Epiphone Broadway?

[radiofm74]

Hey R74!

I walked into a shop and they had a new Broadway and a new Emperor Regent (both new old stock).

I fell for the Regent. It had a hell of a lot of issues that made it almost unplayable.

The worst culprit was the nut, poorly cut.

The neck was straight and the frets were ok.

But there was a lot of issues...

Heres my set up and tweaks https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guitar-amps-gizmos/44561-epiphone-emperor-regent setup-tweaks-ngd.html

Where's the buzzing? Frets?

Hi Jazzbow. Amazing post, straight to my favorites for future reference! I won’t go that deep (or ask a luthier to do this… can’t imagine what he would charge for the number of work hours) but I’ll sure ask him to go through all the “first” steps and to check not only truss-rod, but also nut and bridge for general improvement of playability and tone. I’ll go over your post again before I go to the shop, so I know what to ask for

BTW I have checked with some care and the problem is not fret buzzing. It’s a sort of resonance (apparently coming from the mask of the neck PU and perhaps in part also from the pickguard) when I play the low E and the A string, open or (low E) fretted in some positions.

if it's ok sometimes and then goes bad..that points to trussrod adjustment...many new guitar necks are made with unproperly seasoned wood that just doesn't seem to stop moving.. needing frequent trussrod adjusting..no biggie (if you know how)...learn a few basics and you'll be alright..

also keep in the case when you are not playing it...its temp and humidity changes that move it


jb is right about all those other issues, but a badly cut nut doesn't get better, then worse, then better again...that's neck movement...(and not saying the nut isn't poorly cut as well!)

luck

cheers

Thx! I am also inclined to think that it’s kind of a “moving wood” problem of sorts. I usually keep the guitar hanging from a stand so I can reach out to it easily, but yes, it might be better that I keep it in its gig bag …

I picked up a 1994 Samick-made Ephiphone Broadway last year. I gave it a light fret leveling and re-crowning, replaced the pickup selector switch, and replaced the stock pickups with a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover in the neck position and a Stewart-MacDonald Golden Age Parsons Street in the bridge spot. It's a honey. that SD/SL pickup seems like it was just made for this guitar. It purrs, it growls, it sings. It gives me that "L5ces Fix" that I was looking for (I guess as long as I don't play an actual L5ces!).

I truly love this guitar. It seems elegant, beautiful, playable in every way.

Great tips for future upgrades! At this point in my jazz guitar career (jazz noob mostly playing/studying/recording at home) I don’t think I’ll do that. Especially because except for the buzzing/vibration problem the guitar is more than enough inspiring for me. But further down the road I will surely consider swapping the electronics.

[radiofm74]

I picked up a 1994 Samick-made Ephiphone Broadway last year. I gave it a light fret leveling and re-crowning, replaced the pickup selector switch, and replaced the stock pickups with a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover in the neck position and a Stewart-MacDonald Golden Age Parsons Street in the bridge spot. It's a honey. that SD/SL pickup seems like it was just made for this guitar. It purrs, it growls, it sings. It gives me that "L5ces Fix" that I was looking for (I guess as long as I don't play an actual L5ces!).

I truly love this guitar. It seems elegant, beautiful, playable in every way.

BTW: I’m usually all for natural L5-style guitars, but your sunburst Broadway is a total beauty!

[lawson-stone]

...
Great tips for future upgrades! At this point in my jazz guitar career (jazz noob mostly playing/studying/recording at home) I don’t think I’ll do that. Especially because except for the buzzing/vibration problem the guitar is more than enough inspiring for me. But further down the road I will surely consider swapping the electronics.

I can tell you that the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup in the neck spot has done something truly delightful for this guitar. It's not this dramatic night-day change. The SDSL is a bit less "hot" than the stock Epiphone pickup, but it has an evenness, a quality I can only call clarity and sweetness, that make this guitar a pleasure to play. My wife sometimes catches me out, saying "You're not playing a song, you're just playing to listen to that guitar." She's right!

I have a Memphis 1959 VOS model ES175 and I am thinking of replacing the 57 Classic in its neck position with the SDSL.

