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The Epiphone Standard for me sounds the best

I remember showing up to rehearsal one day with my electric guitar, ready to rock out. Our rhythm guitarist had an SG sitting around told me I could use it. As soon as I played the SG, I feel I love with the it’s superior tone. It just cuts through like a knife.

I briefly owned an Epiphone Special last year, bought it for dirt cheap but I was thoroughly impressed. Helped that I was playing through an all-tube amp with good pedals… Playability was fantastic

Got the Epiphone special right in the blind tone challenge, the two standards both sound awesome to me!

Picked the Special as Z in the Blind Test, but had the other two switched. Didn't think the Epi Standard sounded too bad. Actually seems like a pretty good option for the $$$.

I totally blew the tone challenge. Had them in reverse order. Go figure. My first electric was the SG Special VE and I still play it quite a bit. It's all about the neck for me. I can manipulate tone, but the neck just has to feel right. Very nice guitar for under $200.

LMAO "the tuners look like somebody's bad teeth were stuck on a stick" I spit out my drink on that 1🤣

Now this is my shtick! I got quite a few Epiphone (3) and Gibson (2) SG’s and I must admit that my 2014 Epiphone G-400 Pro is still the best one I have played so far. The day it arrived I just kept playing it for hours on end really enjoying all these sounds I could get out of it and the mojo it has. When I got my Gibson SG Standard my expectations were quite high, but I unfortunately never gelled with it. Tried to sell it twice but I can’t get over the fact that a real Gibson SG Standard doesn’t feel or play right, so I did all kinds of setup jobs on it.

Great comparison video, I guessed right in the tones. I watched all 3 videos & enjoyed them all. For me the Epiphone SG standard is the best value for money for myself

I’ve got an older (2016) Epiphone SG vintage worn. Better then the current version as it has a rosewood neck and binding on the neck. Really nice to play, super low action, creamy pickup’s.

For the blind challenges, I don’t try to get them right. I try to pick which sounds best to me. In this case I picked the tone of the Epiphone Standard. The Gibson pickups came in at a close second.

Just got a Special yesterday and I could NOT put it down. So so good for $180. Really like the throaty tones esp. in neck position. Guitar is just a hobby for me and I havent been playing very long so it totally meets my needs. I didn't have any neck dive either, like I do on my Harley Benton or my super cheap Glarry P Bass.

The neck of the special is a bolt on and that is why the guitar is shorter. It just impacts the superior access the set neck provides but, I have both and prefer the special anyways because I am not playing past the 15th fret for entire songs; I just live with the extra bit of stretching if I am using the 17-22nd fret.

Guessed right for once 😅. Was a little surprised they all sounded so close together. Very interesting comparison; $200 v $500 v $2000 priced guitars. Love my 2013 Epi SG Special which is different in a good way than the new ones today.

An interesting comparison, I reversed the Epi standard with the Gibson, and got the special right. I actually thought the Epi standard was the Gibson as I thought it sounded better. Thank for sharing Landon! I thought the Gibson would dive lol. Ide keep the Epi Standard.

The Special's humbuckers surprised me, throwing all my guesses out the window. The Neck Dive Challenge wasn't surprising. The one with the thickest neck dove like a champ. Gibson really should put in weight compensation to balance it out.

Great video! It's the Epiphone Standard all the way!

At 7:10 you mention that the SG Special neck looks shorter, but not sure why. It is because they moved the neck farther into the body (closer to the neck pickup) to give the neck room to be mounted with the 4 screw (bolt, if you prefer) neck mount plate and to give the heel joint more strength. The SG Modern also has the neck mounted so the fingerboard is up against the neck pickup. Of course, it does not have a bolt-on neck. Nice review. Thanks, man.

