost synonymous with amplifiers and other music gig electronics. Oh, there are other companies out there, but Peavey is certainly a leader. The company was started by a Mississippi man named Hartley Peavey who first built himself an amplifier in 1957. The company began in 1965 in Mr. Peavey’s dad’s basement, but has grown to 33 factories on three continents. The company goal is to provide the best affordable electronic products using the most modern methods of computer assisted design currently available.
Peavey began with guitar amplifiers, but soon began making and marketing PA systems to better satisfy the electronics demands of the day. It was not until the mid-1970’s that the company began creating electric guitars.
Peavey has worked with a variety of rockers in designing equipment, including rock legend Eddie Van Halen. Peavey, himself, once an aspiring rocker, is included in Hollywood’s Rock Walk of Fame.
Advantages: No doubt about it, the Rotor EX is a great looking axe. The red or black high gloss finish is striking and eye-catching. It’s a great guitar for playing lead solos and riffs. The ceramic magnet humbucking pickups give it a lot of power and an edge that barks and bites. They sound great whether playing clean or distorted. You can be sure you are getting the latest in electronic design when you pick up any electric guitar put out by Peavey. Peavey is also known for offering great customer service if you happen to have any problems or questions.
The cutaway shape makes accessing the highest frets easy. It’s got a good sound for the price and the pickups are hot and especially suited to playing metal and thrash. It can handle other styles of music, too, though, so it rates high marks for versatility. The Floyd Rose locking tremelo bridge is the real deal, licensed by Mr Rose and Co., himself, so it’s not just a look-alike. Usually, you don’t this quality on a guitar this inexpensive. The Rotor EX also comes in a mahogany colored model that lacks the tremelo bridge and retails for a little less than the red or black trem models.
The high output Peavey Rotor EX electric guitar is heavy and solid in construction, for those who want some heft to their guitar. The explorer shaped body is well balanced for playing in a seated position. It stays in tune almost forever, thanks to the locking bridge system.
All in all, the Rotor EX has a lot of good features found on more expensive guitars. It’s got the sound you want, too, and is close enough to a professional model guitar that you’ll probably find it’s really worth the price.
Disadvantages: Here are some complaints made by various buyers. The white binding might have a dingy look. The finish has imperfections, although it looks pretty good. The volume knobs aren’t completely accurate, and can’t be turned completely down. If you’ve never played a guitar with a Floyd Rose locking trem bridge system, you might have to learn how to tune it and take some time getting used to it.
The strap buttons are big and secure, but since the guitar is so heavy, you will probably want to replace them with strap locks. You might need to get it set when you’re ready to bring it home.
Now, we’re talking about guitars, sound, music, and all of that, so this next “disadvantage” doesn’t have much to do with anything, but the Peavey Rotor EX is featured in a comic strip called “Proximity Effect.” Some of us prefer instruments that are not associated with cartoon characters. On the other hand, you might love the comic and find the association a wonderful advantage! Your choice!
Specs:
- Mahogany explorer-style solid body
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- White binding
- 24.75 inch scale
- 24 jumbo frets
- Dual torsion rod
- Double-locking, Floyd Rose tremolo bridge
- Die cast Grover tuners
- Pearloid block shaped inlays
- Two ceramic magnet humbucking pickups
- Two volume controls in black
- One tone control
- Push on knobs that have rubber rings
- Three-way, toggle style switch for selecting pickups
- Comes in black or candy apple red
- Mahogany-colored model available with dual compression tailpiece instead of tremelo
Here’s an article, really more like a press release, telling about the high output Peavey Rotor EX.
Here’s the link to the online comic book, “Proximity Effect,” which features a girl hero who uses a Peavey Rotor EX as a weapon. Parental guidance is suggested.
Epiphone SG G-400 Guitar
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
If you have always dreamed of owning a Gibson SG, but just couldn’t seem to justify laying out the cash, you need to check out Gibson’s subsidiary company, Epiphone. Epiphone makes the same models as Gibson under Gibson’s supervision, and the Epiphone SG G-400 is just one of the many fine guitars they make.
The story of the SG line of guitars starts with the classic Les Paul guitars made by Gibson. These favorites are made with a single cutaway and usually a couple of humbucker pickups. When competition from Fender and other companies picked up, Gibson came out with a new version of the Les Paul that had two curved horns forming two cutaways. The guitar was hot and futuristic looking, but the only problem was, Les Paul didn’t like it and didn’t want his name on it. This was about 1961.
Since they couldn’t give it another Les Paul name, Gibson came up with the moniker, SG, which stands for “solid guitar.” The SG was a big hit. It’s a little lighter than the Les Pauls, so a lot of people prefer them.
