Aster1 Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 I have heard good and bad on the Epi 160 and the main "bad" is when people were wanting it to have a good Acoustic tone unplugged and didn't have electric guitar strings on it to play it like it was more meant to be played. Amplified! Any feedback on that notion I've heard? Went in to play one yesterday and it just played terrible. Do these require someone setting up to play half way decent? Bad action, hard to fret, I just couldn't play. Also, my Dealer here has a China made J-160E. Is that a better git than the Indonesia version? Didn't know that there were both locations available. I keep thinking about one for my Beatles songs and others. Let me know what the buzz is on M.I.I. vs M.I.C. EPI's before I'd drop the hammer on it. Thanks Aster1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverden Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 I would buy again in a heart beat. I have no issues with my Lennon EJ-160. The fit , finish and playability are top notch for the investment made. I will offer an observation regarding tone and acoustic playing. This is an electric guitar with a electric guitar pickup. To expect superior sound when playing without an amp is unreasonable. My AJ 500 ME sounds better without an amp, however, it is designed as primarily an acoustic guitar with an added Baggs pickup. I rarely play the Masterbuilt amped. There has been much discussion here on the forums about obtaining a true "Beatles" sound with the EJ-160. Many posters have touted the benefits of many different string applications. The most popular being Pyramid Gold flat wounds. If you follow that recommendation be prepared for a lousy acoustic sound. I have some on now and will be removing them shortly. They are dead as a doornail without amping. I have some Elixir Nanaoweb Electrics that I plan on trying next. I think in the long run I'll probably find that Epiphone knows best, and return to the original issue strings that come on the guitar, Those would be Gibson L-5 Jazz Electrics. I was not aware of an Indonesian model Lennon. As stated mine was a bargain and it was made in China. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el capitan Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 If you've got a dealer with one or more you can try you're lucky! I haven't seen one since they were Korean and overpriced. I got a 2nd on eBay and it was OK BUT THE PU WAS SOOOOOOOO QUIET! Strings are always a compromise.I found DR Zebras fine-1 wrap bronze 1 nickel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockanrolla Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 I have a korean model, bought it 2nd hand a while ago, I always set up new guitars that I get, add new strings and a good clean and polish and oil the fretboard. IT is one of the nicest guitars I have ever played, but the pick had either detiriorated over time or was never anygood as it hums and hisses a fair bit, Ive cleaned the pots out and adjusted the poles but to no effect. I am looking into upgrading the electrics. Appart from that it really is an awesome guitar. Despite the poor pickup I have gigged with it and using a good pedal and keeping the volume on the guitar lowish you can get away with it, but its such a great guitar I think it deserves a good electric setup. I have heard some horror stories on the Chinese built ones but cannot comment. If I ever got my hands on another korean model I would seriosly consider investing in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Buffalo Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 The EJ160-E is a hybrid (that's the polite word for it) that is neither fish nor fowl. My Hummingbird sounds better acoustically, & my Casino sounds better plugged in, but if I could only have one guitar, the EJ160-E would be it, as it will work as both an acoustic & electric guitar. (I use electric guitar strings on it & also unscrewed the 6 pickup screws a couple of turns each, to bring them a little closer to the strings). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 Thanks for all the info everyone! My dealer called and said they hadn't had the time to have set-up the 160, but said it needed the neck adjusted and the bridge lowered. Their tech was going to do that, restring it and give me a call when it's ready and I'll give it another try. I may be mistaken on the EJ160E made in Indonesia. I know my EJ200ES is and had heard that Epi was having Guitars made there now as well. It would just be nice to get some consistent made guitars and not have to see such a range of "good to bad" in the mix I guess. I've got to either send my I.B. Texan in to Epi or to the service center for them to fix the neck adj. cover that is crooked and was double drilled at the factory. The dealer said it may run too much $ for repairs and they may send out a new git instead. This one is quite nice on finish and matching on the top of the spruce. That scares me to get one w/o have a good "Look see" over what I'm getting as I may get some pile of doo doo as a replacement. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyroadman Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Hi Aster1 - A late response ....... not long ago I purchased a previously owned EJ160-E (Chinese-made, and not a stamped "2nd") from a local dealer. It was in very good condition, set-up perfectly. I purchased it only because of price, and I truly enjoy the early Beatles songs, when they used the Gibson equivalent extensively - that specific acoustic guitar sound is the one most impressed on me. I have steel flat wound strings, as this enables me to best replicate that unique sound, and for my purposes, it's all I really need. Last spring I played some brand new, Chinese-made EJ'160s, fresh from their shipping box, and I did not feel they required further set-up, I was impressed. So perhaps it just depends on the shipment received by a dealer. I have not played the older models made in other countries, so I cannot offer a comparison. I would buy another, but only for replacement purposes. And I would not use any other strings on it other than steel flat wound, as I believe it was made specifically for that set-up, and to be played through an amp, which I do. I have a DR500-M (its a gem) that I keep strung with phosphorous bronze strings. With both guitars, I cover a lot of songs that I enjoy. