Epiphone SST Coupe Acoustic-Electric

[OldStrummer]

I have no need for, nor do I desire to add one to my collection, but I found this Epiphone guitar (which is today's SDOD at Musician's Friend) quite interesting. According to the blurb

Travel-friendly solid-body cutaway with full-featured Shadow electronics.

The Epiphone SST Coupe acoustic-electric is an updated version of the legendary "solid body" steel string acoustic guitar in a reduced body size for easy travel. The SST Coupe features a chambered body for true acoustic tone when plugged in thanks to the revolutionary Shadow* Panoramic SH-148-HD pickup system allowing for separate panning and EQ settings for the top three strings and the lower three strings. The preamp also includes both an AUX input (for an MP3 player) and a headphone output.

Solid Body
The SST Coupe features a select spruce top in a gloss natural or gloss ebony finish and six-layer pure white and black binding on the body top and, as well as the Sloped Dovewing headstock. The mahogany body is chambered allowing for a true acoustic tone when plugged in without the worry of feedback like most acoustic-electric guitars. The solid mahogany neck has a 1960s SlimTaper D-profile, a 25.5” scale, and a 1.68” width GraphTech nut and is glued to the body with a dovetail joint. The ebony fingerboard has a 12” radius with 24 medium frets and a single layer of white binding. The truss rod is adjustable at the soundhole.

Shadow Panoramic Electronics
The SST Coupe is powered by the revolutionary Shadow Panoramic SH-148-HD pickup system with a panoramic function that allows a player to separately EQ and pan the top-three strings and bottom-three strings. Controls include a Master Volume, an EQ setting for the bass strings (E, A, D), treble strings (G, B, E) and a “Phase” switch. The onboard control panel also includes a chromatic tuner with a 7-segment display, plus a low-battery indicator, headphone out and an AUX In. The Shadow PanaFlex HD pickup is placed under the bone saddle and ebony bridge. The battery (AAA x 2) compartment is located next to the standard 1⁄4” output jack.

Solid Epiphone Hardware


The SST Coupe is easy to keep in tune with Epiphone Vintage open-gear machine heads with an 18:1 tuning ratio.

[S. Cane]

Interesting, to say the least

[OldStrummer]

I could see getting this if I performed live a lot. I play a lot of acoustic songs (on acoustic guitars, duh), so being able to get an acoustic sound without having to have a change of amps or settings could be a real blessing.