Epiphone Genesis

The Epiphone Genesis, according to Vintage Guitar, was designed in the Gibson U.S.A. offices and built in Japan in the late 70s.

It has the usual number of frets.

Solid top Double cut away that throws the balance off, especially when sitting down.

One Volume, Two Tone Controls, One Coil Tap, Passive electronics,
Two humbuckers designed by the Gibson technicians

Mahogany body with Rosewood fretboard

Sunburst finish.

Tune-O-Matic Metric

Regular Tuners, probably Gotoh.

Regarding Sound
I bought it new in September 1980 with the idea of getting something with a Telecaster sound.

I use a Fender Stage amplifier, circa 1987 and get lots of compliments from other guitar players.

Pots are a bit scratchy, but so would you be after nearly thirty years of being bashed, picked on, wailed on, dropped, bashed and tossed.

It has a cool PAF roar, especially through the Fender Stage amp. I can get a ear splitting treble, too. Very versatile.

I truly enjoy my Genesis and would recommend it as a great guitar to anyone. I've read comments in Vintage Guitar that places it with Les Pauls and it has been described as the greatist unknown sleeper buy.

I'll buy another one and use it for experimentation regarding electronic switching ideas I've gotten from the other reviews of this guitar.

Rock and Roll.

Old Gibson tube amps, Fender Stage amp

Danelectro distortion box, Emerald Echo, Morley and Danelectro wah pedals.

My Genesis does anything I can play and desire to play.

Dislike: the off balance from the double cut away horns.

Guitar set up was very good, but I noticed a buzz in the 11th or 13th fret, on it and another Genesis.

Pick ups were fine.

Oh yeah, I had new gold everything put on it. Very prt sunburst with gold hardware and faux mop tuners

My Genesis is excellant for any type of playing.

I would take to a gig without another guitar, if I had too, but other guitars are cool too, as I describe my thirty guitars, each one is like a different woman, each responds to a different touch, stroke, and "demand".

Never had to deal with anyone over the guitar after twenty four years. Who can complain?

I've been playing either for too long or not long enough.

Yeah, does it sleep in the wet spot. (yup)

Would buy another and track down the thief and reap havoc on him/her

I like the feel, sound and thick base ball bat feel of the neck. I dislike the one fret that buzzes and the off balance from the double cut away. I like the pick ups and wonder about different switching schemes.

I got my first Geny in 1979 when I was a starving student at Purdue University in Fort Wayne Indiana. It was the cherry red model, modest features, I think I paid about 300 dollars for it. I wanted a LP at the time and couldn't afford it, the Geny was a great alternative. It was made of mahogany like the LP, but with a double-cutaway, and it had that wonderful coil tap, that enabled me to get more versatile for the progressive sounds I was beginning to get into. I had many comments about it, and I used it as my main instrument for many years. Got married, had a family, one day somewhere about 1992 I left my Geny leaning against the basement wall "for a minute" and turned and found my 4 year old daughter reach to grab it, missed, Geny fell on the concrete basement floor and literally broke it's head stock off... after the bad news that the neck couldn't be repaired, I packed Geny away in a corner of the attic and went on with life, and other guitars... until I happened to see someone selling a beat up clone of Geny on Ebay last summer. On a whim I bought it. I stripped the recent acquisition down and refinished it with Cherry finish from guitar reranch (it really does work) I took all my bright and shiny, well cared for parts off of Geny one and discarded all the beat up electronics and hardware off of Geny two. Installed Gotoh tuners, a bone nut, seymour duncan jazz neck and jazz bridge humbuckers (jazz bridge is not easy to find, but what wonderful clear tone, excellent high frequency response!) I refretted Geny two with jumbo frets. I was really fortunate that Geny two has better action than Geny one, (at least what I remember). I replaced the original mini toggle with an on/off/on mini toggle from guitarelectronics.com that allowed me to select north coil/humbucking/south coil --- giving me a choice of either single coil instead of simply the north one. This was a project of a bit of passion, and I had a great time "restoring" Geny. I really love the outcome.

