What guitar should I use?

[JamesStrawberry]

Hello... I am looking for a fairly cheap but still good Epiphone in cherry red to make look like Robby Krieger's SG, any thoughts on guitars that could fit?

 

[syco]

fairly cheap but still good Epiphone in cherry red

Maybe give us a clue as to which models you are considering .

 

[Davis Sharp]

I guess you should go with an SG then. There are some SG experts around here, but I am not one.

 

[Raiyn]

Hello... I am looking for a fairly cheap but still good Epiphone in cherry red to make look like Robby Krieger's SG, any thoughts on guitars that could fit?

Epiphone SG Standard 60s Maestro Vibrola | Epiphone

The Epiphone SG™ Standard 60s Maestro™ Vibrola from the new Inspired by Gibson™ Collection recreates the original SG from 1961 with a newly designed 60s style Maestro Vibrola. Featuring a classic mahogany body in a Vintage Cherry finish and powered by ProBucker™ humbuckers with CTS®...

www.epiphone.com

It's got all the bits of the signature (maestro trem, 'buckers etc.) except the batwing pickguard... which it should be noted wasn't always present on his guitars.

edit: neither were humbuckers!

If you were going for a theme guitar, you could get away with the model I listed above and either a skinny strap or something more psychedelic to catch some flavor.

As a bonus you'd get an Angus Young tribute at the same time.

 

[Töñə ÇH@$əR]

Hello... I am looking for a fairly cheap but still good Epiphone in cherry red to make look like Robby Krieger's SG, any thoughts on guitars that could fit?

zzsounds has no credit payment plans. i want the 61 that comes with burstbuckers

 

[JamesStrawberry]

Maybe give us a clue as to which models you are considering .

I was considering a G-400 in cherry red but their used price seems to be skyrocketing so was looking for something possibly a little cheaper to mod (just to be easier to get started)

 

[BlueSquirrel]

Epiphone SG Standard 60s Maestro Vibrola | Epiphone

The Epiphone SG™ Standard 60s Maestro™ Vibrola from the new Inspired by Gibson™ Collection recreates the original SG from 1961 with a newly designed 60s style Maestro Vibrola. Featuring a classic mahogany body in a Vintage Cherry finish and powered by ProBucker™ humbuckers with CTS®...

www.epiphone.com

It's got all the bits of the signature (maestro trem, 'buckers etc.) except the batwing pickguard... which it should be noted wasn't always present on his guitars.

edit: neither were humbuckers!

If you were going for a theme guitar, you could get away with the model I listed above and either a skinny strap or something more psychedelic to catch some flavor.

As a bonus you'd get an Angus Young tribute at the same time.

Great idea!

I am also a big fan of Robby Krieger's.
From what I've read, he mostly plays either his SGs (some with P90 pickups, some with humbuckers), or his black custom Les Paul with a mini humbucker in the neck and a P90 in the bridge, or a Les Paul with Gibson t-tops. He also likes playing ES-335 or ES-355 (the custom version of the ES-335) for jazz.

Furthermore, although it is "Robby-correct", I would not advise a thin strap or a fabric strap with an SG, unless you can find an SG without neck dive.
It's best if you can try your guitar before buying it, but if you have to order it without trying it first and it has a lot of neck dive, I suggest you use a wide grippy strap with suede on the bottom side (or sew suede onto a fabric strap).

You can also counterweight your guitar by adding a bit of weight to its bottom or to the bottom of its strap.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

The question is, do you need the vibrola? It is not present on many guitars beside the SG Maestro Vibrola that Raiyn linked to.

An SG with P90s, mini humbucker/P90 or The Epiphone Alnico Classics or Classic Pros which are supposedly modelled on the Gibson 57s might be another interesting choice to play Robby Krieger's songs and less expensive than an SG with Probuckers. After all, Robbie had a signature custom shop SG in 2009 that had Gibson Classic 57s in it. And you might be able to ask a luthier to add a vibrola to it later if needed.

A second-hand Epiphone ES 335 (great upper fret access), or even ES-339 (same shape as an ES-335 but smaller, more like a Les Paul size) or even an Epiphone Les Paul with the pickups discussed above could also be an interesting choice budgetwise and soundwise if you could live with the more limited access to the upper frets that a Les Paul allows.

If you want to buy a new guitar on a tight budget, maybe the smaller and lighter Epi Les Paul Special I with P90s in Faded black might be nice? You'd lose the looks and I'm not sure it would be possible to add a vibrola to it, though.

What is your budget?

 

[BlueSquirrel]

I hd forgotten the Epi SG Vintage Edition wich is very cool in that it is a budget model available in cherry.

https://www.thomann.de/fr/epiphone_...svzGC5_zJqmS1DCDYI24EIIUsCxSEVg0aAkFNEALw_wcB

The upper fret access might be more like on a Les Paul as it is a bolt-on model.
Given that it's cheap, you wiuld need to polish its frets and could probably upgrade/ mod some parts later if needed.

