Guitar brands and third party manufacturers. Who makes it , where and does it matter.

[duzie]

Yes, I still have it. The tuning issue is... improved, but I wouldn't call it resolved. As I mentioned above, I put locking tuners and a String Butler on it. (The latter is kind of "controversial", but I was surprised at how effective it was.) And I keep bumping string guages to compensate for the lowered tuning/ string tension. (I think I'm up to 11's now?) The extremely thin 24 fret neck is still a liability, though. And as @Eagle has said before, I should have a new nut cut by a professional tech, but I haven't had the opportunity.

Did you buy it new ?
2020 might have been about the end of the run for the Epiphone model.
I’m now curious if the extremely thin neck was the norm for all the Epiphone Iommi signature guitars or not …

 

[mbenigni]

Did you buy it new ?
2020 might have been about the end of the run for the Epiphone model.
I’m now curious if the extremely thin neck was the norm for all the Epiphone Iommi signature guitars or not …

Yes, new from Sweetwater. It's the only one I've ever seen in person, so I can't speculate as to whether they all had similar neck carves. I like thin necks in terms of playability, but this guitar is like a rubber band. Who needs a whammy bar LOL?

 

[duzie]

Yes, new from Sweetwater. It's the only one I've ever seen in person, so I can't speculate as to whether they all had similar neck carves. I like thin necks in terms of playability, but this guitar is like a rubber band. Who needs a whammy bar LOL?

Well if I ever see one at a reasonable price and gas strikes lol
I’ll keep your experience in mind instead of plunking down cash and running out the door.

 

[Eagle]

Did you buy it new ?
2020 might have been about the end of the run for the Epiphone model.
I’m now curious if the extremely thin neck was the norm for all the Epiphone Iommi signature guitars or not …

Thin necks should really be reinforced so they are not too bendy. It is way worse on this guitar because of the neck joint and general lack of support. The Ibanez wizard version 1 is 17mm at fret 1 and being maple not really a problem.

 

[duzie]

Thin necks should really be reinforced so they are not too bendy. It is way worse on this guitar because of the neck joint and general lack of support. The Ibanez wizard version 1 is 17mm at fret 1 and being maple not really a problem.

My curiosity perked up as I have a 2020 Epiphone IBG Sg which is also a 24 fret guitar .
I’ve not had the overly bendy neck issue that @mbenigni’s Epiphone has…

 

[Eagle]

My curiosity perked up as I have a 2020 Epiphone IBG Sg which is also a 24 fret guitar .
I’ve not had the overly bendy neck issue that @mbenigni’s Epiphone has…

The mahogany type wood used in the neck can vary from type to type as well as piece. There are several mahogany family trees that they use , none of which is actually mahogany.

 

[greatmutah]

I’ve got a good range of gear. About half is USA made, the rest a mix of MIJ, MIM, MII and MIK and from varying years. As
long as the imports play well and the bones are good, I don’t have much issue. I have seen marked improvement. My MIM Charvel is a different animal than my 95 MIM Strat especially with the neck and fretwork. And while there’s still a quality difference between that Charvel and my USA 82 and 83, the MIM So Cal is not out of place. I’ve had both MIJ Jacksons and MII and the MII was excellent. My MII PRS guitars are great. Are they on the same level as my S2? No. Are they still excellent for what they are? Yes. I think my Starla SE and Santana SE definitely scratch a PRS itch pretty well. I would love to own a Core but prices on those, even older ones, are still up there. The SEs and S2s work for me. Hell a USA CE would be great too for the right price.

With Gibson vs Epi it’s different, at least with solid bodies. Don’t know exactly why but every Epi solid body I’ve ever tried just lacked something compared to the USA Gibson. Semi Hollow? I love my Sheraton. It was a great, lively guitar to begin with. Added some older 57 Classics and it sings now.

 

[unix-guy]

Not me. Because, (1) like many folks, I prefer flat-sawn necks; (2) I'm not about to spend the kind of money one does on a Tyler to then have to swap out everything but the neck/body; (3) its ugly AF.

I actually like the Burning Water finish... Only the headstock brings on the heaving!

 

[State of Epicicity]

I like everything I've learned about Tylers, except for the use of traditional single coils with hum as well as the price, which seems truly astronomical to me. I love the cutaway for the upper fret access too. To me the headstock is unique and cool. It feels like awesome graphic design to me.

 

[Eagle]

No stack sounds like a real single coil and they are worth the money. As for the head I love that it bothers people so much.

 

[State of Epicicity]

No stack sounds like a real single coil and they are worth the money. As for the head I love that it bothers people so much.

I just can't understand what makes a new Tyler guitar $6,000 USD. I know you feel that way about single coils, but man, I feel like the examples I've heard of ZexCoil pickups were really impressive. I think artists should be paid for their creations, and obviously James Tyler has enough people buying those guitars; I just can't wrap my mind around most guitars in that price range.

 

[Eagle]

I just can't understand what makes a new Tyler guitar $6,000 USD. I know you feel that way about single coils, but man, I feel like the examples I've heard of ZexCoil pickups were really impressive. I think artists should be paid for their creations, and obviously James Tyler has enough people buying those guitars; I just can't wrap my mind around most guitars in that price range.

