Epiphone Joe Pass emperor II

[Toms M]

have anyone tried?

[Doctor Jeff]

I have an Epi Joe Pass and love it. I have found it to be a very versatile and very playable guitar. A great buy for the money--about $400 used here in States.

I use D'Addario jazz light flatwound strings. I am thinking about upgrading the pickups, but in general I'm pretty satisfied with the overall sound.

[Dookychase]

I have the Ibanez Joe Pass Model, the JP20. They are no longer being made, so my son wanted a Joe Pass model and bought the Epiphone one.

He has it set up with a really low action. It plays really great. Very comfortable neck. I couldn't put it down.

[asedas]

I played. Have now Ibanez AF105F - imho a better guitar, but you have to try.

[mangotango]

I have an Epiphone JP, built in Korea in 1992 by Samick, rather than the modern Chinese version. I changed the pickups for Gibsons and had the electrics re-done, put on a set of Thomastik Swing 12's and it sounds fine. It was always a very easy-playing guitar but now it sounds good too.

[pickguard]

I have an Epiphone Joe Pass built in 1992 also. I changed Pickups to Gibson 57 Classic Plus. Ended up removing and reinstalling the Original pickups I could not tell the difference. I also installed a Gibson adjustable Bridge removed that also I believe it created feed back that was not there before.

[mongrel]

I have a 2006 made in Inchon, Korea, in blonde. Paid $450 for it used. I recently replaced the pickups with single coil Vintage Vibe HCC's wound low. This guitar has a much better tone with single coils, in my opinion. If I hadn't gotten the HCC's as a gift, I was going to install a pair of SD Phat Cats I've got lying in a draw. The neck is as fast and comfortable to me as the 1969 Les Paul I used to have and the 1962 ES 355 I still have. I really wanted to buy the Ibanez with the single floater in the neck but when I tried it plugged in a the local Guitar Centre, it sounded too nasal and wimpy. Plus they cost a couple of hundred more than the JP.

[BARRACUDA]

How does the EPIPHONE JOE PASS EMPEROR II "react" to 11s flatwound strings? Is there a more jazzy sound? Is there more strain on the neck? Is there any need for adjusting the truss-rod?

Your comments & advice will be highly appreciated as this would be my first archtop / hollow body electric guitar.

Thanks a lot & kind regards.

[derek]

Originally Posted by mangotango

I have an Epiphone JP, built in Korea in 1992 by Samick, rather than the modern Chinese version. I changed the pickups for Gibsons and had the electrics re-done, put on a set of Thomastik Swing 12's and it sounds fine. It was always a very easy-playing guitar but now it sounds good too.

If I owned one, this is what I would do also. Otherwise, I think it is a fine guitar, and liked it better than the Epi ES175. I would also replace the pickguard, but that is just asthetics. Never did like that pickguard.

[derek]

Originally Posted by BARRACUDA

How does the EPIPHONE JOE PASS EMPEROR II "react" to 11s flatwound strings? Is there a more jazzy sound? Is there more strain on the neck? Is there any need for adjusting the truss-rod?

Your comments & advice will be highly appreciated as this would be my first archtop / hollow body electric guitar.

Thanks a lot & kind regards.

I think it comes with 10's right? .11's will not be much of a jump. You might need to tweak the truss rod a bit, but nothing big. It is when you move up or down 2 sizes in strings that things like nut slot, and intonation can come into play. However, every guitar is unique. Any guitar with flats is going to get more of that traditional jazz sound.

[Sphereacidburn]

I was going to get a Epiphone joe Pass but I decided on a Gretsch Electromatic G5120 in Black

[cosmic gumbo]

I've heard that many epi and gibson hollowbodies are equipped with 250k pots, while most standard guitars with humbuckers use 500k pots. Most people who swap out their pickups for better ones don't want to hear that, because only changing pots can alter the tone signifigantly. New pot=$6.

[lpdeluxe]

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

I've heard that many epi and gibson hollowbodies are equipped with 250k pots, while most standard guitars with humbuckers use 500k pots. Most people who swap out their pickups for better ones don't want to hear that, because only changing pots can alter the tone signifigantly. New pot=$6.

That has all the earmarks of an urban legend. The only instruments I've seen with 250K pots are single coils, notably Fender.

Why don't you research this and offer documentation?

[dh82c]

my epi EmpReg had alpha 500Ks. I left them in. Not sure I like them so I will try 300Ks.
I have to agree/disagree with Cosmic/LPD.

