Jonesing for an Epiphone.

[Scootch]

For some reason I am on this "gotta get an Epiphone" thing.

 

I already have a bunch of low end to low-mid end guitars. I'm actually thinking about unloading a bunch of them. After getting the D35 and J45 most of them are not quite as charming as they once were.

 

So a few months ago I was in a place that had three Doves, Two sounded OK, and one sounded great. I walked out, came back in a couple days to get the good one and it was gone. I guess it was obvious.

 

OK.

 

So last week I got on this 64 Inspired by kick. Finally got to a store with one in stock and was not impressed. They did have a Hummingbird Pro that really rolled my socks down. So I obsessed on that one. Still do. I'll never afford a Gibson bird, unless I win a lottery. And if taken for what they are, this particular Epi Bird Pro sounded great.

 

A few days ago I was in a used guitar store and found a PR350s. THAT one sounded better than any of the others I heard. Maybe the solid top had settled in. The action was good and the saddle was not ground down, so the neck / top angles were in fine shape. Sme place had a EJ200 Artist. Meh. OK sounding but not great. Lam top.

 

I can't get Epiphone out of my head.

[GuitarLight]

For some reason I am on this "gotta get an Epiphone" thing.

 

I already have a bunch of low end to low-mid end guitars. I'm actually thinking about unloading a bunch of them. After getting the D35 and J45 most of them are not quite as charming as they once were.

 

So a few months ago I was in a place that had three Doves, Two sounded OK, and one sounded great. I walked out, came back in a couple days to get the good one and it was gone. I guess it was obvious.

 

OK.

 

So last week I got on this 64 Inspired by kick. Finally got to a store with one in stock and was not impressed. They did have a Hummingbird Pro that really rolled my socks down. So I obsessed on that one. Still do. I'll never afford a Gibson bird, unless I win a lottery. And if taken for what they are, this particular Epi Bird Pro sounded great.

 

A few days ago I was in a used guitar store and found a PR350s. THAT one sounded better than any of the others I heard. Maybe the solid top had settled in. The action was good and the saddle was not ground down, so the neck / top angles were in fine shape. Sme place had a EJ200 Artist. Meh. OK sounding but not great. Lam top.

 

I can't get Epiphone out of my head.

 

Hi. Perhaps you should have grabbed that sweet Epiphone Hummingbird. In my view it is one of Epiphones best deals. ...Now, I'm not telling you what to do but...I do own both Hummingbirds....the Epiphone version for $299 ...and the Gibson version for a whopping, and I might add....rediculous price of $3100. Being able to daily compare both, back to back. side to side...I can tell you that the Epiphone Hummingbird..with STELLAR world wide reviews for tone and sweetness...does have a generous flavor of its bigger sister the Gibson bird. I delight in playing both...and if you want a true taste of what the Gibson Hummingbird can do...just get an Epiphone Hummingbird because it plays DARN good, and its tone and flavor come sweetly close to the Gibson for almost $3000 less. There are some differences of course... but if I close my eyes while playing the Epi bird, I can easily forget which one I am on! In my opinion I believe Elixir nanoweb 80/20 lights and a set of ebony pins really improve a guitar that is already good out of the box!

[Kaiser Bill]

If I may...Guitar Light is quite correct. I work occasionally with a lady that plays an Eppy Hummingbird. Very nice guitar. Naturally I have to tune it for her so I get a chance to give it a work out. She is a first position player in three keys. Not a bad thing...but not much of a challenge for me or a treat for the crowd after a few hours. But I wander. That guitar is a gem, and I can honestly recommend getting one. You simply cannot beat them for the $$. I have two different Eppys myself...love both of them.

[Scootch]

Gentlemen, I now have a mission for this evening.

[hanker]

Just got an Epi Hummingbird Pro for my bday and it is nice! I love the neck on this one. I grew up with an Ensenada copy from back around 1970 or so. Liked it for the neck and the sound, but the plywood top and fit and finish were nothing like this!

[Scootch]

Wife's been hospitalized, so first things first.

However I just sold 6 today. I took them to MGR and took a beating, hey, 6 guitars in 4 cases open up a lot of room in my den. About a thousand spent turned into $360.

 

I kept 6 that I really really liked. The six I sold were ones that sounded deficient or just didn't play.

They wuz:

-Two RC Dirty Thirty 000s. I put a pickup in one. Neither ever really thrilled me.

-One Ventura V10 000, that once sounded good but a brace broke and it never sounded so good post my repair.

-One Samick AE EAG88 Blueridge cutaway. Kind of an APX COPY, and a poor one.

-One Ibanez 12 string, low end and no bass

-Finally a Seagull Coastline Grand Parlor. Never liked it after I got the Alvarez AP6

 

I'm just happy to begone of them. I'm trying to associate with a better class of guitar hence forth.

I'll audition an Epi'Bird when my wife gets better. May also consider a triple aught in the 300 to 1k range.

 

[bobouz]

I would highly recommend that if possible, you audition at least three of the same model. Every time I've had the opportunity to do so, one almost always stands out as a clear winner, whether it be Gibsons or Epiphones.

 

The last time this occurred was a few months back, when I became interested in test driving the EL-00. I found three in stock regionally at different Guitar Centers. The first one sounded wonderful, so I bought it, knowing I could trade it in if I liked one of the others better. After trying the other two, it turned out that the first one clearly had a superior tone. Just sampled another one yesterday while in the big city, and having a rather boxy tone, it too did not measure up to the first one.

 

Again, I've had this scenario play out many times with acoustics or electrics, so compare if you can & best of luck in your search!

[pszy22]

I have a Epi Hummingbird Artist and a PR350S. I am very happy with the sound and playability of both. Strongly agreeing with what has already been said, I think they are great values.

 

Regarding buy high/sell lo, I've had very good luck both buying and selling on Craigslist. I haven't had any problems, I've actually met very nice people in the course of transactions. I know it might not be for everyone, but if you meet in a public place, ideally with a park bench around so you can sit down and play the instrument, it works out very well.

[aljams]

Before you pounce....you should consider checking around for a vintage. The made in japan stuff from the early '70's are out there for about the same money. My Epiphone obsession started with a borrowed bird and I dashed straight out and got one. I went a little crazy after that and tried to gather up one of each. 80 or so Epis later, many of which were various Masterbilts, I start finding these old blue labels that I want to keep in my row. They're usually pretty affordable and they have all sounded better than most new birds coming around from the box stores.