Should I or Shouldn't I

[Brendan]

I recently got a Century brand gold top that I like a lot. The pickup's were decent p90s but the wiring and switch dodgy so I swapped in an epiphone harness and some Wilkinson p90s. Love it now.

The same shop is selling a honeyburst model same brand with humbuckers. The finish is really gorgeous and assuming the wiring again is dodgy I can get an entire Epi probucker set for about 85 bucks. $200 for the guitar and $85 for new pups and wiring..whay say ye all ?

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Do it!
I will say though that I've never seen river rock used as the base of a guitar display.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I recently got a Century brand gold top that I like a lot. The pickup's were decent p90s but the wiring and switch dodgy so I swapped in an epiphone harness and some Wilkinson p90s. Love it now.

The same shop is selling a honeyburst model same brand with humbuckers. The finish is really gorgeous and assuming the wiring again is dodgy I can get an entire Epi probucker set for about 85 bucks. $200 for the guitar and $85 for new pups and wiring..whay say ye all ?

IMG_20201125_151949.jpg

IMG_20201125_152146.jpg

IMG_20201125_152152.jpg

Do it!
I will say though that I've never seen river rock used as the base of a guitar display.

The probably took over a defunct pet store.. Ha ha ha

[nomadh]

Yes! And new Casino.. 335 figured tops.. New Riviera with mini hums!

Well I didn't see any new 335s, but I saw three ugly Casinos and the Riviera of which you spake. It's interesting that those Casinos are priced $200 less than the regular Casino. At first, I assumed they must have skimped out on construction, like made them 3-ply (like the old, Korean Casinos), instead of 5-ply (as they're made now), but nope... All the specs look identical, except the "Casino Worn" has "Pro P90" pickups... I don't know if those are the same as "P90 Pros", but they gotta be better than the "P90 Classics" in the regular Casino... Is it the thin matte finish that saves you $200?

I can't figure out why they're so cheap.

Now I'm running to epi to look at new casinos

[nomadh]

https://www.epiphone.com/Guitars/Collection/original-es

I dunno...the raspberry Tea burst figured 335 looks pretty OK to me.

We were talking about the new Casinos that come in Army Green, Chalkboard Black, and Ghastly Blue.... That 335 there is awesome! Now I've officially got GAS. Thanks, Scott...

I've been wanting to get an Epi 335/Dot for a long time, but they've never had any finishes I could get excited about. Heritage Cherry is so played out I can't stand it, and I've got enough 3T Sunburst in my life. That "Aquafresh" finish, or whatever they called it, just made me sea-sick every time I looked at it, and I didn't like old "Iced Tea" finish, either... But that Raspberry Iced Tea is something I can get behind!

Having said that, if I were to want a Chinese 335 copy i'd probably go for a Firefly for 1/4 of the cost.

1/4 the cost, but I can't imagine they can come close in quality. Since 2015, Epiphone's archtop guitars are better than they've ever been (well... in my lifetime, anyway). My Korean Casino was a great guitar, but I wouldn't trade my 2016 Casino for it. It's a substantially better built, better finished guitar. Feels much more like a pro instrument than a "budget guitar". Before I bought it, I had a chance to play one side by side with a used Korean Casino, and there was no question... The Korean one felt like a toy compared to the new one.

I've considered buying a Firefly, or Grote many times, but at the end of the day, I think I'd be let down and end up buying an Epiphone anyway.

I have a dot studio and now that I have a firefly 338 I may sell the dot. It's not just good for the price. It's just good.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I dunno...the raspberry Tea burst figured 335 looks pretty OK to me.

We were talking about the new Casinos that come in Army Green, Chalkboard Black, and Ghastly Blue.... That 335 there is awesome! Now I've officially got GAS. Thanks, Scott...

I've been wanting to get an Epi 335/Dot for a long time, but they've never had any finishes I could get excited about. Heritage Cherry is so played out I can't stand it, and I've got enough 3T Sunburst in my life. That "Aquafresh" finish, or whatever they called it, just made me sea-sick every time I looked at it, and I didn't like old "Iced Tea" finish, either... But that Raspberry Iced Tea is something I can get behind!

Having said that, if I were to want a Chinese 335 copy i'd probably go for a Firefly for 1/4 of the cost.

1/4 the cost, but I can't imagine they can come close in quality. Since 2015, Epiphone's archtop guitars are better than they've ever been (well... in my lifetime, anyway). My Korean Casino was a great guitar, but I wouldn't trade my 2016 Casino for it. It's a substantially better built, better finished guitar. Feels much more like a pro instrument than a "budget guitar". Before I bought it, I had a chance to play one side by side with a used Korean Casino, and there was no question... The Korean one felt like a toy compared to the new one.

I've considered buying a Firefly, or Grote many times, but at the end of the day, I think I'd be let down and end up buying an Epiphone anyway.

I have a dot studio and now that I have a firefly 338 I may sell the dot. It's not just good for the price. It's just good.

I do like the new Spalted finish ones, but not available here. Only Grote which are OK quality wise but the colors and finishes just not inspiring in any way. Cherry red, sunburst, and some God awful tribal purple and figured washed out black/gray. I'm beginning to think the Chinese have no fashion sense or appreciation of aesthetics.