I play progressive jazz with a bit of art rock (Yes, ELP, etc.) and blues to suit my taste. Geny 2 handles about 90% of the sounds I need. The coil tap allows me to get strat like sounds, and I can push a solid humbucker sound when I want. Since I made the choice to go with two Seymour Duncan Jazz pickups, I don't get thrashing stuff, but that was my choice. I really like the solid body sweet tones that come out of this thing, they really do offset my buddies ES175 type sounds. Really nice in the mix with jazzbox and hollow bodies, blends in nicely and is quite distinctive. Sounds terrific out of the Roland JC-120 with a touch of chorus effect. My friends are impressed and have been looking for something like it, to no avail. I am currently rewiring one my friend picked up on EBAY. Not charging him anything for it... but I should!!!!

Action is great. Finish is not bad, but then again, not professional, some little errors and such. But it was fun to learn! I'm not embarrassed by it.

Seems to be holding up pretty well, and I keep it carefully positioned on a guitar stand or in a case at all times! Since all the wiring and components are new, there is nothing to complain about or to blame Gibson/Epiphone for....

Long out of warranty!!!!

Geny is a sentimental favorite that has been a wonderful surprise for me. The Seymour Duncans make this guitar truly sound distinctive and great!!! My friends agree, this is really cool. I love having Geny back!!!! Thank you Seymour Duncan, Ebay, Guitar ReRanch, guitarelectronics.com, and thank God for the WWW. These are resources you young folks shouldn't take for granted. I wish we had them in the 70's!!!!

Ok, I'm totally following the guide lines here concerning the who, what, where, when, & why. Not sure what year, but according to some very "In the know" people at a guitar store here in Seattle, it was made somewhere between '79 and '81 most likely in Japan, but maybe Taiwan. 22 frets like all the others. Yep, solid and laminated top. Knobs are 2 volume, 1 tone, & 1 coil tap. 2 open hummers in it, left the stock neck pickup in, as it's great, but compared to my Les Paul, the bridge was kinda bland, so I put in a Duncan sh5 and now it's a lil bit hotter then the LP, but fairly close. Passive electronics. Can't tell ya what kind of wood(s) are used other than rosewood fret board, but wouldn't be surprised if it's Mahogany as it's such a heavy sucker. Standard black finish. Body style reminds me a lot of Brian May's guitar ( double cutaway ), and it doesn't help that everyone I know refers to it as my Brian May guitar either! lol The bridge is identical to my LP's. The tuners aren't labeled, but probably Gotoh, but regardless of what kind they are, they stay in tune better then the Grovers on my LP, i.e. they're awesome! The neck is a set one which I love, as I detest bolt-ons ( and don't even get me started on what I hate about strats, other then their sound ) and is fairly similar to my LP, which is an early 90's Epiphone by the way ( yes, with rare GOOD stock pickups ), so it's thickish, but nothing like the tree trunks they're putting on 'em now, and it has dot inlays with standard sized frets. Luckily it came with a nice hard shell case, as I bet you'd be hard pressed find another one that accomodates such a long headstock. I give it a 9 instead of a 10 only because it's so dang heavy, which I've grown accustomed to, but still gotta arch and crack my back aften playing for a while. Then again, the sutain caused by the density, longer headstock, and hotter pickups is incredible.

It suits my music style quite well. With the coil tap on and the p/u selector in the middle it gets a great sound for cleans, as a matter of fact I used it solely for the cleans last time in the studio ( shameless plug www.mp3.com/treblelift ). I originaly bought it as a back-up to the LP, but since adding the sh5 it's developed it's own personality so that I alternate between it and the LP depending on which song needs what. They both sound enough alike though that I can keep my settings the same on my amps when I switch between the two guitars. My band plays harder-edged alternative, i.e. think Husker Du meets The Church with Catherine Wheel and Therapy? throwing their 2 cents worth in from time to time. I'm playing the Genesis through a Carvin MTS3200 which is comparable to a JCM800, but with a lil more UMPH! and a clean channel that's brilliant. I'm also using it through a Kustom KGA65 so that I can get more of a "Fendery" tone w/o the Fender price tag. dependng on the song, I sometimes run it through both amps at once ( love them a/b boxes ), and this guitar just makes the sound come alive. It covers the sound range of a tele/strat, a Gretsch double jet, and a Les Paul w/o sounding exactly like any of them, but like it's own bad self, which of course I love. (btw I've played it through a JCM800, a Line6 Spider, a Crate DX112, and even a Rogue CG30 ( my practice amp ) and it's dead brilliant through 'em all!

