🪛 NEW VIDEO: Check out the mods I made to this guitar ua-cam.com/video/ndoIAJW_YlM/v-deo.html 🎸Want to hear about guitar deals like this one? Join Riff City for free: artofshred.com/riffcity/
I just ordered this one yesterday! Finally gonna learn how to play guitar and I am very happy to see that the guitar I purchased is pretty decent for its price! And man do I love the look and styles of SGs!
I'm in total agreement with you. This makes an excellent beginner's guitar. Mine is cherry red. Other than having to tune it, I had no problems whatsoever. It basically played straight out of the box. I love mine.
Sweet! Epiphone quality control seems to be on par with Yamaha. Although I did get a comment from someone (they deleted it unfortunately) that they got a couple different cheap Epiphones over the years with issues. So it's still possible to get one with Squier-level quality control.
My dad got me one of these for Christmas a couple years ago, and I recently got around to playing it more instead of my acoustic and it's honestly just so much fun to play
Hi. Old retired guitar player - mostly Blues. When I retired from public gig playing I sold ALL of my guitars, PA stuff etc. Now a couple of years down the road I was missing a playable guitar. Less available $$ now. Ordered this one in Pelam blue at a killer price! No complaints about it being a "starter" guitar. It does its expected job and does it well. Nicely done vid! Thanks.
I have to say in comparison to even the higher end Epiphone SGs (like the Standard) it doesn't hold up, but considering the price and how it sounds it's a solid choice for beginners.
Nice to see I'm not the only one that likes SG Specials. Love love love Epi SG Specials made in Indonesia from 2011-2017. Gloss finished hog bodies, small pickguard, lock tone bridge and tail piece, kill pot and real deal rosewood fretboards instead of that reddish orangy looking stuff they call rosewood today. Swap out the cheapo tuners and you have a thin bodied lightweight capable guitar for not a lot of money. I recently got a new old stock, in box 2017 ebony SG Special off of ebay for $200 and couldn't be happier. Installed some new Grover 133N tuners and good to go. Now have both colors; a 2017 ebony and a 2013 cherry. Way too many people are sleeping on these great inexpensive guitars so it's good to see them get a little love. Cheers!
Nice! You're making me want to try to find one of those old Epi SGs. I was a fan of the G-400 (and the G-310 wasn't bad either) but I actually don't recall playing the Specials.
I’m a newbie and mine says Epiphone Special SG model made in Indonesia!! 😁 I’m so happy to hear this is a good guitar! My husband got it for me for my birthday since I want to start playing. It’s a glossy Cherry red-ish wood I really like it. Trying to learn all the parts of a guitar so I can take care of this baby!
Thanks! Am a beginner looking to pick one up! Love the look of the SG's, but don't have a huge budget. Was on the fence about it, but now feel more comfortable with my decision on this one!
I mentioned this before on the Epi LP Special video, but applies here too for SG version so I'll say it for benefit of novices to guitar setup. These guitars are optimiized by design for string sets with a 009 or 010 hi E to 042 or 046 lo E. I use Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky .009 to .046 set and these intonate very nicely on Epiphone and Gibson electrics with this one-piece 'sawtooth' bridge. When adjusting this bridge up or down for action or lengthwise for intonation, take off the string tension so you don't gall the threads on the anchor posts or set screws. Then reapply string tension to check your work. It may take a few tries so be patient and you'll be glad later. This is important so don't rush it.
I just found an SG special at a yard sale this week for $40 (including a nice gig bag, cables, and tuner). The guitar itself looked close to brand new, so I couldn't pass it up! Sounds like they bought it for their kid, who quickly lost interest in lessons. Needed a serious set up though -the bridge was cranked right up making the action impossible and the intonation was ridiculous. 30 minutes of adjustments and it plays great....not bad at all for a beginner guitar.
I bought this guitar. I wanted a “everyday” guitar versus my vintage Ric. I had a Epiphone Les Paul jr about 10years ago, so I was familiar with them. I bought my new sg (Cherry) from Amazon. I absolutely love it. For $175 I was more than pleasantly surprise at the quality and appearance. The only thing I changed was the strings.
I totally get it, I don’t want to leave my nice guitars in the practice room to get knocked over by a friend, get scratched, get dusty etc. it’s nice to have a beater guitar
I got this one on Stupid Deal of the Day at Musicians Friend a while back. It came with a cracked neck so I returned it and am getting a replacement, It's been back ordered almost a month. Nice video. Love the cat shirt. Just found it on Amazon and it's coming tomorrow. I share your love of SGs. My first serious guitar was a 1968 Gibson SG Standard that I bought new. It was stolen and then recovered. I just worried about it too much so I sold it. Big mistake. I'm going to ease my way back to SGs by way of this Special. I've got the feeling it won't be the last.
As an adult beginner, I was looking for something solid and versatile to learn on which wasn't going to break the bank. My local guitar shop had this same model in a very sexy cherry red with a $189 price tag (which includes a full setup and new strings.) I'm picking it up in 2 days. This video helped solidify my decision. Thank you!
@@ArtOfShredYT 3 months later, and I could not be happier with this guitar! I've put more time into learning and practicing than I did in the year prior because of how much I love it. The look, the feel, the sound, they're all just right for me. I guess I'm an SG guy. Who knew? Thank you so much for making this video. It really helped me a lot.
Thanks for the review! Love the guitar. Tone is in the fingers. You make it sound awesome! Always remember, Jack Pearson plays a $120 Squire. Also, that shirt you have on is soooo dope!! Where can i find that? Thanks !!
I love my Epiphone SG Special. It also was $150.00. Mine has a stop tail bridge. Mine has the nicest fret board edges. It’s not binding it’s the fret board rounded. Mine also has 500 k pots with a kill switch on the tone pot. My fret board is also very dark. I think it’s rosewood. Mine was made in Indonesia. It’s really a favorite guitar of mine. I have it in several videos on my channel.
