Joe Pass Emperor II

[J_Gordon]

Picked up one of these babies in January. I haven't played it too much but when a heavy jazz urge hits me I pull the Joe Pass out. I think it's a great playing jazz guitar...and for a great value.

I also find that it works well for blues and rockabilly. I use a Tube Screamer with the Joe Pass to help me get those sounds.

All in all, a great guitar. Anyone else want to rave about their Joe Pass???

[TexGoneNW]

I put D'Addario Brite Flats on it, and it's strictly for that jazz kind of thang. It's natural finish, and I took the pickguard off because I didn't like the adhesive "E" applique. I've seen other people replace the pickguard with a wood one.

I think somebody was playing blues on this one before I got it, because it was strung with light roundwounds and a slide was in the case. I bought it in a pawn store in Hillsboro, TX, but I didn't get that great of a deal on it. Kind of an impulse buy.

I know a very good Texas Swing player named Bill Dowdy who uses the same guitar to play rhythm guitar, and he can drive a band with no bass or drummer, but that's as much a testament to his ability as it is to the guitar. His is a few years older than mine, and I think it has aged beautifully. The grain on his guitar's top is very much "tighter" than mine is, too.

I've played the Epi model with the pickup that floats from the pickguard, and actually like its vibe a little better than the Joe Pass model.

[TexGoneNW]

I love the way it plays, acoustically. The electronics are punk, in my opinion. The switch is a "not on my gig" killer - it cuts the sound completely and strictly on occasion!

[stantheman]

I've got a Blonde factory 2nd with a blemish on the Epiphone logo(like I care). This guitar through any Fender Amp is wonderful; mine is strung
with .011's (it came with 010's - probably as a concession to newbies).
I gotta admit I'm not the biggest fan of reverb but this thing through a
1968 SFDR was turning heads all night the first time I brought it out...
It was a really small bar in Quechee,Vermont (my '64 Pro wasn't the right
amp for this place - the 6V6's in the DR were the closest thing to the Beano album, with a HollowBox). Feedback was very controllable and fun.
When people are drinking (this was during the peak of Snowboard Season)
they go nuts for the original Wolf & Muddy & Hook things and that's what
we gave double barreled....The people who ran the place said we'd be done by 10:30 (people always left before then).....These people didn't
leave, more of them kept coming....It's not just musicians, there really is something to that gutty Mayall 60's Tone that makes folks go nuts and the
only way to get there is by crankin' the thing with HB's and letting the tubes do what ONLY they can do....Anyway that first night with the Joe Pass sold me, what great guitars to use in bars, I've since bought two of the Korina Flying V's (deal on the two was to good to pass on) and these
are also strung with .011's (try doing that with a 60's SG- Seriously Don't).
The Koreans are building great stuff, this must be their Golden Age.....
Everything I've played (and driven) recently from Seoul is exceptional
and I've got enough to know the difference between decent and exceptional. I've got a real bad hankerin' to try the Poppa Chubby with
the P-90's...The best workingman's guitars are being made in Korea and
Mexico.

[jazztop]

Hey "stantheman", thanks for your info and opinions about Epi's.
I've got my eye on the G-400 Les Paul /SG Custom for some slide guitar and a gritty blues tone. That, or the Korina Explorer. I can't believe how inexpensivce these are and with lots of money spent on other guitars, I have no intention on spend $2500 on the Gibson version. Have you played either of these? I 'd like to hear some opinions on these two models.
Phil

[stantheman]

jazztop, thank you very much. haven't tried the Custom but one of the
kids I teach has the G-400 cherry and I'll tell ya that thing's got a seriously
big neck (I like big necks). If you ever liked the early JBeck Strats but they were out of financial range this neck is like that neck...BIG.........
Plus it has bigger frets than the JB which some folks like.....
That Custom is a real looker and if it's got the longer neck heel like it's
sisters I'd say it's a keeper, plus, it's got the Volumes and Tone set up the
way we all like right from the factory....did you know the "real one" still uses the 2&2 setup? for 2400 clams you'd think they'd do it like the Epis.
I highly doubt I'll ever spend the cash on a big budget guitar again unless it's something like an ES-150 with the Charlie Christian Pickup...Hey.......
wouldn't that be a coup for the Koreans to whup one of those puppies out
for 500 bucks. they'd do a thousand units the first year to all us Charlie
Christian fanatics I mean if you were gonna have a box with no cutaway
what could be better than an ES-150 & that elusive Air Mail Special Tone.
And the construction of the originals was cost effective and straightfoward.
Come to think of it they could do a laminate with the Zephyr Blues
tooling OR the Joe Pass for that matter and just put a Charlie Christian
pickup in those which is the same thing they did with the Poppa V sorta.
we all gotta go back to Epiphone with this. sorry for driftin' I've been in a
D.Gatton thing since last week.

