sg

Soundgarden’s legendary guitar slinger is honored with a versatile signature model that’s fit for paisley sounds as well as molten metal.

Happily spans Black Sabbath and Beatles tones. Cool phase switch. Fast playability.

Pickups could use just a bit more air and dimension.

$899

Guild Polara Kim Thayil
guildguitars.com

4
4.5
4.5
4

Though I’ve never owned one, I’ve always thought the Guild S-100 Polara was super cool. Its riff on the Gibson SG profile—a little offset at the waist with asymmetric horns—always seemed a bit cheeky and appealed to my ’60s Fender sensibilities. Plus, it had that slick, slanted Guild tailpiece (and sometimes an even cooler Guild/Hagstrom vibrato) and those beautiful Guild HB-1 pickups. These elements appealed greatly to a contrarian kid like me.

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Don't let the rock stance fool you. This SG is a master of versatility.

Practical features. Upmarket looks. Surprisingly broad palette of stellar tones from flexible pickups.

Heavy for an SG.

$899 street

Epiphone Prophecy SG
epiphone.com

4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5

The guitars in Epiphone's new Prophecy Collection, which includes the Prophecy SG reviewed here, perform an impressive balancing act. They streamline the classic Gibson four-knob control array, trade PAF-derived pickups for Fishman Fluence units, and style the guitars in a manner that screams "rock" with an exclamation point. But for all the streamlining, these instruments are enormously flexible, and they retain important cosmetic touchstones that emphasize the family connection to parent company Gibson's most iconic designs. Epiphone also maintained balance when it comes to price. The Prophecy SG is a reasonable $899.

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