The action is a lil lower then what I have on the LP, so I'm thinking of getting it raised a hair, but still pretty dang nice. I bought it at a pawn shop, so I have no idea what it's original set-up was like. I also have no idea whether it's bookmatched or not, and frankly could care less, I play guitars for the way they feel/play and sound, not the way they look, otherwise I'd be beside myself with frustration due to the numerous nicks and dings that are adding character to it. The bridge seems properly routed to me. Some of the hardware was a bit oxidized on the bridge, due to sweat more then likely, but ya gotta figure things like that'll happen if a guitar is used for 20 or more years. The binding is starting to show it's age, which is cool by me. The guitar DID have some issues where the pots and input jack were concerned, but got those swapped out for under $30, so minor stuff all around.

This guitar totally holds it's own live, so if hard pressed, and the LP were in the shop ( highly unlikely ), I probably could get away with it alone for a show as it never breaks strings ( boomer 11's ). As stated by myself and a lot of the other reviewers, this guitar is over 20 years old, with all original hardware, and will probably last more then 20 more. The strap buttons were removed and strap locks added on day 1 of owning it, as I do this w/ all my guitars. The thing is a work horse and is, along with the LP, one of the most dependable guitars I've ever owned.

I've been playing for 20 years ( man, am I REALLY that old already?! )both guitar and bass. I've owned waaaay too many of both over the years, but have it narrowed down to this guitar, my LP, and a cheap old Washburn bass that does just fine. I'm debating whether or not to get a semi-hollowbody, but that's another story for another time. I've already stated my amps ( both my present ones and former ones ), and just using a Brownstone chorus, a Danelectro flanger, and a Boss overdrive for solo boosts, which are rare as I'm primarily a rhythm player that adds little fills here and there. If this guitar was lost, stolen, or destroyed I'd get another w/o a second thought. I see 'em on ebay often enough, and occasionally other places on line or at local shops. Even though these guitars are worth every penny ya pay for 'em and a lot more probably, the going price right now is roughly around $200-$250, but every once in a while ya see someone trying to scalp ya by charging a lot more, so be warned. That said, I love just about everything about this guitar except the weight, but unless yer a wee man/woman, which I'm not, that's only trivial. If your taste in guitars tends to lean towards Les Pauls like mine does, but you also like a lil variation, then this guitar will be perfect for you.

I am guessing from the serial number that my Epiphone Genesis was made in 1979, not sure where. It is black with tan trim and has a rosewood fretboard with dot inlays. It has the split-coils switch and it appears that someone had added an extra switch to get those in-between sounds (similar to a 5 position switch on a Strat.) Since the rythmn pickup has a cover and the bridge pickup doesn't I assume that an after-market pickup was added. The finish is a very glossy laquer, it is somewhat cracked from falling over a few times, getting hauled around to various jams etc. It's very heavy but I'm used to it, it wouldn't sound the same otherwise.

I play everything from hard rock to country to blues and this guitar fits right in anywhere. I use a Peavey Backstage Plus 35W amp and various effect pedals. The Genesis can make both convincing Les Paul and Strat sounds. It sustains like nobody's business, you can go out for a beer between power chords! There is very little that I dislike about this guitar other than the frets are close together. This was the first guitar I ever bought and am unlikely to ever part from it. (Till death do we part!)

The guitar is set up very well with only a bit of fret wear. The pickups are hot and I raised the bridge pickup a wee bit to make it even hotter!

In recent years the guitar has not been played too often and the pots are somewhat noisy. I am confident that a shot of contact cleaner will fix that. I am not a professional musician but it seems like if the guitar was properly maintained it would handle live playing with little problems. Here's a tip for you young kids: I use milk bag tabs as strap locks and have never had a problem.

It was a second hand guitar but there was no need for customer support as it has performed flawlessly.

This is the first guitar I ever bought. I also have a good Strat copy. Between the two, there has never been need for another electric guitar (others have come and gone.) It is my hope that I am still playing this beautiful instrument when I'm an old geezer. Till death do we part!

