'98 Epiphone G-400 Korina

     Bought online for just $375 new, from Centre City Music (a gbase.com dealer; San Diego, CA) in early 2000. This was an upgrade from my old Epiphone G-310 (a cheapie plywood mahogany SG copy, with a bolt-on neck), which had been sold to make room for this one. Despite similar body styles, the two guitars "feel" very different. The G-310's bolt-on neck was slightly skinnier across the fretboard, whereas the G-400's set-neck has a slightly thinner profile (depth) and a wide neck, despite identical nut widths. Combined with the low/wide frets (like the original "fretless wonders" of the early '60s SGs), and you have a pretty fast neck. I had to ask CCity twice to get the truss rod adjustment wrench and a replacement switch tip mailed to me (see below), but they were very friendly and courteous otherwise.

The good:

     Cosmetically gorgeous, with its white korina body finished to a rich transparent gold color, a matching mahogany neck, and gold hardware. I won't be putting any stickers on this one! The stock pickups were suprisingly bright and clear, but their character and output seemed to be a bit too polite and weak, so they were replaced (see below).



[ back | body, front and back ]
[ as stock: in case | body, front ]

The bad:

  • The 5th fret is 'snaggletoothed" on the low-E side. Doesn't affect its feel too much (like it would if it was on the high-E side), but it's hard to believe this passed inspection. I later saw another G-400 Korina at a Memphis music store (priced at $679!) with the exact same problem, so it must have been a manufacturing fault.

  • The 3-way toggle switch eventually had to be replaced. It arrived with the switch tip broken off (in transit), like it had taken a bump during shipping. I guess it lies in its case differently (relative to the G-310), such that if you leave the switch in the "lead" position, it puts too much pressure on the switch when the case is closed. As a result, the switch's mechanical parts were worn, and the guitar sometimes cut out (dramatically less output) when switching to the neck pickup. The replacement switch tip also broke before the switch was replaced.

  • The tailpiece studs, normally held in place by friction, weren't seated very well. Normal string tension caused the posts to "lean" out of their mounting holes, with a corresponding loss of resonance due to less coupling between the strings and the guitar. A little bit of wood glue on the inside of the mounting holes helped somewhat, but to my eyes it's still a little bit too loose.

  • The gold plating of the stock gold hardware (bridge, pickups, etc.) quickly wore off in some spots. I think that problem was endemic to all gold-hardware Epi guitars made in the late '90s.

  • Finally, the price you pay for having access to every fret is that the relatively-long-necked guitar doesn't balance well when strapped on. However, since replacing the bridge and tailpiece with higher-quality/heavier TonePros parts (see below), it balances a little bit better. I don't remember having the same problem with my G-310, but its bolt-on neck met the body at a much lower fret.


Vital statistics:

  • Serial number: I98022967 (made in Korea, in 1998)

  • Body: korina

  • Neck/fingerboard: mahogany/rosewood
    Scale length: 24 3/4"
    Neck width:
    - at nut: 1 5/8"
    - at 12th fret: 2"
    Neck radius: 12"

  • String gauges (each string tuned down one whole step):
    GHS Eric Johnson rollerwound strings, set R+EJM (.052-.011)

  • Electronics:
    2 humbucking pickups; polarity/DC resistance:
         Neck: 1980s Gibson humbucker (south/7.70 kOhms)
         Bridge: Duncan JB humbucker (south/15.94 kOhms)
    Controls: 3 way switch; 2 volume, 2 tone


Modifications

  • Replaced the 3-way toggle switch with Allparts' Short Straight Toggle Switch (stock no. EP 066).

  • In winter 2002-03, I replaced the stock bridge and tailpiece with TonePros System II locking bridge system, which was then finally available in metric sizes ("large posts") for Epiphones. Not unlike Ibanez's old Gibraltar II bridge system, the TonePros bridge and tailpiece are locked on their respective studs by set screws. If you want set-and-forget intonation and a dramatic increase in coupling and sustain, I highly recommend the TonePros system. In addition to the set screws, TonePros parts are made to tighter tolerances than stock Epiphone parts (although my original Epiphone tailpiece sockets had to be used -- the TonePros tailpiece sockets weren't wide enough for the factory body routs). The TonePros bridge is also much higher quality, with a wider range of travel for each saddle (for better intonation) and no rickety wire clip holding down the saddles. I noticed an increase in sustain as well, although at the same time I dedicated this guitar to "D" tuning (all strings tuned down one whole step).

  • In summer 2004, I replaced the stock pickups with a Gibson humbucker (neck) and a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker (bridge), and now there's nothing polite about the way this guitar sounds. Given the string spacing at the TonePros bridge, perhaps I should have bought the JB in Trembucker spacing, but the outer polepieces and strings line up pretty close and I have no complaints. I also thought about (but ultimately decided not to) completely replace every other wire and pot with higher quality components; then all that would be left would be to upgrade the tuning machines....

  • Finally, in fall 2004 I replaced the stock white/black/white pickguards with a black/white/black pickguard set (from Chandler Music), strictly for cosmetic reasons.
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