When cheaper guitars began selling better than Gibson, Gibson acquired the Epiphone company for making a lower price line of their most popular styles. Epiphone had been around for many years. Many guitarists have found that Epi’s, as they are affectionately called, are just about as good as their Gibson counterparts, but at about a third of the price.
One way Epiphone saves money in the factory is by using a polyurethane finish on their guitars, as opposed to the nitrocellulose lacquer used in the Gibson factories. The poly is much less time consuming to apply, and therefore saves money, but a purist would say that the nitro produces a better sound.
The G-400 electric guitar was originally released by Gibson in 1962. It has a slim tapered neck made of mahogany. The Epi version, which is a faithful reissue model, retails for $499.
Advantages: The neck is slim and fast, and the fretboard easy to get around on, as well as easy to access because of the double cutaways. It’s also silky smooth. The SG G-400 makes a good growl when the tone is on the low treble setting. The humbucker pickups provide a thick, fat sound that fits the way a lot of rockers play. They are richer sounding than the single coil pickups some electric guitars are equipped with.
The guitar sounds good either distorted or clean. It’s a good choice for a beginner or intermediate, and some guitarists feel it’s even high quality enough for experienced pros.
The selector switch allows you to choose which pickups you wish to be using for a particular sound, so you have a certain amount of flexibility when playing this guitar. If you’ve ever played any of the Les Paul models, you will notice that the SGs tend to be a bit lighter. The Epiphone SG G-400 comes with a limited lifetime warranty against defects in workmanship or materials.
When compared to a Fender Strat (like comparing apples and oranges!) the Epiphone SG G-400 is much more capable of hard edged rock than the Strat.
Disadvantages: Most guitarists have found that the SG design is a little bit neck heavy, so that you have to hang onto the neck all the time with you left hand. This is not as much of a problem with some people as with others, but it takes a bit of getting used to for anyone.
The sustain isn’t the greatest, and you might want to upgrade the pickups if you are planning to do lead solos. One player found that the pickups produced a buzz when the guitar was not being played, unless the volume was turned all the way down. The factory set up is a little high, so you might want to have it lowered. Like any product, it’s possible you might get a lemon. Some buyers have had problems with the toggle switch, knobs and other features.
Specs:
- Mahogany double cutaway body
- Slim tapered, single piece, set mahogany neck
- 24.75 inch scale
- 1.68 inches at the nut
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Available in cherry or ebony
- Black pickguard
- Black numbered knobs with silver trim
- Two tone knobs
- Two volume knobs
- Two Alnico magnet humbucking pickups
- Chrome hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- Available in a left handed model
- Pearloid trapezoid inlays
Here’s an article, followed by a lot of comments, addressing the issue of making modifications to your Epiphone electric guitar in order to upgrade it.
For some basic info about the history of the Epiphone electric guitar manufacturers, check out this article.
Jumpstart Squier SE100 Starter Pack
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Stop dreaming and start playing! If you’re not already rocking with a guitar, or you have a youngster who’s itching to learn, the jumpstart Squier SE100 Starter Pack and it’s recent update called the “Stop Dreaming, Start Playing SE pack,” are worth taking a look at. These kits contain a basic Stratocaster style solid body electric guitar, a simple Squier SP-10 10-watt practice amplifier, and a variety of supplies needed for learning to play the electric guitar. At a list price of $332.99, it is hard to imagine a better deal for beginning gear.
Squier guitars and amps are made by Fender, a company known for producing high quality amplifiers as well as making some of the world’s most popular electric guitars. The Stratocaster style guitar was a Fender design that became popular in the late 1950s. It’s characterized by two prominent cutaways of differing size. A Strat also has single coil pickups and a tremelo bar, although there are a lot of variations on the market these days. Due to an abundance of imitations on the market, Fender decided to acquire the Squier name to use for a line of less expensive instruments in the early 1980’s.
The Squier SE100 Starter Pack pictured above appears to be in the process of being upgraded to a similar kit of the same price. It’s called the “Stop Dreaming, Start Playing SE Special Strat Pack.” It contains basically everything pictured above, but also includes an instructional DVD. The guitar in the “Stop Dreaming, Start Playing” kit is available not only in black with white pickguard, but also in arctic white with white pickguard and in sunburst with a tortoiseshell pickguard. It also includes a guitar stand and a set of headphones that plug into the amp.
Advantages: This is a decent kit for someone who has been dreaming of learning to play the electric guitar. The Squier SE100 starter pack guitar and amp have a lot of the features a beginner would desire for learning. The controls give some choice of pickup, while the amp controls let you choose clean or distorted play. The tremelo whammy bar offers still more playing options.
