Hollow Epiphones

[charlie chitlin]

OK...I don't have long to write about this, because I have to get back to playing!
I just bought a used Epiphone Zephyr Blues Deluxe, and I'm completely blown away.
Setup is excellent, nut is well-cut bone (!), wood is beautiful, finish is flawless, craftsmanship is immaculate (the pickup cavities in a Gibson E-135 I had looked like they were cut by a rabid beaver), even in places that are out of sight; a light and mirror reveal not a single glue drip inside this thing.
What can I say...?
This thing blows away most of the Gibsons I've played in the last 20 years.
I'm looking at an '80 LP that looks like a total POS compared to this.
$600...with hard case...DELIVERED!
I'm in T-Bone Heaven!1
As per the rules of the board...new guitar posts MUST be accompanied by a pic.

[charlie chitlin]

Also...in 1949 when this guitar was first manufactured, I suppose a working guy could buy a house for about $5k.
This axe probably cost about $11 bucks in 1949 money.

[octatonic]

Sweet guitar.
How do the pickups sound?

If you are thinking about changing them then I can suggest Lollar P90's.
I have some in the Gibson ES295 I just bought and they are excellent.

[Tim Armstrong]

Damn, Charlie, that is one beautiful guitar!

Congrats!!!

Tim

[BritishBluesBoy]

Beautiful guitar. Absolutely beautiful...

[furrfurrfurr]

is that new or did you buy it used. beautiful.

[charlie chitlin]

It's used...I'm not sure how old it is, but it's dead mint. Must be pretty new.
Brandy new ones will be scarce, as they've recently been discontinued.
Aaahhhh...the pickups...
I've been playing P-90s for a long time, and these are a bit different from the real McCoy. They seem a bit hot...more windings, I'm guessing.
A little more crunch and not as dynamic/complex, I think.
I'm kind of a distorted, cranked-amp player, so I may end out liking them.
I'm going to live with them awhile and see.
Yeah...I would definitely consider the Lollars.
Anybody using GFS Jay's?

[charlie chitlin]

OK...taking a break from playing.
Check out the wood on the back of this thing.
And for you Tele guys....it's a 25.5" scale.
And...yeah...somebody moved the strap button.
Probably for a straplock.

[furrfurrfurr]

sure is purdy

[studio1087]

Beautiful.

$600

Congratulations......that's a keeper.

[olewichita]

beautiful guitar but i don't understand why they lift classic epiphone model names to gibson style guitars... in this case obviously an ES-5... tj

[mistermullens]

Nice. I'd love to play on of those. 6-hundy used? Sweet.

[eryque]

I've been a fan of the Epiphone archtops for a while now. Though I no longer have one I get a jones every time I go to a guitar store.

Originally Posted by olewichita

beautiful guitar but i don't understand why they lift classic epiphone model names to gibson style guitars... in this case obviously an ES-5... tj

My guess is that the marketing people think that naming it an ES-5 will undercut Gibson's ES-5 sales or something like that.

[mad dog]

Charlie: That is a cool guitar! The Korean factory which made it (most likely) is now marketing guitars under their own name in England. Peerless. I picked up a "Wizard", which is their take on your guitar. Same dimensions, p/u layout, probably the same pickups, but a thinline, and with an odd sort of rosewood tailpiece. I just pulled it apart yesterday, will be attempting a pot/jack swap, and will have the pickups rewound. Not that they're bad. It's just that they pale next to the real thing. And these guitars look and play so well, they should have "real thing" pickup tone.

I may have to cry uncle and bring it to my tech. Lots of wire in there!

