Epiphone G-310 Emily the Strange review
By Rob Sandall
| Posted in Guitar
The Epiphone G-310 Emily the Strange guitar is a brightly-decorated SG-style axe, clearly aimed at those intent on drawing a fair bit of attention with their instrument. The G-310 has long been a popular entry-level model for those who are enamoured with this hard-rockin’ shape, and to all other intents and purposes – bar an included custom gig bag – the guitar is otherwise identical.
Some of you might not be familiar with the character in question, and might have assumed, not unfairly, that there’s some link to a cartoon or comic book character. In fact, the original design of Emily was used initially by the mighty-popular Santa Cruz skateboard company, and then to far greater effect on the merchandise and clothing of an alt’ merch business called Cosmic Debris. In 2005, Dark Horse Comics picked up the character and a run of incredibly successful graphic novels were launched. Gibson, then, has chosen for its design a cult underground character with strong ties to both the rock scene and initially extreme sports too. This guitar therefore will either grab your attention or get your cynic-circuits fired up.
So, custom paint job aside – and note that this is also present on the volume knobs – you’re looking at a modestly-but-thoughtfully-specced guitar, with a couple of humbuckers set into an alder body, a mahogany neck, a rosewood ‘board and a tune-o-matic / stop tailpiece bridge.
Notably, it’s not a mahogany body, so you won’t be weighed down too much while you’re standing up – this is usually a complaint levelled at SG’s in general, but alder isn’t a problem, although it does mean that the weighting of the guitar will be a touch neck-heavy when the Emily the Strange G-310 is on a strap.
The humbuckers are meaty – ideal for the guitarist who has been thinking that rock might well be the right direction. Both the neck and bridge are capable of plenty of whoomph, though I suspect many will either keep the three-position toggle to either the latter, or have both on at once the majority of the time.
The fretwork and general build quality are all of a high standard, and the volume and tone controls (two of each) run smooth. The tuners are also precise, and I had little trouble getting everything intonated quickly. The gloss neck certainly isn’t slow to play and the rigidity of the tune-o-matic keeps everything in order nicely.
If you’re familiar with and fond of Emily, you’ll find her guitar an excellent, low-cost choice with a proud tone and unique aesthetic. If you’re not so keen, it’s arguable that someone with a birthday coming up probably is. While Gibson won’t please all the people all the time with designs like this, the fact that it’s on a guitar that’s already a winner will certainly make The Epiphone G-310 Emily The Strange an intriguing option.
Tags: Cosmic Debris guitar, Emily the Strange, Epiphone G-310
This guitar has fancy cool 12th fret “kitty eye” inlays too!
spaceboy