Sandro Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I was thinking to try to calm my gas for a Gibson blues box (at least momentarily ) with one of these 2 guitars. Is there anybody here who tried both of them and can compare them ? The price is more or less the same, I am a bit more inclined toward the Epi, cause of the name and the relation with Gibson, but even the Loar seems interesting. I read some comment in other threads, but never a direct comparison. Of course the best thing would be to try both personally, but I couldn't find any in shops in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burlyblack Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I own an EL00, mostly chord country and old time dance favorites. Do some finger picken also. Installed a bone nut, and use d'dario EJ16 strings. I am in love with it. Occasionally let someone else play it so I could hear her. It took a while to open up but now its a beaut. Sorry I have not played a Loar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandro Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 Thanks burlyblack, I am still undecided, but your comment helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandro Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Anybody else supporting the EPI EL-00 ? Come on guys, we are in the Epiphone forum, you can't let me to go for the Loar ! I asked for comparison, but even comment on just one of the two are welcome ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burlyblack Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Sandro, if you go for the Epi, get an Epi hard shell case direct from Epi. Nothing else fits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandro Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Sandro, if you go for the Epi, get an Epi hard shell case direct from Epi. Nothing else fits. Thanks for the advice burlyblack ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 From what I can find out, the EL-00 is cheaper than the Loar. Both are made overseas in China I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandro Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 From what I can find out, the EL-00 is cheaper than the Loar. Both are made overseas in China I believe. Yes, they are both made in China. Maybe the list price is different, but Thomann, a German web seller, is selling them for a very similar price, 199€ the Loar and 209€ the Epi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Some reviews, Id go for the EL-00, but the Loar look nice too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAeuc4a_xcQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2dKmRD5ee4&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandro Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thanks RaysEpiphone. I was not able to try the Epi or the Loar yet, but a new player entered the arena. The Recording King RNJ-25 ! It is on a different level, all solid wood, modeled on the 1936 Nick Lucas. Of course the price is higher, I can have it online for 451€. Luckily I just sold an old watch of mine, so I have the money. Did anybody try this nice box ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPDEN Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Which did you purchase, Sandro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonallyBlue Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Thanks RaysEpiphone. I was not able to try the Epi or the Loar yet, but a new player entered the arena. The Recording King RNJ-25 ! It is on a different level, all solid wood, modeled on the 1936 Nick Lucas. Of course the price is higher, I can have it online for 451€. Luckily I just sold an old watch of mine, so I have the money. Did anybody try this nice box ? Hi Sandro, TonallyBlue here, a NEW FORUM MEMBER, with his FIRST REPLY! Realizing I may have some experience in the small bodied guitar field you're now exploring, I though to share some of my observations with you. FORWARD Firstly, we need to remember that we live in a dreadnought influenced world. There seems to be numerous comments on how the small bodied guitars don't sound like a dreadnoughts. That makes me think of comparing a violin to a viola or cello. My style: a finger picker of Piedmont & Delta Ragtime/Blues and Early Jazz. For this, I prefer a 00 sized guitar with 1 11/16" or smaller nut, 2 1/8" string spacing at the saddle and a short scale length. I shop for affordable, stage guitars that will predominantly but not exclusively be "plugged in" on stage and in studio. I find it quite a challenge to locate a guitar with these specifications. It's seems more the norm to put increasingly larger string spacing on guitars as their body size decreases. That's a big reason why I shop for Epiphone/Gibson products that can at times make small bodied guitars and yet maintain the 1 11/16" nut or smaller and the associated string spacing. A PRESENT OWNER OF: The Loar LH-250 And a new owner of a yet to be delivered Epiphone EL-00Martin 000-16GT A FORMER OWNER OF R.K. Nick Lucas model. I'VE ALSO PLAYED: [*]Gibson Blues King (new) [*]Gibson Keb Mo(new) [*]Gibson Robert Johnson model (new) [*]Numerous vintage, small bodied Gibson/Epiphone/Kalamazoo guitars, L-0, L-00, B-25, etc. [*]Numerous new, small bodied guitars made by builders such as Santa Cruz, Huss & Dalton and Collings, Larivee, Recording