New Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe (150th Anniversary Edition)

[LesB3]

Couldn't resist, I'm a sucker for big 'ol Jazzers. Should be here on Friday...
Mini-hums disguised as NY Tone-Spectrum PUPs. Cloud inlays, carousel knobs, vintage tuners, and script logo. *Not* made in China... There'll be a gold bigsby on this girl in short order...

https://www.epiphone.com/en-US/Elec...ary-Zephyr-DeLuxe-Regent/Aged-Antique-Natural

 

[GGJaguar]

Looking forward to your NGD report! Adding a Bigsby is great idea, too! I really want to like this one, but it should have a Frequensator tailpiece. I cannot figure out why they didn't fit one considering they put one on the Sheraton. Also, being nitpicky, the cutaway shape isn't quite right.

 

[GGJaguar]

I just saw that they are made in Indonesia! I would have bet it was made in Korea. I think we're seeing a big production shift away from Korea to Indonesia to cut costs just like when production moved from Japan to Korea.

 

[LesB3]

I just saw that they are made in Indonesia! I would have bet it was made in Korea. I think we're seeing a big production shift away from Korea to Indonesia to cut costs just like when production moved from Japan to Korea.

I thought Epi had moved all of their production to the Qingdao plant, but a few oddballs seem to still be made by Samick. The other 150th models (Sheraton, Wilshire, etc.) are made there.

 

[LesB3]

Looking forward to your NGD report! Adding a Bigsby is great idea, too! I really want to like this one, but it should have a Frequensator tailpiece. I cannot figure out why they didn't fit one considering they put one on the Sheraton. Also, being nitpicky, the cutaway shape isn't quite right.

Yeah, I would have thought the Frequensator would have been a no-brainer, especially since they've been making the part for various other guitars for decades. Perhaps they were going for something a bit different this time...

I don't mind the cut-away, its a bit closer to the originals than other "Zephyr" models have been in the past. Based on the description, might have been "planned" that way, as they describe it as having "improved upper-fret access..."

 

[GGJaguar]

I thought Epi had moved all of their production to the Qingdao plant

I forgot that they had their own dedicated facility in China.

 

[chazmo]

That's a beauty, Les! Good luck with it and keep us posted.

The pictures look great. Give us an NGD with full report when you get yours.

 

[Walter Broes]

Looking forward to your NGD report! Adding a Bigsby is great idea, too! I really want to like this one, but it should have a Frequensator tailpiece. I cannot figure out why they didn't fit one considering they put one on the Sheraton. Also, being nitpicky, the cutaway shape isn't quite right.

I saw the same thing, the cutaway looks a little odd. Also, all maple is kind of an odd choice - most of these had laminated spruce tops.

I see they "on the pricy side" for an epiphone, and limited edition too. If/when they'd hit the used market at friendlier prices, I'd be sorely tempted to transform one into a "Hank Garland" special with two Bigsby replica pickups!

 

[LesB3]

https://www.gretsch-talk.com/threads/epiphone-150th-anniversary-guitars.222096/post-1604004

Well, picked it up today, my initial thoughts:

Overall Grade: C-
"Talks the talk..." - vintage look headstock logo, tuners, cloud inlays, knobs and "NY" style pickups look the part, but like the finish on this guitar, I think it all ultimately falls flat. Like buying a PT Cruiser when what you really wanted was a '39 Ford. Sure, it has modern conveniences and when someone pushes their shopping cart into it, you don't really care. But a classic it ain't.

 

[GGJaguar]

Ugh. Sorry to hear that it's not up to par in many respects. Your review was quite good, though.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

"I really want to like this one, but it should have a Frequensator tailpiece. I cannot figure out why they didn't fit one considering they put one on the Sheraton."

Sorry, but I can't agree. I had a Frequensator on an Epi once and hated it. Not everything "vintage" was good.

Note that the scale length on the above re-pop is 25.51". The Frequensator tailpiece does not accommodate all string sets when the scale length is that long since the E, A & D string windings have to be longer than with a standard trapeze.