Nice job. I have this and the Les Paul version. So cheap I got both just to have a change of pace (looks wise)! What I love about also about these is you get the "Gibson vibe" of both models but without the Les Paul's weight and SG's neck dive. Also, I hear people complaining about tuners, but you might try lubing the nut and changing to better strings. After many years of playing, I've found binding at the nut to be a factor in tuning instability.
Thank you! 🤘 You're definitely right about the nut and strings binding in there being a big tuning factor. But cheap tuners that don't stay still don't help. I still need to officially review one of the cheap regular Les Pauls but I dig those as well. I did the Epi Les Paul P90 on the channel a few months ago. Fun guitar!
Nice, the E1 also has a tuneomatic bridge. I don't think the Special II is available new anymore. In any case, happy to hear it was good out of the box!
I bought one for $130 on Facebook Marketplace and I love it! I have a Gretsch and an American made Stratocaster but the SG is what I play at most gigs.
@@ArtOfShredYT I just mean how it doesn't have the four-knob config like the original SG, that's the same difference between the original Les Paul and ESP's version.
I got one of the last Indonesian made versions of this guitar in 2017 when I first started really getting into guitar. Never had any issues with it and still play it quite often despite having multiple other (technically better) guitars. However, I’m looking at getting a Gibson SG the same color as mine for nostalgia purposes.
Ive been playing rock and metal since '78 and trust me you dont need $1000 guitar to sound great.been using epi sg specials and squire bullets since i stopped giggling 10 years ago and have no complaints with these lower priced guitars
I can’t get over how epiphone shifts the neck, pickups and bridge for the bolt on models. this is probably why they ditched the full tune o matic. i wish they would have put some more time into re-designing the neck pocket to keep the same visual look instead of shifting it all an inch
I'm unclear what you're talking about. It's the same scale length as a Gibson and it's got the similar Gibson SG Special wraparound style bridge. Unless you're talking about something else?
@@ArtOfShredYT look where the end of the fretboard is on the bolt on models compared to the set necks. it’s about an inch different. this is to have more body to accept the bolt on neck. this also shifts the neck, pickups and bridge towards the bottom of the guitar. it looks sort of goofy in my opinion, and i think thats why they use the wraparound instead of the full tune o matic because the tailpiece would be noticably closer to the bottom of the guitar
@@tanneryordan that's right the whole guitar overall length is shorter ,mine has the tuneomatic bridge ,I bought an Sg pickguard and that not only were the pickups further from the neck but the pickups are a wider apart leaving about 20 mm gap from the inside of the bridge pickup to the edge of the pickguard ,i don't know what year it is .Its a lovely looking guitar with the cherry body and dark rosewood fret board,inside the guitar has shielding paint full size pots ,which the recent ones done it plays lovely Got it second hand , love the 24 3/4 scale as apposed to the 25 1/2 fender scale easy to play foe my novice playing lol
I've purchased a guitar on Amazon before. There's nothing necessarily good or bad about it compared to a guitar retailer. Although Amazon's returns are maybe a little easier so that's nice.
Thanks for this review. I wanted to buy this one but I'm kind of doubting now. I have a Squier Strat Affinity Series and don't really know which guitar to pick now (there's too much choice). But this really helps ! Is the setup difficult if you don't know anything about it? Is there a chance I could break it since I really have no clue ?
Hey Alyssa! Happy this review helped! There is definitely a lot of choice. My favorite cheap guitar is the Mitchell MS450. Review here: ua-cam.com/video/BosxaYwJAbk/v-deo.html It can often be found on sale for under $250. As for this SG. It's very difficult to break anything on a guitar if you're learning to do your own setups. Not impossible, but difficult. And generally (unless you break the headstock off or something like that) a guitar tech at your nearest store can inexpensively fix whatever you mess up if it came to that.
Thanks for the review! Bought one 2nd hand a couple of months ago for 99 flat. I've wanted an SG for ages and a beginners model is fine by me. If you were going to switch out the pickups what kind/brand would you use?
@@ArtOfShredYT Yeah, just figured it out! Just gotta loosen strings for the big ones. For the small screws, use the given wrench. Thanks! I subbed to your nice channel.. : )
Just my short experience with this guitar; I really wanted to like it because I only spent $120 but, the neck on mine was unstabl… so no matter what I did I could not get that thing to stay in tune for a long period of time, and any set up that I did to it would eventually get messed up because the relief would go out of whack every few days.
I should add though that I bought another inexpensive Epiphone SG in black satin ($199) a couple months ago, and this one has been amazing! I swapped the pick ups out for some covered PAF style pick ups, and now this is my back up stage guitar.
@@ArtOfShredYT well the lesson learned was just see it in person before you buy. The SG special was an online order and the 2nd I begrudgingly went to guitar center and I could just tell the bones were good on it.
I have the 2005 Epiphone SG Special made in China. Doesn’t stay in tune too well so I’m considering locking tuners. What strings and amp are used in this video? Sounds really good. Mine has the super slinky’s but doesn’t sound quite the same. Also, are you using any pedals with this?
Thanks! Here's the amp I used for the non-intro demos: ua-cam.com/video/llCF5cxhjx0/v-deo.html No "pedals" since it's a modeling amp with tons of pedal and amp models but I definitely used a lot of sounds from the Positive Grid Tone Cloud. For the intro track I went direct to my macbook (via a Focusrite Scarlett Solo) with a few pedals (Keeley Caverns and I don't remember which dirt pedal, but I think the Behringer Ultra Metal). The strings are actually the cheap Musician's Gear brand (in this case 10s, but I also use 9s fairly often) from Musician's Friend. I love Ernie Ball slinkys but it's a little expensive to do these guitar reviews and the MG strings are fine.
@@ArtOfShredYT Well, I bought another Epiphone SG the other day, this one is a 2022 in worn cherry. This one stays in tune a little better and I can’t seem to put it down. It’s a blast to learn on. For a cheap guitar, they really are nice. I have two Ibanez guitars I barely pick up anymore because of this SG. Btw, thanks for your response. My cherry SG is on the Slinky’s and my ebony is sporting the super slinky’s.