This an arch topped guitar produced somewhere in Asia for about 3 years.
As I've had this guitar for over 2 1/2 years. This review should be both objective and educational.
Basically it's a double cutaway that resembles a cross between a Les paul and an Ibanez Artist with a slim Beatle's acoustic styled headstock.
Though there is limited information on the web most of it is contradictory; whether it was made in Tawain or my favorite '" Made in the same factory as the Ibanez Artist" which was a clever rouse used by an Ebay seller to stimulate interest in his guitar, or whether the top is in fact Maple or Alder, though some will argue that the body is solid Mahogany. This guitar is heavy weighing in at 10 pounds (the same as the newer Epiphone Les Paul standards.
The electronics are as followed. Two volume pot's , Master Tone control, coil tap, a three way selector, and two customized pick-ups (on mine). The bridge pick-up being a Zebra Seymour Duncan SH (?), and the Neck being a Super-Chunky Bartolini (So chunky in fact that Cambell's Soups issued a cease and desist order to Bartolini forcing them out of production).
There are three models. I may have the names and inlays incorrect. Standard, (dot inlays, no binding), Custom ( crown inlays, full LP custom binding) Deluxe ( Gold hardware, block inlays
The tuners appear to be Gotoh. The Tune-o-matic and stop tail piece appear to the same as a Les Paul with the exception of a slight concave angel to the bridge (?).
I would give it a 10 here but the top is kinda thin we're the controls are all located below(right) the bridge (i.e. don't step on your cord).

I play in a noise rock group, and a trash rock group, but when I'm alone or lost in my own little world I'll find myself falling into Blue Monk or Round Midnight at times; I can't imagine a genre that guitar isn't suitible for.

Through my Mesa Mark IIC this guitar Kills, It doesn't sound half bad through a Lab Series L5 either. I use both big ugly analog effects and newer proven effects to shape my sound, but it's nice to know I can bypass them and get a soulful round tone .
It only gets noisy when I switch to single coil mode. It doesn't have the twang of a tele or a Strat but it does get close enough to pump out some viscous twang. Being abl to switch between Twang and woman tones on the fly is also appreciated.

As this guitar had been played for 20 years before I set eyes apon it in that pawn shop.

I used to work for a Luthier who instructed me in wghat to look at wjhen buying a guitar, Fret wear, nut wear, propelled neck, neck repair (which these guitars seem to encounter alot).

Aside from minor esthetic flaws (which I don't mind ) this guitar is in very good shape

I've been gigging with this guitar for a year without so much as a broken string during a performance! I've knoked over cabs whilst channeling Hendrix a couple of times. I'm sure it could take out a couple of zombies if need be and still be ready to hit the stage.
I replaced the strap buttons with straplocks a couple of months ago, now this heavy girl won't fall off (yeah).

I dosen't seem to be very rock and roll; to have some company hold your hand does it? The pawn shop closed down in 2000!

I've played for about seven years. I have a lot of effects, varoius amps , MIJ Jaguar(modded), Yamaha SBG200, and I just got a Squier SUPER-SONIC, so now that I have back ups I might use this less, but I think I'll actually enjoy it more!

The tops on these guitars are kind of thin at the area containing the controls be very careful with your guitar cord so that you don't damage the top (as I did last week) it's not an easy repair !

Stock Colors include Red, Black, and Sunburst. If anyone knows of any other stock color's then please post a review or email me

features bla bla bla
a switch let's you turn your humbuckers to single coil
it is a nice option.
gold hardware and toni iommi bridge sweet
sunburst finish
double cutaway body

i played and vintage gibson lp deluxe a couple of time (it wasn't mine I aint rolling wit dat kind of scrilla)and i like the genesis sound mo
I gave the genesis an eigth because the low e-string drowns
the the rest of the notes when it is struck
if not for that I would give an even higher rating
the sound is full and clear but can be a bit bassy
that can be a plus or minus depending on the sound your going for

i my got genesis used from a pawn shop in seattle,(why in the hell would someone have pawn this guitar? i don't know but seeing that i found it in a pawn shop in seattle they must have needed the snaps for smack) i don't know if the set up been fornicated with. i think the set-up is still factory or atleast satisfactory. did the guitar contain any flaws? yeah but their minor flaws. A single tone nob for adjust both humbuckers. and the input jack is on the surface of the guitar without kind of real scratch guard to keep the guitar from getting all nicked up
the action was a little higher than im used to playing. but i would
not adjust(one of millions of ex-romates in New York told me that you get more tone from higher action)and now that im studying piano my
finger are stronger and more flexiable so i imagine i could handle
this guitar mo better. I left the genesis in seattle when i went away
to school.