[lawson-stone]

BTW: I’m usually all for natural L5-style guitars, but your sunburst Broadway is a total beauty!

I like natural/blonde finishes too, but this one was just too nice to walk away from.

[lawson-stone]

The thread wouldn't be complete without some playing so we can hear these amazing guitars. This is my first shot at "Moon River" in a very simple, lead-sheet based chord-melody style. I am playing through one of those USB converters directly into my MacBook Pro, using Screenflow to make the video.

Much more can be done with this tune, but it poses some fun challenges.

[jazzbow]

Hi Jazzbow. Amazing post, straight to my favorites for future reference!

Well thank you for your kind words.

I won’t go that deep (or ask a luthier to do this… can’t imagine what he would charge for the number of work hours) but I’ll sure ask him to go through all the “first” steps and to check not only truss-rod, but also nut and bridge for general improvement of playability and tone. I’ll go over your post again before I go to the shop, so I know what to ask for

My rates are very reasonable, it's just the air fare that will bump up the bill! (Ha ha).

If you can develop your analytical skill set for checking the playability of a guitar type you'll be able to assess the competency of your local music shop tech/luthier. And as a bonus be able to spot either a diamond in the rough or an overpriced dog-ov-a-beech!

My next project to finish off is my jazz Tele. When I get it done I'll get it posted.

The EER will have a few more electrical tweaks done to it. I have in my possession an early British made Dallas Tuxedo solid bodied guitar with proto-Vox pickups from the early 60's.

While I refurb this guitar I'm gonna fit the pickups onto the EER for that ole' timey sound. I'm also going to tweak the circuit to have bass and treble boost and cut stealth controls with an on/off switch for the tone circuit.

All fun stuff!

Good luck with the ToVo!

[radiofm74]

I can tell you that the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup in the neck spot has done something truly delightful for this guitar. It's not this dramatic night-day change. The SDSL is a bit less "hot" than the stock Epiphone pickup, but it has an evenness, a quality I can only call clarity and sweetness, that make this guitar a pleasure to play. My wife sometimes catches me out, saying "You're not playing a song, you're just playing to listen to that guitar." She's right!

I have a Memphis 1959 VOS model ES175 and I am thinking of replacing the 57 Classic in its neck position with the SDSL.

Very tempting, and you do have a lovely tone on the video you posted. I’ll really keep an eye on the market to see if a Seth Lover shows up…

Thx!

[radiofm74]

I can tell you that the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup in the neck spot has done something truly delightful for this guitar. It's not this dramatic night-day change. The SDSL is a bit less "hot" than the stock Epiphone pickup, but it has an evenness, a quality I can only call clarity and sweetness, that make this guitar a pleasure to play. My wife sometimes catches me out, saying "You're not playing a song, you're just playing to listen to that guitar." She's right!

I have a Memphis 1959 VOS model ES175 and I am thinking of replacing the 57 Classic in its neck position with the SDSL.

Well thank you for your kind words.



My rates are very reasonable, it's just the air fare that will bump up the bill! (Ha ha).

If you can develop your analytical skill set for checking the playability of a guitar type you'll be able to assess the competency of your local music shop tech/luthier. And as a bonus be able to spot either a diamond in the rough or an overpriced dog-ov-a-beech!

My next project to finish off is my jazz Tele. When I get it done I'll get it posted.

The EER will have a few more electrical tweaks done to it. I have in my possession an early British made Dallas Tuxedo solid bodied guitar with proto-Vox pickups from the early 60's.

While I refurb this guitar I'm gonna fit the pickups onto the EER for that ole' timey sound. I'm also going to tweak the circuit to have bass and treble boost and cut stealth controls with an on/off switch for the tone circuit.

All fun stuff!

Good luck with the ToVo!

Given the time and the possibility to do my checks and turn a few screws (shopkeepers and owners always frown at me when I try this…) I am already pretty much able to check some general parameters (is the neck straight, is the fretwork decent, are the pots ok…) but yes your post gives a prospective arch top buyer the whole thing.

As for my luthier, he did a good job of refiling the nut, checking intonation, setting string action… And for the little he charged, I am happy. But he did not solve the buzz, and was very skeptical that one could eliminate it completely with just a set-up.