King, Blue Ridge, Guild, Takamine, Godin, etc. I was able to get a lot of playing time on these different models because of my living in close proximity to a rather large music store. My affinity for the R.K. Nick Lucas model ended after I bought it but couldn't adjust to it's wide neck/strings. Nick said he had small hands and yet specified this wide neck. That makes me think that my hands must be really small. I liked everything about it except the tuning machine buttons that wouldn't allow my string winder to fit on them without rubbing on the peg head and of course the wide nut/string spacing. I've never played any of the vintage signature models of his. After learning that the 00 size guitar was a good fit for me, I read an interesting Acoustic Guitar mag. article on the subject, which I believe, someone shared with you in this thread but which I mention again because of it's importance to our discussion: FIVE BLUESY FLAT TOPS REVIEWED http://www.acguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=25610 What I heard on this online audio correlated to my own conclusions gathered by playing these guitars myself. That is, with the exception of Gibson which wasn't in the store at the time and The Loar LH-200, which I hadn't yet heard. I believe Acoustic Guitar also voted The Loar LH-200 model high in the 2010 Player's Choice Awards. The Loar LH-250 After hearing the award winning - The Loar LH-200 in the Acoustic Guitar mag. comparison I decided to buy it's all solid wood sibling - The Loar LH-250 with the thought that the difference of all solid wood construction would make a positive difference in it's tone. After a year of daily playing and gigging with it I've been extremely pleased with this guitar though I've not had a chance to A/B compare it to it's sibling. It is a larger guitar than the EL-00 though I wouldn't know which model it could be compared to. For the first few months that I had it, I suspended it my by the neck and played a boom box in front of it with the hopes that it'd open up that much sooner. When I record it alternately with a Martin of somewhat similar size, costing many times more, there tone is so similar that I find myself listening for clues as to which one I'm hearing. I like it's slightly deeper 4 1/4" body for the increased cavity sound. It is of course, not as deep as the super deep - R.K. Nick Lucas model. It has, IMHO, the dry, Gibson tone I seek which I find amazingly detailed from high to low. I prefer GHS White Bronze lights over a few phosphor bronze strings that I've tried on it. It came with EJ16's. Epiphone EL-00 I'd considered buying another Loar to back up the first when gigging but then decided, after hearing a number of Epiphone EL-00 players on you tube, that I should take a chance on ordering one. I'd never played this guitar and relied solely on the you tube clips' audio and it's affiliation with Gibson as my reason for purchasing it. This is an extremely remarkable leap of faith for me, a person who usually invests a tremendous amount of time and effort into auditioning his instruments in great detail over long periods of time before purchasing. I know that a vintage Gibson 00 has the goods that I need but taking an expensive, vintage, barely serviceable guitar gigging isn't practical. I perform early Jazz and Ragtime in my act which The Loar LH-250 works great for but that L-00 body size really delivers on my country Blues. A positive note on the imports A couple of luthiers I queried about these instruments stated that they're (The Loar) well made and actually built more stoutly than their mainland counter parts, that don't have to endure the riggors of being shipped across the world in less than ideal climate and handling conditions. They said the instruments that could survive that sort of a trip and still make it to a store near you, in playable condition, were good to go the long haul. I hope that helps you. It's great to be aboard. TonallyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Hi Sandro, TonallyBlue here, a NEW FORUM MEMBER, with his FIRST REPLY! Realizing I may have some experience in the small bodied guitar field you're now exploring, I though to share some of my observations with you. FORWARD Firstly, we need to remember that we live in a dreadnought influenced world. There seems to be numerous comments on how the small bodied guitars don't sound like a dreadnoughts. That makes me think of comparing a violin to a viola or cello. My style: a finger picker of Piedmont & Delta Ragtime/Blues and Early Jazz. For this, I prefer a 00 sized guitar with 1 11/16" or smaller nut, 2 1/8" string spacing at the saddle and a short scale length. I shop for affordable, stage guitars that will predominantly but not exclusively be "plugged in" on stage and in studio. I find it quite a challenge to locate a guitar with these specifications. It's seems more the norm to put increasingly larger string spacing on guitars as their body size decreases. That's a big reason why I shop for Epiphone/Gibson products that can at times make small bodied guitars and yet maintain the 1 11/16" nut or smaller and the associated string spacing. A PRESENT OWNER OF: The Loar LH-250 And a new owner of a yet to be delivered Epiphone EL-00Martin 000-16GT A FORMER OWNER OF R.K. Nick Lucas model. I'VE ALSO PLAYED: [*]Gibson Blues King (new) [*]Gibson Keb Mo(new) [*]Gibson