will this guitar withstand live playing
i haven't played it live but my guess is that
the the owner(s)before me played quit a bit
wish i hope to do so if i can stay put in a place longer than
a year
the hardware and the sunburst finish have already lasted 20 plus years
i wouldn't rely on strap button that isnt a strap lock
causue if you drop an epiphone or gibson on it headstock that's it
would use this to gig without a back? I would use more than one guitar
at a gig but this guitar can be trusted without a backup

NEVER TRIED TO FORNICATE WITH ,NORLIN,EPIPHONE,OR GIBSON

how long have i been playing? depend on who you ask, but i been kick it for a minute. is there something i wish i had asked before buying this guitar? yeah how do i quite the low E-string so i can hear the rest of the strings(however i did know about that low e before i bought the guitar).what do i love or hate about the genesis epiphone?
love and hate are emotion i reserved them beings. i love alot and try not to hate. but im only human of what flesh and blood are made(so body out there got that joke i just know it) but what like about this guitar are it uinque double cutaway body and most importantly the sound. what i dislike is the e low drown out the other string if i can figure out how to fix that without changing the wiring or the pickups i be satified. other guitar i own 56 0r 57 danelectro u-1(the real deal not a reissue) a ripper univox(that had its univox humbucker pickups replaced with emg lace pick before i got it) both guitar
i have to thank my guitar pimp for finding those guitars. ThankS Mr. Ron Garcia
I would not compare any of these guitar because they are all great instruments but for different reasons.
but earlier in the sound section i compared the genesis epiphone to a vintage deluxe lp i played and still stand by my orignal literary crappalizations. I chose to compare the genesis to the deluxe lp because they are mo alike in design than the other guitars i own.
When i first got this guitar and played i was intimidated by it felt
like it was too much guitar for me. if it were stole or lost would i buy it again. my fender telecaster was stolen and it was a great guitar but if it had been stolen i would have never bought the genesis
which i like better. so the same thing aplies for the genesis i would
look for something else like peavey t-60 or a... never mind cause it hard ennough to find what i be look for without tipping off mo potential buyers. oh yeah i do know who stole my guitar and i saw
him (crackhaed chris) in handing out flyer for a bar near washington
square in new york and unlike all the rest of you manly macho men
i didn't pound him into submission (i just charged it to the game)
after all a guitar no matter how well built is just an object. yeah an object you and I worked hard for put still just an object. not worth causing physical harm to someone else or jail time for me.
And that's keeping rizzo for shizzo my weepoles
Anything else i would like to add. Yeah i have jammed with people
where they had the crappier guitar and i played the high end guitar
and the sound better because they were the better player so my avice
to all muscian is don't get caught up in the i have to have the best
gear trap because it can and will get costly and you can use your money for something more important like a house payment, travel, or what ever else your into. learn your instrument don't get stuck on anyone style and the rest will take care of it self.

wah da ta my main damiens

I have a Genesis Custom from somewhere between 1979 and 1981. It was made in Taiwan. As the other reviewers have said, it is based on a Les Paul with double cut-aways. I have seen pictures of Pat Travers playing a Gibson that looked very similar to the Genesis. Anyway, It is all original as it came from the factory. It has two volume conrols, one tone control, a pickup selector switch, and a coil tap switch. I have never taken the pickups out to see their manufacturer, but I assume that they are Epiphone-made. The electronics are the standard passive style. The body appears to be mahogany with a maple top which has no figuration; just a nice plain grain. It is the brown sunburst that was a standard option on these guitars. It has a tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece. All of the hardware, including the polepieces, is gold, although on mine,it is beginning to fade. I bought mine with an OHSC that has nice yellow plush lining.

I own 20 guitars, 3 basses, and a mandolin, and this is my favorite instrument to play. I have Gibsons, Fenders, Hamers, Kays, Hohners, Hondos, Arias, other Epiphones, and various others, and this Genesis Custom is my favorite. I play a variety of styles, but mostly blues, jazz and rock, and this guitar is versatile enough for all of them. I own several amps,including a Marshall and a Fender, but my main amps are a Lab Series L5 and an old Rauland P.A. tube head that I converted for use with a guitar or bass. I honestly think that the Genesis Custom sounds great through all of my amps at any volume, although I prefer to use a loud-but-clean amp setting with the volume knobs on the guitar turned down to 5 or less. That gives me a really clean and natural sound, similar to that of a hollow body. The guitar can produce beautiful clean tones and raunchy rockin' tones as well. Although as I have said, I prefer the clean ones. It has a great old blues and jazz tone. I love it!