[Mossman]

Also the SC junior which seems to be a nice step up from the super basic bolt-on neck models


The yellow special is nice too of course.

Boy, I guess they really did renew almost all of their product line... Every time I think I've seen all of their new guitars, another one pops up that I haven't seen yet. I gotta say, I don't care for the way the Epiphone website is organized now, with guitar models split up among two or three different categories. If I want to look at a particular style of guitar, I want to see all of them in one go, not have to look at "Original", "Modern", "Designer", "Artist", etc. It's easier just to go to Sweetwater and search "Epiphone" and scroll through all of them.

Anybody see these "USA" Casinos? I can't find them on the Epiphone website... Have these been around for a while and discontinued already? I always wished Epiphone would make a Casino in Royal Tan, but not for $2,700!



I also don't see the Elitist Casinos anymore... I suppose they've been discontinued. Probably just as well... Those things doubled in price over a very short period of time. When I bought mine, they cost $1,200, which I thought was a fair price (though I only paid $900 for mine ), but not long after I sold it, they shot up to $2,200, then $2,400, and I thought: "well, there's no way I'll own one of those again".

It's about time Epiphone put out a proper Junior. Those bolt-on Juniors with the HB were awful.

[Mossman]

Sorry, @Tonray's Ghost , it looks like we've utterly hijacked your thread!

[Tonray's Ghost]

Sorry, @Tonray's Ghost , it looks like we've utterly hijacked your thread!

Not to worry..I've already decided against the LP plaintop...I'm far more interested in the new 335s from Epi. Tomorrow I may check a shop I know will carry them and inquire about when they can get them in. Perhaps I can pre ot special order one of those raspberry tea models.

[mickey]

Of course you should not buy it!
What do you think we are? A bunch of enablers?

[Tonray's Ghost]

I have decided....always loved mini humbuckers....always wanted another 335 style guitar....

The new Epihone Riviera fits both criteria....I figure if for whatever reason I don't bond with the Frequensator tailpiece I can swap in a Trapeze tail without much issue. Just waiting patiently until arrival in Thailand and hoping the price will not be too much over US retail.

[uwmcscott]

I have decided....always loved mini humbuckers....always wanted another 335 style guitar....

The new Epihone Riviera fits both criteria....I figure if for whatever reason I don't bond with the Frequensator tailpiece I can swap in a Trapeze tail without much issue. Just waiting patiently until arrival in Thailand and hoping the price will not be too much over US retail.

That looks like a very nice one indeed. I did notice that AMS/ZZounds actually had a few of the 335's in stock the other day, so looks like they are shipping some places. I noticed Sweetwater is also listing several of the epi models with individual photos/serials/weights so that is nice to see at this price point too. Probably doesn't help you there but hope someone that does ship to you gets one soon.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I have decided....always loved mini humbuckers....always wanted another 335 style guitar....

The new Epihone Riviera fits both criteria....I figure if for whatever reason I don't bond with the Frequensator tailpiece I can swap in a Trapeze tail without much issue. Just waiting patiently until arrival in Thailand and hoping the price will not be too much over US retail.

That looks like a very nice one indeed. I did notice that AMS/ZZounds actually had a few of the 335's in stock the other day, so looks like they are shipping some places. I noticed Sweetwater is also listing several of the epi models with individual photos/serials/weights so that is nice to see at this price point too. Probably doesn't help you there but hope someone that does ship to you gets one soon.

I was looking at the Casino (not the new ones) and if my off the cuff calculations are correct, this will be about $50 less. After all the negative press especially about the pickups, I'm weary of the current Casinos. This seems like a better fit for me, just oddball enough so that I'll likely keep it forever, especially if and when Epiphone stops selling them.

[uwmcscott]

I was looking at the Casino (not the new ones) and if my off the cuff calculations are correct, this will be about $50 less. After all the negative press especially about the pickups, I'm weary of the current Casinos. This seems like a better fit for me, just oddball enough so that I'll likely keep it forever, especially if and when Epiphone stops selling them.

FWIW, AMS/ZZounds appear to have that exact model in stock for $649. I would doubt the ship to your location, but might give you a good idea on price as compared to the other models

https://www.zzounds.com/item--EPIEOR?siid=281328

[Mossman]

I was looking at the Casino (not the new ones) and if my off the cuff calculations are correct, this will be about $50 less. After all the negative press especially about the pickups, I'm weary of the current Casinos. This seems like a better fit for me, just oddball enough so that I'll likely keep it forever, especially if and when Epiphone stops selling them.

The pickups are about the only thing that's wrong with the current Casinos (if they're still making them the same way). Mine were wound to 13k with 23 gauge wire (!). I don't know what they were thinking. The stock P90s in the Korean Casinos sounded fantastic.... These new ones sound like a hot, noisy mess. I sent them to Tim to rewind them to vintage spec, and that guitar is perfect now... Though I can see why you wouldn't want to get involved with all that.