Squier throws in a lot of the odds and ends that make guitar playing easier, such as instruction material and an electronic tuner. Those of us who learned guitar years ago and have only recently discovered the wonders of the electronic tuner can attest to the fact that unless you just really have great ears, an electronic tuner is a terrific timesaver that will help you get your axe in better tune than you could ever do it the old fashioned way.
Squier guitars are built under the supervision of Fender, and come with a one year warranty, so you know you’ll get good customer service from a company with a good reputation for making good guitars and amplifiers. This particular Strat, even though it’s a beginner guitar, is really nice looking, too.
The amp is decent, and with the stereo headphones, you can practice without disturbing the whole house. This could be a real plus for a newbie’s family!
Disadvantages: The gig bag that comes with this set is one of those flimsy little ones with the zipper just in the bottom, no padding, and no pockets. If you take it anywhere to jam with others, you might feel a little embarrassed. The single coil pickups, which give a crisp, clear sound, tend to have interference noises come through them, but then, that’s to be expected with single coil. The strap is cheap and won’t last long, and the strap buttons sometimes fail to hold the strap on. The result is that the guitar drops and possibly suffers a few dings.
Specs:
- Agathis Stratocaster style body
- Polyurethane finish
- Available in black, Arctic white, and Sunburst
- Maple C-shaped neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with 9.5 inch radius
- 22 medium jumbo frets
- 25.5 inch scale length
- 1.650 inches wide at the nut
- Chrome hardware
- Die-cast tuners
- Synchronous Tremelo bridge
- 3-ply white Pearloid pickguard on white and black
- 3-ply red shell Pearloid pickguard on sunburst
- 3 single-coil pickups
- 5-position blade switch for choosing pickups
- White knobs with black numbering
- 1 volume knob
- 2 tone controls, one for the neck pickup, and one for the middle pickup
- Nickel plated steel strings, Fender Super 250L in .009 to .042
Amplifier Specs:
- 10 watt amp
- 6 inch speaker
- Overdrive switch
- Three controls: Volume, Treble, and Bass
- Headphone jack
If you are a newbie to the world of the electric guitar amplifier, here is a link that will take you to more information than you will know what to do with.
For more information about Fender and the history of the Stratocaster, here is a site with a lot of thorough information and pictures of vintage Strats.
The Affordable Epiphone SG Special
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
At a list price of 249.00, the Epiphone SG Special is indeed an affordable electric guitar. Epiphone is owned by Gibson, and produces guitars with similar features as the higher priced Gibsons but at a lower cost. The result is near-Gibson quality at a price almost anyone can afford, and the SG Special is the least expensive of the Epiphone SG’s.
The Epiphone SG Special has that great Gibson SG body shape with double cutaways and pointed curved horns. It has dual open coil humbucker pickups for a variety of screaming, growling sounds.
The SG body style is a Gibson innovation that dates back to 1961. Gibson was already producing Les Paul style guitars with Les’s endorsement, but they felt they needed to create a new, futuristic looking guitar as an alternative. The double cutaway body and slightly smaller size and weight made production costs a bit lower. Gibson intended to put Les Paul’s endorsement on the new style, but he didn’t like it, so they came up with the name, SG, which stands for “solid guitar.”
The Gibson SG began to sell, and was soon almost as popular as the LP models. A lot of people can’t afford a Gibson, guitar, however, so Gibson decided to acquire the Epiphone company to use for marketing a lower priced guitar line. Epiphone guitars are made with Gibson’s quality standards, but with a few corners cut to save on factory expense. One such change is that the Epiphones are made with a laminated coating on the body that is easy and quick to apply but does not provide quite the sound as the time consuming finish used on the Gibsons.
The affordable Epiphone SG Special is an Epiphone SG designed for excellent value. For the brand new player, there is also the option of getting this guitar in a complete beginners’ electric guitar package. The Player Pack retails for $415 and includes a 10 watt Epiphone Studio amp with an 8 inch speaker.
Advantages: The Epiphone SG Special electric guitar has a great classic look and sweet sound, though possibly not quite as sweet as the real Gibson. Still, for under $250, it’s a great buy, especially for a new player. The sustain is good. The alder body provides good tonal balance, which makes a variety of sounds possible. It’s a good guitar for blues as well as a variety of rock sounds. The cutaway shape makes all 22 frets easily accessible. The Tune-o-matic bridge is designed so that you can adjust the height of each string individually and get the tone you want.
The neck is smooth and fast, like an SG neck should be. The quality of workmanship is generally very good for a guitar of this price. If you should happen to get the occasional lemon, the folks at Epiphone are very easy to deal with and will make sure you are well taken care of.
