Epiphone Emperor (modern)

**Fred Archtop** · 07-24-2019, 05:06 PM

Hello Jazz guitar afficionados,

Well, I've pulled the trigger on this modern Epiphone Emperor. After much watching on YouTube, I've decided to try it by myself.

I must say that this is an amazing guitar for the price. The Kent Armstrong floating PU (handwound replacement, not the original JS PU) sounds superb and the guitar shines when it comes to mixing electric and acoustic sounds

Hope you'll enjoy the sound of it.

Best to you.

Fred.

**Greco** · 07-24-2019, 05:24 PM

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have very impressive skills and the guitars sounds wonderful.

ENJOY!

Dave

**mr. beaumont** · 07-24-2019, 05:43 PM

Sounds great!

**Rob MacKillop** · 07-24-2019, 06:53 PM

Wonderful playing, as we have come to expect from you, Fred. Guitar sounds good too. What year was it made?

**Fred Archtop** · 07-26-2019, 12:08 PM

Thanks for sharing my enthousiasm on this guitar!

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

Wonderful playing, as we have come to expect from you, Fred. Guitar sounds good too. What year was it made?

Oct. 2004

**Max405** · 07-26-2019, 08:49 PM

Freddy my man!
That was beautiful. Great classy playing. I had one of those once. AND IT NEVER SOUNDED LIKE THAT!
I am a firm believer that certain players just sound so right with any instrument. That’s you. You play with respect. You play with grace. Your guitars respond beautifully to your gentle but firm touch. You just sound great on any guitar Freddy.
And that guitar is a very capable, under appreciated instrument.
Great video.
Joe D.

**citizenk74** · 07-27-2019, 08:55 AM

I have an Emperor of similar provenance (in sunburst) that I have always been very fond of. The neck on it is just so perfect. Congratulations, and play it in good health!

**Greentone** · 07-27-2019, 09:12 AM

Well, that answers one question: Fred can swing without the scarf.

**vinnyv1k** · 07-27-2019, 12:40 PM

Sweet Fred ! I bought one new in the early 2000’s for like $600.00.
It played perfect right out of the box. I gave it to a friend after a nasty divorce. It is still playing and sounding great.

Fred your tone and playing is divine on anything you play.
You could make a turd sound good Sir.

**Fred Archtop** · 07-27-2019, 02:46 PM

Dear all,

It's great to share a NDG with you. Thank you so much for your enthousiam.

@Joey/Max405: I believe the swapping of the PU for a real handmade Kent Armstrong makes a terrific difference with the fully original guitar. You should try!
@Greentone: The scarf was a mandatory accessory over the lest few years due to a terrible cervical pain. I'm doing a lot better now and sarf has turn back to be a fashion accessory…
@Vinny: thanks man! You know well that good guitars help a lot playing in the right mood.

Just to carry on my honeymoon with the Epiphone, I've committed a new video. Still exploiting a mix of amplified and acoustic tone.

Best to you and take care.

**Greentone** · 07-27-2019, 02:51 PM

Congratulations on the recovery from the neck pain

**rabbit** · 07-27-2019, 03:29 PM

Congratulations on your new guitar!

Also, you sound great.

I resisted buying this model as it hung for several years in a local shop, 'till it "disappeared."
What was I thinking?

**slackandsteel** · 11-14-2019, 01:49 AM

Wow, just joined this site and did a search on "Emperor" and to my delight found your post Fred.

Your Youtube videos have been inspiring and in fact I upgraded my 2003 Epi Emperor's pickup with a
Vintage Vibe Charlie Christian style floater after hearing yours on a video. I had Pete Biloft build
me one that attaches to the neck like the stock Epi pickup and it sounds great.

Have you settled on a string choice for the Emperor? I've currently got Thomastic GB flats on mine.

Cheers,
Bill

**Fred Archtop** · 11-14-2019, 03:09 AM

Hi Bill,

Glad I could help in your choice. TI GB sounds like a very good choice. I have put myself TI Swing 13-53 which is very close.

Best to you and your music.