By regular SG do you mean a Gibson SG Standard? This neck is different and not as pleasant. I don't think it's necessarily great for people with small hands, but it really depends on if we're talking child sized hands or small adult sized hands. I think most adults will be fine with this neck.
Tough to say since I only just got the Melody Maker and have not spent much time with it yet. I have other guitars I've been playing so I can review (AX120, Jag-Stang, Indio Boardwalk) so it'll be a month or so before I spend any real time with the Melody Maker. That said, I really like this SG for the price.
Action and string height are synonymous. I usually set to around 1.5mm but it depends. I find anything under 2mm okay for me. I didn't touch the pickup height
@@ArtOfShredYT Anyway I m committed now I'm in Maldives for employment the day I travel Nepal 🇳🇵 my home country I'll definitely take one and I ll give a holiday for my 50$ fender.thanking you for you real talk sir
Jumping in 10 months later; I got a great deal on a mint Tony Iommi Gibson SG w/phat plush case, case candy birth photo multi tool etc. for about $800 off list, and to "protect" it I bought the MUCH more expensive-than-yours $179 dollar epi "Special SG Model" in gloss cherry from AMS but get this - the specs say it's mahogany with rock maple neck and that black 'bound' rosewood (and if u believe that's rosewood) but the kicker is the tone pot is a KILL SWITCH! bap bap bap bap AND it has a tune-a-matic with stop tail. WTF??? I call 'em beaters..always within arms reach and I don't have to worry about dingin' 'em up in my little studio/apt. I can rip on this l'il SG and with the kill switch it's like extra jimmies!! Then when I jump on the Monkey which is plek'd from factory holy mackerel...But truthfully the cheapo doesn't hurt my feelings at all, lol.. And please I wish everyone would stop calling cheap guitars beginner guitars as if there is some rule that says beginners shouldn't start out with the best instrument they can afford. I would never buy my kid one of these cheapos unless I wanted to discourage him from playing and that would never happen. d:D 🎸
The Iommi SG is one of my dream guitars. As for beginner guitars being called beginner guitars, I don't know what to tell you. I love cheap guitars but the target market for them are beginners. I still like them, obviously.
@@ArtOfShredYT LOL I hear ya. The irony is takes a pro or experienced player to have FUN with them. As for semantics I'm never going to insult a beginner by associating him/her with a cheap instrument. In the olden days a cheap guitar was what you bought when you couldn't afford a big name brand, didn't have much to do with skill level. Now as u say - algorithms. Begs the question -$300-$500 your basic Classic Vibe Squiers, Inspired by Gibson Epis - to whom are they marketing those to? Because I have those, too and they -well not the Epis but the Squiers kind of defy classification...? I'm keeping the monkey in pristine shape - not even a rub mark on it, in case I flip it for I don't know why but if I do it will be at LEAST $800 off list to be fair, in case you ever want a Monkey. rock the f on !!! ☮
@@cuda426hemi CVs are great. Not sure who the target market is with them but I'm assuming it's someone who has been playing awhile, can't afford a MIM or USA Fender, but wants something really nice. I just sold my CV '60s Jazzmaster a couple weeks ago and I loved that guitar. Gotta fund more reviews though! (I still have a CV '50s Tele, but I'll need to sell that eventually as well)
@@ArtOfShredYTthanks for clarifying! Man, im very confused about it, so many versions lol. I thought the E1 only comes in satin, but theres also a glossy version? Mine is a glossy black and theres also a glossy cherry. So they are all E1? Thanks man, great content!
@@ArtOfShredYTalso some people say its a poplar body + mahogany veneer and okume (?) fretboard, others say its a mahogany body with a rosewood fretboard. So very confusing for me. Mine is the glossy version (bought on AMS saying its mahogany+rosewood), gotta say feels too light and fretboard is like a carboard feeling, no wood graining whatsoever. Its smooth but quite odd tho.might get better with time.
@@rmkk89 very interesting! Looks like the cheap SG Special at AMS is only available through them. Seems to be an E1, but glossy. Who knows what's going on 🤷
My squier mustang bullet. £110 or thereabouts and it's just great. But these days there are loads of great guitars out there for very little money. Squier and epiphone of course, but also ibanez, Stirling, danelectro, cort, kramer, Harley benton and more all make great guitars. For a little more money the prs se line are fantastic also. But I'm a fender guy, so squier mustang, tele and strat for me.
A Harley Benton JA-60 SB I picked up for under £200. I still haven't changed the strings on it from when it arrived. I love the thing. It is just an awesome guitar. It has a bell like tone in the upper frets, that only my Basses seem to possess. No other guitar I have rings like it. It also kind of "floats" above FX you apply to it. It's very present, but giving it reverbs, echoes, ambience, the thing is just awesome. I was recording and writing new stuff with it the day I bought it!
I have nice guitars, I just got this as my first SG, never played one, was on sale for $150 - which in girl math or the guitar world, might as well be free.
@@ArtOfShredYT It just got here today and was blown away, this thing screams through my Boss Katana Gen III 50, was setup almost perfect out of the box and intonation was nearly spot on! Well worth the $150 and perfect to play while I'm waiting on my Fender to get back from the shop! Idk what I didn't buy one of these sooner!
Yeah I set mine about as low as it'll go on the low E side, but it got to ~1.75mm. There's still room to lower it more on the high E side but it's not necessary.
@@ArtOfShredYT I mean does it have the same price as any other online shopping like Amazon, because I checked in Musicians friend website to find some epiphone sg's and it was on sale and I was wondering to order on Amazon because I heard that it ships some items faster in around 2-4 days, but unfortunately I can't really find it online there, but does musicians friend also ships instruments fast at least like Amazon's?
