Anyone had any experience with the Epi "Inspired By 1964" Texan?

[Jinder]

I know I should be posting this on the Epi boards, but I'm not a member and I feel I may be asking questions of the converted!

 

I played a couple of these Epi IB '64 Texans last week, and was, frankly, blown away...for £300, I reckon this is little short of sensational-a solid top'n'back guitar (not sides though, oddly), great build quality, superb tone, tidy pickup system and classic appointments.

 

Both examples I played could be improved in terms of playability by a pro setup, but neither were far from the mark in terms of optimum action.

 

Has anyone else played one? I'm seriously thinking of picking one up as a backup guitar and one to use for flyaway live shows. I'd really appreciate any opinions.

 

The ones I played sounded like slightly brighter and more zesty J45s. Shockingly strong tone from a guitar at that price point...in fact, the best sounding guitars I've played under £700 (the next being the Breedlove Retro series OM at £780 or so), and, hearteningly, both examples sounded identical which bodes well for consistency.

 

Any thoughts, all?

[Murph]

Gruhns has a real one, Japanese.

 

I've not played the IB yet, or even seen one.

[Matt the Cat]

Hey Jinder

 

Hows the shoulder?

I just bought one of these today. Traded in a Tanglewood TW55 with absolutely no regrets at all. The Texan is superb. I'm really impressed. Bought it from Guitar Village in Farnham (don't know if you know it) and played some pretty nice Gibsons while I was there. Considering the price, the Texan really held it's own. Couldn't be happier, I only had to hand over 80 quid to make up the difference on the part ex and got a new set of strings in too.

Haven't tried the pick-up yet but have only heard good things. This will be my main gigging guitar no doubt about it. All the best, Matt

[dhanners623]

I got one about a month and a half ago and love it. Really fine guitar for the money. At least mine is. Good volume, really good tone. Definitely a Texan. The tone doesn't have the bottom end or the "complexity" of my '98 J-45, but then the Texan isn't 12 years old, either.

 

Last week I did five shows down in Illinois and alternated on stage between the '45 and the IB'64 Texan. The Texan stood up very well. Very dependable. Stayed in tune. The Shadow Sonic Nanoflex pickup was trouble-free and sounded really good to my ears. I found I got the best sound when I rolled off most of the treble on the on-board control, though.

 

The thing is very playable. Great value. From what I can gather (and more knowledgeable folks please correct me) the only real differences between this one and the vintage Texans are that the sides are laminate instead of solid, there is no adjustable bridge (which I consider something in the IB'64's favor, actually) and the truss rod cover has three screw holes instead of two. And the finish is poly instead of nitro. Then there is the whole issue of being made in Asia as opposed to being built in the U.S., although the guitar does have the same blue label, albeit with the "Union made" line omitted.

 

Here are my "concerns" about it, though.

 

1) I have questions about the long-term viability of the tuners. They stay in tune, but..... They are 3-on-a-plate tuners and when Epiphone drilled the holes in the headstock, for some reason they drilled the holes for the 2nd and 5th strings out of alignment with the line between the 1st and 3rd and 4th and 6th strings, respectively. The centerlines of the holes for the 2nd and 5th strings are off (inboard) by 2 mm. I'm assuming they did that for string clearance issues, but when Epiphone installed the 3-on-a-plate tuners, they had to muscle the things in there, and doing that bends the capstans for the 2nd and 5th strings. It is an easy-enough fix to replace them with individual tuners, which I plan to do at some point.

 

2) I felt the saddle was cut too sharp. I had this fixed by my local repair shop.

 

3) That darn #$%*! poly finish will survive WWIII. Granted, it is not as thick as a lot of poly finishes I've seen, but I'm wondering what this guitar might have been like with a nitro finish.

 

Those minor gripes aside, I really like the guitar and think it is an excellent value for the dough, both unplugged and plugged. It has definitely got that Texan vibe.

 

Although it's not the greatest video camera in the world, here is a YouTube video of me using the guitar to play a cover of Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Dallas After Midnight." You can hear the guitar.

[bkharmony]

Now I want one.

[McDuff]

I am currently in the process of saving up for one down at the guitar shop (a burst). Unfortunately from the time I joined the forum and had a grand ready to spend my car needed to be fixed. Either way beautiful guitar and over on the epi forums I haven't seen anyone who doesn't love it.

 

Be careful with becoming attached to a new jumbo though man don't want you to exacerbate your shoulder.

[Wayne]

I guess I'm the outlier. I had one for a week, but unfortunately didn't like the tone and sent it back. The build and quality seemed very good, it was a beautiful guitar that I wanted to like. It had strong tone alright, but it was bright and stiff and brash to my ears, and to my friends. I was much more pleased (as were they) when I picked up a Blueridge BG-40. Blown away, really. Warm, sweet, mellow and LOUD. I don't know that either of them sound that much like a Gibson but I wasn't able to do side by side comparisons with any J-45s.