**Gitterbug** · 11-14-2019, 03:45 AM

Hooray! This guitar and her sister Broadway are not exactly "unsung heroes", but with another brand sticker their resale value would be totally different. Emperor Regent is my first "modern" archtop (after a playing hiatus of over 20 years) and will be the last one to leave the house. Mine is a -99 Natural by Peerless. With a PU upgrade, this is a pro level instrument, as proven by Fred's tone - and superb playing. Thanks!

**Little Jay** · 11-14-2019, 04:30 AM

Very nice sounding guitar and great playing, very tasteful. The guitar sounded better in the 1st video imho, the 2nd is a little ‘ploinky’ to my taste. But for a relatively cheap Asian it punches well above its weight!

I notice you always use tasteful backing tracks. Could you elaborate on that a little further? Where are they from? Thanks!

**Fred Archtop** · 11-14-2019, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by Little Jay

Very nice sounding guitar and great playing, very tasteful. The guitar sounded better in the 1st video imho, the 2nd is a little ‘ploinky’ to my taste. But for a relatively cheap Asian it punches well above its weight!

I notice you always use tasteful backing tracks. Could you elaborate on that a little further? Where are they from? Thanks!

Hello Little Jay,
You're right, the sound is better on the first video, more woody and notes with better diffinition. There is no piano in the backing track on the first video, so the sound can expand better I think. Maybe I also mixed differently the acoustic and amplified sounds the second time, with less acoustic signal.

As for the backing tracks, I'm mostly using my personnal Jamey Aebersold series. I often re-work the sound of them by removing the piano (always on the right track) and correcting some EQ. That's it.

Best.

**Gitterbug** · 11-14-2019, 02:02 PM

Sorry for my utter ignorance, but can one use Aebersold backing tracks on demo videos such as yours without infringing on copyright? This is a closed group (albeit very large), but what about YouTube videos?

**Fred Archtop** · 11-14-2019, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by Gitterbug

Sorry for my utter ignorance, but can one use Aebersold backing tracks on demo videos such as yours without infringing on copyright? This is a closed group (albeit very large), but what about YouTube videos?

I'm not a specialist of copyrights but as long as I am not making money with this I tend to think it's ok. In some way, I am also advertising for these backing tracks. I never had an issue so far.

**Max405** · 11-14-2019, 10:47 PM

They should pay you Freddie..

**lawson-stone** · 11-14-2019, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by Fred Archtop

Hello Little Jay,
You're right, the sound is better on the first video, more woody and notes with better diffinition. There is no piano in the backing track on the first video, so the sound can expand better I think. Maybe I also mixed differently the acoustic and amplified sounds the second time, with less acoustic signal.

As for the backing tracks, I'm mostly using my personnal Jamey Aebersold series. I often re-work the sound of them by removing the piano (always on the right track) and correcting some EQ. That's it.

Best.

I like using the Aebersold tracks this way. They are set up so that you have a channel of just bass/drums, and I enjoy working with just that. They are very good backing tracks, human musicians who sometimes did some unexpected things making the recordings. I much prefer them to electronically generated tracks.

**WillMbCdn5** · 11-14-2019, 11:46 PM

If I ever hear anyone suggest that an Epi Emperor is anything less than world class top drawer , I will simply point them to your vid

Will

**Fred Archtop** · 11-15-2019, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by Max405

They should pay you Freddie..

Tanks Joey. You're too good to me Buddy!

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

I like using the Aebersold tracks this way. They are set up so that you have a channel of just bass/drums, and I enjoy working with just that. They are very good backing tracks, human musicians who sometimes did some unexpected things making the recordings. I much prefer them to electronically generated tracks.

Can't agree more Mr. Lawson. These backing tracks give the feeling of a real jam session. Sometimes the rhythm section is rushing or dragging but hey, there are real humans. The only flaw I see is that the piano player is often playing too much but it's easy to cut him out.

Originally Posted by WillMbCdn5

If I ever hear anyone suggest that an Epi Emperor is anything less than world class top drawer , I will simply point them to your vid

Thanks Will. The reason why I got this guitar is because I don't want to go to a $100 gig with high dollars instruments. This Epi Emperor model is very good and you get a lot of things for the bucks.