Epiphone Emperor Regent MIK Any Thoughts?

[Dr356]

Is anyone familiar with this guitar? There's one available locally and I can't seem to find any reviews of it on the net.

TIA for any thoughts/opinions.

[Steve DeRosa]

If the price and condition are right go for it - IMO they're one of the best guitars Epiphone ever discontinued, and speaking as an archtop fan I'm sorry I didn't grab one years ago. You'll probably need to get a good setup job though, by someone who has specific experience with archtops - many guys/gals who are otherwise first-rate flattop/electric techs don't know jack about how to make these babies work; with proper tweaking - bridge base fitting/top contouring, proper strings (think 13's if you want any real tone) - they can be true dual-purpose guitars much like their '40s predecessors. While they won't have the tonal refinement or sheer volume of an all-carved solid-wood vintage Epi in an acoustic setting, they're more than adequate under most circumstances where they're likely to be used nowadays, and the amplified tone can belie their modest price; back when they were in production Guitar Player magazine rated them at the top of the entry-level jazzbox class - and I'd agree 100%...

[Dr356]

Thanks for your advice.

I bought it. Its quite lovely. I hope that someday I can play as well as a guitar like this deserves to be played.

[Steve DeRosa]

With some practice - and the better the setup the better the playability/tone, and the more you'll practice - you will play that well, and sooner than you think. BTW you might want to post a NGD notice (with some pics if you've got 'em) over on the Archtop forum - where the hardcore jazzbox junkies hang out - for some additional care/feeding/tone/technique tips; till then, use it often and well...

[Dr356]

I just got her home, and she seems very nice. Needs no amplification in the room where I play. Beautiful to look at, and very large. Projects a warm tone.

[Darwin]

Sounds like a great find to me. Can you post a photo? -- Darwin

[moon]

I went looking for youtube vids to get an idea what these sound like and found this:



It really surprised me how close it is to an acoustic guitar. Nice instrument.

[Dr356]

Yep, that's kinda the sound I'm looking for. Don't know what to call it, sort of cool, liquid and, (forgive me) hip.