Blind test, got them all wrong but liked the sound of the Special most (thought it was the Epi Standard though) I thought the Gibson sounded the thinnest of the bunch and liked it the least. I did think the Gibson would dive and the Epi’s wouldn’t 🤘 I am an Epi fan though, my Dot sounds fantastic and plays like a dream….it’ll be pried out of my cold dead hands.

Ive had the special for the last 5 years or so and shes been a workhorse. It's comfortable to wear and play for hours. I spent most of my time playing it just holding down the rhythm in a metal band.

I thought Y sounded the best (thought it would be the gibson) I got the Special right. They all sounded really similar, particularly with distortion.

My first electric was a 69 Gibson SG custom. Paid $350 in 1977 and had no clue what I really had. Traded it for a 12 string acoustic a few years later. I kick myself everyday for ever letting it go. I just bought a new SG special and am waiting for delivery. I hope I'm not too disappointed. Your vid helped me know it's not that bad of a guitar and should fill my needs. BTW I picked Z as my favorite. Thanks for the info. 👍

When I bought my SG Standard in '74, it was the best guitar I'd ever owned. With the exception of my two custom-built guitars, it still would be if I still had it.

Guitar Z sounded snappier / percussive (the Epiphone special) which gave it away for me. I couldn't tell the difference between the other two. I had a black SG and sold it because of the neck dive and tuning stability.

I had a Gibson, but ended up settling on an Epiphone SG Standard. Happy with it.

I have quite a few SGs in my collection, both Gibson and Epiphones. I won't go into details about which particular models I have, since I don't want to brag, or come across as an elitist collector, or guitar snob, but let me the first to tell you, (OK, maybe I'm not the first) that you get a LOT of bang for your buck with the Epiphone special model. In fact, when people ask me what kind of guitar they should get for themselves, or their kid, I usually ask them what kind of music they want to play. Nowadays, it's always punk or heavy metal. The Epiphone special is great for all kinds of musical styles. It's light weight, economically viable, and sounds just as good as the higher priced counterparts. It's always my go to guitar when I want to go to an open mic and rock out. Don't be fooled by affordability. This gets the job done! If it gets ripped off (Fingers crossed) it's so affordable, I can replace it and not worry about weather or not I'm gonna pay the bills this month. Oh, sure, go out and get the higher priced models if you can afford it, but if you want to rock out, and are on a budget, you really can't go wrong with the Epiphone special. Oh, and I loved your use of Badfinger when you played dirty and distorted. I was even singing along. So I'm definitely subscribing to your channel. And ignore all the "Professionals" who say Epiphone are POS Chinese knock-offs. They're SNOBS, and should be rudely reminded that if an Epiphone was good enough for John Lennon, they're good enough for you! (And me, obviously!)

I have a mint condition 2016 Epiphone SG 400 that I bought at a pawn shop for $150 a few years ago. This model came with the Grover tuners and “classic” Alnico pickups. Love it, but it does have neck dive…thinking the heavier tuners are the suspect. 🤔✌🏻

The body shape already makes them all an 11/10.

Surprisingly close tones , well at least from what one can glean over the net. I’m sure it’s different in person. But I have the special, and have decided to use it as a mod platform, which should be fun now that winter is here. I enjoyed the comparison . It was interesting.

I've owned a Gibson SG standard for 7 years now, played it, loved it, thought X was definitely the special

I've moved almost all of my guitars on - the two that have always remained are my Gibson SG Tribute and Standard. Love both of them, they just 'do it' for me.

Epi SG Special DEFINITELY has a thin veneer of some sort on its front and back surfaces .....BUT it is more difficult to see due to the sharper edges and the subtleness of the grain on the veneer compared to the quite dramatic grain on the Epi SG Standard which has a more outstanding grain.

I'd love to see the 61 SG with the vibrola, I think those look the best! The added weight of the vibrola on the body usually helps prevent neck dive as well.

I just bought the Special as my 1st guitar to learn on. Rather than upgrading to a new guitar in 2-6 months (based on my progress and feel the want for an upgrade) I am planning on replacing the tuners and pickups for a better sound. The goal I have set now is to keep it for a year and see where I'm at.

