Alden A150 (Gibson ES-125 Clone)

[garybaldy]

Expected in the next hour - one like this. Can't post the ebay pic.

[marvinvv]

. the Loar has a triangle shape neck I believe.

i had a The Loar 309 for 48 hours, cheap crap, the neck is more like a triangular profile baseball bat. i phoned the company i purchased it from and instituted divorce proceedings.

[marvinvv]

Expected in the next hour - one like this. Can't post the ebay pic.

i missed something what guitar is this?

always wanted a ES150. but like Ronnie singer's, block markers bound headstock, tulip tuners

[garybaldy]

i missed something what guitar is this?

always wanted a ES150. but like Ronnie singer's, block markers bound headstock, tulip tuners

Haha! Sorry.The clue is in the thread title and post #28.
First impression straight out the box.

In tune - roundwound 10s - too slack. Needs flats may be 12s.

Played acoustic pretty quiet and not much bass response. Old rattley bluesy sound.

Plugged in to Musicman 65RP, treble 0, mid 10, bass 0, really quite a nice sound. Plenty bass/warmth. Pots work good.

Appears to have NO internal bracing! Just a SOUND POST under the bridge

Bridge looks like rosewood. About 1/16" flat saddle. Needs shaping.

Fingerboard listed as 'blackwood' but it looks like very dark rosewood.

Huge neck block but solid timber.

Made in China.

Nut 1 11/16".

Lower bout 16 1/4".

Side depth 3 5/16".

Scale length 24 3/4".

[garybaldy]

Has anybody actually played/handled the Alden AD150? Dimensions? Nut width?

See post #29

[Marinero]

and the just recently announced epi -century in sunburst and cherry

Attachment 31083


cheers

Hi, N,
Wonder why they used that hideous looking white pickguard? Looks like a toy guitar to me. Good playing . . . Marinero

[christianm77]

It's what James Bay has on his original old Epiphone and he's popular with the young'uns.

I think guitars that look like toys are pretty trendy at the moment.

In general I do enjoy the 'looks like a catalog guitar from 1965 that would give you tetanus but sort of funky looking' but actually 'plays as precise as any Ibanez' vibe.

What's not to like? Get a bit bored of the classics sometimes, guitar design went thought a very boring period for the longest time.

[Little Jay]

Too bad that Epiphone Century has a 25.5” scale and not the 24.75” of the ES-125.

[Geunther]

That Alden looks like an interesting budget jazz box. Thanks for your review/impressions Garybaldy. I'd be tempted to replace the truss rod cover with something more traditional.

[garybaldy]

That Alden looks like an interesting budget jazz box. Thanks for your review/impressions Garybaldy. I'd be tempted to replace the truss rod cover with something more traditional.

My pleasure Geunther. Yeah, the TRC is a little weird but I think I can live with it. I think the biggest shock having 1st unboxed it yesterday, and realised how quiet it was, was that it had a sound post and no bracing - something of which I'd never heard in a guitar! Rather taken aback, today I am somewhat reassured having read a couple of threads here on the subject. It seems fairly common. I was really interested in the fact that Little Jay had had a post installed in an ES125 - a guitar after which the Alden is modelled. Next I need to decide on different strings and do a bit for research on bridge saddles. Also I shall be digging out my dentist mirror. Cheers G.

[Little Jay]

The no-bracing-sound-post construction is fairly common in budget Japanese 70ies archtops I think (seen a few) and in my experience actually works quite well! I think you can even find Ibanez ES-175 copies made that way. I have a (low budget) Condor 175-copy built that way and it sounds very good. The Condor doesn’t even have the kerfed rims that normally conect the sides with the top and back! (So I am guessing the sides must be thicker than normal).

And yes, my ES-125 is a good example that this construction works!

[oldane]

How about a Gretsch New Yorker, any one tried or used it before ? Also in the league ?MO.

There's Gretsch New Yorkers and then there's Gretsch New Yorkers. They have been produced since the 1940s with a hiatus in later decades until the arrival of the present version and they may well have varied a lot over the years. They have always been the low budget version of the Gretsch archtop line. I own a sample from 1961 which I bought in 1993. It has a laminated top, but it's a thin top and it has a surprisingly loud volume. The sound is somewhat harsh and brassy but it is certainly loud. The neck is narrow like a narrow Fender neck, round and thick, especially in the upper positions. Some may call it a baseball bat. There's no adjustable truss rod but the neck keeps its shape just fine all year with a slight amount of relief. Gretsch guitars from that era has normally more or less fallen apart due to bad quality glues and workmanship but despite it is pretty roadworn mine is in excellent structural condition - no seam separations, no loose bindings, no need for neck set - which has made me speculate if it the production was outsourced to Harmony or Kay. At a point I made a pickguard for it with a Benedetto floating PU attached but for the time being it's set up as a purely acoustic guitar which I use as sort of camp fire / summer house guitar.

My impression is that the New Yorkers have never been on the same level as the Gibson 125 and 150, but I haven't tried the present version which may have only the name and a certain cosmetic appearance in common with my 1961 sample. Present day Gretsches are much better built than the ones from the 1960s.

