The SG Junior Guitar by Gibson and Epiphone.
The SG Junior is a guitar only Gibson and Epiphone could have created. Wheither the SG Jr. is a set neck or bolt-on neck, the combination of a classic P-90 pickup and wrap around bridge-tailpiece allows the string energy to transfer directly to the mahogany body which gives the guitarist great string sustain. What is so special about the Epiphone SG Jr. version is the bolt-on metal neck plate actually adds mass to the body and makes it sustaiin longer. With the Gibson's SG Jr. nitro lacquer finish version of the SG Jr. whats not to love? These guitars like the Epiphone versions get better with age like fine wine. Especially as the Gibson and Epihone SG Jr. are also rapidly increasing in value with each year it gets older. The SG Junior maple fingerboard has the tactile feel and response of ebony, but with a very traditional warm guitar finish. It's extremely stable, fast, smooth; and the neck plays like butter.
SG Jr. Maple body - naturally aged wood bodand neck.
Natural aging of guitar woods naturally enhances the sound of wooded instrument which make them sound ber and also increase in value over time. Take the Stradivarius Violin, the wood has aged 300 years which creates a wonderful warmth and rich tone that they are commanding prices of $4,000,000 and higher. SG Jr Guitars made in the 60's, 70's, 80's,, and 90's are starting to increase in value too. The SG Jr's are now selling for lot more money than what they were originally purchased for. You will see SG Juniors that were originally purchased for under $200 now commanding prices of $2000 to $6000 if they are original and come with their original guitar case. It is expected that this will increase the value of the Epiphone SG Junior that were produced in the 80's and 90's too. The Epiphone SG Junior whose woods have aged enough now and sound as good as their Gibson SG Jr. counterpart. It is being predicted by guitar collectors that the over-looked Epiphone SG Jr from the 80's and 90's that are selling will start going up in value too because of their aged maple woods and will be commanding prices in the $1200-$2000+ range and higher going into 2012. The bolt on necks do not seem to matter as originally thought, it is the SG Jr's wrap around bridge that creates the direct to wood connection that makes these guitars rich in tone and natural screamers and sustainers when amps are turned up because of the soulful and classic P-90 pickups.
The Evolution of Epiphone and Gibson guitar companies and the Birth of SG Jr.
In 1924, Epaminondas (Epi) Stathopoulos, a Greek immigrant registers the "Epiphone" brand name.
Fast forward to1928, Epiphone introduces a line of hand-built quality guitars with carved tops and spruce/maple tonewoods and then 3 years later Epiphone introduced a full line of twelve F-Hole Archtop Guitars with the top guitar models called the DeLuxe, Broadway and Triumph.
In 1943 Epaminondas passed away after a long and fruitful career of building guitars, banjos, mandolins, lutes and traditional Greek lioutos and leave the Epiphone legescy to his brothers, Orphie and Frixo Stathopoulos. Orphie and Frixo didn't do so well and in 1957 the Epiphone brand
is sold to Gibson Guitars for 20,000. A year later Gibson launches their first Epiphone Guitars and brings guitar production to Gibson's factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan where virtually all Epihone and Gibson guitars are made by the same workers and guitar making machines and equipment and share the same woods and pickups. The only difference are the Gibson and Epiphone logos on the headstocks.
Fast forward to 1970 and in order to fight competition, Gibson moves production to Japan, and then to Korea in 1983 where to everyone's amazement the build quality of these Epihone guitars is maintained at a very high standard and to many, considered even higher standards than the American made Epiphone guitar models.
At first the Gibson and Epiphone SG Junior was introduced as an affortable beginner guitar with a single hand-wound P-90 pickup but with a high quality maple body and neck and rosewood or ebony fret boards. The brightness of tone from maple wood guitars makes these beautifully flamed hardwoods a favorite
common choice for archtop and jazz guitars and solid body guitars. Maplewood is an excellent component for guitarists who want a very distinct presence and definition between individual notes and sustaining notes. The SG Juniors made in the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's are extremly valuable and will demand higher prices as their wood ages naturally 60, 50, 40 , 30 and 20 years respectfully giving them a much richer tone and sweet notes than the newer SG guitars whose wood hasn't naturally aged yet; but will in the future.
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