Epiphone Hollow-body discussion

telepathy · Post by **telepathy** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:40 pm

a MIK Casino is my #1. swapped out all the electronics, they're junk. MILES better after doing that. next thing to go is the pickups, gonna get Lollar replacements. haven't had too much issue with the tuners.

I love the thing, in general. the feel of the neck, and the ease of feedback especially. had to try a few before I found a good one, I think that's a typical Epiphone thing.

just be sure you really want a full hollowbody ... I'm in a band where feedback is a valued commodity, so I love it, and being able to "play" the feedback physically is a joy, but if you're not into it, it's impossible to get the thing to stop screaming at certain levels, especially if you're into power-tube distortion....

pedrohead · Post by **pedrohead** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:03 pm

i have a supernova, the noel gallagher signature guitar (335 esque with extra hot pickups). doesn't have the most servicable clean tone, but i love the thing slightly overdriven or wide open. easy to play, good to bash on.

BeepBeep · Post by **BeepBeep** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:03 pm

I have a used MIK Epi 335 and I love it. Picked it up for $200 w/case. It could use a little work, but it sounds and feels great.

I'm still interested in some of the Artcores and Gretch makes some nice hollows and semi-hollows that you may want to check-out. And I don't think I'll ever loose my jones for a vintage Gibson...Sigh

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:27 pm

My choice in this department is the DeArmond Starfire. These were the pre-Fender Korean-made guild copies...they say "by Guild" on the truss rod cover.

The PU's are very hot and very crisp, and the knobs kind of suck...I put on Speed knobs. But everything is solid, the sound is fantastic, and it's presently my number one axe. I've had it for like three years.

logey · Post by **logey** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:13 pm

beard_of_bees wrote: it was like about 250$ also..I tried to find out info on these guitars but I can find a single thing other than they are imported by a company with a 2 room office in the south..

someone else was saying they are probably made in the same factories in Korea as the epiphone or ibanez arch tops that sell for much more or something like that..

Rats...I'd like to know more about these too. Looks cool.

I've got a Ibanez Artcore AF75 thats pretty nice. Plays ok once set up properly and sounds pretty good. That said, its in the shop right now getting a set of GFS Liverpool pups that I'm hoping will give it a little more unique character. The buckers that it comes with are fine, just nothing special.

monocle · Post by **monocle** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:11 pm

Just recently picked up an old Harmony Rocket archtop. I was told that stuffing the top f-hole with foam can subdue unwanted feedback at louder levels.

Can anyone reccomend what type of foam and where this might be available, or is there a better suggestion?

Thanks!

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:30 pm

inverseroom wrote:My choice in this department is the DeArmond Starfire. These were the pre-Fender Korean-made guild copies...they say "by Guild" on the truss rod cover.

The PU's are very hot and very crisp, and the knobs kind of suck...I put on Speed knobs. But everything is solid, the sound is fantastic, and it's presently my number one axe. I've had it for like three years.

the guy who plays guitar in my band has one of these, it's his main guitar and it sounds fantastic. My hollowbody thing is an Electra (surprise!) 335 copy that I bought around 1990, I think it dates from the late '70s. Beautiful neck, great tone. The pots kinda sucked but i've had them replaced and all is well.

Roboburger · Post by **Roboburger** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:50 pm

I have a MIK Casino, too, and HAD to replace one of the pots. it had a finiky ground connection and would sometimes open circuit in the middle of playing it if you were using the rear pickup.

It's not too tough of a gig if you remove the rear pickup and have a dime store pair of surgical clamps ( I feel like I'm playing M*A*S*H whenever I use them).

I picked up a Dot Studio for 200 on MF. It's original "fine for 200 bucks" rating leaped up when I worked out the action and intonation. I had to flip around a few of the string saddles to do it, but the action lowered a whole bunch when I did. I can imagine that they are set up quickly by the factory.

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:09 am

2004 Epiphone Sheraton. Plays great, sounds good, pots and switch suck and are getting replaced at some point. The pickups are "ok" but I am going to replace them, possibly with P94s. I've actually talked to a a tech about making the pickups switchable (as in soldered to a plug) so that I can decide if I want P94s or PAFs depending on my mood. I may do the same with my Elitist Les Paul.