[jazztop]

I've been practing some of solos for a long and Wolf Marshall just put out a new book with TAB and recordings. CC is a big influence on my playing.
Hey, I will pre-order a Epi CC model if it ever came to be.
Did you know that Gisbon came out with a few CC ES-150's a few years back and WildWood Guitars had them. The list price was $6000 !! Probably could have got for $3600 or so, but that is totally ridiculous as well.
I'm considering that G400 Custom, and one dealer on-line has them for under $500.
What about the ES-295? Seems that they brought that back after a few years.

Phil

[stantheman]

Jazztop, for that kind of money I would have gone for the "Wes L-5".
There's an ES-150 @ Mandoweb but it's a later generation (no bar PU).
Stan Jay and his crew are the real deal, if you haven't visited their site
you're in for a treat....If any of you are planning to visit New York you
gotta go to the store on Staten Island for it is the guitarists answer to
El Dorado....wear a chin strap 'cause the old jawbone will be a bouncin'
off the floor. It's like going back to the 1970's so many guitars so little time. Thank God Epiphone is more tuned in to their customers than say Fender whose wheels turn once every blue moon. I still can't believe that
Fender isn't doing point to point assemblies for Tweed amps in Baha where
labor is Cheap....Forrest White would have done it in a heartbeat...Forrest
wanted Fender to be the best, that's why all the amps from his tenure as production chief command top dollar. Honda & Toyota do final assembly
in the USA on the Accord and Camry....You'd think that someone at Fender
who gets paid decent money wouldda said, "Hey let's do costly stuff in Mexico and the final assembly in the USA and our Amps will really compete with the boutique guys...It is possible for Fender to make a great
amp the old (right) way and not go broke....Wouldn't it be nice to have a
Fender Tweed Deluxe for $700.00?? They can do it and still make money.
They just don't have the vision... and they never listen anymore....Leo and
Don and Forrest used to go to shows and talk with people. Can you picture one of "the suits" going to Son Seals for his opinion on what
needs to be done or reading their e-mails to see what the consumers are
thinking...

[J_Gordon]

I haven't touched my Tele in over a month now. It's been nothing but the Joe Pass for me. I haven't gigged with it yet but I will be doing a jazz trio gig in late August. I was thinking of running it directly through a PA. I've seen it done and it sounded good. Any opinions?

Also, anyone tried a Zephyr Blues Deluxe...the one with the 3 P-90 pickups? I like the looks of them. I'm tempted to try one out. Any opinions on this archtop?

[jazztop]

I am very interested in this guitar as well. I'd like to know the exact dimensions of it though. I have the feeling (never have seen one or played one) that it is slightly smaller and slimmer than the Gibson ES-5. I had an ES5 and sold it several years ago.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has the Epi ZBD or the ES295, that is, an Epi archtop with P90's
Phil

[stantheman]

All 3 are the same size and all 3 are laminates. I sold a lot of Zephyrs never got one returned.....BUT!!!!
I honestly gotta say THE bad boy is the ES-350 (2 P90's)
and it's the guitar Tal Farlow got famous with and I gotta
take issue with all these 'holy grail guys', the ES-350 is the holy grail of common sense. If you gave me an ES-5
(the real deal) I'd trade it for a natural ES-350 in a heartbeat...the greatest "lam" guitar of all time ! Hey, that's why I play a Joe Pass! (If only they had one with
two P-90's).....regardless Epiphone Korea rules... reminds me so much of Fender Japan 10 years ago. Just for the curious the ES-350 Naturals are selling for about $4400-$5200 these days and yes I'd take one over a new L-5 too.

