SG Special Satin E1 Vintage Worn, Ebony

Exactly what I was hoping for given the price. I was concerned that the photos might be flattering the look of the guitar, but the colors are quite rich. I took it to be setup professionally and they seemed to be happy with the quality (given the cost). I've been practicing for nearly every day for several weeks and I think it is good for beginners. The tuning is pretty easy. It requires tuning every day and one of the six strings is a bit more finicky to tune than the others. Perhaps someday, if I keep practicing enough, I'll feel the need to level up, but this will carry me all the way to that point. Very good value for the cost.

I've been playing & recording for >40 years & have >30 electric guitars, including several vintage, high-end, and boutique guitars from PRS, Fender, Gretsch, & Jackson. After getting this SG for my spouse whom just started playing a few years ago, I'm definitely buying one for myself.Am pleasantly surprised by the tone & playability. It takes effects better than many in my collection and rhythm with high gain never sounded so good.It felt ok out of the box, but I did the setup & now it feels & sounds excellent. Changed strings, tightened tuning pegs, did a minor neck adjustment, cleaned & oiled fingerboard, polished the frets (there are NO fret sprouts!), adjusted pickup heights (output was uneven), lowered the action slightly, corrected bridge angle, and adjusted intonation, the latter of which was pretty bad to start with. The wound (low D, A, & E) strings still would not intonate to my liking (the saddles are maxed out & still slightly flat @ 12th fret), but few guitars' intonation is 100%. It's still totally usable. I'd say the "rosewood" fretboard has to be a really thin rosewood veneer, as it sounds like plastic when you tap on it, but it still plays well.Don't know about this guitar's durability, but time will tell & all components are replaceable and/or upgradeable any way. However I wouldn't recommend it for a gigging player, as road wear could take its toll. Ours will stay at home for personal use so I suspect they will last several years b4 components need replacement.Never liked the SG body style but the natural satin spoke to us. The satin neck feels great.Very light weight. It does do the classic SG "neck dive" as headstock & neck are heavier than the body, but there are ways to address that if necessary. The whole thing is so light, the hands-free neck dive isn't an issue for me.BTW, bridge & tailpiece are stamped underneath with Epiphone branding. Has smaller pots but so far, clean & smooth with decent output & quiet switching. Shielded cover. Quiet humbuckers.Overall, once I tweaked it, it doesn't feel or sound like a $200 guitar. I'd have guessed a $450 to $500 price point, at minimum.Like I said, buying a second one.Guitar also came well packed & protected. Kudos & thank you to seller.

Don't expect $800 guitar quality out of a $200 guitar. Fit and finish are very nice, the stock tuners are cheap and should probably be the first, or only thing replaced as long as the nut you get was cut well. The pick ups aren't too bad surprisingly and the neck feels great, minor spouting in mine but not enough to warrant sanding it down unless it bothers you. This guitar WILL need a set up when you get it and I recommend having a professional do so unless you're confident and have the tools and don't mind making this a learning experience like I have. The frets will need polished, and the fret board came absolutely parched, so give it some love and some good strings.

The only change I made was to (slightly) lower the bridge using the two adjustment screws which lowered the string action, the guitar arrived in perfect shape, nice neck, quiet humbuckers, light guitar, well balanced, classic SG and matt finish is great. I would say the the neck color is not as dark as shown in the Amazon picture, kind of a medium brown, but I am getting used to that. I prefer the shorter scale length, compared to my Fender guitars, and prefer the humbuckers, as I play thru a practice amp in my office. Could not be happier with this purchase.

I have way more expensive guitars. This is loud and raw hooked up to a 100 amp vintage Marshall stack. A one off surprise for the money. Thing cranks!!!

Piece of junk. Returned it. Buy the IYV guitars. I love the emerald green Les Paul copy. Played and sounded good right out of the box. After I set it up it plays smooth as silk. Sure can't beat the price. I like Epiphone guitars but you have to pay at least $300 for a half decent one. I bought the Jerry Cantrell Wino Les Paul and it's nicer than my Gibson traditional. But $900 also.

My Autistic son decided 2 yrs ago he wanted to learn guitar. We chose this Epiphone SG. It has held up great in the past 2 years. We did bring it to a music store to have a "set up" done (about $50). It just needed some tweeking. Put easier strings on it. It is played daily and has been an awesome purchase. Great price!

Guitar feels solid and well made. Neck is fatter than I would like, but intonation was on point upon arrival. It's a good starter guitar. My only complaint is a string buzz that I can not locate. It's VERY annoying. So unless u know a Luther who will fix this for free, or you don't mind the buzz, best to stay away from this guitar.