I scooped up an Epiphone SG a few years back at a garage sale for $99. It looked grimy with a few chips in the finish. Spend $100 for an inspection, set up, and cleaning, and it plays like a dream. Best money I ever spent. I love playing it!

I recently bought the SG Special in the Worn Ebony, and it is a dream for the price. If you haven't played it yet, I highly recommend picking one up. It is an amazing guitar with an amazing sound for about a tenth of the cost of a Gibson. The Special is truly a gift in what she has to offer. I can't sing her praises enough. I plan to buy an Epiphone Classic or the Standard in the summer, but for now, I am more than happy with the Special.

I am a big SG guy, ever since the early 70's and I bought an SG Special. Man do I wish I still had that one. Today at 70 yo and realizing that I don't play so great and not gigging, I choose to play Epiphone's. I've a '2020 Epi SG Special P-90 and I have 2020 Epi SG Jr., which are not easily found. I also have an Epi EBO1 bass. I love SG's and as far as I am concerned they are the best of all worlds between a LP and a standard Strat. Keep On Rockin' !

I ordered an alpine white Epiphone SG standard. I already have a Gibson Les Paul and just wanted a thrasher/player guitar and as much as I wanted a Gibson SG, for $499 brand new, and after hearing all of the positives about the SG standard, I pulled the trigger on the Alpine white SG as a lefty...... The only color in stock. I REALLY prefer black for SG's.

I didn't care for the Epi Special clean tone, but they all had a usable driven sound. It was really close between the Epi Standard and Gibson, but the Gibson had a more responsive sound, willing to give more to the player's variations of attack. One thing I had to relearn when I got my Epiphone Explorer after playing Fender for so long was my grip on the neck. You can manhandle a bolt-on maple Fender neck and cause very little neck bend. The same cannot be said of mahogany set necks. I had to regain my subtler touch to avoid bending the neck when playing in the lower frets ("cowboy chords", open chords, low-fret twangy stuff that I play on my Tele, etc)

Sound test was clear to me - certainly more obvious here than in most comparisons I've heard. Now the Epi Special was always going to sound thinner & plainer and it did. But the Gibson was clearly tonally more rich and also notably less muddy than the Epi standard - to me a rather big difference here!

Hey! I stumbled onto your channel. I bought an Epiphone SG Muse. I got it by mistake, and I kept it anyway, because it's kinda cool. I also bought the Les Paul '59. I really liked it. The Casino has P-90's.... so I bought one of them. Then I saw the SG with P-90's. Damn it. I love P-90's with some distortion and a little reverb and a SLIDE. So, I think Epiphone is a good choice. Gibson must agree, they bought Epiphone years ago. They were competitors and Gibson was smart to do this. Oh.... I am a covid player, 62 years old. It all started when I bought a 1955 Gibson ES125T (with a P-90)

I guessed the Special but too close to call (for my ears) between the ESG and the Gibson. In fact in the first test the Epiphone sounded better. Great channel by the way, its like watching a musically capable Bill Murray.

Enjoyed the straightforward and frank comparison between the three. This helped me decided on getting an Epiphone SG Standard because I liked the sound of it the best of the three. I've owned a couple of Gibsons in my 40+ years of playing, and their "vibe" is no longer as important to me as is pure functionality -- and I think the Epiphone Standard is just right for me. Many thanks!

I started off with the special then moved up to the G400 Pro. Still have both and they're great guitars

Great video. Literally could not tell any difference whatsoever with the blind tone challenge.