[garybaldy]

The no-bracing-sound-post construction is fairly common in budget Japanese 70ies archtops I think (seen a few) and in my experience actually works quite well! I think you can even find Ibanez ES-175 copies made that way. I have a (low budget) Condor 175-copy built that way and it sounds very good. The Condor doesn’t even have the kerfed rims that normally conect the sides with the top and back! (So I am guessing the sides must be thicker than normal).

And yes, my ES-125 is a good example that this construction works!

Hi LJ.
What strings do you use on your 125 please? My Alden needs something heavier than the roundwound 10s it came with. Because the action is pretty good those 10s really rattle and buzz when you dig in. The guitar unexpectedly came with a rather nice Ritter heavily padded gig bag (nice bonus!). Inside one of the five zip pockets I found two sets of Phosphor Bronze 11s ( as well as a drum tuning key!). Do you think the bronze are worth a try? Would they work with the P90? Thanks.

[neatomic]

i'd pass on the phosphor bronze...that's a bright string for acoustics...has little magnetic reaction with pickups...try a pure nickel string...round or flat...it will have some nice acoustic balance and still interact with p-90 well

thomastik jazz swings are probably the most popular pure nickel flatwound on this forum

almost every string co. makes a pure nickel roundwound...but thomastik be-bops and dr pure blues (both with vintagey round inner cores) are particulalrly nice



cheers

[garybaldy]

i'd pass on the phosphor bronze...that's a bright string for acoustics...has little magnetic reaction with pickups...try a pure nickel string...round or flat...it will have some nice acoustic balance and still interact with p-90 well

thomastik jazz swings are probably the most popular pure nickel flatwound on this forum

almost every string co. makes a pure nickel roundwound...but thomastik be-bops and dr pure blues (both with vintagey round inner cores) are particulalrly nice



cheers

Thanks neatomic.
What gauge nickels please - it's a 24 3/4" scale?
I experimented with bronze on my Fenix FAE8 cos I'd read some people have done it with pickup gtrs but had to adjust the pu screws for balance. No screws on my Fenix pu so it didn't work out. Cheers

[Little Jay]

I have 0.012 Thomastiks Swings (flatwounds) on my ES-125.

A budget guitar like that can probably benefit a lot from a proper fret dress and having the nut slots cut to the exact depth. With the thicker flatwoundS you can set the neck almost dead straight and it will play like butter.

[christianm77]

TI's feel light... I like 13s.

[neatomic]

with the round inner cores that thoms/dr pure blues have..the tension/feel is slightly eased...try 12's...

otherwise 11 hex cores might work...by giving the tuning peg some extra winds around the post...so that the nut to tuner angle is increased... will also increase the apparent tension/feel

it's really trial and error till you dial in what you want...and when you finally do..you will want to go elsewhere!!! haha..why it's a neverending process!


cheers

[garybaldy]

I have 0.012 Thomastiks Swings (flatwounds) on my ES-125.

A budget guitar like that can probably benefit a lot from a proper fret dress and having the nut slots cut to the exact depth. With the thicker flatwoundS you can set the neck almost dead straight and it will play like butter.

Thanks LJ.
12s sound good and def the nut will need doing. I have 13 daddario chromes (cheaper option) on my Fenix with 25 1/2 scale. The Fenix neck is almost straight and no buzzing. I love playing it but still chasing the plugged in tone! This is it:

[garybaldy]

I have 0.012 Thomastiks Swings (flatwounds) on my ES-125.

A budget guitar like that can probably benefit a lot from a proper fret dress and having the nut slots cut to the exact depth. With the thicker flatwoundS you can set the neck almost dead straight and it will play like butter.

I decided to order Chrome 12s - in theory slightly higher tension than TIs but I may still end up going to a higher gauge. I've got the welding nozzle cleaners for the nut!
Also the bridge saddle is straight and doesn't follow the fretboard radius. I established the radius by making some profiles with old credit type cards. Made a 10" and 12" first. Radius proved to be slightly flatter so tried a 14". A 13" was bang on.
Here's the jig for my profiles.
And 13" profile on guitar with torch on neck - no light shining through!! Bad pic.

So nut slots and bridge shaping tomorrow.
Cheers

[jazzbow]

Hiya Gary, thanks for the review of the Alden. I have waited a while for someone to latch on to one of these!

Good work too.

Remember, mark twice cut once.

[garybaldy]

Hiya Gary, thanks for the review of the Alden. I have waited a while for someone to latch on to one of these!

Good work too.

Remember, mark twice cut once.

