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Well - I got mine today and its going back. This is only the second time that I've ever ordered from GC. The first time was awesome. This time, some genius took a beat-to-death floor model, wrapped it in some bubble plastic, and stuffed it in a Breedlove box. Completely unacceptable. The guitar looks like it came out of football stadium men's room.
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01-20-2017 06:46 PM
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I rather buy from Sweetwater, gut feeling GC gets many seconds. Besides they have a horrible customer service, unless you pay extra.
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Thinking about it, yes Vladan you must be right.
The pickups only amplify string vibration, not the air coming out of the box. Maybe the strings vibrate "louder", with more intensity? I don't know.
And yes the 165 and 175 have different pickups, I forgot about that, big point in the sound.. essential even
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All pick ups are somewhat microphonic, humbuckers far less then single coils. For fun example, if I yell at my Squier Tele neck PU, I can hear my voice on amp. If I do the same with bridge pick up, I can not hear it.
Ptoof of how little acoustic sound is involved you have right there in that Lawsons clip. On acoustic sound 165 is buzzing here and there, while EPI's PU is rattling on resonance, while none of it, or just a tiniest bit, is present in direct signal.
VladanMovies BlogSpot
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The question of course is how much the box affects the string vibration .... ????
Originally Posted by Jx30510
If not .. just throw some Classic 57s on a Tele and have at it
This is an on going debate ... I tend to think the body has a noticeable affect on the string vibrations ... even more so on a hollow body
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I agree. The pickup vibrates under the vibrating strings, and you get a different sound than from a floating pickup, and even more than a solidbody. I'm not sure how much the volume is changed, but the tone is certainly changed. That's why set in pickups keep being sold in archtop guitars. It costs more to do the routing and mounting, but many players demand them.
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Bummer. I know when they were closing out the natural finishes, some folks got obvious floor models and some got new from the warehouse stock. If I remember correctly, some people were able to call and order from a human and find out the source. I know when I was looking and talking to the sales people on the phone, they could tell the source of each guitar. Maybe take it back and ask them to replace it with a verified new one? Originally Posted by djelley
JP
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That's why I'm really more and more reluctant buying on line. And since I want my next hollow body to be a durable purchase I want to find the good one. Where I live there is very little choice in jazz guitars, and Paris is a 4 hours trip... fortunately big stores have a good return policy but it's a hassle, and nothing can replace trying a bunch of guitars next to next.
That's why Lawsons test is precious for me because at least we have an idea how the Epiphone compares to the Gibsons.
But if I had to choose a 3-4 k Gibson I would never buy it on line. It's a too big investment without trying at least a few of the same model.
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For djelley & others: I finally ordered an Epi 175 premium on sale from GC. (Maybe I should have seen djelley's post first!) Originally Posted by djelley
My order has been in for 8 days now, and the order status on the website went from "Processing" (the first 6 days) to "default" (the past 2 days). I initiated a couple of chat sessions via the website and was told the instrument was shipping "today" (on 2 successive days) ... but nothing appears to be happening.
For those of you that received an instrument, how long did it take? Is GC usually this flakey? (I can't recall ordering directly from them, before.)
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Mine was pretty easy. About a week from purchase to pick-up at a local GC. Originally Posted by M-ster
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I suspect what is going on here is that the sales we've seen on the natural and ebony colors are GC clearing out the last of its stock on these options. Neither show up on the website as purchase options any longer. I've also read that the 175 premium was only to be a limited run model, though this doesn't seem very clearly advertised. So likely as orders come in GC is pulling stock from wherever it is in their network of stores and relocating. Personally I feel like it's not right to ship a floor/demo model without advertising it as such, but it seems at least in these clearance situations GC sometimes does just that. This isn't the first I've heard of that happening. At any rate, you can always get your money back if it's not satisfactory. Originally Posted by M-ster
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If you're buying from a distant GC or on line from GC and you live near a GC, I would recommend having your guitar shipped to your local GC
That way the GC is completely responsible for the shipping and any possible shipping problems .....
and you can inspect the guitar before you walk out with it .....
with their generous return policy you can decide not to take it home if you have any issue with what they ship you and you can just leave it there with the local GC
I bought a used Super 400 from a Houston GC last fall .... with that much cash on the line I asked them to ship to one of the Tucson GCs ... even though Tucson is over an hour drive for me
Saved me some nervousness .... if the shipper smashed it then GC employees in Tucson would be there to witness any damage .... and I was able to look it over before taking it home
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Both MF and GC ship factory seconds without stating as such. I tried buying one last year from GC and it turned out to be a 2nd which I returned after playing a bit
Epiphone ES 175 VS two prices
having said that I was convinced to try the gibson original after trying out the epiphone and at least for me I like the original 175 much more. The epi didn't have the sound I was looking for TOM bridge or not. Also I LOVE the neck on the Gibson.Last edited by seaguitar; 01-27-2017 at 06:49 PM.