Never wanted an SG, hated them without ever trying one. Found an Epi GOTH SG as is in a pawn shop, the output jack had broken the front and was floppy loose, hot wire shorting on the bridge ground. Couldn't touch it without it buzzing. Bought it CHEAP. Love it! The flat paint is getting shiney spots and nor looking quite as "goth" so considering polishing it. Talkjnv about neck dive, I owned a 70's numbered reissue of a reverse Firebird. Talk about "neck dive". Many times the front button couldn't hold the strap, and the guitar fell headstock first into my metatarsal, breaking my foot once. I finally put 1 inch washers between the body and strap button to keep the strap attached to the body.

The Gibson SG has been my favorite electric guitar since I started playing some 35 years ago. My first real guitar (2nd overall) was a 1970's era black Gibson SG. My current SG is a Gibson SG Standard purchased about 20 years ago (Heritage Cherry). I never tire of it; love the look, sound, and feel.

Got 3 sg’s together last night with friends. One was Gibson 1973 standard, another was a 2013 Gibson 3 knob made for Guitar Center, and the last was custom made bolt on sg with Seymour Duncan’s. The 2013 had the hottest pickups, but all were more alike than different. I wouldn’t prefer one much over the others. Just play what you have.

Nice, I guessed the guitars correctly. The tone got slightly muddier each step going from X to Y to Z. The Gibson definitely sounded the best, but not miles ahead really. Good choice! LoL I can't really bond well with SGs, something about the ergonomics, but I did have to own one, so I picked the Epiphone Tony Iommi signature model, which has his Gibson USA signature pickups in it. Because he is the riff lord, and the guitar sounds amazing.

I was 100% sure the Epiphone Standard was the Gibson. Shocked! It basically made my decision to get an Epiphone Standard.

I've got an Epiphone SG Pro with the coil-tap. So comfortable to play, and the coil-tap makes it very versatile. Great video, as always!

Epi special is the best beginner guitar

I have an Ep SG that I bought new in the 80s and It doesn't match any of these. It has a maple body, mahogany neck, semi trans cherry with gloss, Grover style tuners, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3 way, the bridge is narrower than a Nashville, thin D shaped neck. Frets are more medium than jumbo but names change. I wouldn't trade that guitar for a Les custom. Great vid, thanks for sharing.

The Special bolt on neck is recessed into the body for stability. The bridge and pups are closer to the tail of the guitar. That's why it's shorter.

I have a 20 year old epi standard at my parents house that I want to get back into again, always loved that guitar, the shape, the sound, had some minor problems with wiring and the nut - a friend helped solder the connections years ago, I should probably replace the latter.

Clean I couldn't tell a difference. But I'm not really into clean. Distorted the Special was the clear winner. Playability, ergonomics, quality, maybe the Special comes in last, but it's got more balls than the more expensive guitars.

love the Gibson SG Standard, but would definitely swap out the bridge out to a vibrola trem like the custom shop 60th anniversary set up all chromed out!

I suspect the Gibson neck dives more (in part) due to the Grover tuner. They are a bit heavier than the kluson styles.

I was way off on the tone comparison I have not had a chance to play a epi sg standard . I currently own a Gibson sg 61 standard and am very happy with it. I have played the Epi Tony Iommi model sg and I gotta say that guitar was as good as any Gibson I have ever played I was super impressed with it.

I've owned all three - and kept the Gibson!

Wow! I've always wanted a Gibson SG, but the blind sound test resulted in Y, Z and then X! Very good way to determine which you think is best!

I have the special. It really was inexpensive. Even in the 1970s you wouldn’t have got much for this price. It goes out of tune a lot. This can be remedied. The sound is good. I wonder what Angus would make of it

I have the Gibson, Plays nice, once you get used to it. Tweak the PU/Pole Piece Height To get the sound you want. I always have to do a setup on my new guitars, The dealers don't do squat. The bridges are always high.

The cheapest SG now sports a mahogany body and weighs in at 11# . Included is an interruptor switch. This guitar also has a bolt on neck meaning you can fly it in your luggage without snapping the headstock off… for me hands down the winner.