[jazztop]

Totally agree. I played an early 50's one with spruce top. Great sounding. Although, that guitar felt huge! Bigger than my Super Eagle, most likely due to the thickness. (That's where I like the modern guitars better)Too bad Gibson hasn't reissued those like their ES-5. The Epi which comes closest, I think, would be their ES295 (two P90's), although I would have to remove the Bigsby!
I can not find any vintage ES350's but there a many ES5's available. I just ordered two Fralin dog ear P90's and may have them put in my Heritage Super Eagle. Yes, the dog ear covers JUST fit over humbucking rout. And I have no problem making that change to my guitar. I looked into a few mid 50's ES175DN. However, I came to my senses and decided not blow $4500 on a another guitar (and then try sell a bunch of gear to cover the cost) when I already have an archtop that I love that would sound fantastic with P90's.

And, I DID buy the Epi G-400 Custom for $475 inc HSC. What a great buy ! I am thrilled with it. It needs a set up but the action is no worse than many stock Gibson and Heritage guitars I have had/played. The neck is great, the color and headstock inlays are beautiful. I also found two used Duncan Pearly Gates (for cheap!!) to install. What a cool guitar it is.
Keep the info. coming along, Stan!

Phil

[stantheman]

Glad to hear all is well and I agree I'd love to see the reissue EPI ES-350. That G-400 of yours will outlast most of the mid 60's SG's (it's construction technique is
superior). I'll tell you I just got off the solid body Epi side
and someone got a 50's style "V" strings through the body for almost nothing and it got me to thinking that when I have a good month I should aquire another classic Epiphone because it's becoming frightfully obvious
that these will keep going up in value the same way the
Japanese Fenders are. I'm gonna get me a Popa Chubby
to go with my Korina V's and I'll eventually get a black
50's "V" just because....The pricing is right and I'm gonna indulge myself. Hey before I forget, here's a hot one: My
pal Dave is a MONSTER Strat player, he just got the chance to pick up a Vibrolux reissue for under $500.....
He didn't....he bought a Behringer 2X10 Combo amp new
for under 200 bucks, I thought he was NUTS !!!! then he played me a tune that Joe Jeffries did in'69 called "My Pledge Of Love" and I WAS FLOORED.....guess "the times
they are a changin'" bizarre huh?

[jazztop]

It was only a few years ago that I was dismissing the Epi's as "Korean made Junk guitar". Many people still feel that way, but I've been humbled by the ones that I've played. I'll leave the tuners, tailpiece and bridge on mine. The switch may need replacing or just cleaning. I thought about replacing the nut, but the guitar stays in tune pretty well and my guitar tech said "Leave it until it breaks and then replace it". Why not? It's currently getting two Pearly Gates which I found used for $78 a pair! :D $600 total out of pocket and I have a smoking blues guitar which looks killer.
It's a fun guitar!!!!
I know it's ridiculous, but I've my eye on the Korina Explorer! LOL!!!!

Do you ever play the V's for clean blues tones, like Albert King?

Phil

[stantheman]

That's why I love that '64 Pro with the EV-15L.....instant "I Wanna Get Funky" tone. I've got the Graph Tech Tusq Nut in my "V-1" cause the original cracked (I've used .11's since '93). You can go to Graph Tech's website and buy direct, best 10 dollars I ever spent on a musical product. I filed mine down 'till it was just so right. The only problem I have with my main
"V" is I can't put it down when it's time to get somewhere....The thing ya gotta tell people is that when
they're sitting with their "V" they have to put a "wing" on each side of their thigh and then it's the most comfortable guitar they'll ever play while seated because
your positioning is almost identical to a classical player, you're hands are perfectly aligned to the fretboard and pickguard.

[J_Gordon]

Anyone know if Gibson produced a Joe Pass model? I really love my Epiphone Joe Pass & will never get rid of it. But I was curious if Gibson made a model for Joe.

I picked up a Joe Pass video called "An Evening With Joe Pass" from '93-'94 where he gives a concert & clinic in LA at the some musicians institute. In the video he uses a Gibson archtop that was custom made for him according to his requested specs. So I just thought that maybe Gibson produced a run of Joe Pass models based on his custom made Gibson.

[waynemo]

I live in Australia and got a good deal on a new Joe Pass last Christmas. I have since put a pare of Gibson '57 Classic pups (got 'em cheap on e-bay) in it and had a tuneomatic bridge fitted. The '57s sweetened the tone and opened up the sound beautifully whilst the tuneomatic seems to have boosted volume as well as allowing better intonation.
With regard to the cheesy epi logo and signature on the pick guard: gently prise thr logo off and clean off any glue that may be left and rub off the signature with mild metal polish, I used Brasso.
I think I now have a very nice jazz box for a fraction of the price we are forced to pay here for Gibsons etc.