As I said it did not come from the fretboard, or the action, or the truss-rod, but it seems to come from the pickguard/pickups… I asked whether by tightening some screws something could be gained, and he said I’d only recreate the buzz elsewhere. He suggested instead to find with patience the vibrating parts and fit them with some foam so they stop. Is that common, or at least a known remedy for archtops?

Best!

[jazzbow]

But he did not solve the buzz, and was very skeptical that one could eliminate it completely with just a set-up.

As I said it did not come from the fretboard, or the action, or the truss-rod, but it seems to come from the pickguard/pickups… I asked whether by tightening some screws something could be gained, and he said I’d only recreate the buzz elsewhere. He suggested instead to find with patience the vibrating parts and fit them with some foam so they stop. Is that common, or at least a known remedy for archtops?

Best!

Yup, some frequencies makes guitar hardware resonate in sympathy.

It could be the bridge saddle retainer wire (BSRW...lol) Buzz Kill ? Resolve Rattle From Your Gibson Bridge | Guitarless

Or maybe the paper wedge twixt pickup and mounting ring or pickguard and neck trick.

[lawson-stone]

Given the time and the possibility to do my checks and turn a few screws (shopkeepers and owners always frown at me when I try this…) I am already pretty much able to check some general parameters (is the neck straight, is the fretwork decent, are the pots ok…) but yes your post gives a prospective arch top buyer the whole thing.

As for my luthier, he did a good job of refiling the nut, checking intonation, setting string action… And for the little he charged, I am happy. But he did not solve the buzz, and was very skeptical that one could eliminate it completely with just a set-up.

As I said it did not come from the fretboard, or the action, or the truss-rod, but it seems to come from the pickguard/pickups… I asked whether by tightening some screws something could be gained, and he said I’d only recreate the buzz elsewhere. He suggested instead to find with patience the vibrating parts and fit them with some foam so they stop. Is that common, or at least a known remedy for archtops?

Best!

Lots of people get vibration in the pickup and mounting ring. That happens even with the $10,000 Gibson L5ces models! I have seen guys with those high-dollar custom shop L5ces guitars ram a pick in between the pickup and mounting ring to stop the vibration! A little piece of foam can do the trick.

[pubylakeg]

As I said it did not come from the fretboard, or the action, or the truss-rod, but it seems to come from the pickguard/pickups… I asked whether by tightening some screws something could be gained, and he said I’d only recreate the buzz elsewhere. He suggested instead to find with patience the vibrating parts and fit them with some foam so they stop. Is that common, or at least a known remedy for archtops?

Best!

It's a very common fix to a very common problem. Generally if the p/up can rock to any degree within the mount, it can and will vibrate. I've fixed this on my Matsumoku built Epiphone Emperor by cutting some adhesive backed foam, and sticking it to the inside of the p'up mounting ring thus damping the p'ups ability to vibrate.

I've also cut some small pads of this stuff, and stuck them to the outer side of the h/bucker mounting ring, in the area where the p/guard makes contact.

The other common step to take is to replace the p/up height mounting springs with silicon tubing.

Btw, the adhesive backed foam I used is available from craft shops, it only needs to be a couple of millimeters thick.

[radiofm74]

Yup, some frequencies makes guitar hardware resonate in sympathy.

It could be the bridge saddle retainer wire (BSRW...lol) Buzz Kill ? Resolve Rattle From Your Gibson Bridge | Guitarless

Or maybe the paper wedge twixt pickup and mounting ring or pickguard and neck trick.

Lots of people get vibration in the pickup and mounting ring. That happens even with the $10,000 Gibson L5ces models! I have seen guys with those high-dollar custom shop L5ces guitars ram a pick in between the pickup and mounting ring to stop the vibration! A little piece of foam can do the trick.

It's a very common fix to a very common problem. Generally if the p/up can rock to any degree within the mount, it can and will vibrate. I've fixed this on my Matsumoku built Epiphone Emperor by cutting some adhesive backed foam, and sticking it to the inside of the p'up mounting ring thus damping the p'ups ability to vibrate.

