This is Epiphone’s version of the infamous Gibson EDS1275 that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin played. The double neck guitar is an icon that many guitarists have played since. Let’s take a look at this guitar. For a little background on Epiphone, you should know that Epiphone is owned BY Gibson and makes many licensed versions of the Gibson guitar line.

This is what I found as I investigated and tested this notorious guitar.

Features:

This guitar has a Mahogany body, Maple necks, Rosewood fretboards, four (4) Alnico Classic Humbucking pickups, chrome hardware, two (2) volume controls, two (2) tone controls, and a three (3) way selector switch .Each neck has twenty (20) frets, two (2) pickups, a volume, and tone control.

Sound:

As all musicians know, the amps you select are for the sound you‘re looking for. I could go through how fantastic it sounded in my Marshall JCM 800, or whatever amp I might choose, but that’s really just telling you how the amp sounds, not the guitar. I usually play through an effects processor to tailor my sound the way I want it. Then I play it through the amp. With that in mind, I found the clean sounds were a little harder to tweak the way I wanted it, but once I got it I knew why. The twelve (12) string sound resonates more and therefore has a tendency to sound muddy, so it takes a little time to tweak it to the amp you’re playing through. But let me reassure you, the sound of a twelve (12) string is worth the trouble. I had no trouble getting a dirty sound. Rocking is in the SG’s spirit. Most of my previous settings worked fine for the dirty stuff.  I noticed a drop in volume when I had both necks active at the same time. I suppose because of the fact that all four (4) pickups were on at the same time. Still, that’s just a matter of adjustment to the song you might be playing. The overall sound is loud and proud (as it should be).

Playability:

I have always been finicky about the action on my guitar. This guitar came straight from the factory and in my opinion, wasn’t set up to my liking. It wasn’t bad, but I lowered the action and raised the pickups for minimal effort and maximum volume. The necks are very slim and have a great feel. I am quite pleased with the ease at which it plays. I finger pick some songs and even the twelve (12) string was easy to play this way. I was shocked. It put some of the six (6) strings that I have played to shame. I am very pleased with the way it plays.

Overall Impression:

Its construction is solid and looks very close to the Gibson guitar it is mimicking. The finish is awesome as is the feel of this guitar. I also got the hardshell case and I recommend you do too. You aren’t going to want anything to happen to yours. The necks feel slightly different, and I’m trying to decide if it’s from the fact that one has twice as many strings on it, or if it is slightly different in size. The necks look identical. This being my first double neck guitar, I don’t have anything to compare it to; however, I am quite pleased with the sound, quality, and playability of this guitar. And if anything ever happened to it, I would want another one. Besides the setup, I only made one change. I put strap locks on it so I would never have it fall off when wearing it.

If you’re looking for a double neck guitar, this one would be a good choice. I have had this one since 2004 and the only thing I have had to do to it was spray some contact cleaner in the switch that switches which neck you’re using. It started sounding scratchy when I used the switch. Now it’s silent and it all still works great.