1) Fenders are the only place I have seen 250Ks but I have only been at this 20 years or so. There are guys with far more experience here to whom I defer. That said, for a while Gibsons were using 300K pots in their LPs. The difference is subtle, but noticeable. 250K +10% is 275K. 300K - 10% is 270K. Not the same but definitely room for overlap.

2) Before I replace a pickup, LISTEN to it. What dont you like? If I find a pickup a little too muddy and it has a 500K pot sure I am going to try a 1Meg pot. How about a 1Meg pot with a 2Meg resistor across the outer lugs? The sweep is a little off but I can live with this. nothing wrong with playing with it. Listen to your ears.. not with the forums (ok.. yes.. I just shot myself in the foot).

At the risk of beating a dead horse (which is a common theme in this forum) I still say if you are capable of changing a pickup you are capable of changing a pot. 20 min work may save you 200$. You decide.

[FCAFlyer]

Mine is a Korean one, too. Bought it in the early 90's. One of the easiest playing guitars I've ever had. VERY comfortable with frets that don't wear out. When I buy Epiphone, which I do a lot because they're a great platform for hot rodding, I always go into the purchase knowing that I will have to toss the pickups. They're complete junk. You can't build a perfectly true axe WITH marvelous pickups for the price they're selling them for. The Korean built axes are as good as anything ever made. On this one, I have the Jason Lollar Imperial in the neck using D'Addario Chromes, .011 -.052. Pretty much a perfect setup. Great for single note solos and musically clear articulation for the chords. Sweet and fat. Use it all the time, out and recording.

Chris

[lpdeluxe]

Originally Posted by dh82c

At the risk of beating a dead horse (which is a common theme in this forum) I still say if you are capable of changing a pickup you are capable of changing a pot. 20 min work may save you 200$. You decide.

This is true of solid body guitars, but arch tops vary enormously in accessibility.

For that reason, I again repeat: show some documentation, rather than oral history.

[randyc]

Originally Posted by dh82c

my epi EmpReg had alpha 500Ks. I left them in. Not sure I like them so I will try 300Ks....

If you do so, I'd like to hear about the results (others might also be interested, since it's a common instrument).

Thanks,
randyc

[randyc]

Originally Posted by FCAFlyer

...The Korean built axes are as good as anything ever made....

Now that is SOME statement, Chris, and a rather odd way to make one's debut in a new forum. I doubt that you're able to support it but I'd be interested in hearing you try to. You might provide, as an example, some indication of your many years of experience owning and playing "anything ever made"

[wizard3739]

I had a Joe Pass Epi a few years ago and the tone was really good for jazz (12 to 52 GHS half round nickel strings). I was a nice instrument for the money ($500 included the case) but it had a neck problem that I couldn't solve. It had an unusual long twist and a lump where the neck joined the body (12- 15 fret). I could take out the lump but couldn't get rid of the twist. After a couple of years of playing with high action, I sold it and moved on to a taylor T5 with a much better neck..

wiz

[randyc]

Oops, forgot about the potentiometer value thing ... here are my opinions regarding value selection:

1. Best signal noise ratio occurs when the volume control is adjusted to produce maximum pickup output level, regardless of the resistance of the potentiometer.

2. Higher values of volume control potentiometer result in higher pickup output voltage.

3. Optimum values of volume/tone control potentiometers are directly related to pickup impedance. By "optimum", I mean only that a full turn of the control results in a reasonable variation in either volume or tone (obviously the resistance taper is critical too). This is a "human engineering" characteristic, normally determined by experiment. (Since "humbucking pickups are actually TWO pickups in a single package, they are approximately twice the impedance as single coil pickups, thus suggesting higher value potentiomenters.)

4. Tone control potentiometer values are not particularly important so long as the resistance is at least as high as the volume control potentiometer and the capacitor in the circuit is proportionally chosen. Generally, one would like the tone control potentiometer to be higher in resistance than the volume control - this results in less variation in output level as the tone control is adjusted. But since it's not really critical, the universal practice is to use the same value as the volume control (economies of scale).

5. When combined in two (or more) pickup systems, performance of the potentiometers (and resistance value) is somewhat compromised (as a result of impedance changes in the pickup configuration). Some modification in value selection might be required.

6. Adjusting volume or tone controls too far away from their maximum values not only degrades signal to noise ratio but always reduces frequency response - that, of course is expected at least from the tone control, but interconnecting cable lengths start contributing adversely to the guitar "tone" when either control is adjusted to extreme positions.

7. Given points 1 and 6, best practice is to operate both controls near maximum, making tonal adjustments using amplifier EQ. Roll off the guitar controls the minimal amount to allow normal adjustments, for example musical genre changes in the same set.