[charlie chitlin]

I feel like I need to bring this thread back from near obscurity...
I've been playing this guitar constantly. This hasn't happened to me since I was a kid. I'm showing up at work tired because I'm staying up so late playing.
My '59 ES-225 has a fresh fret job and neck reset, but I haven't even pulled it out of the case for over a week...all because of a cheap (?!?!) Korean guitar.
I figured this would be good for a few tunes a night...maybe a set...but it could become my main gig axe.
Some of the solid Epis I've played (and, God forbid, the acoustics) have been so horrendous, that I was not prepared for this level of quality. I can only assume that Epi figures that they can get away with less with the more entry-level guitars. I don't think too many beginners are going to buy a fat archtop.
The pickups are hot for P-90's, and they do push the amp; I actually like the crunch I get from them. This guitar can scream; but they clean up beautifully with the volume rolled off and it's swing city. Great T-Bone tones.
There is a (approx) 3/4" plank running down the inside of the middle of the face (I guess, to make up for the fact that there are 3 big holes in the face for the pickups), so the top is a little dead. And it is, of course, plywood. Not great acoustic sound, but nice sustain and reduced feedback.
I can adjust the action so close to the fretboard that I don't even like it, and no fret buzz.
A few tweaks (even out the nut and saddle slots to match neck radius, file a few fret ends so they are totally smooth, adjust truss rod), and it plays like a dream.
I changed the strings it came with because they felt too slack, and I figured they were 9s. I put 10s on, and I guess they were 10s because it feels the same. We've discussed how some guitars feel stiff...this is the opposite; I've never felt such a slinky guitar. It's definitely getting 11s.
And...I was a little concerned about the controls, because there are 3 volumes and no switch, so going to some pickup combinations in a hurry is difficult, but's it's not really a big deal; at rehersal I found that dialing in tones quickly going in and out of solos is really no problem.
I am thinking, though, that a 7 position switching pot would give every combination and be really cool. I wonder if there is such a thing; or if I even need it. I'll live with it this way for awhile.
Gotta go play...

[jazztele]

it's al about what inspires you to play, man, and that epi is obviously a winner for ya...

i think the upper end epiphone hollow bodies are incredible values...i've played a few archtops that i've liked better than my emperor regent, but they've all cost over four grand...i played a real gibson ES-175 the other day that wasn't nearly as nice, and was 2 grand more than i payed for my korean epi...go figure...

play it till your fingers bleed, and play some more.

[Flannel Pat]

My dad has one of those exact guitars, and it's one of the best sounding guitars I've ever played. Strung up with 13 flats, it's got such a massive sound, warm, everything. And it's flawless. I keep telling him he needs to get a hard case for it to better protect it (so I can play out with it), but he said he doesn't want it smelling like a bar. Oh well...

[mellecaster]

Now I'll ask you all this...where do you find D strings long enough for the outer wrap to enter the hole in the d-string tuner....using that Frequensator Tailpiece....HMMMmmm????

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

Now I'll ask you all this...where do you find D strings long enough for the outer wrap to enter the hole in the d-string tuner....using that Frequensator Tailpiece....HMMMmmm????

D'Addairo Chromes

just barely, mind you, but i've never experienced any breakage or tuning issues.

[charlie chitlin]

I use cheap strings from Webstrings, and I like them very much.
It was close, but I still got a couple turns and tuning is stable.
I love the Frequensator!
Not only can you grab the strings for a little whammy at the end of a Carl Perkins tune, but the name sounds like a bad guy from Spiderman.

[hugo]

Personally, I think the Epi's are totally underated. I think they have good and bad just like all brands but I definitely think they are given a bad rap.

[Frank B]

Originally Posted by hugo

Personally, I think the Epi's are totally underated. I think they have good and bad just like all brands but I definitely think they are given a bad rap.

I totally agree... When I decided to get a jazz archtop, I had a budget of around 2200$. I came back home with a Cort LC2 Larry Coryell which definitely wasn't the most expensive one.
And I wasn't even torn between more expensive 2000$ + guitars and the Cort; It's an Epiphone that made it hard to choose. I would've never thought I'd get a Cort or Epiphone over a Gibson or Gretsh. But they were both great playing, well built and very nice looking guitars.
I played a Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II last thursday and I was blown away by the quality of the assembly, the finish and the neck feel. It had been a while since I played that fast on a guitar. Fantastic guitar for chord solos & leads if you ask me. I loved it so much, I'm starting to think about getting me one. http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?...CollectionID=1

[charlie chitlin]

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