I'll keep this guitar for life. My grandson will be playing it when I am dead and gone.

Sound
The guitar is very comfortable--an acoustic that feels like an electric--it is heavy, almost like my Epi Les Paul, and thin-bodied, but well balanced and does not have that "nose-dive" that alot of Epi's do. The sound quality of the SST Studion is quite different--unplugged it is a bit thin but plugged-in it has a really nice punchy, clear quality that sounds really cool. I changed the saddle to a fully compensated TUSQ version since the intonation was off with the uncompensated plastic one that came with it from the factory. I also replaced the nut and bridge pins with TUSQ since the factory ones were cheap plastic, also. This made a HUGE improvement in the sound quality. I also replaced the heavy factory strings with a set of Martin extra light which improved the playability considerably. I really like this guitar ALOT and would replace it if lost or stolen. Epiphone made a really cool guitar in the SST Studio!

Features
Bound, chambered mahogany body with a spruce top, mahogany set neck, bound rosewood fingerboard. NICE Shadow electronics preamp with Volume, Bass, Treble sliders and a switch that controls the output for either an amp or headphones. Pickup in bridge that sounds as good as or better than the Fishman in my Martin.

Ease of Use
The SST Studio is great for any genre… read more of music--the preamp controls and the ability to shape the sound through an amp make it 100 percent versatile.

Quality
The SST is made very well with what appears to be good quality materials. I am not sure where this guitar was made, but it does not have anything cheap or low quality about it, other than the nut, bridge, and pins that I mentioned earlier. But I find MOST guitars under the one thousand dollar price point have plastic instead of bone or TUSQ tone points. Wierd--the ONE thing a company can do to radically improve the sound quality of an inexpensive guitar that costs very little is the one thing they cut back on! Doesn't make any sense to me!

Value
A GREAT VALUE for the price!

Manufacturer Support
I have dealt with Epiohone/Gibson customer service before and they are VERY helpful and will bend over backwards to make anything you find wrong with their products right! I'd give them more than a "10" if I could!

The Wow Factor
COOL looking guitar! People are attracted to it and ask "what kind of guitar is that"? Several have thought it was a Gibson, because they had seen one of the Gibson versions of this guitar before. Everyone comments on how well the tone projects and how good it sounds!

Musical Background:
semi-professional

Musical Style:
Classsic Rock, Southern Rock, Top 40 read less