duzie
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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 …
Guitar brands and third party manufacturers. Who makes it , where and does it matter.
- Thread starter Eagle
- Start date
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 …
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- 3,683
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
Shredder
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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
Shredder
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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
Shredder
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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
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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
Roadie
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- 139
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.
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
Roadie
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- 451
I actually like the Burning Water finish... Only the headstock brings on the heaving!
State of Epicicity
Roadie
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- 532
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.
State of Epicicity
Roadie
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- 532
No stack sounds like a real single coil and they are worth the money. As for the headI 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
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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
Rock Star
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- 3,690
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.
Eagle
Shredder
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I could point out the differences that cost the money but I get your point. It’s the difference between art and commodities.
mavrick102000
Shredder
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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
Shredder
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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.
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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.
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Eagle
Shredder
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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
Roadie
- Messages
- 451
Roadstar 430 and 440 I think in 85 or 86.
Also some 86 Proline but those are a bit more...
Eagle
Shredder
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All of these are quite hard to find these days though.
