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Pros:
- Interesting Design
- Great Sound
- Affordable
Cons:
- A little heavy
Not all guitars are supposed to look the same. All the Les Paul imitations, Stratocasters, and other overused body shapes get tiring after a while. It is boring to see the same guitar sold in a dozen different ways under a hundred different names. This is why this time around we are going to be looking at an Epiphone G-400 Pro. This more unique looking instrument has a lot of qualities to make it into a loveable and great electric guitar under 500.
Body Quality
If you are like me, you must be getting tired of all the imitations and copies, guitars that pretend to be things they are not. It is hard to find an instrument that is its own self nowadays, which is why when I do find one, I get very excited. The shape of Epiphone G-400 Pro has a beautiful SG shape, with a beautiful U-shaped neck. The wings of the neck, or limbs of the neck? look like tiny horns. The coloring of the guitar is either black or red, and combined with the horns, makes the guitar seem straight out of hell. Or maybe it looks like an axe? Whatever it is, I like it.
The body of the guitar is made out of mahogany. We have discussed mahogany many times before, but let us repeat ourselves and talk about it again. Mahogany is known for its many great guitar-making qualities. It is very sturdy, making the guitar resistant to most damage, so that it is not dented or scratched, ever. The hardwood is also known to enhance the lower tone sounds, as well as add warmth to the rest of the tonal range. The hardwood is also not that heavy, making it perfect for comfortable guitar holding and playing.
The neck of the guitar is mahogany as well. Again, a great choice. The neck of the guitar is the most vulnerable part of the instrument, so making it strong is important to the long life of the instrument. The weight of mahogany also allows the guitar to remain relatively comfortable play. The neck is glue into the body of the guitar. While some of you might find this dangerous, I find it reassuring. Glued in necks usually have a better chance of having no alignment issues with the body, as well as no problems with staying together with the body. The fretboard of the guitar is made of rosewood, always a fine material to make a fretboard out of.
Hardware
The bridge of the guitar is made in LockTone Tune-o-Matic style. This means the strings are incredibly stable at the bridge, with a good raise for great action. The bridge is easy to string up and beautiful to look at. Definitely a nice asset to the instrument.
The nut of the guitar is made out of Black Imitation Bone, which is a fancy name for PVC. I don’t have much to say against this material, since it keeps the guitar harmonically adequate and keeps the string buzz out of your sound.
The tuning machine on the guitar is decent, with the tuning being kept for long enough periods of time. The guitar will never go out of tune while you are playing it, no matter how much you bend the strings. Nothing out of this world and yet nothing negative to report either.
Electronics
The guitar is equipped with two Epiphone Alnico Classic PRO 4 wire humbuckers, one at the neck, one at the bridge. These powerful humbuckers are great specimens of their kind, remaining tonally full for a long time after you’ve bought them. They are versatile and capable of very interesting things when your full skill is applied to the instrument.
The guitar has four knobs. This allows the player superior control of the guitar’s sound, which is something every guitar player wants. They allow the musician to control the volume, tone, and sustain of the guitar. A lever for pickup combination selection is also available.
Epiphone SG Pro Sound
As a result of a bunch of good qualities being combined, the guitar comes out with an amazing song. Some of you might have realized that the exterior design is so that the guitar looks made for metal. Well, the sound design was done with the same thing in mind. The guitar has a wild, energetic sound that is capable of driving mosh pits into a whirlwind of running. Yet the guitar also is capable of a very clean, clear sound that even those with a more smooth taste in music will appreciate.
Conclusion
A great guitar all around, it is an instrument I could not recommend enough to any level of player. While it does have to deal with minor issues, overall the guitar is definitely one to own.