I'm in the process of modding this guitar, including the tuners, nut, and bridge. I talk about it on this live stream: ua-cam.com/users/livedBfdxZASxiM
I think ive outgrown my 100 dollar guitar. The more i play much more difficult stuff, the more i notice the flaws of it. Time for an upgrade but my budget is 200 dollars max😂
That's a different one. There's an Epiphone SG Special that has a tune-o-matic bridge but the one I reviewed here is only available at Guitar Center / Musician's Friend
Ooohh! Thank you for explaining the diff between your SG and mine! It's Aug 13/24 today. I brot out my Special SG for it's turn in the playing rotation of budget guitar accumulation. Every time I bring this one out, I'm impressed all over again! It's the neck. Everything else is perfect, no upgrades required. But the neck lives up to its name . SPECIAL . You have made a fine video here about your version of the SG Special, I've watched it quite a few times. Thanks for it and I hope you and yours are good as can be.
Epiphone IS NOT and has NEVER BEEN a NO NAME BRAND. The Beatles chose Epiphone over Gibson. Epiphone CRUSHED Gibson in the 50s and 60's. Epiphone Dots with some upgrades blow Gibson out of the water quality wise. Ive seen $1400 Gibsons and the owners get them and theyre unplayable.
🪛 NEW VIDEO: Check out the mods I made to this guitar ua-cam.com/video/ndoIAJW_YlM/v-deo.html
🎸Want to hear about guitar deals like this one? Join Riff City for free: artofshred.com/riffcity/
I just ordered this one yesterday! Finally gonna learn how to play guitar and I am very happy to see that the guitar I purchased is pretty decent for its price! And man do I love the look and styles of SGs!
Heck yeah, enjoy! I also love the look of SGs :)
So how's it going
@@JasonShaffner-m2l its solid for a beginner guitar! Tones are nice and the playing quality are good for the price!
You made the RIGHT choice!😁
One thing, if you got some money to spent, buy a set of decent tuners, they are really a weak spot on this guitar.
I'm in total agreement with you. This makes an excellent beginner's guitar. Mine is cherry red. Other than having to tune it, I had no problems whatsoever. It basically played straight out of the box. I love mine.
Thanks for sharing! Happy you like it. 🤘I prefer the cherry too, tbh.
I had the same experience with my daughter's SG. No fret issues, needed a little set up and it was ready to go!
Sweet! Epiphone quality control seems to be on par with Yamaha. Although I did get a comment from someone (they deleted it unfortunately) that they got a couple different cheap Epiphones over the years with issues. So it's still possible to get one with Squier-level quality control.
@@ArtOfShredYT Mine was terrible but you what you pay for
My dad got me one of these for Christmas a couple years ago, and I recently got around to playing it more instead of my acoustic and it's honestly just so much fun to play
Sweet! It's a fun guitar
Hi. Old retired guitar player - mostly Blues. When I retired from public gig playing I sold ALL of my guitars, PA stuff etc. Now a couple of years down the road I was missing a playable guitar. Less available $$ now. Ordered this one in Pelam blue at a killer price! No complaints about it being a "starter" guitar. It does its expected job and does it well. Nicely done vid! Thanks.
Thanks for sharing! Happy you're happy with this guitar 🤘
I’ve had this guitar 20 year and play it right next to my high end guitar and I still love it absolute little monster
I have to say in comparison to even the higher end Epiphone SGs (like the Standard) it doesn't hold up, but considering the price and how it sounds it's a solid choice for beginners.
Nice to see I'm not the only one that likes SG Specials. Love love love Epi SG Specials made in Indonesia from 2011-2017. Gloss finished hog bodies, small pickguard, lock tone bridge and tail piece, kill pot and real deal rosewood fretboards instead of that reddish orangy looking stuff they call rosewood today. Swap out the cheapo tuners and you have a thin bodied lightweight capable guitar for not a lot of money. I recently got a new old stock, in box 2017 ebony SG Special off of ebay for $200 and couldn't be happier. Installed some new Grover 133N tuners and good to go. Now have both colors; a 2017 ebony and a 2013 cherry. Way too many people are sleeping on these great inexpensive guitars so it's good to see them get a little love. Cheers!
Nice! You're making me want to try to find one of those old Epi SGs. I was a fan of the G-400 (and the G-310 wasn't bad either) but I actually don't recall playing the Specials.
I’m a newbie and mine says Epiphone Special SG model made in Indonesia!! 😁 I’m so happy to hear this is a good guitar! My husband got it for me for my birthday since I want to start playing. It’s a glossy Cherry red-ish wood I really like it. Trying to learn all the parts of a guitar so I can take care of this baby!
Oh heck yeah! Congrats on the new guitar! Have fun 🤘🎸
That clean tone was surprising! Loved it. Thanks for working through several sounds
Thanks for watching & listening! Happy you dug it
For me, it's a solid review which I needed because after listening to rock and metal for years, and I'm starting to get into guitars now.
Oh hell yeah always a good time to start learning guitar!
Very nice demo, sir. Great playing too! Merry Christmas to you, and to all who may happen to read this! 😊
thank you, happy you liked it! 🤘
Use a popsicle stick to adjust the bridge height so you don’t damage the posts with a metal screwdriver
Thanks! Am a beginner looking to pick one up! Love the look of the SG's, but don't have a huge budget. Was on the fence about it, but now feel more comfortable with my decision on this one!
It's a fun guitar, hope you enjoy!
I mentioned this before on the Epi LP Special video, but applies here too for SG version so I'll say it for benefit of novices to guitar setup. These guitars are optimiized by design for string sets with a 009 or 010 hi E to 042 or 046 lo E. I use Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky .009 to .046 set and these intonate very nicely on Epiphone and Gibson electrics with this one-piece 'sawtooth' bridge. When adjusting this bridge up or down for action or lengthwise for intonation, take off the string tension so you don't gall the threads on the anchor posts or set screws. Then reapply string tension to check your work. It may take a few tries so be patient and you'll be glad later. This is important so don't rush it.
Good tips, as always, thanks Mark!
