View other reviews for this product:
MGR/Anonymous « Epiphone E-5 »
Published on 06/24/01 at 15:00I 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
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