David Frederick Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Anybody got one of these. I have been wanting an old school type hollowbody and have been considering buying one. I've had two Epis in the past year and a half. One a Les Paul Standard which was great and a Riviera P93 which was a bit of a dog(uneven frets, bad switch, and nut that needed work). I've since bought a couple of Gibsons but can't keep paying that Gibson money for all my toys. Wondering what quality of the Chinese Emperors are like. Thanks, David By the way, I did try the search feature but it didn't work out for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Frederick Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 Guess they aren't too popular. LOL David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Anybody got one of these. I have been wanting an old school type hollowbody and have been considering buying one. I've had two Epis in the past year and a half. One a Les Paul Standard which was great and a Riviera P93 which was a bit of a dog(uneven frets, bad switch, and nut that needed work). I've since bought a couple of Gibsons but can't keep paying that Gibson money for all my toys. Wondering what quality of the Chinese Emperors are like. Thanks, David By the way, I did try the search feature but it didn't work out for me. Still getting used to the mess.. I have one. For the price they are excellent. There are better guitars, cheaper (godin 5th ave) but hard to beat in the 17in 25.5 scale catagory (Aria guitars has one.. personally I dont like the esthetics of the Arias, sound and build quality are comparable). They arent without issues. I have modified mine a lot. Some is a matter of taste, some not so much. But for the price used they are a not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunBlues Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Let me preface this by saying I am a gigging (for money) jazz player and I have owned many many hollowbodies... I really don't like this guitar... The pickup is too weak and the body is very easily prone to feedback... Its funny because I would only suggest this guitar to a seasoned jazz player.. But then again a seasoned jazz player wouldn't buy a guitar of such low quality.. So, I am not sure who would buy this axe ?? If you are buying a hollowbody more for a rockabilly sound or just want to explore playing jazz, buy a hollowbody with 2 humbuckers and not such a big body... Something like a Joe Pass or a Broadway... Also, Aria, Washburn, and Ibanez all make low end models that are pretty much the same as the epiphones... Give Ibanez a serious look... They are nice, cheap, and their body size is a bit smaller... As a jazz player, I mainly play an ES-137, Guild X-170, and Gibson Les Paul custom.. So you can see only one of my guitars is a hollowbody... and that one has a small body.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Frederick Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 Thanks guys. You kind of talked me out of the Regent. Cajun, you've given me good advice several times. Must be a PHX thing. I'll look at the Ibanez line. I have a White Rockabilly type Ibanez with a Bigsby that I really like but I sold some stuff and have few hundred bucks burning a hole in my pocket. I was looking for something a little more Charlie Christian and less Brian Setzer. Also what about Greg Bennet Samicks? Saw one on Ebay the other day. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Good point about the pickup Cajun ( I tried a MIK KA replacement in mine.. much better but still.. meh. Have a CCRider in there now) What have you tried in the 17in range that you like?I havent gigged in years so between a Gibson 165 or the EmpReg I am (usually) happy. There is a looooovely L7 on archtop.com but that is out of my range (and capabilities lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 If you are looking for a straight up Jazz guitar the Emperor Regent is very tough to beat. Put some 12 gauge flats on there and you will have a very smooth sounding and playing guitar on the cheap. I've got a couple of Eastmans that are much more expensive but they don't embarrass the epi at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 Additional note: mine is a Korean iteration and here she is with some friends: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Frederick Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 The Joe Pass Emperor ii seems to get really good reviews. I know it's different animal than the Regent but I think it might be a pretty cool jazz starter guitar. Played one unplugged for a minute at a store and it seemed to look and play fine. I kind of like the idea of putting a P90 at the neck like on Svet's Gretsch. I have an SD Phat Kat laying around from another project so it wouldn't add to the cost. I've seen several used and factory 2nd Joe Pass ii's around for under 400 bucks lately. Thanks for the replies. Very helpful. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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