Thank you for your simple and honest review which I share the enthousiasm. I do have the same guitar and I really appreciate its versatility and comfort while playing. When you get the guitar in your hands, you know you won’t be disappointed : it is solid, tight and you can play either smooth jazz to heavy rock. Such a wide range of styles and quality of crafmanship makes it unique.
I own one of those guitars. I change the volume & tone knobs from marron to gold like the one he is playing. Also, i replaced the wooden bridge to the tune o'matic bridge. Lastly, I change the pickups to coil splitting. It makes the guitar much more flexible and fun to play!
Hi philandviki, I'm glad you're happy with your JP Emperor, they are really great guitars and much underrated . Thanks for watching my video and your kind comments.
I am by no means an expert guitar player, but I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale, a very similar but more Gretch like hollow body. Superb quality and playability for the price.
I'm with you on the Epiphones and have one myself. I also have a used Gibson ES-175 that plays and sounds really nice. It has some finish issues but they're not serious. However I'm now looking at either the Heritage Golden Eagle, or their Super Eagle. Years ago I played a Heritage Sweet 16 and that too is a great instrument. You can only find them used at this time. I had a Super Eagle back in the early 2000's and sold it like a dummy. Unfortunately Gibson L-5's have rocketed way out of range ($8K to $9K and up) for normal mortals and that's a damn shame.
I had the Swingster and eventually traded it away. It was nice, sounded great but with the Bigsby tremelo bar it simply would not stay in tune. (I had a luthier do a setup on it so the intonation was correct) I would not hesitate to get a Joe Pass in the future though as I really liked the body style.
Mine has an ugly sunburst but I close my eyes when playing, thinking of a beautiful natural model just like yours.. 😂 I have changed the pickups for Classic 57 & 57+ from Gibson for an even better sound.
Hi Dave great review I think you have sold me on the epi JP I want a dedicated jazz guitar I have a fender strat and Gibson SG. I was looking at Ibanez GB and Eastman 372. Also what would be a great jazz amp (Fender tone master/ blues junior Vox ac15) ? Lastly pickup upgrade would the Gibson pro bucker be a good choice. When I upgraded my strat to Lindy Fralin pups it transformed the whole instrument Thanks again
Hi Terry, The Epiphone Joe Pass is a great jazz box at a really good price. It would be around half the price of either a GB10se, which is a really great guitar, and the Eastman AR372, which is also really something special. I guess it would depend on your budget as the Joe Pass is really exceptional value at around $700-$800 new or around $500 or so used on Reverb. If you get a Joe Pass the Epi the factory pickups are really good, I would suggest the Gibson pro bucker wouldn't show a great improvement. If you really wanted to change the pickups I'd recommend the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover, or Seymour Duncan Jazz, which would give you more than the standard pups. Re Amps, I use a DV Mark Jazz 12, which is a great amp much less costly than either the Fender Tonemaster, or the Vox. The DV Mark is a jazz amp whereas the other two are multipurpose amps. I hope these suggestions are of help.
Great accurate review. Thanks. This model may be out of production now. Make no mistake, it’s a Gibson. It’s folly to discriminate against the subsidiary products just because they are made in Asia. Asians are meticulous craftspersons. Don’t forget Ibanez guitars are favored by George Benson, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and Steve Vai. And you can only custom order an ES-175 or L-5 from Gibson for mucho dinero and a long, long wait.
Hi, The Gretsch is a great guitar too, but I think the Epiphone has a slight edge on tone, it's got a slightly fuller sound, but there's not a lot between these two guitars. They are both great.
Hi Terry, I'm told the early Korean models were really special, but you would need to really search for one in good condition. The Indonesian models are pretty good, I have one and fit and finish is spot on. If you can find an early Korean one in really good condition it would be the best bet.
I recently purchased a ‘92 off Reverb from a great store in Santa Monica, Truetone. It is in excellent shape. Amazing flamed maple. Made at the Samick factory in Korea. Flawless craftsmanship. And has the most amazing neck for my hands. Played it for hours today.