8. If point 7 is followed and the potentiometers are selected from the guidelines of points 2 and 4, then the actual values of the potentiometers are not especially important except from the convenience (human engineering) aspects.

[cosmic gumbo]

I had researched replacing pots in a semi-hollow archtop at one time, because of having to do all work through the f-holes, I wanted to only have to do it once, the right way, with the right parts. It was then that I found out all the different pot values used in different guitars. I had no idea, I thought 500k for HB's and 250k for SC's was the rule, but I was very wrong. Then you have the different capacitor values in the wiring harness that vary tone. You can research for yourselves on how the different pot values have an audibly noticable difference. It turns out that gibson and epiphone use 300k pots in many, many, models, not 250k like I thought, or 500k like many of you think.

I contend that some guitarists have replaced pickups out of total ignorance, when a different pot would have given them the desired result. Urban legend?

Here's the link to many gibson guitar wiring diagrams, most with the pot values.
Schematics

[dh82c]

You have a point LPD.
Takes me about 5-7 min to change both pots on this guy.
There is no route for the pickup so it is all through the F hole.
I suppose guitars with a pickup selector might be infinitely more complex.

[creekwriter]

Originally Posted by dh82c

You have a point LPD.
Takes me about 5-7 min to change both pots on this guy.
There is no route for the pickup so it is all through the F hole.
I suppose guitars with a pickup selector might be infinitely more complex.

Beautiful guitar. The tag says its a Joe Pass, but it looks like a Regent, although my Emp Regent has a floating pickup. What is it exactly?
Just curious.

[bbcoz]

I've owned one for about 12 years I think. Never upgraded the electrics but changed the tuning pegs as the originals were rubbish.. I use D'adarrio Chromes 12 gauge.It's a nice guitar to play. Ive played it through a range of different amps both valve and trannie. Presently with my Fender Supersonic via the vintage channels. I've heard mixed reviews about them but I suppose it's like a lot of Korean guitars of it's time and type. There are good ones and not so good ones. This one's okay and we've got used to each other I think. If I had the choice today I'd probably buy a Freshman FJ2. I like the twin pickup sound rather that the single and the unplugged sound is great.

Colin

[dh82c]

Originally Posted by creekwriter

Beautiful guitar. The tag says its a Joe Pass, but it looks like a Regent, although my Emp Regent has a floating pickup. What is it exactly?
Just curious.

Sorry .. I sent the pic in reference to switching out pots.
It is indeed an Emp Reg. I took it over the JP because you can remove the floater and put anything you want in there.

[mangotango]

Originally Posted by derek

If I owned one, this is what I would do also. Otherwise, I think it is a fine guitar, and liked it better than the Epi ES175. I would also replace the pickguard, but that is just asthetics. Never did like that pickguard.

Yeh, I took that off. Have bought a slightly more solid tailpiece too and am going to replace the pickguard with a more elegant plain black one.

[lindydanny]

Own it (2008 model), love it. Very versatile tone. I play a lot of rock and bluegrass with mine in addition to jazz and it always fits in. I'm considering taking the pick-guard off because I don't think it does anything more than vibrate which kind of creates a small buzz sound.

~DB

[bbcoz]

Originally Posted by lindydanny

Own it (2008 model), love it. Very versatile tone. I play a lot of rock and bluegrass with mine in addition to jazz and it always fits in. I'm considering taking the pick-guard off because I don't think it does anything more than vibrate which kind of creates a small buzz sound.

~DB

Forgot to say I took mine off for the same reason

Colin

[TAHOEAGLE]

When I won this Carlo Robelli on eBay as a project guitar. I wanted it to make it look different than a "Joe Pass" Epi. The Robelli's were made at the same factory as the epi's I've been told. She plays great with coil taped pickups, gold grovers. If a real Epi "Joe Pass" sounds and plays as nice as this one does I'd never put it down.
I made a wood veneered pickguard for it instead of using the typical plastic. I matched the binding of the guitar on the pickguard. The wood is Indian Laurel veneer over a cigar box wood core.
I built the pickguard for my Gibson ES-135 out of rosewood veneer to match the fretboard. They're easy to make with a little time.
I think they look better than plastic, both in materials and shape.

[JimBobWay]

...but I also swapped the pickups for SD's, and had a pro tech tweak the electronics. Mine is Korean; good sounding even unplugged, and great for what I need. Like the Eagle, I made my own pickguard, but out of clear plastic. I like the pickguards only because I often rest my fingers there when playing with a pick, or I would take them off altogether. Strung with Roto 12's. A great working axe for an unbeatable price.