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I'm looking at first hand experience on Epiphone Byrdland Elitist. Can you share ?
Specs (as the internet seems to give all kind of doubtful information) Carved spruce top ? Solid (pressed) maple back ? Ebony fretboard ? Rim height ?
Build quality ...
Playability ...
Sounds (plugged and unplugged)...
Feedback sensitivity ?
Usual price for one in good condition (natural finish) ?
Thanks for your help.
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08-11-2016 05:31 PM
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I have one.
as far as I know pressed top, dunno back and sides but Maple.
build quality: impeccably clean Terrada factory.
sound: excellent but cannot compare to Gibson since I don't have any. Have read here from other people that they could not tell them apart.
playability excellent if the short scale is for you. Fat frets if you like this.
i have swapped pickups and electronics but that was stupid and unnecessary since the stock is really good.
feedback resistance high. I play it on a few songs with a cover rock band and there was no problem with the Byrd while my gb10 was always on the verge of feedback.
price - not sure, seen them used for about 2k. I paid a tad more on ebay a few years back since i really wanted it and not take a risk
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?Everything I have heard is:
pressed solid top
laminated sides and back
impeccable Terada build quality
many opt to upgrade wiring but the pickups are supposed to be Gibson 50st's or 50sr's ?? Decent.
They're gorgeous and less prone to feedback (much the way the Ibanez Birdies were in the 70s)
YET, not that unique Birdie tone of a real Gibson. BUT if you're staging it that is a plus (the Epi).
A clean one with no issues consistently sells for about 2k or more, especially an NT. The back on the one I missed out on had the same pattern as the one I just bought (but the Epi is laminated back).
Good luck, they're nice and WILL retain their value. What the ad says is correct, Gibson put the kibosh on them because they were hurting Gibson's business - well let's not talk about Gibsons crap QC too much. LOLLast edited by BigMikeinNJ; 08-11-2016 at 09:16 PM.
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Playability ... awesome! assuming you get along with the scale length. its also very "acoustic", in that it responds to where you place your right hand, and you can do classical style finger vibrato and stuff
Sounds (plugged and unplugged)... unique. bright, with a kind of sparkle you won't find anywhere else. i ended up changing everything out because that's what i do. the pickups weren't bad, but kind of generic for my taste. i always had to play with the knobs to get the tones i wanted. now, with the new pickups, i'm always in the ball park, and the knobs thusly provide more useful tones.
Feedback sensitivity ? its ok. the thin body helps, but the top is pretty lively. it can and will feedback like a motherfucker if you find yourself in the wrong place, but with proper technique (where you stand, facing away from the amp, working the volume knob) you're in for a heck of a ride
Usual price for one in good condition (natural finish) ? $2000-ish, usually with higher asking prices.
i recommend trying it first, simply because it is such a unique and singular guitar. there is nothing else out there that sounds or feels like it, and therefore, nothing can prepare you for playing it. some people just hate how they feel. and while they are super versatile and get all the jazz sounds you'd expect, they do it in a unique way. it'll never be a 175 or an l5. its a byrdland. it only byrdlands.
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I've used it few months and sold it.
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What didn't you like about it?
Originally Posted by kris
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Seems like a good candidate for a sound post! Originally Posted by feet
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Pressed solid spruce top. Pressed solid maple back. Bent solid maple rim. Ebony fretboard. Has Gibson humbuckers and CTS pots.
The version made for sale within Japan only has the "proper" Gibson open-book headstock. From ten paces away, it looks exactly like a Gibson Byrdland.
I was considering between it and Broadway Elitist. I chose the latter. Sound-wise, plugged-in it has a tone rich in fundamentals, not so expressive in overtones. Thick, woody sound. Not as lively or acoustically responsive as the carved version. The solid spruce top is a uniform 3.5mm thick. I don't know if it is supported by a thin single ply underneath it with the grain running in the same direction. I am not the sort to pop humbuckers to look for such things.
I am going by the way my Broadway Elitist sounds and how it compares with my L5CES Wes Montgomery, my recollection of the various L5CESs I have played, and my Ibanez SJ500VLS.
A carved spruce top has a snap to the leading edge of the note. A sharper attack and smoother decay. Notes have a longer tail. More higher partials. Better defined.
Quid pro quo. You don't get something for nothing.
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I know that Gibson USA cleared them in 2008 for $1600 each, new. Used prices have risen since. I got mine from Ishibashi and I recall vaguely I paid about JPY185000 for mine. The Broadway Elitist and Byrdland Elitist were identically priced.
I don't like the 23.5" scale length of the Byrdland. It is a real Country Western Swing guitar. Haven't tried the 24.75" scale length variant that Top of the Arch had for sale some time back. That is the version I would go for.
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I'll echo what Jabberwocky said about pressed vs carved tops - spot on.
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as I remember I had some problems with it. Originally Posted by Little Jay
...some vibrations and noice from the humbucers on the solid top was every time when I started to play.
I tried record this guitar but I didn't like the sound.
It was also too small for me and I couldn't instal properlly fingerrest on it too.
Best
Kris
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Thanks so much to everybody for these very well documented answers.
I've seen one for sale for a while, for € 2 100, but it is 1 000 km away and I will not drive that distance to try the guitar.
That's why I asked for your experience.
Tonewise, it seems that this could fulfill my needs (Uh, do I still have some needs ?)
Regarding playability, I've no experience with 23,5" scale, but I guess I can get used to it and hopefully, this will help my lazy left hand in stretchy chords
... And it looks nice ...
... And I like the "thin" body ...
...still wondering ...