 

[JamesStrawberry]

So I think the 60's standard Epiphone would be the best deal - because a vibrola in itself will cost $100... on top of the like $500 for a G-400, the Standard '60s would be the best deal.
Most likely if neck dive is extremely present, I'll void part of the "Robby" look and move the strap button - but that's for bad neck dive. My ebony G-400 had bad neck dive, that was made a little better with Klusons but yeah.

The 60's standard has the vibrola & kluson tuners, only thing I would need is the witch hat knobs for 3 of the knobs, an amber switch cap, and a batwing pickguard, which I'm sure I could find one that fits.. I have about 5 batwings just lying around in my house from failed projects (the pickguards got slightly cracked or something damaging happened to them)
So yeah basically im going for the "Hello, I Love You" music video look for the guitar... combined with the slightly more modern version of it (which I guess one of the witch hat knobs broke? otherwise why did he put a tophat knob on one of the volumes?) Ideally, I'd spend less than $400 on the initial guitar... but that may not be possible. It genuinely may be cheaper to go with the Standard '60s... but I don't know.

 

[JamesStrawberry]

If you want to buy a new guitar on a tight budget, maybe the smaller and lighter Epi Les Paul Special I with P90s in Faded black might be nice? You'd lose the looks and I'm not sure it would be possible to add a vibrola to it, though.

I have one right here, actually, got it for $90 from a shop because the damn P90s didn't work - turns out some solder joints were loose and I fixed it the first day I got it. I don't fully know how a Maestro Vibrola mounts, but I would probably have to fill in holes on the Les Paul - which tbh I am not extremely willing to do to it (why I wanna get one installed with a Maestro already). Plus I have a list of mods set out for this Les Paul (such as adding a bridge and normal tailpiece, rather than the wraparound) and adding Klusons to it (cause it has the cheapo tuners on it right now) And if I can get someone willing to help me, I'd like to make the control layout 2x volume 2x tone and switch in the top, so basically changing it to a satin Les Paul standard with dot inlays (which I hate, the trapezoids look so much better)

 

[BlueSquirrel]

@JamesStrawberry OK, great! Btw your Epi Les Paul Special P90 was an amazing deal!


Which Klusons are you planning to install on it?

 

[BlueSquirrel]

I'm actually debating whether to put Guyker locking tuners on mine.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

So I think the 60's standard Epiphone would be the best deal - because a vibrola in itself will cost $100... on top of the like $500 for a G-400, the Standard '60s would be the best deal.
Most likely if neck dive is extremely present, I'll void part of the "Robby" look and move the strap button - but that's for bad neck dive. My ebony G-400 had bad neck dive, that was made a little better with Klusons but yeah.

The 60's standard has the vibrola & kluson tuners, only thing I would need is the witch hat knobs for 3 of the knobs, an amber switch cap, and a batwing pickguard, which I'm sure I could find one that fits.. I have about 5 batwings just lying around in my house from failed projects (the pickguards got slightly cracked or something damaging happened to them)
So yeah basically im going for the "Hello, I Love You" music video look for the guitar... combined with the slightly more modern version of it (which I guess one of the witch hat knobs broke? otherwise why did he put a tophat knob on one of the volumes?) Ideally, I'd spend less than $400 on the initial guitar... but that may not be possible. It genuinely may be cheaper to go with the Standard '60s... but I don't know.

So I've been watching the "Hello I love you" video again and it seems like Robby is wearing a two-inch black leather strap.
Actually I have a "trick" to fight neck dive. I put weight for motorcycle wheels in a shoulder pad that I attach at the bottom of the strap. It looks ok with a black strap and there's no need to change the neck strap's position and dig a hole in the guitar.
I'm going to try to include pictures below.
Bear in mind that a Vibrola might actually counterbalance neck dive by itself, but you could still use this trick with your black SG.

 

[Raiyn]

Actually I have a "trick" to fight neck dive. I put weight for motorcycle wheels in a shoulder pad that I attach at the bottom of the strap. It looks ok with a black strap and there's no need to change the neck strap's position and dig a hole in the guitar.

A wireless pouch would allow for the same thing.

I don't really have an issue with neck dive, I just keep my hand in playing position or reach under the neck. Not that it moves all that dramatically.

I suppose I could save some weight on the buttons by going plastic, but it's not that big of a deal. The Maestro ought to be good for some counterbalancing though.

 

[BlueSquirrel]

Yes, a wireless pouch would do the same thing (I just couldn't find one where I live). I think neck dive depends on the guitar or bass. Sometimes it is hardly noticeable and sometimes it actually hurt my neck and shoulder - even if I keep my hand in playing position on the instrument all the time.

That's a gorgeous guitar you have here!