Disadvantages: If you like the looks of an SG with a pickguard, you’ll be disappointed with the looks of the Epiphone SG Special. The laminated finish shows scratches and fingerprints, so you might need to polish it frequently. (Some people like scratches though. Scratches show that you really do play the thing, and play it hard.)
The guitar has only one tone knob and one volume knob, so you are somewhat limited in options. You’ll probably want to get better strings for it than the ones that come stock. You’ll also probably need to have some adjustments made before bringing it home. Some buyers have had problems with the pickups and with the pickup selectors. If you are wanting a guitar with a whammy bar, you will have to look elsewhere.
Specs:
- Laminated alder and maple body
- Available in cherry or ebony
- Maple bolt-on neck
- 24.75 inch scale
- 22 Frets
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Dot inlays
- 1.68 inches wide at the nut
- Chrome hardware
- 650R open-coil humbucker pickup at the neck (for rhythm playing)
- 700T open-coil humbucker pickup at the bridge (for treble, or lead, playing)
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- Stop bar tailpiece
- No pick guard
- One volume control
- One tone control
- 3-way switch for choosing either pickup or both
Amp and package specs:
- 10 Watt Epiphone Studio amplifier
- 8 inch Electar Labs speaker
- Master volume control on amp
- Boost switch
- Gain control
- 3 band EQ
- Headphone jack
- Package includes quartz tuner, instructional DVD, strap, cable, picks, and gig bag.
Musician’s Friend has a thorough article that explains all the special features of Gibson SG style guitars, as well as the different models of Gibson and Epiphone SG’s, so that you can make an informed choice when buying an electric guitar. You can read all about it here.
At this webpage, you can access a variety of articles telling more about Gibson SG guitars and the famous players who use them.
The Awesome Dean EVO XM
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
If you are a wannabe rocker just starting out and wondering where you can get a great deal on a hot axe, you owe it to yourself to check out the Dean EVO XM. At a list price of only $192.50, you’re not going to find one much cheaper. Remember, you can usually find electric guitars at discount prices, too.
Dean, a company known for making an incredible array of hot radical guitars used by a lot of well-known rockers, has that knack for creating good sounding guitars that don’t cost an arm and a leg. This particular guitar, the awesome Dean EVO XM, is one of them, making it the ultimate choice for someone just breaking in to playing. It combines vintage design in perfect combination with modern technology, resulting in good sustain and the tone you want.
For a little history, Dean Guitars started with Dean Zelinsky, who started producing them in 1978. He was only 17 at the time, but he had some innovative ideas and was gutsy in trying them out. One of the things that made his guitars unique was the large, uniquely shaped forked head stock. Many guitarist took one look and figured it would be neck heavy or at least would not sound good. The truth is, however, Dean had planned the headstock to enhance the sound of the guitar as well as make it look radically different.
A man named Oscar Medeiros owned the company by the late 1980’s. He was instrumental in the neck-through innovation and brought the company to some prominence. In the late 90’s, the business was bought out by Armadillo Enterprises, who located Dean Zelinsky and invited him to again be part of the business. This was a wise move on their part!
At this time, many Dean guitars are made in Asian factories, but they are still made with high standards and low prices. They are well made guitars, built to last, to give you the best value anywhere. The body mass and neck size are specially designed for sustain and easy of playing.
The EVO XM is not as radical in design as many of their guitars, but it still puts out an incredible sound. You’re going to be hard pressed to find as good a guitar for the price anywhere.
Advantages: The neck of the Dean EVO XM is made of maple with a rosewood fingerboard, materials found in guitars with much higher pricetags. Maple is good for necks because it is hard and durable, but not so heavy as to make the guitar neck-heavy. The result is that it is fast and easy to play, especially since the neck joint has a patented angular design.
The sound is reported to be great whether clean or distorted. The pickups are pretty good, rich and gritty, especially the bridge pickup. You can make it scream, crunch, howl. . . you get the picture. It’s quite versatile for any style of rock. The guitar is lightweight and some find it well balanced for playing seated (but that depends on the lap! There certainly is no “one size fits all” guitar!) Also, the action is reported to be good and fast.
Disadvantages: The Dean EVO XM is very simple in design. It could not exactly be considered to be a “sexy” looking guitar, but because it is so basic and simple looking, it would fit in well in settings where a more radical design might be out of place. (On the other hand, you might like that “natural” look - a lot of people do.)
