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Again, was only referring to ELECTRIC Epiphones. Nice guitar though.
Originally Posted by Litterick
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08-30-2020 07:29 AM
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I have had a 1951 Epiphone Zephyr Regent since 1970 and have often wondered the same thing and thought about posting the same question. I don't know why they didn't catch on like the Gibson ES175. They had a short production life and Gibson was better at making electric guitars/amplification. The Tone Spectrum (aka New York) pickups are bright, somewhat microphonic and subject to feedback. I could hear other instruments coming through my amp. They are more acoustic than a Gibson ES175 and lighter. It has a more 'primitive' feel compared to more contemporary archtops made after amplification had been refined.
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Loved it up to 2:35. Everything past that was of no interest to me. Cool guitar! Originally Posted by Litterick
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no offense, but this thread is goofy...you know how many players used epiphones!!!???
one of the most used brands of all time
here's johnny-
cheers
ps- whenever i read complaints about old pickups being weak...i chuckle...cc's or ny'ers or p90's...have the pickup magnet regaussed to max strength!!!...60 year old magnets are gonna be weak!...but can be recharged easily!Last edited by neatomic; 08-30-2020 at 06:50 PM. Reason: ps-
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Again, does anyone read? I'm specifically talking about ELECTRIC Epiphones. Not acoustic with added on floaters, etc. Also was mainly referring to current players. Please show me a video anyone has posted on here of themselves playing one. Maybe I missed it. Originally Posted by neatomic
no offense, but this thread is goofy...you know how many players used epiphones!!!???
one of the most used brands of all time
here's johnny-
cheers
ps- whenever i read complaints about old pickups being weak...i chuckle...cc's or ny'ers or p90's...have the pickup magnet regaussed to max strength!!!...60 year old magnets are gonna be weak!...but can be recharged easily!
It's like that game where you tell the person next you a story and they relay it to the person next to them and by the time it comes back it is totally different from the original.
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Perhaps your terminology is ambiguous. "Electric" can be taken to mean anything with a pickup on it. Epiphones with set pickups might be more specific to what you're asking about.
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Apparently so. Guess I needed the word "set" in there. I specifically mentioned "Epiphone pickups", but I guess I didnt do enough Originally Posted by sgosnell
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You are right, though. Reading with comprehension is hard, so it's not done consistently.
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I think you could say the same about post Franz guild single coils ("mickey mouse" pickups). It is not brand snobbery; folks like the Franz and guild HBs, but sometimes a product doesn't cut it with players.
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I just got one, a Century model (1953). Based on my research it seems like around this period a lot of archtops were made and sold on the cheap. Where my fiddle comes in, I'm still up in the air. I took it to a local luthier and he checked it out and green lighted it, so I feel a little better about getting it. The neck hasn't been reset and the structural integrity is still there. The action and neck feel are incredible. Apparently it came from a lot. This guy had something like 300 guitars in his West Virginia home. It was the last of the lot and I'm assuming that was the case because the finish is a little melted from the pickguard outgassing in its case (presumably left unopened for some time). This is of no consequence to me as I bought it to play and from that perspective I feel like it was a good find. I just have nightmares of the neck snapping off as I play it... BUT the sound is great acoustically and I personally like the pickup sound through my DR. The binding shrunk but it was fixed up (cut and re-glued in a two places, barely noticeable).
I just wonder if an Epiphone (having been a credible manufacturer at the time) student model is of a slightly higher quality of craftsmanship then other similarly designed archtops that were on the market at the same time, made by lesser known companies and marketed for less money. This one actually came with an Electra amp in a package deal. So is this like the Squire starter pack of it's time? I surely hope not, but I can take some solace in the belief that things were just built a lot better back before the days of planned obsolescence.
I guess we'll see as we go along, but for now I'm loving it, personally!
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Pokey LaFarge, plays a 1946 Epiphone Spartan, but I think not with Epiphone pickup.
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Billy Bean with Charlie Ventura playing his 1948/49 Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent.
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My 1951 Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent plays very well. It is more comparable to an L-5 than an ES-175 in my opinion. This has had a well done neck reset and some binding pieced in where it shrunk at the binding joints. The electronics are in great shape and it has a warm L-5 WesMo sound with the neck pick up. The finish was touched up where the original pickguard dripped on it a little bit when it outgassed. The replacement pickguard was made by Tony Dudzik at The Pickguardian. The reflective "E" sticker was sourced from AxetremeCreations.
Last edited by Easy2grasp; 04-12-2021 at 02:42 PM.
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The sole Billy Beans album on spotify is... underwhelming.
Is there a classic album with him as sideman I should check out?
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These are the ones I am familiar with and enjoy, besides the ones on Wiki where he is a co-leader... Originally Posted by AllanAllen
- Paul Horn, Plenty of Horn (Dot, 1958)
- Fred Katz, Folk Songs for Far Out Folk (Warner Bros., 1959)
- John Lewis, Essence (Atlantic, 1962)
- Herbie Mann, Brazil, Bossa Nova & Blues (United Artists, 1962)
- Herbie Mann, Right Now (Atlantic, 1962)
- Bud Shank, Slippery When Wet (World Pacific, 1959)
- Charlie Ventura, The New Charlie Ventura in Hi-Fi (Baton, 1956)
- Charlie Ventura, Plays Hi-Fi Jazz (Tops, 1957)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bean_(musician)
- https://www.facebook.com/BillyBeanGuitar
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** Embarassing 'Lightbulb' moment **
.......Am I correct in thinking that these '50's Triumphs were L-7 equivalents, but all the more credit to Epi , because the Triumphs were at least available with a set-in p/u while all Gibson offered for the L-7 was the McCarty ?
.......How did I miss that for so long ??....
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Not quite. Post-war Epiphone archtop guitars equipped with built-in pickups were made with laminated tops and backs. They are more appropriately compared to post-war Gibson ES-125, ES-150, ES-175, ES-300, ES-350, and ES-5 models. Originally Posted by Dennis D
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So they never offered a Triumph Regent with a built-in ? Or, did they ever offer a solid top w/ laminated back ? Originally Posted by Hammertone
I did find a Zephyr Regent - single NY p/u and I was really surprised it weighed over 7 pounds !......That's basically WesMo territory.....
....Oh well.....
Thanks HT.....
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IIRC, in the world of Epiphone, post-war and pre-Gibson, these terms were used for the higher-end electric archtops, all of which had laminated tops and backs:
"Zephyr" means electric
"Regent" means cutaway
There are other terms related to electric guitars as well, mostly cheaper ones, but Epiphone was so screwed up as a company during this brief period that none of it really relates to any intelligent marketing strategy, and is of little consequence.
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I never liked the sound of those NY pickups, but frankly Billy Bean sounds better on his Epi than his pal John Pisano sounded on his DA w floating pu.on their duo recordings.
Yeah, I get that built in pu's and floaters are apples and oranges.
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Gibson era, but still rather vintage and very electric. Too big for me to play comfortably, so I never gigged with it.
Danny W.
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