Jeff

??????? · Post by **???????** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:01 am

When looking for a cheap archtop I would pay particular attention to the thickness of the finish. The Epiphones are sometimes not too bad, but many of the mid-to-low Ibanez guitars and other makers (particularly toward the bottom-end of their lines) always remind me of those ancient mosquitos that were preserved by being encased in hardened amber.

It just feels like the guitar is hermetically sealed inside 1/4" of thick plasticky poly.

That's something to really look at, because of all the things you can change on a guitar or that will improve over time, that's NOT one of them. If the guitar sounds good unplugged (like really) and plays nice enough but the pickups are shitty, or it sounds like it has a blanket over the amp when plugged in, no big deal! A small investment and it's tip-top. But you can never remove one of those thick overly poly finishes, nor would it be cost-effective to do so anyway.

I think they do it in the name of making it shiny, and it's cheaper to spray an excess amount of poly rather than sand and buff carefully to remove imperfections after each finishing step, or to risk buffing through and having to start all over.

EricF · Post by **EricF** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:00 am

I have an Ibanez Artcore AFS75T (dressed up with dice and chrome barrel knobs as a wanna-be Gretsch rockabilly box). It plays nice, but I've come to really dislike the sound of the pickups - harsh and brittle.

Last week I picked up at Epi Sheraton II off eBay, and am really enjoying it. It's stamped as a "2ND" due to a blemish in the wood under the finish, but it sounds and plays just fine. So far, I'm really enjoying it.

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:43 am

EricF wrote:I have an Ibanez Artcore AFS75T (dressed up with dice and chrome barrel knobs as a wanna-be Gretsch rockabilly box). It plays nice, but I've come to really dislike the sound of the pickups - harsh and brittle.

Last week I picked up at Epi Sheraton II off eBay, and am really enjoying it. It's stamped as a "2ND" due to a blemish in the wood under the finish, but it sounds and plays just fine. So far, I'm really enjoying it.

Don't worry about the "2nd" stamp on Epis or Gibsons. If they actually are still an intact guitar then the "2nd" is simply a finish issue. Anything that is a construction issue is chopped up. I know this because I had at least 3 folks at Epi/Gibson tell me this when I worked at Music123. It was also discussed at the Gibson plant when I was there. I actually won both my Sheraton and Elitist Les Paul (and a Casino that I *sigh* sold for my American Tele) when I was at Music123. Epiphone took good care of me. My Elitist Les Paul is marked "2nd" on the back of the headstock over the serial number, and that branding actually knocked a chunk of the finish off of the guitar down to bare wood. the 2nd stamp did more damage to the guitar than the reason why it was marked a second in the first place. A tiny ding in the finish on the back. It's my nicest guitar and sounds killer.

Congrats on the Sheraton. Replace all of the electronics with upgrades and it turns into a killer guitar, I hear. Looking forward to doing it myself soon.

Jeff

weatherbox · Post by **weatherbox** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:33 am

echo on what Brad said... they can kill all the good resonance of a hollow with that crap.

I've played a couple really great Epi hollows. The quality control is spotty, as it is with Gibson as well. Poor fretwork, gaps in inlays, and overzealous finish spraying being the three most common problems I've seen. The tuners and electronics have been uniformly less than great, but that's sort of to be expected with lower cost guitars. I don't remember if the Epis have backplates or not... if they don't, and you're planning on doing some electronics work... remember that you're going to be working through the f-holes and pickup cavities. Not as simple as changing a Tele pickup.

The current Elitist Epi line has been in my experience thus far excellent. I'd buy one of those over a current Gibson for sure. My main guitars are a pair of '60s Gibson hollows (330/335) and the Elitists hold up very well. They kick the pants off of lower priced Gibsons, and if my buddy's is any indication, may be as good/better than many high price Gibsons (which have been IMO suffering wild swings of quality control.)

Gorilla · Post by **Gorilla** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:02 pm

At the lowend, I think there are some better options than Epiphone. I really do like the ibanez artcore's better than say the dot. As you go up the scale, the options, equipment and parts improve noticeably and there are some very nice epis.

Also, I don't particularly like the soft tails on some of the cheaper semi hollows, I think that in most cases you could avoid switching the tuners out at the $300 and under price point by sticking to the hardtails.

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