Product: EKO Tramp I
Price Paid: US $250
Submitted
01/25/2004
at
08:04pm
by
Dan Golden
Features
:
9
Mine is a late 60's Eko Tramp I -Same as a II except 1 neck position pick up-Semi acoustic,thin line single rounded cutaway archtop guitar,2 f-holes, plastic pickguard-The pick up is a single coil white plastic type exact same as was used on Vox electrics, Eko made almost all the old Vox guitars as well in Recanati,Italy. Maple body, nice sunburst(although minor cracked lacquer over the years),thin profile neck,rosewood board,1 Vol.,1 Tone, Wood tension held bridge,standard open-back tuners,mine has not been modified,thankfully....
Sound
:
10
I play mostly avant-garde jazz & fusion styles and this is where this silly thing shines! It is louder and fuller sounding UNAMPLIFIED than some of my friends full size acoustics! Plugged in, the sound is warm/mellow or bright/punchy depending on the tone setting(I use an Ampeg VT-40)It has a fairly good tonal range for a single pick up guitar-This would not be a good hard rock/heavy metal axe(I wouldn't think anyone would really buy it for that...)
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
I bought the guitar used obviously so cleaning the fretboard and changing the strings and adjusting the bridge went a long way in how it sounds, Eko made a decent quality lower priced guitar throughout the 60's, I may have a set up done later..one of the frets(14th) is a little loose on the end and the intonation is a bit tricky with the bridge but all in all not too bad after 40 yrs.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
It seems to have held up pretty well considering the thing is 40 years old and the previous owner didn't have a case..I've since gotten a case and I think it will last another 40 years. I take it where I teach all the time and it hasn't let me down yet..With normal care it should be fine.
Customer Support
:
8
Eko is still in business but they don't make any of their old models anymore..If I have problems with it it will go to my luthier but I seriously doubt I will other than minor adjustments-I guess on this area I will give them an 8-One can still find parts and such on Ebay
Overall Rating
:
10
I have been playing for over 30 years and been teaching guitar for over 10 years-I own mostly old vintage guitars and most of them solid body from my wilder rock and roll days..I would have a hard time replacing this guitar(at least at the same price)It's sound is its best feature-It plays well(with a proper set-up),the action is good and it sounds much better than comparable newer guitars