I just found an SG special at a yard sale this week for $40 (including a nice gig bag, cables, and tuner). The guitar itself looked close to brand new, so I couldn't pass it up! Sounds like they bought it for their kid, who quickly lost interest in lessons. Needed a serious set up though -the bridge was cranked right up making the action impossible and the intonation was ridiculous. 30 minutes of adjustments and it plays great....not bad at all for a beginner guitar.
That's a phenomenal deal, nice find!
This video helped me out so much. My 11yo son wants an electric and I know he's gonna love this one. Thanks.
Happy to help! 🤘
I bought this guitar. I wanted a “everyday” guitar versus my vintage Ric. I had a Epiphone Les Paul jr about 10years ago, so I was familiar with them. I bought my new sg (Cherry) from Amazon. I absolutely love it. For $175 I was more than pleasantly surprise at the quality and appearance. The only thing I changed was the strings.
Replacing a vintage Ric with one of these? Wild! Happy you dig it, though! 🤘
I totally get it, I don’t want to leave my nice guitars in the practice room to get knocked over by a friend, get scratched, get dusty etc. it’s nice to have a beater guitar
I got this one on Stupid Deal of the Day at Musicians Friend a while back. It came with a cracked neck so I returned it and am getting a replacement, It's been back ordered almost a month. Nice video. Love the cat shirt. Just found it on Amazon and it's coming tomorrow. I share your love of SGs. My first serious guitar was a 1968 Gibson SG Standard that I bought new. It was stolen and then recovered. I just worried about it too much so I sold it. Big mistake. I'm going to ease my way back to SGs by way of this Special. I've got the feeling it won't be the last.
As an adult beginner, I was looking for something solid and versatile to learn on which wasn't going to break the bank. My local guitar shop had this same model in a very sexy cherry red with a $189 price tag (which includes a full setup and new strings.) I'm picking it up in 2 days. This video helped solidify my decision. Thank you!
Oh heck yeah! With full setup and new strings that is a wonderful deal. Love when guitar shops hook beginners up like that
@@ArtOfShredYT 3 months later, and I could not be happier with this guitar! I've put more time into learning and practicing than I did in the year prior because of how much I love it. The look, the feel, the sound, they're all just right for me. I guess I'm an SG guy. Who knew? Thank you so much for making this video. It really helped me a lot.
@@OmegaRob Sweet, thanks for the update! Happy you like the guitar and happy the video helped 🤘
Hopefully getting an SG soon. felt incredible in the store. Nice to see it’s a good pick
Sweet! They're nice 🤘
Agree, Epiphone makes pretty good stuff, at all tiers, even at their lowest rung, right out the box. Helpful review. Cheers.
Yup! 🤘
Thanks for the review! Love the guitar. Tone is in the fingers. You make it sound awesome! Always remember, Jack Pearson plays a $120 Squire. Also, that shirt you have on is soooo dope!! Where can i find that? Thanks !!
Thank you, much appreciated! 🤘 My wife bought me that shirt from Etsy. 🐈
@@ArtOfShredYT awesome! Love it! Thank you my friend . Cheers
Great review and demo. This will replace the floating bridge nightmare I have now.
Thank you, happy you liked it! Floating bridges can definitely be a nightmare 🤣
I love my Epiphone SG Special. It also was $150.00. Mine has a stop tail bridge. Mine has the nicest fret board edges. It’s not binding it’s the fret board rounded. Mine also has 500 k pots with a kill switch on the tone pot. My fret board is also very dark. I think it’s rosewood. Mine was made in Indonesia. It’s really a favorite guitar of mine. I have it in several videos on my channel.
Nice! 🤘
Nice job. I have this and the Les Paul version. So cheap I got both just to have a change of pace (looks wise)! What I love about also about these is you get the "Gibson vibe" of both models but without the Les Paul's weight and SG's neck dive. Also, I hear people complaining about tuners, but you might try lubing the nut and changing to better strings. After many years of playing, I've found binding at the nut to be a factor in tuning instability.
Thank you! 🤘 You're definitely right about the nut and strings binding in there being a big tuning factor. But cheap tuners that don't stay still don't help.
I still need to officially review one of the cheap regular Les Pauls but I dig those as well. I did the Epi Les Paul P90 on the channel a few months ago. Fun guitar!
I got an SG special II for my son. I'm pretty sure it's the same guitar, only drilled for the tune-o-matic. I felt no problems out of the box.
Nice, the E1 also has a tuneomatic bridge. I don't think the Special II is available new anymore. In any case, happy to hear it was good out of the box!
hiya im just starting to get into learning to play and bought this guitar on sale on music friends this is a really nice demo ty :D
heck yeah! Happy you liked the demo. It's a fun guitar 🤘
My boyfriend just got me the cherry color for my birthday, super excited to learn!
Nice. Might want to change your name from "Let's Go Brandon" 🤣🇺🇸
close to call of cthulhu...clean sound. and @7:39 or so there was another notable knockoff for me but I cannot place it...
It definitely could be! I loved that song back when I first started playing. Although if you asked me to play it today I wouldn't remember how.
I bought one for $130 on Facebook Marketplace and I love it! I have a Gretsch and an American made Stratocaster but the SG is what I play at most gigs.
Incredible! 🤘
I have the pelham blue version, price was the same. Quality isn't much different from my old Ibanez GAX50, which was twice that much 20yrs ago.
Nice! Thanks for sharing 🤘 It is wild what they're able to do at low pricepoints nowadays compared to decades ago
Ich habe auch ein Epiphone SG Special Gitarre. Ich bin sehr zufrieden mit dieser Gitarre. 🎸💯
I have an old Indonesian made one that's been gathering dust.
Intend to restart my guitar journey again soon.
I ran into a similar issue with ESP's version of a Les Paul. It looks cool, but you can tell the wiring wasn't like a Les Paul.
I'm not sure what issue you're referring to
@@ArtOfShredYT I just mean how it doesn't have the four-knob config like the original SG, that's the same difference between the original Les Paul and ESP's version.
@@dave23024 gotcha!
I got one of the last Indonesian made versions of this guitar in 2017 when I first started really getting into guitar. Never had any issues with it and still play it quite often despite having multiple other (technically better) guitars.