@@davidkinsman I am under the impression that the bridge is usually close to the center of the f-holes…not forward of them unless the neck needs the truss rod adjusted and the scale length would be off too
Hi Dave, as I said I checked the intonation after your comment and the setup seems fine so I don't know what to say. I note your comment and thank you for it.@@davemeshamsr6000
ua-cam.com/video/f2D9ksA-jSs/v-deo.html Hi Dave here's another Joe Pass Emperor demo with the bridge in exactly the same place as mine is. Interesting that each one I've checked is similar to my positioning.
Well Epiphone really do make some great guitars and the Zephyr is another good example and it's a fine arch top too. It's hard to really give a comparison as both the Zephyr and Emperor are excellent guitars and good value.
The Casino is a thin body. The Emperor is a full size jazz box measuring 16” x 3-1/8”, I believe. I’ve heard the same comments elsewhere about the Casino.
What a beautiful rundown and beautiful playing and tone in the end! Thank you!
Many thanks for your kind comments, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
My main guitar since 7 years. It's a great jazzbox.
Thank you for your simple and honest review which I share the enthousiasm. I do have the same guitar and I really appreciate its versatility and comfort while playing. When you get the guitar in your hands, you know you won’t be disappointed : it is solid, tight and you can play either smooth jazz to heavy rock. Such a wide range of styles and quality of crafmanship makes it unique.
I'm glad you liked the review, and this guitar is really underrated. It's great value, and the overall quality is way beyond its price.
You Sir, are hands down, the David Attenborough of guitars. ✌🏻😎
Hi Lonewolf, you are very kind, many thanks.
He loved that Ibanez JP 20 he played all of the time in the 70's and 80's. that guitar looks nice.
I have the Epiphone Emperor Broadway its a stunner. Excellent presentation.
I own one of those guitars. I change the volume & tone knobs from marron to gold like the one he is playing. Also, i replaced the wooden bridge to the tune o'matic bridge. Lastly, I change the pickups to coil splitting. It makes the guitar much more flexible and fun to play!
I just bought one for my collection and I think it plays like more expensive guitars . I’m very happy with it .
Nice video on it and great playing :)
Hi philandviki, I'm glad you're happy with your JP Emperor, they are really great guitars and much underrated . Thanks for watching my video and your kind comments.
I have the 2016 model. It feels great and has wonderful sound. 👍
I have One made in Korea buyed in 2012 by second hand....fantastic Guitar....
Great Tone & Grear Expanation !! Thank You.
The Pro buckers are just Amazing. Totally agree.
❤I have a joe pass signature from Korea
I've wanted one for a long time ;)
I am by no means an expert guitar player, but I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale, a very similar but more Gretch like hollow body. Superb quality and playability for the price.
I'm with you on the Epiphones and have one myself. I also have a used Gibson ES-175 that plays and sounds really nice. It has some finish issues but they're not serious. However I'm now looking at either the Heritage Golden Eagle, or their Super Eagle. Years ago I played a Heritage Sweet 16 and that too is a great instrument. You can only find them used at this time. I had a Super Eagle back in the early 2000's and sold it like a dummy. Unfortunately Gibson L-5's have rocketed way out of range ($8K to $9K and up) for normal mortals and that's a damn shame.
I own one and they’re quality guitars I actually cut an album with it
I had the Swingster and eventually traded it away. It was nice, sounded great but with the Bigsby tremelo bar it simply would not stay in tune. (I had a luthier do a setup on it so the intonation was correct) I would not hesitate to get a Joe Pass in the future though as I really liked the body style.
I didn’t think this was still available (at least in the US).
Hi, some retailers in the US do have this guitar available, for example AMS, and you can check others on Reverb.
Mine has an ugly sunburst but I close my eyes when playing, thinking of a beautiful natural model just like yours.. 😂 I have changed the pickups for Classic 57 & 57+ from Gibson for an even better sound.
this guitar is great!
Better than the new Zephyr, Broadway, and Regent...?