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Looks like the sunburst model is back up in price, but listed as not expected in stock for a month. If I remember correctly, this is what the natural did before it dropped off the map? At any rate, I am keeping my eye out for the wine red to clearance. Already obtained spousal approval on the purchase.
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Wasn't the Epi Premium supposed to be a limited Edition?
One strange thing is that Thoman puts a comment on the invoice :
"This instrument has been manufactured before that the woods used have been classed protected species by the treaty of CITES, and the decree 338/97 of the Europeen Community protecting these species.
For this instrument a pre-convention has been signed with the inspection authorities of Bamberg"
I translated this from french so sorry if it's a bit clumsy..
But does this mean that this guitar, if manufactured after the treaty of CITES (I don't know when this happened), should be banned in Europe?
It's the first time I see such a comment when buying a guitar. Is the Premium built with some kind of exotic wood (the mahogany neck? some here talked about african mahogany) that is now protected..?
Puzzling
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I went through all of this when I tried to order a Natural finish when they were clearing them them out a few months ago. It kept coming up with different delivery estimates and would alternately show processing and backordered. After calling on about four different occasions, I finally got a hold of someone who knew how the computer and inventory system worked. These clearance guitars apparently come from both new stock and in store stock. On the TDPRI forum, lots of guys ordered these and some were brand new in original packaging and some were repackaged floor stock. It's a lottery, but you might be able to call and see where your order is coming from. Fortunately you have a generous return policy with GC so you can return it if it's not up to snuff. I've returned several used guitars there with zero hassles. Good luck. Originally Posted by M-ster
JP
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I think most if not all of the clearance Epi Premium's were manufactured in Korea in 2014. At least that seems to be the case from what guys are reporting. Originally Posted by Jx30510
JP
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Yes, they all seem to have been made in 2014, and then they stopped production?
This tends to think two things :
* they didn't sell very well in the beginning, and they will be out of stock pretty quick (a guy said they where getting very scarce in the UK)
* they must have been made out of woods that are today protected
The second point is getting me very concerned about what woods where used, laminated maple is not a rare wood? So it must be the wood used for the one piece mahogany neck that is maybe not very legal?
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The recent CITES update that went into effect this year puts some restrictions on all rosewood species. Indian rosewood isn't completely banned, but there are more requirements on its international trade. I'm guessing that's what that statement is referring to. Originally Posted by Jx30510
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I thought the Gibson 175 sounded thuddy in the lower notes and thin in the higher.
The Epiphone was more trebly, which sounded good to me in the lower register and shrill in the upper register.
I thought the Herb Ellis was more balanced. So, if I had to choose among these three sounds, I'd go with Herb.
BUT ... I also wonder if a change of strings would have eliminated the thud in the 175, and if a slight treble roll-off (with the pot or lowering the pickup) would have made the Epi less shrill.
So, on balance, I have no idea which one of these guitars would suit me best in the long run.
Then, the main issue I pay attention to in evaluating a guitar is whether I can get a thick sounding note on the high E string above the 10th fret. I didn't hear that in any of these guitars, at least not with the EQ and setup here.
And, as others have pointed out, it is possible to change components for relatively small amounts of money, and those changes can affect things too.
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I felt like I should report back (after my earlier posts) with an update: Originally Posted by JSP737
I received my Epi 175 yesterday (Jan 31), 13 days after placing the order. I believe the guitar was sourced from the Commack, NY, GuitarCenter. They packed it well, and it arrived unscathed, per my initial inspection. The GC website still showed my order status as "default," as of last night; but I received email that the guitar had shipped, so I was expecting it.
First impressions are good. Guitar is in new condition, as near as I can tell. Nut is cut too high, slots are too tight, truss rod needs adjusting, and some metallic parts apparently need muffling. So, I need to spend some time with it to know what I've got; but, so far so good.
More to come ...
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I would like to replace the top of my pinned bridge on the my Epi ES175 premium and stumbled upon this comment. Originally Posted by bleakanddivine
Is there a wooden bridge that just slips into the original bridge base?
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You would be better off with a whole new bridge. The pinned base may not intonate properly with a wood saddle (compensated or not). Originally Posted by blille
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... I did this on a GC order, works 1st rate... Originally Posted by Bluedawg
Hidden bonus... Made it easier to sneak into the compound w/o drawing fire from the Warden...
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There are saddles available, but mostly entire bridges. The post spacing varies a lot, and you would need to carefully measure what you have and insure that what you buy has the same spacing. You can unpin the bridge if you want, by screwing the posts out far enough to get the bottom ends inside the base. I'm assuming the Gibson posts have either Allen (hex) or slotted top ends. If not, you can still get it done by (carefully, so as not to booger the threads) unscrewing them with pliers or something similar, with the bridge disassembled. The top of the posts might stick up out of the saddle afterwards, and that may or may not bother you. You have to decide which is your preference - dealing with the posts, or the work of mating the bottom of a new base to the top of the guitar. It needs to fit very closely for optimal tone and volume.
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