However, I’m looking at getting a Gibson SG the same color as mine for nostalgia purposes.
It's a good one! Definitely doesn't compare to a Gibson SG but it still serves a purpose
Ive been playing rock and metal since '78 and trust me you dont need $1000 guitar to sound great.been using epi sg specials and squire bullets since i stopped giggling 10 years ago and have no complaints with these lower priced guitars
Nice, thanks for sharing! Yeah, they're good! 🤘
I can’t get over how epiphone shifts the neck, pickups and bridge for the bolt on models. this is probably why they ditched the full tune o matic. i wish they would have put some more time into re-designing the neck pocket to keep the same visual look instead of shifting it all an inch
I'm unclear what you're talking about. It's the same scale length as a Gibson and it's got the similar Gibson SG Special wraparound style bridge. Unless you're talking about something else?
@@ArtOfShredYT look where the end of the fretboard is on the bolt on models compared to the set necks. it’s about an inch different. this is to have more body to accept the bolt on neck. this also shifts the neck, pickups and bridge towards the bottom of the guitar. it looks sort of goofy in my opinion, and i think thats why they use the wraparound instead of the full tune o matic because the tailpiece would be noticably closer to the bottom of the guitar
Oh gotcha I see what you mean
@@tanneryordan that's right the whole guitar overall length is shorter ,mine has the tuneomatic bridge ,I bought an Sg pickguard and that not only were the pickups further from the neck but the pickups are a wider apart leaving about 20 mm gap from the inside of the bridge pickup to the edge of the pickguard ,i don't know what year it is .Its a lovely looking guitar with the cherry body and dark rosewood fret board,inside the guitar has shielding paint full size pots ,which the recent ones done it plays lovely Got it second hand , love the 24 3/4 scale as apposed to the 25 1/2 fender scale easy to play foe my novice playing lol
Question I see they sell this guitar on amazon is it a good idea to buy an electric guitar on amazon ? Bcuz I wonder they come with any issues
I've purchased a guitar on Amazon before. There's nothing necessarily good or bad about it compared to a guitar retailer. Although Amazon's returns are maybe a little easier so that's nice.
Also guitar center doesn’t have this in stores I wonder why they don’t have it if it’s on their website
Thanks for this review. I wanted to buy this one but I'm kind of doubting now. I have a Squier Strat Affinity Series and don't really know which guitar to pick now (there's too much choice). But this really helps ! Is the setup difficult if you don't know anything about it? Is there a chance I could break it since I really have no clue ?
Hey Alyssa! Happy this review helped! There is definitely a lot of choice. My favorite cheap guitar is the Mitchell MS450. Review here: ua-cam.com/video/BosxaYwJAbk/v-deo.html It can often be found on sale for under $250.
As for this SG. It's very difficult to break anything on a guitar if you're learning to do your own setups. Not impossible, but difficult. And generally (unless you break the headstock off or something like that) a guitar tech at your nearest store can inexpensively fix whatever you mess up if it came to that.
@@ArtOfShredYT Wow, thanks so much!
Hey I loved your video! Is there a chance if you know what gauge strings does it come with?
Thank you! I'm pretty sure they're 10s
Thanks for the review! Bought one 2nd hand a couple of months ago for 99 flat. I've wanted an SG for ages and a beginners model is fine by me. If you were going to switch out the pickups what kind/brand would you use?
I actually bought a DiMarzio Super Distortion to replace the bridge pickup but I haven't done it yet. I will make a video though!
Hi please please please reply what string do I buy off Amazon for this guitar I know nothing about it
Any package of electric guitar strings are fine. Probably a light gauge. The thinnest string will be 0.009
149 on guitar center i just wanted a humbucker guitar for the cheap and this is the answer
i wish i would have gotten this instead because this has humbucking pickups
What kind of guitar did you buy?
How did you remove the small screws at the back of the bridge, to get the upper, bigger screws to turn? Thanks in advance!
You don't have to remove the small screws to turn the big ones
@@ArtOfShredYT Yeah, just figured it out! Just gotta loosen strings for the big ones. For the small screws, use the given wrench. Thanks! I subbed to your nice channel.. : )
@@zuhairreza I guess I should have stated always loosen the strings before doing anything with the bridge. Glad you got it, though! 🤘
Just my short experience with this guitar; I really wanted to like it because I only spent $120 but, the neck on mine was unstabl… so no matter what I did I could not get that thing to stay in tune for a long period of time, and any set up that I did to it would eventually get messed up because the relief would go out of whack every few days.
I should add though that I bought another inexpensive Epiphone SG in black satin ($199) a couple months ago, and this one has been amazing! I swapped the pick ups out for some covered PAF style pick ups, and now this is my back up stage guitar.
Ahh damn! Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry it was a lemon
@@ArtOfShredYT well the lesson learned was just see it in person before you buy. The SG special was an online order and the 2nd I begrudgingly went to guitar center and I could just tell the bones were good on it.
Tbh I have an SG VE black it’s good but I think I like this one better I wish I could have it
They're fairly similar but I prefer the tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece on the VE.
Having owned both, you can adjust the intonation perfectly on the VE and only very close to perfect on the special I
@@ArtOfShredYT the real reason why I said this bcuz the ve is made of wood and this is made of of plastic
@@antoniobarrera1983 It is most definitely not made of plastic 🤣
Can this guitar be upgraded with a bridge, grover tuners, and electronics without doing much to it?
Likely yes but you'd have to get the measurements of the parts to be sure
I have the 2005 Epiphone SG Special made in China. Doesn’t stay in tune too well so I’m considering locking tuners.
What strings and amp are used in this video? Sounds really good. Mine has the super slinky’s but doesn’t sound quite the same. Also, are you using any pedals with this?
Thanks! Here's the amp I used for the non-intro demos: ua-cam.com/video/llCF5cxhjx0/v-deo.html No "pedals" since it's a modeling amp with tons of pedal and amp models but I definitely used a lot of sounds from the Positive Grid Tone Cloud. For the intro track I went direct to my macbook (via a Focusrite Scarlett Solo) with a few pedals (Keeley Caverns and I don't remember which dirt pedal, but I think the Behringer Ultra Metal).