The thing about this is if you pay for the best people to do their best work and use the best materials you can find it is going to cost this much. Nobody is taking the piss or adding a huge chunk. Just taking the time it takes to do it right and adding up the cost afterwards. Musical instruments first and foremost and the cost is the cost. As you say there are plenty of them out there.

 

[laxu]

The thing about this is if you pay for the best people to do their best work and use the best materials you can find it is going to cost this much. Nobody is taking the piss or adding a huge chunk. Just taking the time it takes to do it right and adding up the cost afterwards. Musical instruments first and foremost and the cost is the cost. As you say there are plenty of them out there.

I've attended some workshops here in Finland where Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas guitars always said "You don't get into the musical instrument business to get rich." Building guitars in Finland where everything is expensive means they have to cost upwards from 3000 € to be a viable business.

I've played a one off Ruokangas Duke that was listed at 25000 €. It was incredible, flawless, sounded and played great. Most expensive guitar I've played and I felt I wanted to play it with kid gloves because of how expensive it was. But let's be real, I could get a guitar that as an objective instrument fullfills anything I'd need from a guitar for much, much less. Well under 1000 €.

My take is that with any boutique guitars you are playing for a lot of things that don't have a whole lot to do for guitar as an objective instrument.

• Fancier, more exclusive woods.
• Fancier finishes.
• Brand names.
• Country of manufacture.
• Labor scale. One or two guys in a garage vs big factory.

But at the same time, if you can afford some luxury in life, why not. I've got several boutique guitars that I like and am glad I can afford and enjoy. I just don't feel that they are so much better than a higher end production line guitar that it is anything but luxury.

 

[Eagle]

I've attended some workshops here in Finland where Juha Ruokangas of Ruokangas guitars always said "You don't get into the musical instrument business to get rich." Building guitars in Finland where everything is expensive means they have to cost upwards from 3000 € to be a viable business.

I've played a one off Ruokangas Duke that was listed at 25000 €. It was incredible, flawless, sounded and played great. Most expensive guitar I've played and I felt I wanted to play it with kid gloves because of how expensive it was. But let's be real, I could get a guitar that as an objective instrument fullfills anything I'd need from a guitar for much, much less. Well under 1000 €.

My take is that with any boutique guitars you are playing for a lot of things that don't have a whole lot to do for guitar as an objective instrument.

• Fancier, more exclusive woods.
• Fancier finishes.
• Brand names.
• Country of manufacture.
• Labor scale. One or two guys in a garage vs big factory.

But at the same time, if you can afford some luxury in life, why not. I've got several boutique guitars that I like and am glad I can afford and enjoy. I just don't feel that they are so much better than a higher end production line guitar that it is anything but luxury.

I could point out the differences that cost the money but I get your point. It’s the difference between art and commodities.

 

[mavrick102000]

For us punters, yeah (and worth every penny IMO). I'm sure cost to Ibanez is much less. But yeah, you wouldn't want to bolt one to a $500 MSRP guitar LOL.

What does a full blown JEM777 go for in great condition these days? I see 1700 and up for plain jane white models to insane for floral and other patterns.

You'd still be around 1K, and if it's a drop in and creates more stability and a better experience it might be worth it.

 

[Eagle]

What does a full blown JEM777 go for in great condition these days? I see 1700 and up for plain jane white models to insane for floral and other patterns.

You'd still be around 1K, and if it's a drop in and creates more stability and a better experience it might be worth it.

An original late 80s 777 in good condition is £2~3k. More if green . The later ones vary hugely. But none of the real ones are cheap.

 

[mbenigni]

What does a full blown JEM777 go for in great condition these days? I see 1700 and up for plain jane white models to insane for floral and other patterns.

You'd still be around 1K, and if it's a drop in and creates more stability and a better experience it might be worth it.

That’s exactly the problem - it’s not a drop in. The route is completely different. Otherwise, I’d have swapped it out immediately. (You do sometimes see used Edge trems really cheap on Reverb, eBay, etc.)

When I said “you wouldn’t want to bolt one to a $500 guitar”, I meant it wouldn’t be in the guitar manufacturer’s interest.

 

[Eagle]

That’s exactly the problem - it’s not a drop in. The route is completely different. Otherwise, I’d have swapped it out immediately. (You do sometimes see used Edge trems really cheap on Reverb, eBay, etc.)

Never in good shape. You can look for the early 90s Japanese S440 it shipped with the Edge for the first couple of years. This is probably the cheapest guitar to have it on .

 

[unix-guy]

Never in good shape. You can look for the early 90s Japanese S440 it shipped with the Edge for the first couple of years. This is probably the cheapest guitar to have it on .

Roadstar 430 and 440 I think in 85 or 86.

Also some 86 Proline but those are a bit more...

 

[Eagle]

Roadstar 430 and 440 I think in 85 or 86.

Also some 86 Proline but those are a bit more...

All of these are quite hard to find these days though.