Epiphone Guitars

**rio** · 03-06-2017, 02:12 AM

When did Epiphones get so nice? Back in the late 90"s and early 2000's I had friends who had them and my first semihollow was a '96 Sheraton II and I didn't like them at all. I was in a store today checking out pedals and stupidly didn't bring my guitar or amp so I was looking for the closest thing and they had so few archtops but they did have a Broadway. It had 10s on it with a plain G but damn did it play well. The neck wasn't quite what I am used to but it wasn't bad and the fretwork was excellent! I was talking to the clerk and he said their solid bodies are hit and miss but the hollow bodies are generally very good, and if they were like this one then that is awesome that they have affordable sub 1k archtops that play like that. It sounded pretty bright but with the strings and the fender amp I was playing through I attribute it to that - I don't know about the pickups but the acoustic quality of the guitar seemed like it would have a nice traditional jazz tone with some heavier strings and a more appropriate amp.

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**lawson-stone** · 03-06-2017, 08:50 AM

I have 3 Epiphone archtops: a 90's era MiK/Peerless laminated Broadway, a 200x Elitist Broadway (solid woods), and the ES175 Premium. They are all very nice guitars. The MiK Broadway had a pickup switch, to a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover in the neck slot. It's a champ. Really, I love my Gibsons, my Aria PE180, etc. But if all I had was the Elitist Broadway and the ES175 Premium, I'd really have no reason to complain.

I would not be surprised to hear that today's laminated Broadway is an outstanding choice. I don't know what pickups they put on them now, but the "vehicle"--body, neck, hardware, etc.-- is worth some investment in good pickups if the stock ones are not up to the task.

**jazz.fred** · 03-06-2017, 09:57 AM

I am surprised that you did not like the '96 Epi Sheraton II. The Korean made Epi's (especially the Sheratons) are extremely well thought of as having been excellent values. I own a '97 Sheraton and think it punches well above its weight. Although I recently upgraded the electronics, I played the guitar for 20 years with no enhancements and received many compliments from other musicians and audience members regarding the instrument's beautiful tone. What was it that you didn't like?

**JGinNJ** · 03-06-2017, 12:49 PM

I have my eye on one right now, an older MiK, just tried it again yesterday a local shop that's had it a while. I have 2 Emperor JP's already, a stock natural one and a sunburst with upgraded electronics and tuners. I'm trying to decide whether to trade in the stock one on the Broadway. I would have to throw cash in, but the stock JP seems redundant, and to upgrade it would cost almost as much as the trade-in deal.

**GNAPPI** · 03-06-2017, 12:52 PM

Agreed, the Sheraton is the closest semi design they have to a Gibson. The necks are 3 piece and they play like my 335's.

I bought one recently with a horrid neck pup but the git itself is top notch.

**lawson-stone** · 03-06-2017, 12:55 PM

I had a Sheraton II as well, and though it was a very nice guitar, I realized that the form factor was just not for me. No quarrel with the quality of the guitar, though. Just couldn't get physically comfortable playing it.

**lammie200** · 03-06-2017, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by rio

When did Epiphones get so nice? ...

One of the nicest things about the newer Epi models is that they only utilize one "Made in China" sticker and it is easily removable. Nothing against Chinese made guitars, but it is nice to strip the label off and just deal with the essence of the guitar without the distraction.

**ptchristopher3** · 03-06-2017, 07:13 PM

Some MIK Broadways had a brutal resonant peak at the A string 12th fret note. No worse than many other very good guitars (like Benedetto Bravo - I forget which note it is on the Bravo).

I put sound posts into a couple to help reduce the sharp resonant peak reasonably well.

Do the current Broadways also have this resonant peak?

**rio** · 03-06-2017, 10:45 PM

Regarding the Sheraton II - I don't remember why I didn't like it. I was very inexperienced and just getting into jazz and it was so long ago (geez, like over 20 years ago now) that I only remember specifics. I remember not liking the pickups and I couldn't set it up to how I wanted it to feel but I was just a 15 or 16 year old kid trying to learn jazz so if I had the same guitar now then maybe my opinion would be different. The guitar I got after that was a GB10 and then when that got destroyed a Tal Farlow so being that I was comparing to those two I don't know that it was a fair fight and since I was inexperienced that was all that I was comparing to.

