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EPIPHONE CLASSIC SG ELECTRIC GUITAR – factory setup
The new Epiphone Classic SG is a cracker of a guitar.
The Epiphone SG Classic from the new Inspired by Gibson Collection offers players the opportunity to experience the legendary SG solid body electric in a “worn” open grain finish.
Finished in worn Inverness Green, the look brings to mind the Gibson VOS custom shop finishes. The satin, open pore finish is pure class and the colour . . . emerald elegance.
P-90 Single Coil Pickups
A pair of Epiphone P-90-PRO™ soap bar single coil pickups take this guitar all the way from chiming pop to grinding rock.
First introduced in the early 1950s, Gibson’s legendary P90 single coil pickup produced a raw powerful tone that helped define the blues and rock and roll in their formative years.
Today, the P90’s traditional combination of high output and brilliant tone is still considered a favorite among many top musicians. Known by such familiar nicknames as the “Soapbar” and the “Cobalt,” the P90 still cuts through any type of music, all while displaying amazing tonal sensitivity for everything from blues and rock to mellow jazz riffs.
It’s perfect as a vintage replacement, and features vintage, braided two-conductor wiring. It’s also fully wax potted to eliminate any chance of unwanted microphonic feedback.
The 60’s slim taper neck profile and 43mm nut width make for a sublime playing experience.
EPIPHONE SG CLASSIC SPECIFICATIONS:
• Model: SG Classic
• Epiphone Model No. EGS9CWIGNH1
• Series: Inspired by Gibson
•
Shape: SG Standard
• Finish: Worn Inverness Green
• Body Material: Mahogany
• Neck Material: Mahogany 6
• Neck Profile: 60s SlimTaper™
• Neck/Body Joint: Glued-in Set Neck
• TrussRod: Two-way Adjustable
• Scale Length: 24.75″
• Fretboard Material: Indian Laurel
• Fretboard position Markers: Dot Inlays
• Number of Frets: 22
• Nut Width: 43mm (1.693″)
• Nut material: Graph Tech® Nut
• Bridge: LockTone™ ABR
• Tailpiece: LockTone™ Stopbar
•
Neck Pickup: Epiphone P-90 PRO Soap Bar
• Bridge Pickup: Epiphone P-90 PRO Soap Bar
• Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-Way Toggle Switch
• Control Knobs: Black Top Hat Knobs with nickel inserts
• Strap Buttons: 2
• Output Jack: 6.35mm (1/4″) Heavy-Duty Epiphone
• Tuners: Epiphone Deluxe with Ivory buttons
• Hardware Finish: Nickel
• Pickguard: Black Batwing
• Strings: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046″
• Warranty: One Year Warranty
against manufacturing defects
• Setup: factory setup
Guitar World Verdict
A superb entry point to the SG line with killer looks and a seriously affordable price tag.
Pros
- +
P-90s make for excellent classic rock and blues tones.
- +
CTS taper pots.
- +
Wax-potted pickups.
- +
The 'open book' headstock is back!
- +
Lovely finish.
- +
An affordable alternative to a US Gibson.
Cons
- -
Lightning wraparound bridge not for intonation pedants.
Why you can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Is the P-90 the 'best of both worlds' pickup? There’s definitely an argument for it being the tonal middle-ground between the traditional single-coil and humbucker.
With a single pole-piece, P-90s are single-coil by anatomy and their shorter and wider bobbin allows for greater low end girth and grit. They’re also tied closely to the Gibson story – the company’s solid body electric pickup of choice until the advent of the humbucker in 1955.
Which bring us to another 'best of both worlds' question – is Epiphone’s 2020 ‘Inspired By Gibson’ range also the perfect blend of value and tone? We best take a look.
The P-90 Pros here have a darker tonality than we’ve found on our own mahogany Thinline Telecaster
The Faded Pelham Blue here follows the 2019 Gibson model’s take on a classic, but it isn’t faded in the natural grain way of our early 2000s Gibson SG Special Faded (or the 2020 Epiphone SG Classic). It’s a metallic gloss lacquer and it’s a very appealing take on a familiar colour.
If you’re picky about setting your intonation, the 60s-style lightning wraparound bridge could prove a sticking point here. Like the Epiphone Les Paul Special there’s no Tune-o-matic here. Of course, you could upgrade to an intonatable version in the future but we’d prefer it as a stock feature to offer more home setup control.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
We like low action but this is a little buzzy for us and a neck check reveals a small truss rod turn is needed and an easy fix. The reassuring news is that the fretwork is even and tidy here.
The 60s slim taper neck still feels meaty but less of a Marmite shape than our Gibson’s chunkier 50s shape, but we’re surprised to find that unlike that guitar, this will dip on the strap if you let go. Both weigh 7lbs exactly too.
The CTS pots make for a responsive way to clean up your sound from the guitar with the volume control, taking advantage of the P-90s’ strummier, more open strengths
The P-90 Pros here have a darker tonality than we’ve found on our own mahogany Thinline Telecaster. And they feel closer to the vintage-voiced humbucker side of the field in that respect, and that makes for a bridge pickup that’s satisfying for classic rock and blues sustain with low end presence, while sounding organic and full for cleaner territory.
The neck is a little too murky though and may need a hotter upgrade in time, or raising in the interim. The CTS pots make for a responsive way to clean up your sound from the guitar with the volume control, taking advantage of the P-90s’ strummier, more open strengths over some traditional humbuckers.
All in, this is a stunning-looking guitar for $399 / £349 that finds Epiphone offering a compelling option for players priced out by Gibson. One they can enjoy and then invest in to upgrade.
Specs
- PRICE: $399 / £349
- BODY: Mahogany
- NECK: Mahogany with 60s Slim Taper profile, 12" radius
- SCALE: 628mm (24.72")
- FINGERBOARD: Indian laurel
- FRETS: 22
- PICKUPS: 1x P-90 Pro Soap Bar
- CONTROLS: 2 x volume, 2 x tone, 3-way pickup switch
- HARDWARE: Lightning Bolt Wrap Around Combo, Epiphone Deluxe tuners with Ivory buttons
- LEFT-HANDED: No
- FINISH: Faded Pelham Blue (reviewed), Sparkling Burgundy
- CONTACT: Epiphone (opens in new tab)
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Rob is the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar (opens in new tab), handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar, he worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including as Editor of Total Guitar. He's currently set aside any pipe dreams of getting anywhere with his own songs and is enjoying playing covers in function bands.