Epiphone Zephyr Regent

**chris32895** · 03-22-2025, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by Grigoris

Have you tried the Archtop Tribure AT105? I'm thinking of getting one of those, instead of this second hand Epiphone which is good but I don't really know if it's such a step up from my Ibanez AF120...

Unfortunately I never have, they are hard to find locally anywhere except in Japan. I did do some research on them and they seem to be a little more lightly built (i.e. ~6lb or so) similar to '50s models. They are apparently wonderful instruments rivaling Gibson. I have had a couple Japanese guitar, Fenders and Yamahas, and I can say the reputation for Japanese quality is 100% true, all those guitars knocked me out.

Of course with import duties and shipping the AT105 will run you quite a bit more money than the Epiphone. At the same time, the Epiphone is a unique instrument given the back and sides are mahogany, which is uncommon.

**Grigoris** · 06-07-2025, 01:43 PM

So, NGD for me, I bought one Zephyr Regent Reissue earlier today and I am in the process of cleaning it up.
The guitar was made at the Peerless factory in February 2000. The guy selling it was only asking for 350 EUR, but I guess I found out why when I brought it home...
I didn't really try the guitar before buying, the guy was passing through my town so he brought it with him and I had a brief look at the car park. I wanted to see if there was any red flag that would stand out just by visual inspection but the guitar had good intonation (but very old, disgusting strings) and no cracks, binding coming apart or any other structural issues. I saw that the pickup frame had a red tape around it, probably because it was broken, I felt it with my thumb and it feels broken but I couldn't verify. As a result, the pickup is really sticking out, all the way up and cannot go any lower inside the frame because it doesn't fit. I thought I would probably change the pickup anyway so that didn't discourage me.
Bringing it home I realized that the bridge wooden base is glued on, I didn't try to push hard for it to get it unstuck for fear of damaging the top, and that the metallic part was mounted back to front - with the adjusting screws facing the tailpiece. The neck is also slightly twisted. I didn't notice any intonation issues when I played at home, so I'm guessing perhaps it's going to be fine. But for 350 EUR, I shouldn't complain, I guess...

Epiphone Zephyr Regent-img_0328-jpg

I'm going to take it to the luthier next week to see if it's worth upgrading the pickup. Kind of a mixed emotions afternoon for me...

**Jx30510** · 06-07-2025, 03:14 PM

I think I was eyeing the exact same guitar. I asked the guy more pictures, about a week ago, he never bothered to reply.. you're in France, right ?
I understand now why he didn't send more pictures.
The pickup is no big deal, neither the glued bridge. These can be fixed. But a twisted neck

You should bring it to a luthier. Well it was very well priced anyway, hope you'll sort things out.

**Grigoris** · 06-07-2025, 03:19 PM

Yes, but the ad went online only three days ago, June 4. I sent him a message an hour after the ad was live. Are you sure it’s the same one, there are two others on right now but for €500 and €590, and I have already tried the second one two months ago in person.

**Jx30510** · 06-07-2025, 03:21 PM

It was 350€Were the initials of the seller Mr D. G. ? Pretty sure it's the same one.I just verified, I sent him a message june 5th.. and the add had just popped the day before.So must have been put to for sell 4th of June.And today the add is no more there.. It's a very nice guitar, if it plays well and is intonated, a slight twist in the neck may not be very noticable

**Grigoris** · 06-07-2025, 03:28 PM

Yes that’s him. He probably didn’t reply because I said I was interested. But I can’t speak for him.

**AllanAllen** · 06-07-2025, 03:29 PM

What kind of pickup is in there? It’s not worth upgrading to a Kent Armstrong if it’s already got one. The bridge being affixed makes me think someone who mods owned it before you.

**Grigoris** · 06-07-2025, 03:33 PM

I don’t know if I want to take the pickup off the guitar because as I said, the mount frame is broken and held together with tape. But I guess it’s the original pickup, it certainly looks to be the same age as the rest of the guitar.

**Grigoris** · 06-07-2025, 03:45 PM

well...
you got me curious and I did look inside:

Epiphone Zephyr Regent-img_0340-jpg

does it look real to you?

**AllanAllen** · 06-07-2025, 03:51 PM

Yeah, congratulations. Upgrade is already completed, just buy a new humbucker ring off eBay for $5.

**Jx30510** · 06-08-2025, 12:22 AM

Yep it's a real! Now that's a very good suprise for you! The seller mustn't have known that, other wise he would have told it in the add, and sold it for more.
Obviously I don't really think he cared for the instrument he was selling..
Now the other good news is Seymour Duncan pick-up rings are very easy to buy.

**Jx30510** · 06-08-2025, 05:16 AM

I'm pretty sure the mess on the pickup on your guitar is the result of the previous owner trying to mount the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover on the original asian pick-up ring, which is NOT the same size as US ones.