I've often been curious about the Riviera, but the mini-humbuckers give me pause. I can't say I've played a whole lot of mini-hums, but I haven't liked the few that I've tried. I'll be interested to hear what you think of these.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I was looking at the Casino (not the new ones) and if my off the cuff calculations are correct, this will be about $50 less. After all the negative press especially about the pickups, I'm weary of the current Casinos. This seems like a better fit for me, just oddball enough so that I'll likely keep it forever, especially if and when Epiphone stops selling them.

The pickups are about the only thing that's wrong with the current Casinos (if they're still making them the same way). Mine were wound to 13k with 23 gauge wire (!). I don't know what they were thinking. The stock P90s in the Korean Casinos sounded fantastic.... These new ones sound like a hot, noisy mess. I sent them to Tim to rewind them to vintage spec, and that guitar is perfect now... Though I can see why you wouldn't want to get involved with all that.

I've often been curious about the Riviera, but the mini-humbuckers give me pause. I can't say I've played a whole lot of mini-hums, but I haven't liked the few that I've tried. I'll be interested to hear what you think of these.

Yeah..I mean if I'm paying $700 + for a guitar that's supposed to have a vintage vibe I surely don't want to be paying extra $$ and aggravation to replace the pickups.

As far as mini hums..I've never played ones I didn't like. It all comes down to style if what you usually play. I'm cleanish with a touch of grit most of the time as and they seem to do well with that.I made some enquiries here and nobody has any idea when it if they might get this over here. I might have to down to the big shop in Central World (heart of tourist district) to see if they have a better idea. Avoiding that area due to massive political protests going on. Don't need to be messed up in that.

[jam]

Buy.

[Partscaster]

I recently got a Century brand gold top that I like a lot. The pickup's were decent p90s but the wiring and switch dodgy so I swapped in an epiphone harness and some Wilkinson p90s. Love it now.

The same shop is selling a honeyburst model same brand with humbuckers. The finish is really gorgeous and assuming the wiring again is dodgy I can get an entire Epi probucker set for about 85 bucks. $200 for the guitar and $85 for new pups and wiring..whay say ye all ?

IMG_20201125_151949.jpg

IMG_20201125_152146.jpg

IMG_20201125_152152.jpg

Dude,...did you get it?
We want pics with it, and your GF.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I recently got a Century brand gold top that I like a lot. The pickup's were decent p90s but the wiring and switch dodgy so I swapped in an epiphone harness and some Wilkinson p90s. Love it now.

The same shop is selling a honeyburst model same brand with humbuckers. The finish is really gorgeous and assuming the wiring again is dodgy I can get an entire Epi probucker set for about 85 bucks. $200 for the guitar and $85 for new pups and wiring..whay say ye all ?

IMG_20201125_151949.jpg

IMG_20201125_152146.jpg

IMG_20201125_152152.jpg

Dude,...did you get it?
We want pics with it, and your GF.

Nope..didn't get it.waiting for the new Epiphone line (335 or Riviera) to arrive in Thailand. Looking to to add a Tele clone when supposedly new stock arrives in January, vintage white, double bound. As to the GF, she did buy a new Mazda 2 at the December auto show as they were doing pretty big inventory clearance discounts. I will post up a pic of the car when it arrives. Red with lots of trim... Sizzling...

[Tonray's Ghost]

Well she got a new car so I see no reason holding me back to getting some new guitars.

Mazda 2

[mickey]

Those are great fun! I had one of those for several years (because "Pocket Rockets" were my late wife's favorite type of car.)
Great fun to drive & dirt cheap to operate!

[Tonray's Ghost]

Those are great fun! I had one of those for several years (because "Pocket Rockets" were my late wife's favorite type of car.)
Great fun to drive & dirt cheap to operate!

I much prefer the styling of the sedan but it's her daily driver so hatchback it is. But yeah it's a decent value and pretty nimble too.

[mickey]

That model is no longer sold here (I think Mazda makes more money making them for Toyota
than they did selling them themselves.)

[nomadh]

1/4 the cost, but I can't imagine they can come close in quality. Since 2015, Epiphone's archtop guitars are better than they've ever been. My Korean Casino was a great guitar, but I wouldn't trade my 2016 Casino for it. It's a substantially better built, better finished guitar. Feels much more like a pro instrument than a "budget guitar". Before I bought it, I had a chance to play one side by side with a used Korean Casino and there was no question... The Korean one felt like a toy compared to the new one.

I've considered buying a Firefly, or Grote many times, but at the end of the day, I think I'd be let down and end up buying an Epiphone anyway.

I bought one of the 339's that was not long after they switched from the Indonesian production to Chinese and it was a wreck - but it was only one guitar and I have also heard that the stuff they are bringing over now is much nicer quality.

The other things that are very appealing to me about the new semi hollows from Epi are the rounded C neck and the new less obtrusive/gaudy headstock. I really do not like the traditional Epiphone flat D neck profile or the huge ornate headstock. So yeah, these new ones have a lot going for them. And I agree that they are very likely a much nicer guitar than the Firefly 338. I had 3 of those that had to go back too

I have a basic epi dot studio and a new firefly 338 spalted. Both very similar high quality guitars but the ff is prettier so I may be selling off the epi. I see no reason not to get the ff.