Leskelele

The ukelele now has an Epiphone Les Paul model. Or... is it the other way round- the Epiphone Les Paul now has a ukelele offering? Gee...

Sheraton, anyone?

Fancy an Epiphone Sheraton? If you do, the guitar you see here is for sale (but not mine). Please get back to Mr. Ian @ 90-77-56-24/ iankwan93@gmail.com. Asking price: $600 (bag not included).

The 339...

In 2007, Gibson released the ES-339, pictured above, a smaller bodied semi-hollow guitar with a scaled-down body size.

The 339 is now manifested as an Epiphone version. In addition to the smaller body, the guitar features a slim-tapered neck profile as sell as some push-pull coil split switches.

The propagation

Epihone's EM-2... remember this one?

This is a reminder of where it got its curves from- Gibson's defunct M III.

Epiphone Casino '61 re-issue

 

Epiphone is re-issuing the '61 Casino models, the above model is one of them. I've tried whatever Casino models which are available here throughout the years; they are great-sounding guitars but the upper fret reaches are limited.

Epiphone: EM-2 Prophecy Custom EX

I was at Swee Lee a few days ago- I just had to try this Epiphone after noting its generous upper fret access. This EX version features a non-whammy bridge & that pair of active humbuckers specially manufactured by EMG for Epiphone. There is a wonderful non-Les Paul feel here, not that Epiphone is exclusively synonymous with that guitar make but I've tried countless Epiphones which were not LPs & somehow, those instruments were down-right unappealing. However, the EpiActive pickups were not as bold as the average EMG units, in fact, they sounded very much like Ibanez CAP-LZ pickups. The manufacturer included a passive switch for them in case you are not in the active frame of mind when playing but the voicings on offer were just too bland for any liking. I won't dismiss this guitar for that, in fact, the feel here was arguably great for the money.

The Nighthawk once more

Gibson's Nighthawk returned to production last year as a limited run selection: CLICK

Subsequently, Epiphone featured the Nighthawk as regular production units earlier this year: CLICK

But come summer 2011, the Gibson Nighthawk is here to stay. For how long? I've no idea whatsoever. But the Nighthawk is one of those memorable Gibsons in my books because it features a single coil pickup, something which is not a Gibson staple. Well, the manufacturer dared to consider this inclusion because the Nighthawk is 25.5"; it's the most appealing scale length for that unmistakable single coil snap. Now you know why Fender keeps it within this scale length- it's done for a reason.

B-Les Paul

In the coming days, Gibson will also be releasing the Les Paul Studio baritone model. In terms of feel, this one would be a departure from the traditional Gibson- it is moving away from the established 24.75" scale length, keep this in mind. However, the guitar offers 2 more frets as seen above.

Before you scream 'FRESH!', be informed that in 2004, there was already a baritone Les Paul (2 lesser knobs on that one) but it was an Epiphone product. If I were a hardcore Les Paul wielder (but I'm not), I would thank Gibson for the variety but I will keep my Les Paul in its original  manifestation despite the desire to employ a lower tuning.

Price watch

Epiphone issued a MEMO to its distributors recently for its revised instrument prices, the objective of which was to make them more accessible to buyers (price-wise). I've included two of Epiphone's best sellers here in Singapore, the LP100 & the LP Standard. Effectively, drawing from the new prices:

• LP 100: SGD318.50
• LP Standard: SGD510.40

I'm not demanding shops here conform to these revisions- NO. There are too many other considerations  to expect a corresponding change to be observed here. It'll be interesting to see any development(s) in prices pertaining to the Epiphone brand of instruments; let's keep watch if the effects of this price revision trickle down to our shores.

Epiphone: Les Paul Nightfall

This is the other guitar I tried while I was at Swee Lee a few days ago intrigued by the neck profile more than anything else. The Floyd Rose Special in there was also an enticement not because it gave the whammy experience in an LP but because it brought the strings down lower to the body. It's rather perceived but sometimes I play 'better' with such guitars. This is Epiphone's Les Paul Nightfall.

Les Pauls don't do me much good namely due to the necks- they are generally fat & glossy, very much preventing me from playing well. This is strictly personal of course, there isn't a need to lobby on matters pertaining to adaptation & such; we have our own preferences. However, the neck here is a different playing experience; it took Gibson's slim taper profile & dabbled with the slimming formula past the 12th fret but nothing excessive, though. Couple this with a satin finished D-outline & we get all the neck pleasantries we could hope for from a guitar of this nature. The manufacturer calls it the Speed Taper, I call it very comfortable.

A pair of EMG-HZ humbuckers added the much needed clarity for a guitar of such bulk but no needless warmth are served, we do understand what the HZs have to offer, don't we? Good to see an ebony fretboard & a pair of locking strap buttons as well.

EPIhawk

The good people of Epiphone are now offering us the Nighthawk in the Epiphone manifestation. This is new (2011) so all updates on availability & prices to be doine here in time to come. I still find the slanted bridge humbucker disturbing; say you dislike the tone, which other off-the-shelf pickup comes in a slanted format? Nevertheless, the guitar is still worth checking out.