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After my latest buying spree I reached Gearvana and have no real GAS anymore. The only thing I wanted/needed was a cheap throw around archtop to take with me in the holidays.
So I found an Epi ES-175 for €250, just the right price. Sure, there are better guitars for just a little more, but it is nice enough all right, and it was basically unplayed! It still had the plastic on the pickups and the paper under the bridge!
I played it next to my 1974 Gibson ES-175 and man! It just blew the old girl out of the water! Not!
It actually plays rather nice and plugged in it doesn't sound bad at all, if only a little harsh.
The sunburst looks nice, but the sides could be less yellow. Oh well...we'll see what the summer sun will do to that
The guitar could probably improve a lot if I change out some hardware, but considering it's purpose I'll keep it stock.
Ok, some pics:
Last edited by Pukka-J; 05-02-2013 at 02:56 PM.
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05-02-2013 02:48 PM
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Hi Pukka - J,
Looks like you found a great deal. She's a good looker ! ( Those yellow sides are very interesting - I'll bet they grow on you - I like 'em !) Now we need to see your two girls side-by-side.........Best of luck with her !
Chip
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An A/B comparison with the real thing would be interesting ! I wonder how she would fare if it had decent pickups...
Are there any finish flaws ? How are the frets ?
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Fretwork and finish are actually very good! Knowing myself I may eventually put some decent pups in, but for now it would defeat the purpose.
Acoustically it is a bit louder than the Gibson, but definitely not as nice sounding. Far less mellow.
Plugged in I notice that the pups in the Epi are not well balanced, but that may be a setup thing.
I'll see if I can find some time to a/b them on youtube.
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Here's a pic of the two 175's together:
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WOW ! Great pic. By the looks of your '74, you must not take it out very often. I don't blame you 'cause that's gorgeous !!!!
Beautiful pair ! Thanks for sharing............
Chip
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As a matter of fact, I play it quite often! It shares playing time mainly with my Eastman and the tele. I make it a point not wanting to own more guitars than I actually play! The Goldilocks amount: four is just right
The Epi is my fifth (well, actually my sixth, but I'm selling my Musicman Axis) and I only bought it because the others are to dear to take along in the caravan
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the mellow thing isn't a surprise since you have a tom bridge on the Epi..
Nice guitars for the money.. but ever since I tried an 2008ish Epi Zep Reg I have been spoiled.Last edited by SamBooka; 05-04-2013 at 08:46 AM.
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+1 Mine with a Duncan became one of the best guitars...ever.
Originally Posted by SamBooka
David
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Remember to have a beer when the E falls off the pickguard. You will be official member of the Epiphone Club.
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Well, what are the odds!!! Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
Last edited by Pukka-J; 05-05-2013 at 02:13 AM.
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Your Gibson has rosewood bridge--that is nice.
Epiphone has ABR-1 style tune-o-matic bridge.
interested how Epiphone sound with wooden bridge...
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Indeed! I plan on ordering one this week! Originally Posted by kris
Do you know if I need to file little cuts to hold the strings in place or will it work without?
The more I play the Epi, the more it actually grows on me! The electronics and pickups definitely leave lots to be desired, but otherwise it really is a nice guitar (especially for the money).
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I am not sure what you ordered...only top or top with base/all bridge/. Originally Posted by Pukka-J
You need to file cuts on the top of the bridge..It need properly set up for good intonation.
New wooden base is another problem...it need work/precisly/.If it has better contact with top of the guitar you will get better tone and sustain.
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The bridge comes with top and base. I know the base has to be flush against the body, I did that before. I guess if I have problems intonating etc. I could always take it to the doctor's
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Yes, but if the post spacing of the new top is the same as the present one (it's not if you buy a wood archtop bridge from StewMac, but many others are, for example those from Sadowsky), you can just use the new top on the old (and hopefully well fitted) base - and toss the base of the new bridge, or throw it into a drawer. Originally Posted by Pukka-J
The bridge comes with top and base. I know the base has to be flush against the body, I did that before. I guess if I have problems intonating etc. I could always take it to the doctor's
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That has been my experience with stewmac on my emp reg as well Originally Posted by oldane
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Ok, so I bought a nice ebony bridge and sanded it flush against the body.
The tone definitely changed and acoustically the guitar is less loud, but mellower. Amplified it sounds much better, less harsh. I'll keep it this way!
Here it is together with my new JazzAmp 110:
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So now the two guitars are in the same ballpark?
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Yes, I suppose so. I still prefer both the sound and playability of the Gibson (which may be due to cognitive dissonance however
), but the Epi does surprise me! Even the pickups sound rather convincing now, especially over my Henriksen 110.
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I think you can say more about quality of Epi after few months or weeks...
You have to try it on live gig also...
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Yes, true! But for now I'm pretty happy with the Epi, especially for a throw-about archtop :-)
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I wish to second that ! I am also very happy with my Epi -175. Playability and feel of the neck is great. The pups sound very good too and the bridge pup especially is nice and creamy...great for a variety of blues and rock. The neck pup is very good sounding as well. Originally Posted by Pukka-J
I own two vintage ES-175's (a '58 and '53) and although the Epi sounds a tad different, it still sounds very nice indeed compared to the vintage ones.
Mine has a "Custom shop" sticker on the back of the neck.Last edited by vic; 05-12-2013 at 01:52 AM.
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Yes, mine also has that sticker. It is the Custom Shop Limited Edition.
I don't known in which they differ from non CS LE versions, but mine did come with actual Grover tuners.
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Yes mine also has Grover tuners. However I don't know if this a "real" Grovers ? Originally Posted by Pukka-J
But as you say these guitars offer excellent value for money....very good quality indeed for what you pay.
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