I have a Korean Epiphone from 1998 with the small scratch plate and not fret binding. It dives through the floor, the pickups are awful and it has only just started to hold tune now that I swapped out the tuners to guyker metal locking ones (which make the dive even worse). Man, it's survived many a beating though.

I got the blind tone challenge correct, and was surprised they do sound good. I didn't like the tone of the SG Special a lot, but it was okay.

i just bought a Gibson SG Standard. I was considering the '61 SG, but I wasn't in love with the slim taper neck. I wasn't thrilled about getting a soft shell case with SG Standard....until I saw it. I think I actually like it better than the Gibson hard shell case I got with my Les Paul.

I just got my Gibson SG Standard a few days ago. Now, I've owned a LOT of guitars over the years, and the Gibson is definitely one of them.

The neck is set further down into body on the Epiphone SG Special : Info obtained from The Trogly's Guitar Show.

I remember buying my first SG somewhere around 2005. Originally I tried an Epiphone for around £325 and was immediately put off that the neck moved despite being a set neck. It really sounded rough, the switches and tuners were very stiff and the finish was like plastic. When I tried the Gibson which was around £900 and you could tell the difference of the price was worth it. As far as I can see now the quality isn’t anywhere as far apart, even though the prices are even more so.

The epiphone standard seemed to have the darker style tone while the gibson seemed to the brightest which I did not expect. I thought the poplar body would have brighter tones

7:20 The neck on the Special is joined with the 22nd fret inside the body of the guitar right against the pickup, whereas on the Standards, the base of the cutaway meets the 22nd fret with space in between.

I also was impressed with the sound of the Epiphone Standard but like you, kept the Gibson. I live out in the mountains of Colorado and I have to order most things. Last May I ordered two different Epiphone SG Standards and both arrived broken. One had a crack down the back of the neck and the other came with the head stock broken completely off. Tears. I took a chance on the Gibson SG Standard in ebony and had it shipped by air, cutting down on the time the ground shipping crew could use it for a hockey stick. I've been playing acoustic/electric gigs for 3 decades, but I fool around with "solid body" guitars at home through a Fender Super Reverb Tone Master (it's a honey too). I've never taken so quickly to any guitar like I have with this Gibson SG Standard. It really works for me. Neck dive? I use a suede leather strap---not a concern. Your subtle humor had me rolling throughout the vid. Thank you Landon. I look forward to more. Two tired. Bicycle. Killer!!

I have a Epiphone special. It's Light and I enjoy practicing on it. For a $100 guitar it's got decent tone. Running it through a Fender DeVille. I did pick the correct order. The 490's are in alot of Gibson SG's from the early 2000's. I put 498's in my Gibson SG, removed the 490's. World of a difference. Hot!

I had them correct in the tone challenge. You can definitely hear the difference in the clips., though the difference between the Epi standard and the Gibson are more subtle. The Epi Classic Pro pickups are really quite good.

I got every single one wrong. So I guess that’s a win for the special and the Epiphone. But I get you on the “feel” and “vibe”. I’m a Les Paul guy and have always kept Gibsons over Epiphones, no matter how nice the epis get.

So glad you did this. I gave an Epi Special and Epi Standard. The special is very different though. Same satin finish, but yours has almost like black binding up fretboard. Also ihe as special is as malles because the end of the fretboard is further into the body

I have the Epi Vintage edition, I changed the pick ups to Alnico IV tonerider, and now it sounds like a real GIbson SG

The Special neck is deeper into the body and the bridge is closer to the end of the body to get the same scale length. That's why the Special guitar length overall is shorter.

I guessed it right. The Gibson SG just had a more complete sound, like the notes just stand out more the further you go down in quality the more muffled things become. Not as much range in the tone. Gibson SG seemed to have more “punch” as well.

Nailed it. That Gibson is a beaut. I’ll have one some day. Thanks for this!

I miss my Special honestly. They changed the model name, but it's basically unchanged from my 2006 model. Every time I pick one up it feels like home.