I bought this guitar from an antique / consignment shop in 1997 or so. The guitar was almost 20 years old at the time, but it had been kept in excellent condition. I do not believe that this instrumnet has ever been worked on or tampered with. Although I have "customized" almost all of my other guitars with different pickups, tuners and such, I have never felt the need to do anything to this guitar. I truly feel that it is a special guitar. I use .011 -.050 gauge strings and I have never had any set-up work done to it, although I usually do my own.

Although I have never taken it out of the house to play, it certainly seems strong enough to withstand any test. I usually prefer to take a less-loved, yet still somewhat versatile guitar like my 1986 Hamer GTLE out of the house to play because I would never want anything to happen to my beloved Genesis Custom. As far as I am concerned, in the five years that I have had this instrument, it has seldom given me any problems. Although sometimes the selector switch gets a short in it causing the rhythm pickup to go in and out. I need to fix that.

I have been playing for about 11 years, and as I have said, I own many guitars, but this is my favorite. I love the feel of the neck, although it could be a little slimmer. I love the sound of the pickups, although they are not as sweet as old Gibson PAFs. I guess the only real complaint is that it is HEAVY. It weighs a ton, but I am sure that enhances sustain, although I don't use a lot of sustain in my playing. I have been looking for another one of these ever since I got this one, but have only found two, and those were on ebay. If you ever see one, get it. You should not be disappointed.

Mostly to add to other reviews, I just bought one to reburbish, it is the non-custom with dots on the neck not blocks and chrome hardware, it is finished in purlply-red semi-see through.
The wood is not mahogany - the neck is certainly maple - there is a sizeable chunk missing behind the 3rd fret the body has some laquer damage back and front and it looks like ash based on the grain structure - I have an Ibanez artist 2617 also maple neck ash body and the two are quite similar in weight and sound.

It looks actually quite like a brian may guitar. its more bottom heavy than normal double cut aways like the Ibanez and I have a Yamaha SG - all 3 from the same year.

I find the head stock too long and thin and the strings on the top 2 rows(d and g)foul the middle row tuners - I added a trevor wilkinson string tree/ truss rod cover to cure this. I am tempted to shorten or moify the head stock.

The neck after some truss rod work is wonderful

The guitar is original with original pick-ups open coil humbuckers
they sound very good not very high output but even.

I have modifed the electronics to 4 way switch- neck - series -paralelle - bridge (more like a PRS) and repleced the coils split with a 3 way - outsdie coils - humbucker - inside coils.
This gives some nice sounds and is easy with ony 1 cavity.

The finish is typical japanese 70's thus lots of polyureathane -bomb proof but not best for the sound.

It has a thick body and a thick neck. it is heavy.

Overall good quality, tuners are unamed probably Gotoh but they work fine after 30 years.
Plating is not damaged the advantage to chrome over gold.
Knobs are nice but not ususal Les Paul layuot and took some getting used to thus I changed it.

Neck pickup is a bit bright - its closer to the bridge than normal thus not surprising. This is not a problem its sometime nice to have.
Its probably the only humbucker where I back the tone control off on the bridge.
Neck is fine and creamy.
By switching mods I have more sounds.
Pickup quality is good

best suited to some overdrive
very good sustain.

I bought it with some damage so I cannot comment - but it fixed up real easy.

It looks like it did this already and it still plays fine 30 years on built like a tank.
The dings are easy to repair due to good quality materials from the start.

No comments

I have far too many guitars.
This is a great every day one it looks different. based on the purchase price it is exceptional.
based on the design yo can modify it and still play.

It is better than any of the new Ephiphone les pauls I have seen or played.

If you can find one buy it

I only have to say one thing about that guitar
I owned one epiphone genesis custon (black) i was forced to sell it due severe financial problems a couple of years ago i'm 34 , my father gave it to me as a gift when i was 15 y/o a couple of months later i bought a GREAT Fender strat custom(USA) but let me tell you this ,i allways liked better the sweet sound of my first electric guitar and i feel profound regrets for had to sell it , it was a fine instrument and i miss it so much (more than a couple of girls i used to date) the mention of that guitar wakes up deep feelings and memories of the best time of my life. IF YOU HAVE ONE JUST KEEP IT
And i will pay a lot to have it back .if that were possible (sadly i don't think so)
Walter
eMail: emperorbsas@hotmail.com

