NGD Epiphone Emperor Regent

[Dr356]

New to me. An Epiphone Emperor Regent. A big blonde of a guitar. My first arch top. Probably a bit of overkill for a raw beginner, but I hope to learn to play well enough to be worthy of her.

[MuddyDitch]

Very cool for you. Play it like you stole it. There is no overkill on guitars. The great thing about being a raw beginner is the steepness of the learning curve. Put in the effort and the skill will develop fast. How about some pictures?

[Steve DeRosa]

Which strings/amp will you be using...?

[Dr356]

It came with some flat wound on it but my friend suggested maybe some other strings might be better for a beginner. Any suggestions?

Right now, I am using a Fender Mustang I but I don't think the Epi likes it much. I don't need all the harsh/slashy options that the Mustang has, after a more cool, liquid sound.

Any suggestions for an amp would be greatly appreciated.

Pics coming once I figure out how to do it.

[Steve DeRosa]

Medium (13-56) flats are the classic big-body jazzbox string, and although strings are always a matter of personal taste they'd be my first choice. I also fail to see why your friend would suggest other strings for a beginner; flatwounds are about as easy on the fingers as it's going to get, in a string with sufficient mass to drive the top and give you any kind of acoustic response (as well as that warm, woody amplified tone these guitars are known for). You said elsewhere that you like the tone, and you've got enough volume to fill the room unamplified - why mess with success...?

If you're looking for a "cool, liquid sound" that 'Stang definitely isn't the way to go; in my book you're looking for a low/mid-powered amp (15-40W tube, 30-60W solid state) with a 12" speaker (or two), sufficient clean headroom at the input, a minimum of bells and whistles, and an "American" tonality (Fender, vintage Ampeg) - as a rule Brit-voiced amps (Marshall, Vox, Laney, etc.) don't do jazz tones well. If you're on a budget an older Peavey Bandit 65 makes a good starting point (they're built like tanks, and you can pick up a solid one for around $150-175), as does a used Fender Frontman 212R (similar money, somewhat more power than you really need at 100W, but it'll get you close to fat-and-clean Twin tone at one-eighth the price of a new '65 reissue) - and if you're willing to search around, there's still some new-old-stock to be had. As far as tube amps are concerned I'm a major fan of the Bugera V22 at $350-400 - cosmetics out of the Bad Cat/Egnater mold, enough volume for a mid-sized gig (and it can be scaled down to bedroom levels), and more tone than an amp this inexpensive has a right to have; be advised as a beginner that tube amps are by nature more sensitive, finicky, and high-maintenance than solid-state (the price to pay for that inimitable tone) - you might want to wait for the Infinium version (upgraded speaker, self-monitoring/biasing tubes) to become more widely available. You can also pick up a used Fender Blues Junior, or Ampeg Jet/Super Jet reissue in the same price range, but as a beginner I'd be very careful with used tube amps - bring along a friend who knows what he/she is doing, or buy on approval and take it to an independent tech...

Good luck...

[Dr356]

Let me ask the seller what strings he put on it when he sold it to me. I think they were a bit bigger than 13s.

All this information if incredibly useful to me. Thanks to all and keep it coming.

[cmajor9]

13-56 flatwounds should get you into classic jazz sound territory, but they may feel uncomfortable if you're used to smaller-gauge strings. If so, start with 12s. On a laminate guitar played electrically, smaller-gauge strings won't likely affect the tone too much.

Your Mustang has several amp models that should be fine for jazz. Any of the following could get you in the ballpark, particularly the Twin Reverb model:

Here’s a run down of the eight basic amp models:

57 Deluxe Based on: 1957 Fender
Deluxe also know as the 5E3. Good for:
Blues and Rock

59 Bassman Based on: 1959 Fender
Bassman also know as the 5F6A. Good for:
Blues and Rock

65 Twin Reverb Based on: 1965
Fender Twin Reverb. This model is representative of
the mid sixties Fender “Blackface” tone. Good
for: Blues, Rock, Jazz and Country

British 60’s Based on: Vox
AC15/AC30. Good for: Rock, Pop and
Country

For jazz, keep the gain level low. The biggest problem with the Mustang I soundwise might be the small 8" speaker.

[Vognell]

I have the Mustang III with the 12" Celestion. The amp models described above work great for clean jazz.

[Dr356]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I'll be amp shopping in a bit. Took the Mustang I back to GC and will look for something more suitable. Never did care much for the thing as it was to harsh and most of the optional settings were to extreme for a geezer like me. :-)

[Vognell]

Originally Posted by Dr356

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I'll be amp shopping in a bit. Took the Mustang I back to GC and will look for something more suitable. Never did care much for the thing as it was to harsh and most of the optional settings were to extreme for a geezer like me. :-)

I don't play much electric, and don't really use the more extreme presets on the Mustang III. I've set up the first 8-10 slots for clean jazz, acoustic, and blues, and ignore everything else. just cuz you have all those presets, doesn't mean you have to use them. It is nice having a selection of effects you can program in (easiest if you use the Fuse software), so that you can build up a collection of USEFUL presets w/o having to deal with a selection of pedals.

[Dr356]

I have trouble organizing my home stereo system. Learning about musical amplification is going to be a challenge, but will be interesting.

On another note (sorry!). The Epi is so pretty, I would love to just have it sitting on a stand all the time, rather than weeping in its case. Any problems with that? I live in the DC metro area where winters are cold and dry, but my home heating system has a built-in and pretty decent humidifier.

Thoughts?

[Steve DeRosa]

I'd keep it in the case anyway; never mind the heat - if it's that pretty you wouldn't want any accidents...

[Vognell]

Regarding humidity if you have a reliable (and calibrated) hygrometer, you can check to see what kind of humidity you have at home... but I would rather keep it in a humidified case.

Nice guitar you got. Enjoy!

[Dr356]

I'll take a pic of it and print it out as a wall poster for the music room. :-)

[Dr356]

Try as I might, I can't get Tinypic to work. So no photo for now.