 

On the other hand I like the way David's sounds on his youtube link. I think mine sounded probably similar plugged in, but unplugged was just not what I wanted.

[milod]

Nasty old man here...

 

I went through the "this is the 'in' thing I really want" mind set for years. Ended up dumping guitars I wish I still had.

 

Bottom line to me is, "does this feel good to you for how you play guitar and how you plan to play THIS guitar?"

 

Again, tone is important, but playing at one's relaxed best is more important. YOU may want a slightly different tone; perhaps a very different tone - but if you have to work harder to play "X" stuff on a guitar you prefer for tone, it eventually will turn around to bite you, IMHO.

 

I'd say never forget that an audience is not as into "tone" as most pickers are. They're into smooth playing that fits a style of music they like, and with a decent overall sound. If you're using any sort of amplification, you can mod stuff on a board quite a bit. It's impossible, on the other hand, to mod your technique with an eq board.

 

Heck, I think the Martin sound for bluegrass is wonderful. But I've never touched a Martin with a neck I was comfortable with, therefore never coveted one.

 

m

[Xylophile]

I tried a couple before I read the "hype" on the net. So I wasn't biased and I must say I was impressed (for a model in that price range). Not talking about the McCartney effect it will have on some; just tone. The one that stood out was a natural version. It had wide growth lines (no problem) and pretty bad grain runout (which I don't particularly like).

All-in-all, I don't need another guitar, but I was surely tempted.

 

 

the only real differences between this one and the vintage Texans are that the sides are laminate instead of solid

 

If you drill a hole in the mahogany sides of an original '64 Epiphone (or Gibson, for that matter), you'll be in for a surprise.

 

 

 

 

X

[Rambler]

"bright and stiff and brash to my ears" -- Have to agree with Wayne, as far as pure acoustic tone goes, but, for your purposes J, probably a serviceable road guitar, and won't be a disaster if it gets broke. Cheers.

[Murph]

If you drill a hole in the mahogany sides of an original '64 Epiphone (or Gibson' date=' for that matter), you'll be in for a surprise.

X[/quote']

 

You'll let the mojo out......

 

[Jinder]

Thanks for the input chaps!

 

I am going to spend some more time with one when I can. The shoulder issue doesn't bother me too much with this guitar, as it'd be a backup guitar rather than a four-nights-a-week hack, plus they're very slightly shallower than a Hummingbird so that's no bad thing.

 

I'll bet that brashness could be dimmed a little with some experimenting with string choice (my hunch is that the darker sounding Rotosound Jumbo King strings that sound so good with my SJ200 would suit), and played out with time and patience...a solid top will usually give up some of that tight tonality and stiff response within six months of tickling.

 

It just struck me as a particularly tasty guitar for very minimal outlay.

 

Part of my inspiration to pick up a cheaper but still decent box was a gig I played recently, at which a very inebriated gentleman managed to clamber onstage, fall into my mic stand (which in turn fell on my Hummingbird), then fell ON TOP OF said mic stand and guitar...a real El Kabong moment, after which I grabbed the offending inebriate by the scruff of his sweaty neck and threw him off the stage, only to find not a single mark on my guitar. I was absolutely amazed-testament to the durability of our beloved Gibsons.

 

I don't think I'd be so lucky a second time, though. If it happened to an Epi, it'd still be annoying but nowhere near the heart-in-mouth moment that it was.

 

How does everyone find the neck profile on the IB '64? I have heard a few people say the neck of the EL-00 is a bit skinny, so I'd be interested to know how the Texan feels in the long-term...it's hard to tell after a ten minute guitar shop fondle!

[Wayne]

I really dont think the brashness I heard would be dimmed enough for me even in 6 months. YMMV of course, and you seem to like the tone initially so you'll probably be fine. I did try changing strings and it made only a slight difference.

 

I love Blueridge necks, which are the skinniest out there. The Texan was only slightly more meaty, I'd say its a second place in the slim neck department of the guitars I have played. I dont know if the geography of the Texan will allow it but a lot of Blueridge owners who prefer a wider nut get one made with wider spacing.

[Jinder]

Interesting stuff. I wonder if you just got a duff example, both the IB's I played didn't come across as particularly brash, but again a ten minute guitar shop noodle doesn't highlight those tonal aspects which may grate over time.

 

I would like to find an EL-00, but they're impossible to find here in the UK unless you go mail order, and I wouldn't risk that, knowing the variable nature of our six-stringed beasties.

[Dove Histronic]

I'd say never forget that an audience is not as into "tone" as most pickers are. They're into smooth playing that fits a style of music they like' date=' and with a decent overall sound.