Hi Dave great review I think you have sold me on the epi JP I want a dedicated jazz guitar I have a fender strat and Gibson SG. I was looking at Ibanez GB and Eastman 372. Also what would be a great jazz amp (Fender tone master/ blues junior Vox ac15) ? Lastly pickup upgrade would the Gibson pro bucker be a good choice. When I upgraded my strat to Lindy Fralin pups it transformed the whole instrument Thanks again
Hi Terry,
The Epiphone Joe Pass is a great jazz box at a really good price. It would be around half the price of either a GB10se, which is a really great guitar, and the Eastman AR372, which is also really something special. I guess it would depend on your budget as the Joe Pass is really exceptional value at around $700-$800 new or around $500 or so used on Reverb. If you get a Joe Pass the Epi the factory pickups are really good, I would suggest the Gibson pro bucker wouldn't show a great improvement. If you really wanted to change the pickups I'd recommend the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover, or Seymour Duncan Jazz, which would give you more than the standard pups. Re Amps, I use a DV Mark Jazz 12, which is a great amp much less costly than either the Fender Tonemaster, or the Vox. The DV Mark is a jazz amp whereas the other two are multipurpose amps. I hope these suggestions are of help.
Thank you so much Dave for spending the time to reply much appreciated I have subscribed to your channel
Nice vid and ❤ the JP - mine is the vintage sunburst and is great! How do you have yours setup for relief and action with the flats? 🙏🎸👌🤘
Hi Neil, I have the action pretty low, and around 2mm of neck relief, there strings I use are D'addario flat wounds, 12-52.
@@davidkinsman thanks David 🙏👌
Great accurate review. Thanks. This model may be out of production now. Make no mistake, it’s a Gibson. It’s folly to discriminate against the subsidiary products just because they are made in Asia. Asians are meticulous craftspersons. Don’t forget Ibanez guitars are favored by George Benson, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and Steve Vai. And you can only custom order an ES-175 or L-5 from Gibson for mucho dinero and a long, long wait.
Epiphone was bought by Gibson because of Epiphone's superior hollow body guitars. Make no mistake.
What are your thoughts on this vs the Gretsch Electromatic G5420t with Filtertrons?
Hi, The Gretsch is a great guitar too, but I think the Epiphone has a slight edge on tone, it's got a slightly fuller sound, but there's not a lot between these two guitars. They are both great.
Oh one last thing are the early Korean (1989) models better than the new ones or vice versa
Hi Terry,
I'm told the early Korean models were really special, but you would need to really search for one in good condition. The Indonesian models are pretty good, I have one and fit and finish is spot on. If you can find an early Korean one in really good condition it would be the best bet.
That's great I now know the one to go for
I recently purchased a ‘92 off Reverb from a great store in Santa Monica, Truetone. It is in excellent shape. Amazing flamed maple. Made at the Samick factory in Korea. Flawless craftsmanship. And has the most amazing neck for my hands. Played it for hours today.
Looks like the floating bridge is a little bit far forward...why?
Hi Dave, the bridge is OK, I have rechecked the intonation and all is perfect, maybe the video doesn't show it well.
@@davidkinsman I am under the impression that the bridge is usually close to the center of the f-holes…not forward of them unless the neck needs the truss rod adjusted and the scale length would be off too
Hi Dave, as I said I checked the intonation after your comment and the setup seems fine so I don't know what to say. I note your comment and thank you for it.@@davemeshamsr6000
ua-cam.com/video/f2D9ksA-jSs/v-deo.html Hi Dave here's another Joe Pass Emperor demo with the bridge in exactly the same place as mine is. Interesting that each one I've checked is similar to my positioning.
Is there anyone to play a 2006 EPIPHONE emperor regent, single pickup, blonde, made in Korea...???
How does this compare to the zephyr?
Well Epiphone really do make some great guitars and the Zephyr is another good example and it's a fine arch top too. It's hard to really give a comparison as both the Zephyr and Emperor are excellent guitars and good value.
I very don't like classic jazz guitar sound. Like through a pillow.
if it sounds anything like a casino… nooooo. So muddy and vulgar.
The Casino is a thin body. The Emperor is a full size jazz box measuring 16” x 3-1/8”, I believe. I’ve heard the same comments elsewhere about the Casino.
Wasn’t the Casino good enough for The Beatles?
Best value? Lol.