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjb66 Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I definately would want another if something happened to mine. It is the best acoustic I have ever played for the price. I like the sound, the action and feel. I do like the pick-up - with eq it sounds great to me. And it is a great looking guitar also. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy59 Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Mine is M.I.I. I bought it used it from an auction online. It now plays great and I love the sound both plugged and unplugged. The only issue I had was that the bridge had lifted before I bought it, then was temporarily repaired. A couple of months after I bought the guitar, the bridge lifted again. I took it to my favorite local guitar store & had it repaired by a luthier for $47. According guitar store owner, the bridge had been glued to the lacquer. Since properly repaired I play it frequently & the bridge has held. I definitely would buy another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byrds1965 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 If I were to buy one today I would have a hard time choosing. The Sam Ash by me has both a MIC and a MII. The MIC is shaped different and has the knobs mounted too high on the body, but sound like a nice acoustic and has the Gibson today correct sunbust. Very nice and very much like the solid top Gibson J160E. The MII has very close to the correct body shape and knob placement of the "real" Gibson J160E's and has that not too good acoustic tone, very dry and sharp like the Beatles recordings. It also has the correct 60s finish with more red tint added to the burst while the MIC has the current day burnt ornage look to it. They also have a few Gibson's at my local SA so congrats to Epiphone's own plant in China for getting the correct Gibson paint specs. Both are set up and play well. As I said one sounds more like an acoustic the MIC and the MII sounds more like a J160E as I know one to sound. If you can search out one of both examples they are very different in tone, look and feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amerson Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 WHAT COUNTRY IS CURRENTLY MANUFACTURING THE EJ-160E....I'M PLANNING TO BUY ONE...IS THE MADE IN INDONESIA MODEL STILL HAVE STOCKS/AVAILABLE PLEASE HELP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amerson Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 If I were to buy one today I would have a hard time choosing. The Sam Ash by me has both a MIC and a MII. The MIC is shaped different and has the knobs mounted too high on the body, but sound like a nice acoustic and has the Gibson today correct sunbust. Very nice and very much like the solid top Gibson J160E. The MII has very close to the correct body shape and knob placement of the "real" Gibson J160E's and has that not too good acoustic tone, very dry and sharp like the Beatles recordings. It also has the correct 60s finish with more red tint added to the burst while the MIC has the current day burnt ornage look to it. They also have a few Gibson's at my local SA so congrats to Epiphone's own plant in China for getting the correct Gibson paint specs. Both are set up and play well. As I said one sounds more like an acoustic the MIC and the MII sounds more like a J160E as I know one to sound. If you can search out one of both examples they are very different in tone, look and feel. IS THE INDONESIAN MODEL STILL AVAILABLE IN SAM ASH TODAY (OCT 2011) PLEASE HELP PLANNING OF BUYING ONE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie123 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 i got mine as a christmas present 2013 its china made and its fine .it did need a set as action was way to high but its now spot on i use 12-52 daddario electrics or 12-51 im really pleased with it i dont have amp but i know the pick up works ok as i made sure when i got the guitar. i would love to compare it to a korean modal though .id give my guitar 10/10 as its got a good sound stays in tune great and probably one of the best guitars ive played . i was all so happy to find out when i got it that the saddle and nut are both made from bone . but the pins are plastic but thats ok for now .im not sure on the size id need for bone pins.cheers Richie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckster Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I have heard good and bad on the Epi 160 and the main "bad" is when people were wanting it to have a good Acoustic tone unplugged and didn't have electric guitar strings on it to play it like it was more meant to be played. Amplified! Any feedback on that notion I've heard? Went in to play one yesterday and it just played terrible. Do these require someone setting up to play half way decent? Bad action, hard to fret, I just couldn't play. Also, my Dealer here has a China made J-160E. Is that a better git than the Indonesia version? Didn't know that there were both locations available. I keep thinking about one for my Beatles songs and others. Let me know what the buzz is on M.I.I. vs M.I.C. EPI's before I'd drop the hammer on it. Thanks Aster1 My J-160E was made in Indonesia and it sounds GREAT!! My brother-in-law played it a couple of times and 'fell in love' with it!! The Beatle tunes I play on it sound.......like Beatle tunes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertg1952 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 i got mine as a christmas present 2013 its china made and its fine .it did need a set as action was way to high but its now spot on i use 12-52 daddario electrics or 12-51 im really pleased with it i dont have amp but i know the pick up works ok as i made sure when i got the guitar. i would love to compare it to a korean modal though .id give my guitar 10/10 as its got a good sound stays in tune great and probably one of the best guitars ive played . i was all so happy to find out when i got it that the saddle and nut are both made from bone . but the pins are plastic but thats ok for now .im not sure on the size id need for bone pins.cheers Richie Is the nut bone? I can see the saddle is, but the nut (at least on mine) looks very shiny, like plastic? Were bone pins used on the original model? Thanks Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger11 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I read somewhere that the nut and saddle are imitation bone whatever that is - mine doesn't feel like cheap plastic as on other guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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