3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great jazz box at an affordable price, November 24, 2010
This review is from: Epiphone Broadway Archtop Electric Guitar, Natural (Electronics)
After several years away from the guitar, I found myself in the market for something to bring back my jazz chops. A Benedetto or L5 was way out of the budget, and so I found my way to the Broadway a little over two years ago. It was a happy find. This guitar is built solidly: once I set it up I've had to do very little with neck tension or bridge height.
It's not perfect out of the box, but necessary adjustments are simple for the most part. The factory strings are junk and too thin for a guitar of this sort. After trying several sets, I settled on
D'Addario EJ22 Jazz Medium Nickel Steel Electric Guitar Strings (.013-.056). Big strings bring out the tone of this nice guitar. Pickup selector switches are a weak area for Epiphone as well. Mine gave out after a year or so and I replaced it with a Switchcraft. I've made a number of other small modifications, just to suit my own preferences. FWIW, I've paired it with a
Roland Cube 80X amplifier. Not necessarily the obvious amplifier choice, but I'm after clean tone. The 12" speaker brings out the substantial low-end of the instrument as well. A number of more rock-oriented players replace the pickups, but I like them just the way they are. They have an unforced, natural sound that compliments the substantial acoustic output of the Broadway.
But it all gets back to construction. If a guitar isn't solidly-built, nothing you do will help. I've been more than happy with those basic qualities of this guitar. Epi focuses on rock players, so this archtop is something of a secret. As far as I've been able to find out, all of the Broadways are built in a Korean factory with notably better quality control than the mainland instruments that comprise the bulk of Epi's offering.
It's worth pointing out that this is a BIG instrument that's also fairly heavy. Make sure you've got a broad strap and comfy playing chair.
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