• Jazz Box Heaven

  
  As reviewed by mistervideo on 9/26/2009

  Out of the box the Emperor was not perfect... but it's still worth 5 stars. I found imperfections in the finish of the body and neck and a little buzzing where the pickguard (and the pots) meets the top. You can see daylight where the bridge does not completely make contact with the top at the bottom center and edges of the bridge. And the jack nut needed to be tightened. All of these were acceptable, although the bridge will require the use of StewMac's bridge rig... but that's part of the complete setup of an archtop IMHO. I put a set of Extra Light Chromes (10-48) on it (the frequensator is a challenge). The action is great and the XL Chromes make adjusting the bridge a dream, even with full tuning tension. No more buzz and the intonation is perfect, although I may get a tune-o-matic bridge for it. When I plugged it into a Fender Blues Jr. amp I was blown away! Turn the amp up and adjust the volume/tone and you are in Jazz Box heaven! I couldn't be happier with this guitar. If you want better than this be prepared to spend several thousands more. A great value for a great guitar.

  18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
  Was this review helpful?
  Thank You for rating this review!

• Very surprised, no regrets

  
  As reviewed by Movin'Wes on 9/5/2007

  I agonized over buying my first archtop. I was realistic, I knew that a 1930's L-5 or D'Angelico would not be my first, but I didn't want to buy something of such low quality that I would never want to play it. My indecision resulted in my purchasing of two guitars: The Regent and an Ibanez AF105. The Ibanez box is gorgeous and plays sweetly, but it's on the small side for my frame. The Epiphone comparatively is the size I expect from a full hollow jazz box, with a rich sound plugged in, and passable volume acoustically (I'm a Martin guy, so my expectations are tempered). The appointments are few compared to the AF105 (a little overdone for my minimalist tastes), but the Regent is beautiful nonetheless, and I love the headstock inlays (given the bargain price). With a little fine tuning, the neck flies. You won't be disappointed in what you get for your money.

  32 of 33 people found this review helpful.
  Was this review helpful?
  Thank You for rating this review!

• Very good, but do your homework

  
  As reviewed by Justin on 9/1/2006

  I spent ALOT of time comparing electric guitars for my latest purchase. I needed something that would stand up to being the primary electric guitar in my collection. I needed something that could handle heading off to school to major in guitar/music. I needed something versatile enough to go from jazz and blues into any other area I wanted to explore. I needed something that I could afford and made sense for the money invested. I tried the Emperor Regent from Epiphone and really enjoyed working with it. The sound was pretty good and it feels comfortable. I also was pretty sure my purchase would be a hollow-body, and this model is. I ended up finding what I needed comparing this with a Sheraton and the Joe Pass Emperor. The main factor in my decision was that I preferred the hollow body and the Joe Pass model was less expensive. Beyond that, all three guitars played pretty well and were exceptional values for the price.

  20 of 22 people found this review helpful.
  Was this review helpful?
  Thank You for rating this review!

You must be logged in to write a review. Please click here to login.