The strings are actually the cheap Musician's Gear brand (in this case 10s, but I also use 9s fairly often) from Musician's Friend. I love Ernie Ball slinkys but it's a little expensive to do these guitar reviews and the MG strings are fine.
@@ArtOfShredYT Well, I bought another Epiphone SG the other day, this one is a 2022 in worn cherry. This one stays in tune a little better and I can’t seem to put it down. It’s a blast to learn on. For a cheap guitar, they really are nice. I have two Ibanez guitars I barely pick up anymore because of this SG.
Btw, thanks for your response. My cherry SG is on the Slinky’s and my ebony is sporting the super slinky’s.
@@Dayton504 Sweet! I really want to review one of the SG Special Classic Worn P-90s for the channel.
Anyone know how I can add a tremolo arm to this guitar?
Really difficult. You'd need one of the models with a tuneomatic bridge and stop bar tailpiece and even then it might not be easy
How does the size of the neck compare to the regular SG? Is it good for people with small hands?
By regular SG do you mean a Gibson SG Standard? This neck is different and not as pleasant. I don't think it's necessarily great for people with small hands, but it really depends on if we're talking child sized hands or small adult sized hands. I think most adults will be fine with this neck.
Do you like this or the melody maker more?
Tough to say since I only just got the Melody Maker and have not spent much time with it yet. I have other guitars I've been playing so I can review (AX120, Jag-Stang, Indio Boardwalk) so it'll be a month or so before I spend any real time with the Melody Maker. That said, I really like this SG for the price.
Would it be better to get one of these or a Michael Hammer GM850?
I've never heard of or played one of those so I can't say
I got mine been learning to play on Rocksmith with it
Sweet! Rocksmith looks fun, but I've never played it 🤘
The fretboard wood looks a lot redder in this video than the pictures on websites
Wood and cameras are weird like that.
@@ArtOfShredYT Thanks for the reply ! What is the “true” color?
@Sigma_WK it is definitely a light brown somewhat reddish color
@@ArtOfShredYT Thanks. 🦑
Epiphone the best.❤i love SG
Is the tone knob supposed to be able to be pushed down to kill the volume to the amp?
No, it doesn't have a kill switch
i hope you read this because i need help setting mine up.
what was yur setup like, in reguards of like the action, pickup height, and string height.
Action and string height are synonymous. I usually set to around 1.5mm but it depends. I find anything under 2mm okay for me. I didn't touch the pickup height
I want to buy this guitar but i see no hole for whammy makes me sad
It's very rare to see Gibsons or Epiphones with whammy bars.
@@ArtOfShredYT Anyway I m committed now I'm in Maldives for employment the day I travel Nepal 🇳🇵 my home country I'll definitely take one and I ll give a holiday for my 50$ fender.thanking you for you real talk sir
@@ArtOfShredYTtrue, the early 60s one are pretty common to find that they have whammy bars.
@@ArtOfShredYTut they cost more depending how old they are, but I've seen guitarist modified the bridge with a hole for the whammy bar.
@@Joshwa_richard it's not too common but yeah some did have Bigsby tremolos
Is it any better than ibanez grg170dx ?
i don't know, but those aren't available anymore.
Jumping in 10 months later; I got a great deal on a mint Tony Iommi Gibson SG w/phat plush case, case candy birth photo multi tool etc. for about $800 off list, and to "protect" it I bought the MUCH more expensive-than-yours $179 dollar epi "Special SG Model" in gloss cherry from AMS but get this - the specs say it's mahogany with rock maple neck and that black 'bound' rosewood (and if u believe that's rosewood) but the kicker is the tone pot is a KILL SWITCH! bap bap bap bap AND it has a tune-a-matic with stop tail. WTF??? I call 'em beaters..always within arms reach and I don't have to worry about dingin' 'em up in my little studio/apt. I can rip on this l'il SG and with the kill switch it's like extra jimmies!! Then when I jump on the Monkey which is plek'd from factory holy mackerel...But truthfully the cheapo doesn't hurt my feelings at all, lol.. And please I wish everyone would stop calling cheap guitars beginner guitars as if there is some rule that says beginners shouldn't start out with the best instrument they can afford. I would never buy my kid one of these cheapos unless I wanted to discourage him from playing and that would never happen. d:D 🎸
The Iommi SG is one of my dream guitars.
As for beginner guitars being called beginner guitars, I don't know what to tell you. I love cheap guitars but the target market for them are beginners. I still like them, obviously.
@@ArtOfShredYT LOL I hear ya. The irony is takes a pro or experienced player to have FUN with them. As for semantics I'm never going to insult a beginner by associating him/her with a cheap instrument. In the olden days a cheap guitar was what you bought when you couldn't afford a big name brand, didn't have much to do with skill level. Now as u say - algorithms. Begs the question -$300-$500 your basic Classic Vibe Squiers, Inspired by Gibson Epis - to whom are they marketing those to? Because I have those, too and they -well not the Epis but the Squiers kind of defy classification...? I'm keeping the monkey in pristine shape - not even a rub mark on it, in case I flip it for I don't know why but if I do it will be at LEAST $800 off list to be fair, in case you ever want a Monkey. rock the f on !!! ☮
@@cuda426hemi CVs are great. Not sure who the target market is with them but I'm assuming it's someone who has been playing awhile, can't afford a MIM or USA Fender, but wants something really nice. I just sold my CV '60s Jazzmaster a couple weeks ago and I loved that guitar. Gotta fund more reviews though! (I still have a CV '50s Tele, but I'll need to sell that eventually as well)
Had a few cheap epi’s only play for myself so it’s all I need right now I’ve a Gibson maestro which is a brilliant piece for 100 quid
Nice! 🤘
updated version has a tuneomatic + stoptail
That's the E1. It's not updated, just a different model.