The knobs, jack, and tuners could give you a little trouble as they are not real well made. Because the tuners are not the best, a lot of guitar players find that it goes out of tune for them. You might find that you want to have the factory setting adjusted, which is not unusual with any guitar. Also, the Dean EVO XM has only one tone and one volume knob, so you are somewhat limited on features. Still, with a little creativity and skill, this guitar can make a lot of different sounds.
Specs:
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Basswood body
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Available in Transparent Black or Mahogany finish
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Bolt on maple neck
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Patented angular neck joint
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Rosewood fingerboard
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Dual Dean high output humbucker pickups
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Sealed tuners
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One volume control
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One tone control
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Tune-o-matic style adjustable bridge
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Black hardware
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Does not come with a case
Here’s an article about the company from a long-time guitar peddler who has a great appreciation for Dean guitars and how the company does business.
If you’re a beginner and feel like you are lost in the world of “humbuckers” and “pre-amps,” here’s a glossary of terms related to electric guitars. You’re sure to find an explanation here.
ESP F-400FM Electric Guitar
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
If you like playing that spooky kind of rock music, this is a guitar that will look the part. It has jagged, sharp looking edges, reminiscent of a medieval executioner’s axe. The ESP F-400FM retails for $999.00. The mahogany body with flame maple top is a dynamic combination of materials for the most reliable tones. The tribal tattoo-styled graphics on the neck are really unusual looking. This moderately priced guitar features details usually found only in top end guitars.
In this case, ESP really does not stand for “extra sensory perception”! Instead, it stands for “Electric Sound Products.” Well, I guess so! Some of the hardest rockers anywhere make make a lot of electric sound with ESP Products!
ESP was started in Japan in 1975 by Hisatake Shibuya. It was mainly a source for replacement guitar pieces in the beginning, but soon started producing guitars. In 1983, American guitarists discovered ESP as a source for parts. Before long, ESP was producing custom guitars for such artists as Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones and Bruce Kulick of KISS. They are now known as a producer of high quality guitars, and especially of signature models endorsed by well known rock musicians. ESP guitars are widely sought after for their heavy, crunchy tone.
Since so many rockers wanted ESP guitars, they came out with a lower cost line, known as the LTD line, which offers many of the same styles with a little less heft to the price tag.
Advantages: The ESP F-400FM electric guitar is certainly striking in appearance. The transparent black finish over the flame maple top reflects the light of the room, creating a variety of color appearances from purple to gray. And particularly good-looking and unusual are the inlays along the neck, which are in a tribal design.
The ESP F-400FM was obviously designed to play metal and rock, so it has a wide variety of sound possibilities. In fact, it really sounds even better than it looks. It comes with EMG 81 pickups as stock, and they are very good, high output pickups. It is a light weight guitar, as well. It has a fast, playable neck. The frets and strings are spaced just right for those fast licks.
Not really suited to beginners, this guitar sounds good both when played clean and with distortion. The clean sound is crisp and clear and not muffled. The F-400Fm is recommended for anyone with a little or a lot of experience. It can be played seated or standing. It has a good crunch when you run it through a tube amp. The set through neck gives it really good sustain, too.
Disadvantages: If you want a whammy bar, you will be disappointed to know that the ESP F-400FM electric guitar does not come with one. The extra shiny finish might be pretty prone to showing fingerprints and dust. Some people might not particularly like the look, particularly of the tribal graphics. That is certainly an individual matter.
The set through neck is great for sustain and sound, but if you have problems with it some day, it can be a bear to get fixed. Other than these small concerns, there are really very few critical things said about this tough looking rock guitar. Of course, it is always best to try out a guitar before you buy it if it is possibility at all. If you must buy a guitar from an online store, it ESP seems to be a pretty reliable brand.
Specs:
- Mahogany body with flamed maple top
- Set through neck construction
- 3 piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
- 25.5 inch scale
- Earvana compensated nut
- 42 mm. width at nut
- Extra thin U-shaped neck
- Custom tribal design inlays
- 24 extra jumbo frets
- Black nickel hardware
- Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with String-thru-body tailpiece
- EMG 81 Active Set pickups
- One volume control
- One tone control
- Toggle switch
Would you like to hear the ESP F400FM in drop C tuning and distorted? Here’s a sound bite you can listen to, along with instructions for recreating the same tone.
Here’s an article about ESP’s thirtieth anniversary in 2005. See the special logo they designed to commemorate the event.
This article is sort of off topic, and yet it might be of interest. It’s a business article describing website design, and the site they chose to analyze is the website of ESP guitars. It’s pretty interesting (though it doesn’t have a lot to do with guitars.)
Finally, here is a message board thread just dealing with the ESP-400FM. Check out the other threads and you might learn just what you need to know about ESP guitars.