Be sure to find a correct curved tall mounting ring, which is not that easy. I know this because I recently try to find one . For whatever reason they're very hard to find, at least in Europe.
Your best bet, other than reaching directly Seymour Duncan, is to order at this store in France -Emma Music-
The closest i've found is the link below, pretty good price.. only one they have in stock is cream colored and by pair (by the way, you have to get the tall one for the neck pickup on an archtop).
Cream wouldn't be bad over black in my opinion..
Hope this helps

SET CONTOURS MICRO CREME HUMBUCKER COURBE

So it must slanted (courbé), tall, and to US measurments, which this one should be OK

Finally, maybe you could try the short version, which Thomann have in stock (why not the tall version ? A mystery to me.. and I never saw one in stock..), but be sure to measure if it could hold the pickup, without it pocking to high on it's legs..

Seymour Duncan Humbucker Mounting Ring BK – Thomann France

And lastly, don't hesitate to PM me in french if you want more help (I've recently been thru this.. )

**Grigoris** · 06-09-2025, 04:02 PM

So, I have questions.

I have put a set of D'Addario Chromes flatwound 11-50 (ECG24) on and I find the guitar harder to play than my Ibanez AF120 which has a set of Thomastik Swings JS112 12-50. It feels like the action is higher, but it isn't - because I measured it. I don't know if I'm tripping but the feel is very different to the other example of the same guitar I have tried a couple of months ago.

I don't know if you can see any significant neck twist here, but there is a noticeable dip on the bass side on the headstock. Sorry for not clipping the strings yet, it's a bit messy.
Epiphone Zephyr Regent-img_0343-jpg

The tone is also very different. I remember the other guitar which had the original Epi pickup on sounded much warmer. Is the Seth Lover considered a bright pickup? I read on the earlier posts in this thread that if you install that pickup on this guitar it's best to do some changes to the pots/capacitor?
there's also this: Seth Lovers too bright, whats next? - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums
also I find this pickup is very quiet, compared to the Ibanez ones that are much hotter.
I'm calling the luthier tomorrow but I would love to hear your thoughts.

**Little Jay** · 06-09-2025, 05:28 PM

Chromes of the same gauge feel much stiffer than Thomastiks!

Higher frets can also feel harder to play.

**teeps** · 06-09-2025, 05:51 PM

Happy NGD.

**skiboyny** · 06-09-2025, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Little Jay

Chromes of the same gauge feel much stiffer than Thomastiks!

Higher frets can also feel harder to play.

I use to think that to. It's true if your talking package gauge say a set of .12 If you order chromes in the exact gauges as Thomastks they actually have a little less tension.

**skiboyny** · 06-09-2025, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Grigoris

So, I have questions.

I have put a set of D'Addario Chromes flatwound 11-50 (ECG24) on and I find the guitar harder to play than my Ibanez AF120 which has a set of Thomastik Swings JS112 12-50. It feels like the action is higher, but it isn't - because I measured it. I don't know if I'm tripping but the feel is very different to the other example of the same guitar I have tried a couple of months ago.

I don't know if you can see any significant neck twist here, but there is a noticeable dip on the bass side on the headstock. Sorry for not clipping the strings yet, it's a bit messy.
Epiphone Zephyr Regent-img_0343-jpg

The tone is also very different. I remember the other guitar which had the original Epi pickup on sounded much warmer. Is the Seth Lover considered a bright pickup? I read on the earlier posts in this thread that if you install that pickup on this guitar it's best to do some changes to the pots/capacitor?
there's also this: Seth Lovers too bright, whats next? - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums
also I find this pickup is very quiet, compared to the Ibanez ones that are much hotter.
I'm calling the luthier tomorrow but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Your not tripping the dadarios 11 set will have a bit more tension than the thomastiks. You might need to give the truss a slight turn to the right if the relief is too much. Measure in the middle of the neck with the string held down at 1 and twelve. Also the chromes are pretty bright and stay that way for a good while. Thomastiks are warmer and continue to get warmer pretty rapidly. Perhaps you like that sound better.

**sgosnell** · 06-10-2025, 10:50 AM

Another thing which can cause the perception of stiffness is a nut that has the slots too high. Fretting at the third fret should result in the slightest bit of gap over the first fret, barely perceptible. I can't begin to tell how high the nut slots are on that guitar. I also can't tell from the photos whether there is any twist in the neck. The bass end of the nut does appear to be slightly higher than the treble side, but that's not unusual. The bass strings need more clearance (higher action) than the treble strings because of their size and because they vibrate in a wider arc. It's not possible to tell from photos because of the effects of parallax.

A quieter pickup can be the result of the pickup being further from the strings. Adjust the pickup height to get the volume and tone you desire. But of course some pickups are hotter than others, and adjustments have to be made accordingly.