Thanks again to you all who took the time to respond. I'll keep you informed whatever my choice will be.
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All these things are why I wanted to get one, and sprung for the Gibson with the carved body... I've had a few (Ibanez and Gibson), and being the newer Gibsons and the Epi Elitist have a slightly more normal neck carve compared to the skinny Birdies of old, it's gonna be fun... Hell on Wheels actually !!!! Originally Posted by 339 in june
Big
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I have an elitist broadway. It is beautifully made. However it did need a few things fixing, and I have come to the conclusion that most guitars do. On mine the pickup routing wasn't central even though the pickups were mounted centrally, so the sides of the pickups were rammed against the routed holes. I needed to enlarge the holes. The binding on the pickguard was also delaminating and it needed a good set up. I feel lucky to have this guitar and a 1972 L-5 CES. The main aesthetic difference is that the epiphone has polyurethane finish and the L-5 thinnner lacquer. Seems that the Epiphone is more clinically perfect looking, perfect bookmatching, flawless wood, flawless finish, but the L-5 with it's obvious hand made nature (a few little quirks here and there) seems more sophisticated. The acoustic sound is different. My L-5 is a bit quieter and the notes are all very nicely defined, I can hear then all when I strum a chord. The Epiphone is louder and more boomy and bass heavy. I feel that electrified they both have a similar range of sounds. But then I like the sound of my Squire strat on the neck pickup with heavy flat wounds. The big guitars are just an indulence for me as I'm not a great player, but they are beautiful. If anything like my Broadway the Byrdland will be a beautiful guitar, and will make a beautiful sound in the right hands, but surely you just have to try it and see if it grabs you! I would put the value at around £1200 in the Uk, or at least I hope I would get that if I sold mine!
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if you have a capo, put it on the 1st or 2nd fret. voila! you have a byrdland. can you still play it? and though it is a a full 17", if i find it more comfortable than other guitars that are smaller but deeper. its easy to wrap your right arm or strap around it and it sits in a great place.
the main thing to get familiar with is the sound. nothing sounds exactly like it. if you want a "jazz" sound, it may or may not be the guitar for you, but if you want a byrdland sound... brian at musician's friend has some pretty neat demos- both accurate and fairly representative of what you could expect. he has done a couple, at least.
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To hear some good examples of the Epi Byrdland search on youtube for Epiphone Elitist Brydland. Start with the vids by MrRobert487.
Other examples may show up with different search parameters. Rich Severson recorded a few of his instructional vids with the Epi Byrdland
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Youtube user SIRONEDRAGON has a pile of vids with the Epi Byrdland.
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I have a 2004 I recently acquired from a friend who picked up an older ES-175 (one of his guitars of youth). As far as I know it has a solid spruce carved top not laminated. The guitar resonates beautifully when used as an acoustic, although the thinner body reduces volume. They are made pretty much the same, albeit in Japan, as the US one. Same pickups and switch gear as USA Gibson and it sounds great. Here are the specifications I found online and the reference.
Features + Technical Specs Tuners Grover with Imperial Buttons Fingerboard Ebony Neck 5-Piece Maple/Rosewood/Maple/Rosewood/Maple Neck Joint Set, 14th fret Nut 1-11/16", Bone Bridge Ebony Scale 23-1/2" Top Solid Spruce Back AAA Flame Maple Sides AAA Flame Maple Rhythm PU 50SR (Gibson USA Humbucker) Treble PU 50ST (Gibson USA Humbucker) Controls 2-V, 2-T; 3-Way Pickup Selector Machine heads Grover Strings Gibson USA Hardware 24K Gold Finishes Vintage Sunburst, Natural
Epiphone Elitist Byrdland Guitar Review:
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The top isn't carved, it is basically a solid spruce pressed top. It has a very very thin lamination on the bottom to keep the shape, so it could legitimately be called solid spruce but it isn't carved!
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Thanks for the correction. I'll say solid spruce top from now on.
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I should have never sold mine! Really nice guitar. Great buttery tone, nice pups and lightening fast player! I am happy with my L5 at the moment but selling that one is one of those that got away! Certainly worth a try to see if you bond with one. There is no real risk in doing so.
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Thanks for the good words. I love the guitar. I am not worthy of an L5! But your advice is good about not letting good guitars or amps go. We usually end up regretting it. Enjoy your L5, obviously a great jazz box.
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I echo your comments. The 23.5 scale was fun for me, and I had Lindy Fralin Unbuckers in mine. I was paid well for it, but I shouldn't have let it go. Originally Posted by Ken Olmstead
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Thanks to all of you who took time to answer. Much appreciated !
This time, GAS didn't kill me.
I never buy unseen (except with a nice return policy)
No return accepted on this one, which is 11 hours drive for me from home. That makes 22 hours drive to try a guitar that I'm not sure to bond with, because of this short scale.
Maybe next time !
Thanks again to all who participated !
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Being lucky, I do have epi Byrd elitist and I can tell that this guitar is flawlessly built with perfections. The Gibson overpriced guitars craftsmanship should learn from Japanese. The solid spruce top is the premium. Actually, I never have seen better craftsmanship guitar than this model. The sound is very buttery with nice attack probably due to spruce top. The tone is very clean with articulated bass thanks to the ebony fingerboard and spruce top combination. I think that spruce top guitars are providing the best tonal quality. The scale is fitting my medium-small hand size and so short scale provides mellow tone like you will get from 25.75" tuned down. The guitar is excellent for comping and also fingerstyle jazz.
This guitar is the keeper for sure and the next one I am looking for is descent ES175
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