Epiphone PR5-E

I traded in my old Epiphone Pr-200 for this one and thought I might as well make a step up. They said the retail value was about 600 bucks. I bought it from my local music store.

From the minute I play it I just loved the action on it. Also plugged in it sounds sooo nice with a great preamp and nice tone. Also, with elixir strings, this baby is such a joy to play, and it looks soo nice too.

The only thing I'm not too particularly happy with this is the sound, though it is a shallow body. That's my only complaint, and even then it still has some good sound for a shallow body.

I'm not sure what this is made out of, but it's got a nice finish and all. The quality is very nice, it's practically a Gibson, so what else would you expect except the highest quality.

This guitar is very very nice for the money, a great on-stage guitar and just a great all around take-anywhere guitar that plays great. I recommend this to anyone, fromt he beginner to the novice.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

It was a present from my brother... it was purchased for $429.99 from American Musical Supply somewhere around March of 1999

The sheer playability of this particular unit is incredible... wonderful action, sweet tone, unbelievable electronics! Just prior to the arrival of my guitar I went to a local shop to check the model out... it was seriously wanting, it sucked! When mine arrived I was very happily surprised to find that it was equipped with better hardware than was advertised and had the tone and playability that I demand from a tool for the worship of my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ! It has been a very faithful instrument that more than holds it's own against the big boys (when plugged in)!

I'm not all that enthused about the body being so slim... I prefer the feel and acoustic sound of a full-sized auditorium model, such as the Taylor 814ce.

Very nicely and caringly constructed of decent tonal woods.. the electronics are, by far, the most satisfying component of the guitar...

the ceramic pick-up is so far beyond any other piezo on the market.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this guitar by mail-order from SamAsh.com for $69 (list is $199). It was advertised as a "last chance" to buy and included a gig bag, cable, strap and wrenches. It is solid black with with a rosewood fretboard and a single humbucker pickup.


I am partial to Fenders and own several Strats. I have played single-coil guitars for decades. After adding a Seymour duncan humbucker to one Strat, I wanted more. I recently tried some lower priced Epiphones and was pleased with their bluesy tones. I read a review about this guitar and was willing to risk the money. It also has a small body and would be playable by my son. At the low price I took a chance.




I was not disappointed. The neck has the typical Epiphone shorter 24.75 inch scale, which gives my small hands a little better "reach". The thickness, width and radius are all very comfortable to my "Fender" hands.


The body is a "Les Paul plank" style, shrunk to 3/4 size. This keeps the weight down and allows my 9 year old to handle it. We capo up to A to give him some relief (he is a beginner), but he can reach the nut. It is comfortably around my neck as I compose this. It makes a great small "Internet Surfing Guitar" while downloading or reading.


The tone is just what I wanted. The pickup is not too close to the bridge. The single volume and tone controls allow you to dial the sound you want. It gives a warmer tone than my Strats.




The tuners are the cheap covered kind, that are too loose for my taste. Daily tuning tweaks are required. For a knock-around guitar I can live with it.


The biggest demerit goes to the bridge. It has a single, wraparound bridge that is height adjustable, but no intonation adjustments. The factory intonation was decent, but tuning is a labor of "compromise". A little effort yields good results




To be fair, Epiphone cut corners to keep the price down. The guitar is made in China. The body is laminate and the ply-lines are visible through the finish. The nut and fretboard are not as finished as a more expensive guitar, but are adequate.


It came with a setup checklist from Sam Ash. It appears they really did check it. The setup is so good that I have not changed it (I am a notorious tweaker).


The unit feels solid in my hands with good sustain. Although sized for youth, it is a "real" guitar not a stunted "mini". Adults can really play it. If hangs nicely and looks great in black!




This is a great buy for a youth guitar, or someone wanting a lighter axe for travel or for sitting around. For $69 I would take it places where I would NOT take my good axes. This is very different guitar than the Kramer Focus 111s (also a great buy at $69). If you want the LP look and humbucker sound at rock bottom price, look into the E-5 Rig.



this review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Epiphone PR5E is an acoustic/electric guitar on the low to intermediate level. It’s really more than an adequate beginner’s guitar, as it’s definitely suitable for intermediate players as well. I don’t know much about the make up of this guitar since I don’t personally own it, but it’s got a mahogany body and a built in Shadow single pick up. I’ve actually only played this guitar acoustically and have never plugged it in…


UTILIZATION

Playing the Epiphone PR5E isn’t too hard, as it has an average feel. It isn’t as fluid feeling as the acoustic guitars that you’ll find a step above this, but it’s definitely more than playable. It’s fine for playing rhythm or lead parts, as it’s not hard to access notes up until the top frets where it gets impossible to play. The older version of this guitar doesn’t have a built in tuner, but new ones do, in addition to built in EQ and some other parameters.


SOUNDS

As I stated earlier, I haven’t used the pick up features on the Epiphone PR5E, as I haven’t been in a situation where I needed it with this guitar. My Uncle owns this guitar, so I play it whenever I’m at his house, hence why I’ve never plugged it in. So while I can’t speak to what it sounds like plugged in, it does have a pretty good sound when played acoustically. It’s a bright sounding guitar in general, and my one complaint about it would be that it lacks a lower end body to it. That’s something you’re going to find with most guitars in this price range.


OVERALL OPINION

For an intermediate acoustic/electric guitar, the Epiphone PR5E is a pretty good instrument. It’s nothing that I was incredibly impressed about, but it’s easy enough to play and has a good enough sound quality that it’s worth checking out. I don’t know if they still make this guitar or not, but the price used should be cheap enough that most will be able to afford it if they are in the market for it. If I were to buy a guitar in this price range, I’m not sure that this would be it, but it’s still worth a gander if you’re shopping around.