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This is only my second carved top archtop (briefly owned a very nice Guild CA100 I bought from a forum member here), and I'm really enjoying this. I've owned many laminate, vintage guild archtops over the years, but have always really wanted a vintage Epiphone or Gibson archtop acoustic. I'm also amazed what a great value these old Epiphones are as well—clearly not a guitar with a huge market, but what a tremendous bang-for-the-buck in terms of quality, tone, heritage, and playability.
This is definitely not a disappointment! It has a wonderful balanced, clear tone that is very addicting to play--I usually play single coils, but have purchased a Kent Armstrong PAF-style floater to try. I've really been mesmerized by Peter Bernstein's tone for the last few years, and while it's not something I'm necessarily trying to ape, I was intrigued by the idea of trying to get a setup that captured the beautiful acoustic qualities of a big-bodied carved top like this with the warmth, clarity and fatness of a PAF-style pickup. I figure I can always try a CC style, or DeArmond 1100 if I don't like the KA.
Anyhow, just wanted to share as I know there are quite a few Epiphone fans here. I'm taking my jazz studies much more seriously lately, and while I enjoy playing on a variety of different types of guitars, I find if very satisfying to study on the guitar with its rich, crystalline sound, particularly with chord melody.
I'll report back once I have installed the pickup, and I'll post some clips as well.Last edited by Ryguy; 04-19-2019 at 12:14 PM.
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03-23-2019 07:22 PM
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I had one of those briefly, and it was a great guitar. I should have kept it, but I ended up trading it for another guitar. You have a wonderful instrument there.
Keith
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Lucky you! Happy NGD! Vintage Epi's are way underappreciated. Some of the finest archtops on the planet. Enjoy and play it a lot.
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Congrats Ryguy! I tried one a few years ago and it was damned good. Your Tele doesn't look bad neither !
Cheers.
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Beautiful....
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Congrats!
If anyone here wants this model, this one can be had:
Epiphone Triumph Regent 1951-1953 | Reverb
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That’s a nice looking guitar and the price seems very good. These Epiphones are really worth checking out.
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Keith
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Thanks everyone! I haven't been able to put it down since it arrived. I have a wonderful Greco 175 copy (that I believe has a laminated spruce top) that I've retrofitted with p90s and which I really enjoy playing, but this Epiphone is an entirely different beast for sure. The resonance, note separation, and overall tone is, as I said above, really addicting to play. The neck is pretty beefy, and has the soft "v" shape, but it is not at all uncomfortable to me.
That one one Reverb looks like a fantastic deal for someone.
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Yes, that is a wonderful tele! It's a JD (Jerry Donohue) model, with a fat neck and lollar mini-humbucker. Really does it all. Originally Posted by Fred Archtop
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Great , I LOVE mine !
congrats and play in good health
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I *love* a good epiphone. Congrats on the score. The 17" body and long scale produces a massive and powerful sound. Looking forward to eventually hearing some clips with that PAF.
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I too had one exactly like that, awesome guitar. HEY, maybe we're all passing around the same guitar......
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Beautiful instrument! Congratulations, and play it in good health!
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What’s going on beneath the tailpiece? Is that a rather large separation? Originally Posted by floatingpickup
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Congrats on your new Epiphone TR! I adore my 53. It has never had a pickup mounted, and I have no plans to add one. I have the floating pickup thing covered with my 1990 Benedetto Cremona. I am very happy with the Bartolini floater on the BC.
As I posted a few months ago, I gig with my Epi at small, intimate venues and it has the power to fill the room with no amp no problem. It's a duo with trumpet/flugel so I'm not competing with a rhythm section.
Enjoy in good health!
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So I got it back today with the Kent Armstrong floating PAF and end-pin jack installed. It has sort of placeholder pickguard my tech was nice enough to cut out, as I put the original away for safe keeping. Scored an NOS one from an Epi Regent that is on it's way now.
At any rate, this thing sounds unbelievable plugged in. I'm not 100% sold on the humbucker, though it is a fantastic sounding pickup, mainly because I usually play single coils.
I don't have a real recording setup yet, so this is just a quick and dirty iPhone vid featuring some genuinely aimless blue noodling from late last night.
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You have a killer feel. Great sounding paf. The guitar sounds excellent and I remember how great those Epiphone necks feel to play. Congrats man on the great score.
(PS if you do ever somehow get tired of that pickup, a DeArmond FHC would suit your style so nicely)
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Thanks brother! I did really like the Dearmond 1100 I had in a Guild CA100 last year. Might try one of the reissues, or possibly a floating CC from Pete Biloft. Or I might just leave well enough alone (unlikely) as this KA pickup sounds great. And agree on the neck. The beefy "V" is really nice; I would prefer a little less heft in shoulders, but it's not enough to bother me. BTW, I just saw your vids with the Epi and Gibsons...lovely playing and killer guitars! Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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That sounds phenomenal. Get thee to an organ trio. Originally Posted by Ryguy
John
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Thanks John. And funny you should say that as my main gig these days is an organ trio. Originally Posted by John A.
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So here is a little clip with the KA humbucker that is not recorded on an iPhone. Just getting a home recording rig set up, and so far so good. The guitar is recorded direct in GarageBand via a Focusrite Scarlett 2i24 with a little verb, EQ and compression. I am planning on getting a Rode NT4 condenser to capture a little room sound and more of the guitar's acoustic sound (which is beautiful), as I would like to record through the mic'd amp as opposed to direct.
As for the KA pickup, I do like it but with some reservations. Given the relatively shallow space between the guitar top and the strings, I think the pickup is to close to the strings for my test. It gives it too much unwanted compression or something for my ears. I prefer a little more air. Ultimately, I think I just prefer single coil tones though, and have a Vintage Vibe floating CC pickup on the way. I'll do a comparison clip once I have it installed.
And as to the performance...excuse the clumsy handling of the melody. I'm spent most of my career playing blues, R&B, "soul jazz" etc. and have only recently started diving into playing standards. I've been listening to jazz for ever though, and am really enjoying the discovery process of trying to get all the lines I hear in my head to come out when playing. Anyhow, thanks for listening, and I welcome any feedback on tone and playing.
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Gorgeous playing. I know what you mean about compression. For me, hard to beat a vintage dearmond.
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Thank you Ompha! I appreciate the kind words, and agree about the vintage Dearmond. If the CC doesn't pan out, I might look at a DA. Vintage is not in the budget cards right now, and haven't yet tried the reissues.
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