I only have to say one thing about that guitar
I owned one epiphone genesis custon (black) i was forced to sell it due severe financial problems a couple of years ago i'm 34 , my father gave it to me as a gift when i was 15 y/o a couple of months later i bought a GREAT Fender strat custom(USA) but let me tell you this ,i allways liked better the sweet sound of my first electric guitar and i feel profound regrets for had to sell it , it was a fine instrument and i miss it so much (more than a couple of girls i used to date) the mention of that guitar wakes up deep feelings and memories of the best time of my life. IF YOU HAVE ONE JUST KEEP IT
And i will pay a lot to have it back .if that were possible (sadly i don't think so)
Walter
eMail: emperorbsas@hotmail.com

E. Genesis Custom, ser.# 0690047, purchased from "Crazy" Ron's Music, Toledo Ohio 1/14/80 for $463.50 new. Brown to red/brown to gold/yellow sunburst, gold hardware, block pearl inlays starting at the first fret [22 frets], black plastic covers & pick ups, white body & neck binding w/ 3 black stripes through the binding, wonderful enclosed tuners w/ the smoothest firmist action . The guitar stays in tune!!Very fine grain in the body wood & cant tell type. Rosewood fretboard. Solid & well built. Some binding flaws [wavering] on the neck.

Sounds better than my 89' Les Paul, with a much rounder tighter sound. The L Paul often sounds hollow in comparison. With coil tap & using both pick ups, I can get a nice Gretch semi-hollow N. Young sound on "Down by the River." Play through a Yamaha amp, w/ BOSS distortion, chorus, echo. Agree w/ others here, this guitar has a heavy bass side making it hard to hear the highr strings at times. I tend to want to want to turn up to get that upper end, but cant get it. The neck pick up is heaviest & is best played clean & quiet. With distortion, I get good sustain. I play "Classic Rock."

Solid with few adjustments made.Action is low & playable at upper frets. Weighs 10 pounds & is neck heavy which is it's biggest drawback.This can be compensated by using a course leather strap that will grab your shoulder. Play .9's now but use to play .10's. The fat frets allow for easy fretting of cords, but accuracy is thrown off for lead work when playing .9's because there is alot of neck to hold on to.[However, you get use to this and lead work works out fine. Les Paul neck is better for lead work.] Neck is thick depth wise but not wide. Rust & tarnish set in on the gold finish. Rust found deep in the bridge saddles, & on pick up pole pieces.Tuners are smooth & firm. String breaks take place at the bridge only.

Pots were replaced when they got dirty. The plug jack loose now & crackles sometimes & I need to replace it......then it will be ready/reliable for stage playing. Finish coating may be to thick, especially on the neck.Strap button were replaced w/ Shaller strap locks which gives you confidence, especially w/ this 10lb. guitar.Stays in tune & I would trust it as my primary guitar on stage.I have a hard pick attack.

Have not dealt w/ the Epiphone company, & know very little history on this guitar. I have learned all the history from this site. Thanks people!Have never seen a Genesis in a store since 1/80 when I bought mine at age 17.The nut was replaced 2 yrs. ago to eliminate string pinching & to lower the action. This replacement was done w/out my approval. Was not that upset cause the action was improved & tone remained good. Still have my "Limited Warranty " card from Norlin

In 1/80 I was 17 & knew little about guitars. All I wanted to do was to spend all my money before mom & dad changed their minds.So off to Toledo my friend John & I drove listening to his 8 track until we got w/in Toledo FM radio range! My Dad was cool enough to tell me to also buy an amp that had some volume to it!! so I bought a Peavy Pacer 112 [45 watt I believe] amp for $239.50. This guitar seemed to have the Hard Rock look & sound I was after then.I wanted a L. Paul or close looker. Since then I've gotten more & more clean w/ my sound. Overall solid smooth sound clean or dirty.The coil splitter is a nice feature, but doesnt sound like my 90' Strat Plus.Despite the thick neck, it plays nice. I wish it had 2 tone knobs.Wish it came w/ a hard shel case.The longer head will make it hard to find a hard case. I have to carry the cased guitar cradled like a baby cause I cant trust the chip board case that now has a broken latch. If it were lost or stolen & I HAD to replace it, I would go for a semi-solid Gretch. I already own a Strat, L. Paul, & Tele. This Epiphone can copy all 3 of these guitars. Thanks alot!!