NGD - Epiphone G-400 Custom

tachycardia23

Picked up this stunner off gumtree. It needed a good clean and wee bit of attention to the electrics to get it playing. I would quite like to do an overhaul of the electrics and stick some better pickups in there. Any suggestions for things to consider? If anyone has any pickups or pots etc for sale then I'd be happy to hear from you. I also need a pickguard as the original is long gone. I was thinking 3 ply with black,gold,black!

What a beastly looking thing it is...

Funkfingers

Only ever seen those in Aged White. (i.e. Cream.) Is the black finish a respray? If so, might it be hiding something? 

Customs usually get metal tuner buttons rather than the snotty grey-green plastic keystone Klusons found on Standards. Neck dive, be damned!

If you wish to be highly retentive, on early guitars of that shape, if the trapezoid plastic plate between the fingerboard and the pickup has Les Paul Custom written on it, the truss rod cover should be plain. 

Plenty of interesting possibilities if you overhaul the pickups and controls harness. I like the Frampton circuit in which the upper two pots allow the centre pickup to be blended with the other two ... or used on its own.

tachycardia23

Ooh, thanks for the reply.

The guy I got it from swears it's original. I can only find a few pictures that match this one precisely. I took the pickups out when I got it and they were Epiphone branded, seemed legit. Do you think it might be a fake?

I know these aren't the objects of desire like their American counterparts but I can't afford those! This way I can throw them around and do experiments with pickups etc without worrying too much. I didn't pay too much for this one anyways.

Funkfingers

Not fake. I simply can not recall that model being offered in black. (This could be a senior moment on my part.) 

tachycardia23

OK, after a bit more googling it would seems it's a 2001 or 2002 model

darthed1981

I used to have a 2004 Korean Epi SG, was a nice guitar, I just don't really like SGs!

Very well made though, I reckon as you say put nicer pickups in it and would happily compete with much pricier gear.

Happy NGD