I've also cut some small pads of this stuff, and stuck them to the outer side of the h/bucker mounting ring, in the area where the p/guard makes contact.

The other common step to take is to replace the p/up height mounting springs with silicon tubing.

Btw, the adhesive backed foam I used is available from craft shops, it only needs to be a couple of millimeters thick.

Thank you all Gentlemen. I see it’s a common problem, and when I get around to it I’ll try the remedies you suggest. Hopefully it will be DANDY, but if it DOWO, won’t stop me from continuing my ToVo with my Epi…

[sunbambino]

Acquired an Epi Broadway partly guided by opinions voiced in this thread, put in a pair of SD Jazz humbuckers, mounted a tune-o-matic and am completely blown away by the sound, for jazz this blatantly does it.

My only gripe is the heel, cumbersome imo, expect thumb-trouble getting above the 12th fret with this obstacle in the way, I feel it lets a fine instrument down a little, in fact I'm thinking of having it shaved, any opinions about this?

I know vintage jazzers were built this way but why perpetuate this feature?

[Tal_175]

Are the bodies of Broadways thinner than L-5's or do they have identical dimensions? Both Gibson and Epiphone are notorious at not listing body dimensions on the official pages of their guitars.
I played one Broadway today, it felt very comfortable and not very deep.

[lawson-stone]

Are the bodies of Broadways thinner than L-5's or do they have identical dimensions? Both Gibson and Epiphone are notorious at not listing body dimensions on the official pages of their guitars.
I played one Broadway today, it felt very comfortable and not very deep.

The Non-Elitist Broadway's are thinner than the standard L5ces. Mine measures 3" at the rim. The Elitist Broadway is the same thickness at the rim as an L5ces, but mine actually had a more pronounced arch and recurve than my L5ces!

[Tal_175]

The one I played was an early 2000's-late 90's made in Korea model. I was surprised how well made it was. It in no way felt lower quality than my Gibson ES 175.

[Webby]

Yeah!
I also love my old broadway. I bought mine used and it already came to me set up perfectly. String Action is super low without any rattling at all.
I think it sounds better with thicker strings. I currently have TI 13s on mine and they still feel pretty soft.
Only changes i did to my broadway have been made for cosmetic reasons, although i gotta say, that the heavier tailpiece made it Sound better too!

Pics or it didn't happen, right?

[DMgolf66]

I picked up an inexpensive Epiphone Broadway to leave at my father's house, but it has an issue that I knew about but was a bit worse then I thought. It will be resolved with seller, that's not what I'm worried about or need to have addressed.

What I'm wondering is how this can be fixed or repaired....either on the cheap or the full Monty and anything in between.It's right at the nut as you can see, but it's chipping if you ride over it.

[sgosnell]

That can be refinished easily enough. Depending on the skills of the repair person, it might or might not be evident that it was done.

[lawson-stone]

My MiK Broadway has the identical issue.


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[sgosnell]

Actually, I'm not certain it is that easy. It's easy if it's nitrocellulose lacquer, but if it's a poly-something catalyzed finish, that makes it much more problematic. I have no idea what Epi uses on those. My ES175 is nitro, so I initially assumed that the Broadway is the same, but that might be assuming too much.

[DMgolf66]

Actually, I'm not certain it is that easy. It's easy if it's nitrocellulose lacquer, but if it's a poly-something catalyzed finish, that makes it much more problematic. I have no idea what Epi uses on those. My ES175 is nitro, so I initially assumed that the Broadway is the same, but that might be assuming too much.

I see. Either way does the whole neck need to refinished? That seems like WAY more work then I would want to invest in this guitar. As always, thank you for the reply!

[DMgolf66]

My MiK Broadway has the identical issue.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hey Lawson, thanks for the reply!Sounds like you've just left it at this point, correct?

[lawson-stone]

Check to make sure the fingerboard binding is still glued solidly. I haven’t done anything yet but am pondering what might be worth trying on a budget guitar.


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[sgosnell]

If it's nitro, only the necessary areas need to be retouched, not the whole neck. Nitro is pretty forgiving. If it's a polymer finish, I don't know.