In the Key of “Swept-C”
By Caleb Hill
| Posted in Guitar
I was 17 when my best friend bought it home. It was bright red, screamed super-rock and the word “Gibson” adorned its reverse headstock. I had just bought my first-and-almost-only Steve Vai album and, listening to it, all I could think about was that guitar. As it turned out my friend didn’t really play it much and in a moment of extreme excitement I swapped it for my Boss GT3.
It was a Gibson MkIII, a short-lived attempt at a “super-strat” made from the late 80′s to early 90′s.It has 24 frets, a floyd rose bridge, a maple fingerboard and a poplar body, not to mention some seriously garish glam-rock aesthetics. Definitely a far cry from the famed Les Paul! All this said, however, it plays like nothing else on earth and sounds as hot as butter sizzling in a frying pan. 
So I was very excited to see Epiphone’s new Prophecy EM-2 Custom.
It shares the “swept C” cutaway and body design as the MkIII and adds a set of Epiphones own “EpiActive” pickups. The body is also poplar, though the fretboard is now rosewood. I was really surprised at the tone the pickups kicked out. Really smooth, effortless harmonics and sustain with plenty of trebly bite. All in an extremely comfortable and fast guitar…
I know it may look different, but different is cool. I’m glad that Epiphone have in some way revived and modernized a design that otherwise might have been forgotten.
About Caleb Hill
An early entrant into the musical world, I started on the Piano aged 6, and moved on to the guitar in my late teens. Since then I've spent large amounts of time in bands and recording studios learning as much as I could about guitars and what makes them tick. I currently play for an indie-rock band in and around London. I started at DV in 2007 managing guitars in the Barnet store and now, even though I no-longer work in the store, find myself learning new things about guitars every day.
Tags: 24 frets, Custom, Epiphone, Floyd Rose, Gibson, Glam, Prophecy, Rock, Superstrat