Ha, I preferred the Epi Standard Alnico Classic Pro pickups in the dirty tones, seemed like more clarity in the lows/mids.

i own 7 Fenders two Epiphones and two Agiles My SG was only $70 at a swap meet and now after fret work its my go to guitar!! #1 I f%^$ing love this guitar yes i got the challenge right the special stands out in the crowd!!!!

I bought the epiphone special as a mod platform. Bought the black one instead of the red one and replaced all the hardware with black hardware. Black bridge and saddle, black tuners, pickups with black covers, the whole shebang. Sounds great too

The Epiphone Standard is a great guitar!

I own 2 SGs now, both Epiphone. The first is a 1997 G310. It was my main electric for 15 years (I then got a Gibson Les Paul Studio) and I still love it. The second is a very recent (in the last 7 days) purchase. Epiphone SG Special Stain E1 Vintage. I bought it because I am in China and I did not bring my guitars with me. I considered a Standard but decided on a cheaper guitar incase I am unable to sell it when I leave China. Got it for the Chinese equivalent of $145. Generally very happy but I am not fond of the placement of the tone select switch. When I go to switch I often hit the volume control. Other than that, very happy with Maya (I name my guitars).

I was able to tell which was the SG Special, but was unsure which was the Epiphone Standard and which was the Gibson so didn't pick those. Even though I was able to pick out the Special it isn't bad sounding for the money. I would likely go for the Epiphone Standard if I were buying, because of price.

Thanks for this. I’ve been playing a Hagstrom guitar ( the one with the F hole to give a better tone) for years, and have always wanted a Gibson SG. So thanks for this.

X is Epi Standard, Y is Gibson and Z is Epi Special. I'll see if I'm wrong. Edit: weeeeell. 1 thing for sure is that An Epiphone special has its very characteristic sound (kind of its charm imo) and I managed to recognize it. On the other hand, I didn't thought I wouldn't like the Gibson's tone at all. I liked Epi Standard's tone the most.

During the sound test, when I wasn't looking at the screen, I could not tell that the guitars even changed at all.

A brother-in-law had an early 70's Gibson SG, and neck dive was a small but definite problem. I would have guessed that the Epiphones wouldn't have a significant neck dive, but the Gibson would. Depending on set-up and personal taste, I think I would prefer Y (Epiphone SG Standard)

Been having this exact debate and discussion about Gibson V's against Epiphone V's. Would love to see a video!

I never realized i had an SG Special, it is quite thick as compared to my LTD Eclipse QM-401. Would love to try an SG Standard (Epiphone) to know the difference, but the reason why I wanted an SG was to get a rhythm guitar I think the Special is quite good at that, the pickups on it sound massive for some reason I think it's because of the wood it feels as it resonates through out the entire body of it. But yeah, I'd love to try a Standard Epiphone just to know the difference, especially would love to know the difference in neck as i really like the neck on my LTD which happens to be a "Thin U" neck, it's perfect for roarin solos and what-have-you. Cool video man keep it up and stuff im sure you're a millionaire youtuber and a online micro-celebrity cheers man !

Got the Gibson right but the other two wrong. But my blind impression was that the actual SG Special awesome!!

Man that gibson and epi sg standard sound great I was only able to play an sg once in a guitar center but it was the best and still my dream guitar! Nice video

Yeah, got the blindfold right. :) Ceramic pickups are just giving that "darker" (some say dull, others say warm) sound. Between the others it's just nuances.

Tone challenge I got it right but it wasn’t until the dirty that gave it away for sure. I got a Gibson P-90 SG special. It’s absolutely the best guitar I’ve ever owned. Great video! I like the comparison videos.

I played Epiphone sg les paul and a Gibson sg last week in a guitar store. I liked the Gibson more. But couldnt dat why. Proberly because it says Gibson on the head stock. Both guitars were great. I need to convince the wife i need one now!