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**Longways to Go** · 03-06-2017, 11:02 PM

I didn't end up liking my Sheraton for the long run either -- mainly because of the dead-ish tone.
OTOH, My Epi ES 175 Premium is a keeper.

Another interesting note: A local store recently had an Epi Joe Pass Emperor 2 on sale for less than $400.
So of course I went to check it out. Turned out the discounted unit had a totally wonky neck. No way would I take that guitar home. Oh well . . . I'm feeling a bit sorry for who ever buys it.

**citizenk74** · 03-07-2017, 12:30 AM

I had a colleague who had a MIK Epi Broadway in natural. He covered the soundholes with wide cello tape to control feedback. We played a lot of duos with me on my Epi Emperor Regent. He sounded great on the Broadway. Also vocals, drums, keyboards, and anything else he laid his hands on. I learned a great deal from him. I came within a millimeter of getting one myself but when I arrived at the shop it was out getting a switch problem fixed. I ended up getting the Empress from AMS, IIRC.
The Broadway remains The One that Got Away.

**lawson-stone** · 03-07-2017, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

Some MIK Broadways had a brutal resonant peak at the A string 12th fret note. No worse than many other very good guitars (like Benedetto Bravo - I forget which note it is on the Bravo).

I put sound posts into a couple to help reduce the sharp resonant peak reasonably well.

Do the current Broadways also have this resonant peak?

Mine displays no such issue. It might be that the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup eliminates that problem, but mine has no issue with that at all. It's a 90's era Peerless build.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 03-07-2017, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by jazz.fred

I am surprised that you did not like the '96 Epi Sheraton II. The Korean made Epi's (especially the Sheratons) are extremely well thought of as having been excellent values. I own a '97 Sheraton and think it punches well above its weight. Although I recently upgraded the electronics, I played the guitar for 20 years with no enhancements and received many compliments from other musicians and audience members regarding the instrument's beautiful tone. What was it that you didn't like?

I sure loved my old 89 MiK SG -- it held setups for years, sounded great for rock (think Alex Lifeson's tone from A Farewell to Kings). I gigged it over my Gibby SG most times, because it did rock so much better tonally. With its narrow open-book headstock, it often fooled guitarists in club audiences ... many times got me the compliment, "What year Gibson you got there?"

In that price range, great deals can be found.

**ptchristopher3** · 03-07-2017, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

Mine displays no such issue. It might be that the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup eliminates that problem, but mine has no issue with that at all. It's a 90's era Peerless build.

I would expect something involving more of a major mass change affecting the resonant peak (aka wolf note, among other terms). I suspect your guitar was not affected by the PU change, but just sounded great all along in terms of acoustic response.

But many (even most) players seem to adjust and play around resonant peaks with no trouble at all, in my opinion.

With all the constant change and expansion of great archtops, the Broadway still seems to sit there as a great bargain box.

**ptchristopher3** · 03-08-2017, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

Mine displays no such issue. It might be that the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup eliminates that problem, but mine has no issue with that at all. It's a 90's era Peerless build.

Thinking about this some more, would it be too much to ask you to record using the neck PU and play each note for about 2 seconds: all on the A string starting at the 7th fret and through to the 17th fret? Just hit each note using a pick and let it ring for about 2 seconds.

Many thanks if this is practical for you to do.

Chris

**lawson-stone** · 03-08-2017, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

Thinking about this some more, would it be too much to ask you to record using the neck PU and play each note for about 2 seconds: all on the A string starting at the 7th fret and through to the 17th fret? Just hit each note using a pick and let it ring for about 2 seconds.

Many thanks if this is practical for you to do.

Chris

Here's about the best I can manage. Using DVMark Micro 50, 10" speaker, EQ straight up all the way across. Mic'd the cab with Shure SM57 (Left), ran direct line also (Right) into ProSonus Audiobox, from there via USB directly into my iPhone 6.

I hope this helps. I won't have time to try this again. I know there are uneven picking force issues, the whole set of variables we can't control, but I can also say in several years playing this guitar intensively, I know of no note or place on the guitar where I feel I need to use caution for fear of any resonant weirdness or problems.

