Epiphone Zephyr Blues DeLuxe

[Emperor]

MIK, Peerless, 2001. Individual volume controls, master tone. No pickup switch. Solid maple with flame maple veneer, maple neck, rosewood fretboard.

I've always wanted a big jazzbox with P90s, but can't justify getting a vintage Gibson. I got a good deal on this one, and it is actually a very good instrument. I think it was Epiphone's top of the line archtop, or at least close to it. Materials are very nice, the finish impeccable, frets really good (hardly any wear), pots of high quality, hardware decent. The only thing not quite after my taste is the pickups. While they're AlNiCo units, they're wound too hot for my liking. I measured around 11.5 k? on all three, which is 50 percent hotter than a typical 50s unit. They're all right for bluesier styles or overdriven sounds, but for a traditional jazz tone, they're too boomy. With volume on 8 or less they sound better, but still not quite there. Will upgrade.

The greatest surprise is the sound of the pickups combined. I'd thought that I'd mostly use the neck pickup on this, but there are so much more to be had here. The inbetween "Strat" positions sound like a punchy, less quacky Strat, the neck and bridge together sounds like a larger-than-life Jazzmaster, but the brightest star is the combination of all three. Shimmering, warm and bright. Small adjustments on the individual tone controls makes a lot more difference than expected, there is a very broad spectrum of usable sounds here. Even more so with better pickups, obviously.

As a Fender-man, I really love the 25.5" scale. It definitely has an impact on the sound; this guitar is somewhat punchier and clearer with more presence than a similar 24.75" scale guitar, because of the increased tension. When compared to my 1989 Epiphone Emperor, this is very obvious. The Zephyr also feels more stable and solid, partly for the same reason (but it is clearly a superior instrument to the Emperor in every way).

The electronics have so-called 50s wiring, making the sound stay crisp when reducing volume. This has the drawback of making the tone control pretty much useless when volume is not on full. I will probably rewire to modern wiring with fine-tuned treble bleeds when I change pickups.

The intonation was really off when I got it, but that was quickly fixed. I've changed the thin roundwounds it came with for my favourite set of strings, Thomastik-Infeld JS112. I've also swapped the TOM bridge for a rosewood bridge (third picture). Sounds less metallic now, with a more extended, less peaky treble response.

I am really very satisfied with this purchase!

[Fred Archtop]

Just superb! Wow! Love the rosewood bridge.

Congrats!

[Emperor]

Thanks! The rosewood bridge is actually uncompensated (just one I had lying in a drawer), so I might change it for a compensated unit. But G and B strings aren't really that much out of tune, so maybe I'll just keep it. I like the simple and clean look better than the typical archtop wooden bridge.

[Eck]

Gorgeous. I had P90s in my LesPaul DC, they were 9k, so 11.5k sound very hot indeed. I changed them for Kent Armstrongs but only for noise issues.


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[Emperor]

I had P90s in my LesPaul DC, they were 9k, so 11.5k sound very hot indeed.

It is. I think standard Gibson P90s are around 9k these days, while a 50s unit often was around 7k or slightly over. I think they originally also used Alnico II or III, which are both much weaker magnets than Alnico V.

[citizenk74]

I was remiss in not buying one of these when they were widely available. Congratulations, and play it in good health!

[KirkP]

Thanks! The rosewood bridge is actually uncompensated (just one I had lying in a drawer), so I might change it for a compensated unit. But G and B strings aren't really that much out of tune, so maybe I'll just keep it. I like the simple and clean look better than the typical archtop wooden bridge.

I think most Benedetto bridges aren’t compensated, and they seem to tune ok. I hope someone will correct me if I’m wrong. My Eastman AR810CE has an uncompensated bridge.

[Emperor]

I think most Benedetto bridges aren’t compensated, and they seem to tune ok.

In my experience, thicker strings are more tolerant to slight intonation errors than thin strings. This is especially true for a wound G string versus a plain steel string. Additionally, flatwounds have much more emphasis on the fundamental and the first harmonic, while roundwounds have a lot more upper harmonic energy, giving our minds a lot more to complain about when things are slightly out of tune.

This phenomenon is something I have been aware since childhood, since the first instrument I learnt was the harpsichord (my father is an instrument maker, specialising in baroque and renaissance instruments, which explains this oddity). You don't use equal temperament on the harpsichord, because all the high major thirds sound awful with the extremely bright-sounding strings of the harpsichord. Instead, you tune it so that the thirds of the most used keys are purer, closer to a natural third, while the more exotic, less used keys have sharper thirds. But on the (in camparison) dull-sounding piano, it is acceptable to have all the thirds equally out of tune.