My pleasure Jazzbow.
Being that you started this thread in 2016 I would be interested to know when the Alden was first produced, when they ceased making them and how long had mine been hanging round before I bought it. It was certainly brand new.
I remember Alden guitars being in a shop in Wales, UK quite some years ago but I only really looked at the Gibsons and Fenders back then! I recently stumbled upon Aldens when reading about Alan Entwistle who has been in the guitar business for many years and still has his own brand of pickups ( I have a couple myself). I was reminded that he was behind Alden and was also connected to the shop in Wales (amongst a lot of other stuff). So this is how I found the 125 copy and thought I'd treat myself during lockdown. I know Alan left Alden so I don't know if he had any part in the creation of the AD150. I'm sort of hoping he did as I believe he's pretty well respected. Ofcourse it is what it is - a budget copy/look a like. I feel even as such it has potential. The P90 is quite nice and I think after a 'good' set up and better strings it will be a giggable instrument.
As an aside, I think I read somewhere on this site that you once worked at Fenix. Would you have had anything to do with these four?!!!! I believe the one on the far right has an interesting top which is one piece and solid.
Cheers.

[jazzbow]

My pleasure Jazzbow.
Being that you started this thread in 2016 I would be interested to know when the Alden was first produced, when they ceased making them and how long had mine been hanging round before I bought it. It was certainly brand new.

Hey Gary.

At the time of this post I would catch Alden guitars on ebay and then consequently to their shop.

The ES 125-a-like was relitively new so figure that original thread date would be the start of production.
Invariably small batches of, say, 100 to test the water. If there's any serial number that might give you the year?

As an aside, I think I read somewhere on this site that you once worked at Fenix. Would you have had anything to do with these four?!!!! I believe the one on the far right has an interesting top which is one piece and solid.
Cheers.

Yes you are absolutely right, Fenix.

It was a franchise outlet through the German distributers. I worked for Acrobat Music whom were a part of The Piano Workshop.
Piano Workshop were the UK distributers for Kurtzweil synths and Young Chang Pianos.
Young Chang of South Korea guitar brand was Fenix. They also made early Squiers, unfortunately I never saw any :-(
The first batch of Fender and Gibson clones had spot on reproduction headstocks and we couldn't get enough of them.
Then the cease and desist order came through so they redesigned and we couldn't sell any!
I guess the Squiers had cornered that part of the market place.
We had a batch of superstrats and Tele thinlines which has poor F hole routing. I had one of each of those that I beefed up and lent to people which they sold on. Dammit!

I only ever saw one jazz box and the les Paul's never sold in any quantity.

So my day would consist of picking orders, setting up the guitars and then mailing them off to music shops so probably sent the white les Paul as I remember there was a consignment of those. Broken guitars would be gutted for spares. I loved that job, fresh out of Merton Tech college...

So the end came when the top people in Korea decided that it wasn't worth pursuing the guitar business and cut all strings a week before Christmas 1991.

[garybaldy]

Hey Gary.

At the time of this post I would catch Alden guitars on ebay and then consequently to their shop.

The ES 125-a-like was relitively new so figure that original thread date would be the start of production.
Invariably small batches of, say, 100 to test the water. If there's any serial number that might give you the year?



Yes you are absolutely right, Fenix.

It was a franchise outlet through the German distributers. I worked for Acrobat Music whom were a part of The Piano Workshop.
Piano Workshop were the UK distributers for Kurtzweil synths and Young Chang Pianos.
Young Chang of South Korea guitar brand was Fenix. They also made early Squiers, unfortunately I never saw any :-(
The first batch of Fender and Gibson clones had spot on reproduction headstocks and we couldn't get enough of them.
Then the cease and desist order came through so they redesigned and we couldn't sell any!
I guess the Squiers had cornered that part of the market place.
We had a batch of superstrats and Tele thinlines which has poor F hole routing. I had one of each of those that I beefed up and lent to people which they sold on. Dammit!

I only ever saw one jazz box and the les Paul's never sold in any quantity.

So my day would consist of picking orders, setting up the guitars and then mailing them off to music shops so probably sent the white les Paul as I remember there was a consignment of those. Broken guitars would be gutted for spares. I loved that job, fresh out of Merton Tech college...

So the end came when the top people in Korea decided that it wasn't worth pursuing the guitar business and cut all strings a week before Christmas 1991.

Thanks JB - a nice interesting account.
I was aware of the 1st Fender Squier run (1983?) but not the Fenix/ Young Chang name at the time. A music store in Newport, Wales had the JV 52 tele, the JV 57 strat and the JV 62 strat. They were all gorgeous and after going back and forth a few times bought the butterscotch tele. I then had the opportunity to buy an 80s Am. St. Tele very cheap. To be honest I preferred it - more punchy - and very stupidly sold the Squier! they're pretty collectable now. You live and learn! Later I discovered the YC/Fenix connection and saw a couple of reviews of the jazz box which I then, in 1998, ordered through a shop in Bristol. I had acquired a couple of Gypsy Jazz guitars before that but didn't really know what to expect from a large (conventional) archtop. The build was super and being a rock guitarist I started to take interest in their their LP types. The catalogue showed the modified headstocks (after they had got into trouble) but over a few years starting in 2006 I managed to get the 3 open book versions. They all came from Germany. They all needed new pickups. Have you heard of the Vester brand? They were pretty short lived because of their copying. I have 2 of their 335 style guitars - again superb - and even though the pickups could very well have been made in the same factory as Fenix's they do not need changing. The Vester LPs are very hard to come by.
Hope you don't find this all too boring.
Cheers