Maybe it's factory-specific? Mine is a Peerless-made Broadway from the 90's.

**ptchristopher3** · 03-08-2017, 03:44 PM

Thank you very much. Indeed, sounds great through the A octave, maybe a little plinky-resonant at C#, but inharmonicity makes such a mess by then on fatter flats that it seems a non-issue to me.

Thank you very much for doing this.

**LtKojak** · 03-08-2017, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

Some MIK Broadways had a brutal resonant peak at the A string 12th fret note.

How big is the sample size from what you've draw your conclusion?

I've records of well over a dozen serviced, and from what I can tell, it's never been the case if you ask me.

HTH,

**ptchristopher3** · 03-08-2017, 05:41 PM

Not interested Koj. I am sure it is an anomaly.

**Jonah** · 04-18-2017, 03:51 PM

When did Epiphones get so nice? Back in the late 90"s and early 2000's I had friends who had them and my first semihollow was a '96 Sheraton II and I didn't like them at all. I was in a store today checking out pedals and stupidly didn't bring my guitar or amp so I was looking for the closest thing and they had so few archtops but they did have a Broadway. It had 10s on it with a plain G but damn did it play well. The neck wasn't quite what I am used to but it wasn't bad and the fretwork was excellent! I was talking to the clerk and he said their solid bodies are hit and miss but the hollow bodies are generally very good, and if they were like this one then that is awesome that they have affordable sub 1k archtops that play like that. It sounded pretty bright but with the strings and the fender amp I was playing through I attribute it to that - I don't know about the pickups but the acoustic quality of the guitar seemed like it would have a nice traditional jazz tone with some heavier strings and a more appropriate amp.

I own a Broadway (Unsung 2014), I was woried by the comments when I ordered... but the guitar is very very good, construction plyability... when I took lesson from a very good guitar - he was amazed with it...
And it sounds unplugged as a solid top (considering solid top loadid woth pickups and knobs)...

Few things I do not like.. the wood looks cheap... it's natural finish so you can see it.. it's nt a problem if the whole guitar does not pretend to look more expensive that it really it..

tailpiece... first I liked Frequensator.. but now I think I would prefer traditional Gibson style...

And of course pickups...

**lawson-stone** · 04-18-2017, 04:20 PM

Maybe find an L5 tailpiece for that Broadway!

**LtKojak** · 04-18-2017, 04:33 PM

ABM 1500g Gold - ABM

That's the one I'd use on a Broadway... if the tailpiece didn't cost almost the same as the whole guitar!

**markesquire** · 04-18-2017, 09:43 PM

I just have to chime in and say that I really love my 2013 Broadway. The neck is just right - substantial but great for playability. It sounds great, and to me, I like the aesthetics even better than an L5.

My only complaint is that the pickup selector switch sometimes seems to fail: when I switch to the bridge position, about 25% of the time it is just completely silent.

**Jonah** · 04-19-2017, 06:03 AM

Maybe find an L5 tailpiece for that Broadway!

Not so easy to find in Europe and the price is very high.

Of course it is possible to change it to cheap Chinese tailpice of the chape I prefer more... but I don't think I would really bother now...
Frequensator is ok actually... I like that it is special Epiphonic style thing... I just would like it to look more Gibson style.

My only complaint is that the pickup selector switch sometimes seems to fail: when I switch to the bridge position, about 25% of the time it is just completely silent

Yes that happens.... actually I do not use bridge pickup on this guiatr at all...

I was thinking about routing neck pickup directly (and maybe even taking away a swicth, extra knobs and bridge pickup - some techs do it very nicely)...
But this kind of modification will make guitar alsmot unsellable.. so I have to decide really) If I had a Regent of the same quality I would be happy with it completely I believe...

**Brian B** · 04-19-2017, 09:45 AM

I came so close to pulling the trigger on a Broadway at Sweetwater last December when they had the financing deal going. Couldn't justify it being Christmastime...didn't want the "Oh you bought yourself a guitar?" from the better half...lol.

If I didn't come across the '81 Emperor on Craigslist, I might have gone for it last month when they had the financing promo again.

I've only seen one of these (Broadway) ever on CL, and never one in any store around me.