November Sweetwater Gear Review Giveaway - Epiphone John Lennon EJ-160E

Originally Posted by: Jon Broderick

Epiphone John Lennon EJ-160E

$499 at Sweetwater.com:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EEEJVCCH


Electric-acoustic guitars are a staple of rock music. Although rock is primarily the music of the electric guitar, there are still many occasions where the sweeter, fuller tone of an acoustic is a welcome addition to a song.

There are two main reasons why the electric-acoustic configuration has been a part of rock music for 50 years. First, no rock musician wants to be confined to stand holding his acoustic guitar steadily in front of a microphone, ensuring that it picks up the sound evenly. Second, that same mic will pick up too much bleed-thru signal from the drums and bass, which are likely to be playing at a huge volume compared to the acoustic guitar, no matter how close it is to the mic. So, adding a pickup to an acoustic guitar is necessary to get the acoustic sound in a form that works in a rock environment.

Back in the 60s, Gibson's 2nd attempt at an electric-acoustic configuration was the J-160E. It met with a favorable response with two of the most popular guitarists of the time, John Lennon and George Harrison of The Beatles. They used the J-160E extensively in the studio and onstage. Later, John Lennon played the J-160E during his "bed-in for peace" protest in 1969.

The Epiphone John Lennon EJ-160E is patterned after the historic J-160E. It has a jumbo-sized body, a rosewood fingerboard, block fretboard inlays, and a humbucking pickup embedded in the body just below the base of the neck.

Unlike many modern electric-acoustic guitars, the EJ-160E does not hide the electronics in a recessed plate on the side. Instead, the single tone and volume knob are right on the front of the guitar, standard "Gibson bell knobs" in the standard electric guitar positions. Similarly, the jack is not hidden in the strap button, but on the bottom right corner just where it would be on a Les Paul.

This conspicuous display of electronic controls says "I am an electric acoustic, and I can rock if I want to." This sentiment is matched by the Vintage Cherry Sunburst finish, which is a good bit darker than your average acoustic guitar and more suited to a nightclub than a garden wedding.

Picking up the EJ-160E, I find it feels like a full-size acoustic. I think it is not quite as big as some others, but it definitely is full-sized. The headstock seems an inch longer than usual. The strings are close to the frets, with none of the buzzing associated with having them too low.

The fretboard meets the neck at the 15th fret, while many acoustics have the accessible fretboard end at the 14th fret. It may seem like a small issue, but having the 15th fret accessible is great for lead playing and just another little detail that says this is a rock guitar.

My favorite thing about this guitar: the room sound is quite good. It has a full shimmering quality that I didn’t expect in a mid-price instrument. It sounds a bit like a guitar Tom Petty might play. It is fun to angle the pick slightly to emphasize the twanginess.

I was at first a little disappointed in the sound of the guitar when played through our sound system. It has a more midrange sound through the pickup than it does acoustically. However, a little bit of EQ fixed that and I was able to get the approximate same twangy sound through the amplifier.

Overall, if I was looking for a stage acoustic guitar or one to play at coffee houses, this would do nicely and seems well worth the $500 price tag at Sweetwater.

Be sure to reply to this thread to enter the contest. If you win, I'll send the EJ-160E to you!