An SG at 1/3'rd the price.

The G-400 body pushes the neck of the guitar a couple of inches further to the left when compared to many other guitars, this gives me more playing room, much easier to reach the 22 fret. The neck is a little wider than your standard Strat or Les Paul, it feels more like my acoustic and makes moving back and forth between the two guitars easier.

I replaced the Epiphone humbuckers with a set of Gibson Gold 490's, added a set of Les Paul nickel strings, and the guitar sounds every bit as good as a Gibson SG at 1/3'rd the price.

The finish is a gorgeous translucent cherry with lots of wood grain pattern. The rosewood fingerboard is silky smooth and the fret work very nice. The gold 490's look really good with the cherry finish and chrome hardware. The neck feels great, the controls are positioned well, and the body is light. Overall a very nice guitar, I'll keep it.

I also own an old Peavey T-60 and a Squire Bullet. Both guitars have a shorter / narrower neck and both guitars are stored in their cases. I take them out every now and then to make sure they still feel "cared for" but the G-400 is my main axe.

It sounds great through a Mesa-Boogie half stack, too bad I can't afford one :~(

If you want an SG without the $1200 price tag, get a G-400 and some real Gibson pickups, you won't be disappointed.