 

m

[/quote']

 

Maybe that's true where you are --- down here it's common to have fans scream "Call Bob Colosi" or "Switch to 80/20 mediums"

[Jinder]

Maybe that's true where you are --- down here it's common to have fans scream "Call Bob Colosi" or "Switch to 80/20 mediums"

 

 

hehehe same here. I just finished a 4-7pm gig in a restaurant, and the diners kept yelling things like "switch to solid pins and have that bridge slotted!" and "all undersaddle transducers suck, mic it or play electric!".

 

Very hurtful stuff!

 

In all seriousness, I agree with Milod-I've had far more comments from audience members over the years about how pretty my SJ200 is than comments about its near-transcendental tone.

[albertjohn]

I've played a few Epis and owned a couple but not an IB.

 

However, my limted experience leads me to the conclusion that Epiphone must be amongst the most under-rated brands there are. I saw Matt The Cat play his Epi Hummingbird last year and in the right hands (his) it sounded top notch.

 

I tried a set of D'addairo flat wound 12s recently and they took alot of the "brashness" away from the tone on my SWD - worth a try?

[Wayne]

Not to be the naysayer here, I think the few Epi's I've played were very well made. But the Epi Hummingbird I played had a similarly stiff and brash, garbage can-rattling sound that my IB Texan did, and did not sound anything like its Gibson counterpart (which in this case, I WAS able to play side by side). I was left impressed by the latter's tone and quite unimpressed by the former, but that's just me.

[Matt the Cat]

No-one is saying that new Epi's are as good as Gibsons. Albertjohn is once again being very kind about me and my H'bird (though it did/does have a bone nut and saddle, ebony bridge pins and decent strings, all of which may or may not have some effect on the sound.) Also I think it has improved since I got it having benifited from a lot of hours of pretty strenuous playing, I dig in quite hard! The Texan which I have just bought is instantly better than the H'bird and will possibly improve too as I play it. I think the general point is that the gap in quality has narrowed, Gibson are still great guitars but Epiphone have raised their game which is great for the likes of me! Also, as with all acoustic guitars there will be some that sing and some duffers.

I guess I got lucky, mine sing.

Matt

[Jinder]

Not to be the naysayer here' date=' I think the few Epi's I've played were very well made. But the Epi Hummingbird I played had a similarly stiff and brash, garbage can-rattling sound that my IB Texan did, and did not sound anything like its Gibson counterpart (which in this case, I WAS able to play side by side). I was left impressed by the latter's tone and quite unimpressed by the former, but that's just me. [/quote']

 

Wayne, I am not for one minute suggesting that a £200 Epiphone Hummingbird will sound as good as a £2000 Gibson equivalent...if that were the case, no-one would buy Gibsons!

 

My point is that they offer a great value-for-money starting point which you can have lots of fun customising to your liking (see Matt's bone nut and saddle, machinehead upgrades are popular too) and are a guitar that you can have a lot of fun with. I'd happily take an Epi on a camping trip, to the beach, play it outdoors in the sun and keep it on a stand in the house...all things I wouldn't do with my Gibsons...if a Epi takes a tumble, hey ho-get it patched up and play on. If a Gibson suffers the same fate, it's a BIG deal and one that will reduce the resale value of your guitar by a sizeable chunk...I've had it happen, and it's not fun.

 

It's undeniable that Gibsons are superior instruments. I just like the extra playing options that open up when you have a second guitar like an Epi that you don't have to worry so much about...they're too nice to use the word "beater", but maybe a "risk taker" guitar is the best way to describe them.

 

I'd certainly entertain the idea of owning an Epi IB'64, EL-00, Dove or Hummingbird. I think it'd encourage me to play a lot more around the house and out and about, as I'd worry a lot less about it getting damaged.

[albertjohn]

+1 Jinder.

 

Trust me, if you've heard Matt play his Epi Bird you'd all agree.

[Wayne]

I agree with everything Matt and Jinder said in reply. And I'm sure either of them could make an Epi sound better than me on my Gibson. :-)

[powerpopper]

Picked up one of these very recently and for $400 it's a hell of a lot of guitar particularly for those times when you don't want to worry (as much) about what happens to your instrument when gigging. My personal take is that the IB'64 Texan compares favorably to Takamines in that they don't sound all that great unplugged, but the electronics are serviceable and the guitar is comfortable to play. As it happens, I think the Texan sounds *ok* unplugged, but my Masterbilts sound better but cost at least $200+ more.

 

The tuners are dodgy, IMHO, and I look forward to replacing them. I thought about futzing with the saddle but decided against it. I traded out the plastic pins for Camel bone but that's just me and has no effect on tone. Great guitar, great looking, great price and is a nice stand-in for my SCGC Vintage Jumbo when the going gets rough.