@@ArtOfShredYTthanks for clarifying! Man, im very confused about it, so many versions lol. I thought the E1 only comes in satin, but theres also a glossy version? Mine is a glossy black and theres also a glossy cherry. So they are all E1? Thanks man, great content!
@@ArtOfShredYTalso some people say its a poplar body + mahogany veneer and okume (?) fretboard, others say its a mahogany body with a rosewood fretboard. So very confusing for me. Mine is the glossy version (bought on AMS saying its mahogany+rosewood), gotta say feels too light and fretboard is like a carboard feeling, no wood graining whatsoever. Its smooth but quite odd tho.might get better with time.
@@rmkk89 hmm, let me look into this more deeply later. Gotta go to work! 🤘🎸
@@rmkk89 very interesting! Looks like the cheap SG Special at AMS is only available through them. Seems to be an E1, but glossy. Who knows what's going on 🤷
whats your favorite cheap guitar
Without a doubt the MS450. Here's the review: ua-cam.com/video/BosxaYwJAbk/v-deo.html
My squier mustang bullet. £110 or thereabouts and it's just great. But these days there are loads of great guitars out there for very little money. Squier and epiphone of course, but also ibanez, Stirling, danelectro, cort, kramer, Harley benton and more all make great guitars. For a little more money the prs se line are fantastic also. But I'm a fender guy, so squier mustang, tele and strat for me.
A Harley Benton JA-60 SB I picked up for under £200. I still haven't changed the strings on it from when it arrived. I love the thing. It is just an awesome guitar. It has a bell like tone in the upper frets, that only my Basses seem to possess. No other guitar I have rings like it. It also kind of "floats" above FX you apply to it. It's very present, but giving it reverbs, echoes, ambience, the thing is just awesome. I was recording and writing new stuff with it the day I bought it!
@@DrTomoculus Thank you so mucy
@@paulgordon6949 Thank you
I have nice guitars, I just got this as my first SG, never played one, was on sale for $150 - which in girl math or the guitar world, might as well be free.
Sweet, enjoy! 🤘
@@ArtOfShredYT It just got here today and was blown away, this thing screams through my Boss Katana Gen III 50, was setup almost perfect out of the box and intonation was nearly spot on! Well worth the $150 and perfect to play while I'm waiting on my Fender to get back from the shop! Idk what I didn't buy one of these sooner!
@@MaxQuagmire-u3r that rules! Happy you like it
The string height on mine can't be lowered as much as I want it. Makes me want to pull my hair out.
Yeah I set mine about as low as it'll go on the low E side, but it got to ~1.75mm. There's still room to lower it more on the high E side but it's not necessary.
Can that guitar be the same price as Amazon's?
What do you mean?
@@ArtOfShredYT I mean does it have the same price as any other online shopping like Amazon, because I checked in Musicians friend website to find some epiphone sg's and it was on sale and I was wondering to order on Amazon because I heard that it ships some items faster in around 2-4 days, but unfortunately I can't really find it online there, but does musicians friend also ships instruments fast at least like Amazon's?
@@Joshwa_richard I don't know. I've never purchased a guitar from Amazon. Musician's Friend usually ships quickly though
@@ArtOfShredYToh, okay.
is this the epiphone sg special satin e1?
No but they're pretty similar
Where did you buy it
Extra details are always in the description of videos. This one is only sold at Musician's Friend / Guitar Center.
Where did you get that shirt?
The black t shirt?
@@ArtOfShredYT the one with the cat on it
@@schultzdigital1 oh forgot I had that in this video ... my wife got it for me from Etsy
hows the neck? thick or thin?
It's not exceptionally thin, but it's not a thick neck. I find it comfortable.
I have the epiphone 2021 high end sgs
cool! 🤘
Got own money, wow. Myself i have to borrow the sum, but great deal anyway 🙂
nice review, but the background music is really annoying...
🎶
Congrats on 20k hours!
Thank you!
Mine is fine. The tuning nuts suck, though.
I'm in the process of modding this guitar, including the tuners, nut, and bridge. I talk about it on this live stream: ua-cam.com/users/livedBfdxZASxiM
Clean sounds descent but it's terrible with gain... eeeeee.
Ok
Witness me! You Shall Ride Eternal, War Boy!
Comments lately have been something else
@ArtOfShredYT Heads down for this presentation and your skill set! Absolutely superb! Comment was a joke 😃
@@blues_batana thank you, appreciate it!
I think ive outgrown my 100 dollar guitar. The more i play much more difficult stuff, the more i notice the flaws of it.
Time for an upgrade but my budget is 200 dollars max😂
@@cleangoblin2021 Lots of options in the $200 range nowadays!
That fretboard looks horrible, lets hope it darkens with oil.
It doesn't look great but fine in this price range
For a &150 guitar, you sure crap on a lot.
Okay 🤘
I bo't a used one, same as yours, same writing, same controls but mine has an adjustable bridge as well as the tailpiece. What the heck??
That's a different one. There's an Epiphone SG Special that has a tune-o-matic bridge but the one I reviewed here is only available at Guitar Center / Musician's Friend
Ooohh! Thank you for explaining the diff between your SG and mine! It's Aug 13/24 today. I brot out my Special SG for it's turn in the playing rotation of budget guitar accumulation. Every time I bring this one out, I'm impressed all over again! It's the neck. Everything else is perfect, no upgrades required. But the neck lives up to its name . SPECIAL . You have made a fine video here about your version of the SG Special, I've watched it quite a few times. Thanks for it and I hope you and yours are good as can be.
Epiphone IS NOT and has NEVER BEEN a NO NAME BRAND.
The Beatles chose Epiphone over Gibson.
Epiphone CRUSHED Gibson in the 50s and 60's.
Epiphone Dots with some upgrades blow Gibson out of the water quality wise. Ive seen $1400 Gibsons and the owners get them and theyre unplayable.
Ok
no. junk
Insightful!
@@ArtOfShredYT I think Letch was just yanking our collective chain... 😄