I actually prefer bar stop tailpieces but understand why they are generally not suited to this style of guitar. I'm more of a semi-hollow guy, so can avoid any kind of a trapeze/Frequensator w/floating bridge arrangement since the center block is there and will provide support for a bar stop.

If the OP is dead set on adding a Bigsby, better go with a different bridge if you want it to stay in tune. I had a Bigsby on a Gretsch and tuning stability was a real problem with the stock, TOM-style bridge. I swapped on an aluminum, Tru-Arc, bar -style (similar to a Gretsch bar bridge but radius-matched) and that, along with keeping the nut slots lubed yielded much better results. Some sort of roller bridge might also work.

I do like the look of the faux "Tone-Spectrum" pups and correct-looking tuning machines.

 

[LesB3]

Yeah, not sure it's worth the money for a Bigsby, though if I did, I'd certainly swap the bridge out.

The weak point here are the pickups and, given that there is no rout and they are basically just screwed into the top, there aren't really any options for replacement.


The golden screw is what's holding the pickup and base to the top of the guitar!!

I can't stress just how terrible these pickups are. With no height adjustment possible, and no pole pieces to play with, there's no way to tweak these to make them any better.

 

[chazmo]

Oh gosh, they just screwed the pickguard into the soundboard?? OK, well whatever that is it's inexcusable. I retract my seal of approval.

Well, I hope you find some use for it, Les.

 

[Brad Little]

I had a '48 or '49 back in the '70s. Nice guitar, but I wound up trading it for my Mark 5 when I got serious about classical guitar. Even up at the time, but the Epi is probably worth more today!

 

[GGJaguar]

This makes me wonder if the new Riviera or Sheraton are any good. They are from the same "Original Collection" series although they are MIC, not MII.

 

[Walter Broes]

that's a damn shame, sorry to hear that. Seeing the inside shot of that guitar, with all that excess wire length dangling....not what I expect to see on a guitar in that price range.

 

[LesB3]

Oh gosh, they just screwed the pickguard into the soundboard?? OK, well whatever that is it's inexcusable. I retract my seal of approval.

Well, I hope you find some use for it, Les.

The pickups are just screwed onto the top, with a hole poked through for the pickup wire. The pickguard is pretty much par for the course, archtop-wise, with one screw into the top by the neck, and the bracket screwed into the side.

The way they bound this thing looks strange to me as well:



...with a goofy looking convergence right at the top. I don't know if that is vintage-spec or not, but I do know that it is ugly.

As for a use, I don't know. It just feels like a cheap guitar, and the pickups aren't done particularly well. If it had the Gibson minis, I migt be able to do something with it, but with no real option to change out the electronics, this is almost surely going back next week.

 

[LesB3]

that's a damn shame, sorry to hear that. Seeing the inside shot of that guitar, with all that excess wire length dangling....not what I expect to see on a guitar in that price range.

Agree. This feels like a $500 guitar, not one that lists for $1300. A new X-175 or X-350 would be infinitely better choices for about the same (or even less) money.

 

[LesB3]

This makes me wonder if the new Riviera or Sheraton are any good. They are from the same "Original Collection" series although they are MIC, not MII.

The local shop is a big Epiphone dealer and I'll most likely stop in to try out the Sheraton for S&G's when it shows up. Ever since I bought my USA Casino from them, they give me a call when a new Epiphone shows up... LOL.

 

[bobouz]

I just saw that they are made in Indonesia! I would have bet it was made in Korea. I think we're seeing a big production shift away from Korea to Indonesia to cut costs just like when production moved from Japan to Korea.

A trickle of Epi hollowbodies have been coming out of Indonesia for over a decade. The 50th Anniversary Casino I purchased new was one of the first, if not in fact the first, MII Epi hollowbody produced. It sported true Gibson-USA P90s, but the clubby neck & an obvious hair sprayed into the thick poly finish on my example were it’s downfall. A MII 50th Anniversary Sorrento would soon follow, with Gibson-USA mini-humbuckers. Chinese production of Epi hollow & semi-hollow instruments began in the mid 2000s, in conjunction with the end to much of Epi’s Korean production.

Imho, the build quality of these early Indonesian hollowbodies left a fair amount to be desired, but the few models with Gibson-USA pickups represented a good value.