Robert Johnson model (new) [*]Numerous vintage, small bodied Gibson/Epiphone/Kalamazoo guitars, L-0, L-00, B-25, etc. [*]Numerous new, small bodied guitars made by builders such as Santa Cruz, Huss & Dalton and Collings, Larivee, Recording King, Blue Ridge, Guild, Takamine, Godin, etc. I was able to get a lot of playing time on these different models because of my living in close proximity to a rather large music store. My affinity for the R.K. Nick Lucas model ended after I bought it but couldn't adjust to it's wide neck/strings. Nick said he had small hands and yet specified this wide neck. That makes me think that my hands must be really small. I liked everything about it except the tuning machine buttons that wouldn't allow my string winder to fit on them without rubbing on the peg head and of course the wide nut/string spacing. I've never played any of the vintage signature models of his. After learning that the 00 size guitar was a good fit for me, I read an interesting Acoustic Guitar mag. article on the subject, which I believe, someone shared with you in this thread but which I mention again because of it's importance to our discussion: FIVE BLUESY FLAT TOPS REVIEWED http://www.acguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=25610 What I heard on this online audio correlated to my own conclusions gathered by playing these guitars myself. That is, with the exception of Gibson which wasn't in the store at the time and The Loar LH-200, which I hadn't yet heard. I believe Acoustic Guitar also voted The Loar LH-200 model high in the 2010 Player's Choice Awards. The Loar LH-250 After hearing the award winning - The Loar LH-200 in the Acoustic Guitar mag. comparison I decided to buy it's all solid wood sibling - The Loar LH-250 with the thought that the difference of all solid wood construction would make a positive difference in it's tone. After a year of daily playing and gigging with it I've been extremely pleased with this guitar though I've not had a chance to A/B compare it to it's sibling. It is a larger guitar than the EL-00 though I wouldn't know which model it could be compared to. For the first few months that I had it, I suspended it my by the neck and played a boom box in front of it with the hopes that it'd open up that much sooner. When I record it alternately with a Martin of somewhat similar size, costing many times more, there tone is so similar that I find myself listening for clues as to which one I'm hearing. I like it's slightly deeper 4 1/4" body for the increased cavity sound. It is of course, not as deep as the super deep - R.K. Nick Lucas model. It has, IMHO, the dry, Gibson tone I seek which I find amazingly detailed from high to low. I prefer GHS White Bronze lights over a few phosphor bronze strings that I've tried on it. It came with EJ16's. Epiphone EL-00 I'd considered buying another Loar to back up the first when gigging but then decided, after hearing a number of Epiphone EL-00 players on you tube, that I should take a chance on ordering one. I'd never played this guitar and relied solely on the you tube clips' audio and it's affiliation with Gibson as my reason for purchasing it. This is an extremely remarkable leap of faith for me, a person who usually invests a tremendous amount of time and effort into auditioning his instruments in great detail over long periods of time before purchasing. I know that a vintage Gibson 00 has the goods that I need but taking an expensive, vintage, barely serviceable guitar gigging isn't practical. I perform early Jazz and Ragtime in my act which The Loar LH-250 works great for but that L-00 body size really delivers on my country Blues. A positive note on the imports A couple of luthiers I queried about these instruments stated that they're (The Loar) well made and actually built more stoutly than their mainland counter parts, that don't have to endure the riggors of being shipped across the world in less than ideal climate and handling conditions. They said the instruments that could survive that sort of a trip and still make it to a store near you, in playable condition, were good to go the long haul. I hope that helps you. It's great to be aboard. TonallyBlue Nice post, TonallyBlue, and welcome. Be sure to post your impressions of the EL-00 once you get it. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonallyBlue Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Nice post, TonallyBlue, and welcome. Be sure to post your impressions of the EL-00 once you get it. Red 333 Thank you Red 333 for the feedback, rolling out the welcome wagon and for reminding me to post a review of my EL-00. I do plan to record myself playing it to MP3 and then attaching it as a file for fellow "Gibson Boarders" (?) to hear. Is there anything you can give me any advice on in that regard or is it all pretty much cut and dry? To close I'd like to say that I've benefited from reading your postings as well as all they rest of our fellow "Gibson Boarders" and encourage you all to carry on. TonallyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedepi Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 For me the deal breaker would be nut width. The Epi has a 1.65 nut width, too slim for me. The Loar has a 1.68, regular Epi size. Faded.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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