Epiphone 58 Korina Reissue V

I suppose mine was made in 2003. I bought it new just a few weeks ago.

Korina body, natural finish, gold hardware. Vol-Vol-Tone + pickup switch. Tune-o-matic bridge with string-thru-body anchoring.

The guitar is pretty basic, but I have to admit that the controls are very well placed.

Here's a negative: I hate that the truss rod cover doesn't have a slot in it for easy adjustment. You actually have to remove the cover to make any kind of change in neck relief. That's stupid.

Sounds decent, if you're a beginner and don't know any better. To keep the price down, I suppose Epiphone has to skimp on the electronics and hardware. These days, you can replace the pickups and all the electronics for fairly cheap. I recommend that you do it ASAP. It's like night and day.

That said, the neck pickup is quite warm, and you can get a decent smooth tone from it.

The tone control is useless for the neck pickup. It rolls off the highs to absolute mud.

The neck pickup is pretty raspy. No smoothness there. I don't know if that was Epiphone's intention, but the pickups weren't matched well at all.

Okay, here's where I have to get a bit critical. The action from the factory sucked. There was fret buzz all over the neck, and the intonation was not set.

The tune-o-matic bridge is a piece of junk. There's not enough range to properly set the intonation. I'm going to replace it with a Schaller roller bridge. You should too.

It's pretty durable, with a couple of exceptions:

The tuners are junk. They lose pitch after a couple minutes of hard playing. A good upgrade? Grover Vintage tuners. A direct replacement, by the way. Go to www.stewmac.com for them.

Here a real blood-boiler: The strap buttons are placed in the incorrect positions. In the stock locations, the guitar is extremely neck-heavy. The head keeps wanting to divebomb to the floor. That's frustrating as hell. Damn you, Epiphone!

Here's the solution: Move the front button to the back of the neck, right in front of the neck/body joint, and move the rear button about 3 inches closer to the crook of the "V". That took care of it for me.

I've never contacted the tech support people at Epiphone, and I've surely voided my warranty with all the drilling, soldering, peeling, and gluing I've done.

This guitar, stock, is a really cool looking piece of crap. If you do the following mods to it, you can make it into a good player:

1. Replace pickups + electronics
2. Relocate strap buttons
3. Replace tuners
4. Replace bridge
5. Cut a slot in the truss rod cover

I bought this guitar to hot-rod it, so I have no complaints. And even with the mods, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying the Gibson version of the korina V.

Most of the reviewers have already listed the features, so I wont be redundant. As with another reviewer, I wish it had separate tone knobs for both pickups, but this is a 58 reissue and the original didn't have 2 tone knobs, and that's the way it is. Very smooth tuners on mine. Tends to go just a tiny bit out of tune after a while though - but who doesn't tune up before they play? 22 frets, wish it had 24 - but I've got BC Rich axes if I need 24.

Yeah, the pickups sound very vintage - meaning kinda weak, especially if you're going for a metal sound. So change 'em if you feel the need to. They look great with the gold covers though. The originals sounded great when I played some Cream with it but I changed 'em to a Dimebucker in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Invader in the neck and they sound killer now. Has decent sustain for a bolt-on.

As with all guitars, adjustments need to be made to suit the player. I lowered the action on my V and I think you can measure the height in microns now. Smooth, fast with no buzz anywhere. My V has a black finish just 'cause I happen to like black guitars. The toggle switch was shorting out but nothing that a little contact cleaner couldn't fix. The fretboard has a blemish at the 12th fret, but doesn't affect playbility. The balance is surprisingly excellent.

Haven't taken this one out on the road since it's still brand new and I'm kinda nervous about it. I got strap locks for it as I tend to run around and jump a lot. The gold plating will probably wear out after a while, which is why I don't play it very often I guess. And who the hell doesn't play live without a back-up?

I've never used customer support for any of my guitars - I fix 'em myself as any self-respecting guitarist should.

Been playing for over 20 years. Anything from blues to progressive to metal to hardcore punk. Have the usual suspects - Gibson 78 Les Paul, Gibson 92 SG, Gibson 1275, 3 Mockingbirds, 2 Explorers, 1 Ironbird and a cheap piece of crap that I don't know the make of (but plays great nonetheless!). I've always wanted a V but kept my distance as it became a heavy metal sterotype. But after all these years I finally broke down and got one and I'm glad I did. And for the price - $325 new including the HSC(!) you can't beat it with a stick. I've tried Gibson Vs and I actually like this Epiphone better. Feels great and is very light.

Made 2002 in Korea. Body made of Korina. Neck made of maple. Transparent Korina. Golden hardware. No gigbag included.

Had the Gibson designed pickups in it. The neck pickup seemed to be a kind of 57 Classic clone, and the bridge PU somekind of Hot Ceramic (i think) Anyway, the stock pickups sounded okay, using my rehearsing amp at home. But Epiphone has never been known for their astonishing pickups, so you'd better change them. I did. Two Gibson 57 Classic Plus did the trick.

Acoustic sound - good treble. Good overall sound.Amplified it has got good lows and not the brittle treble i thought i would have.

The guitar doesn't weigh anything. Very comfortable. Nice neck.

I play straight through a modified Marshall. Good Rock'n'Roll sound, as it was supposed to deliver. Can't get the harmony tones (you know - Zakk Wylde) as easy as when playing my Gibson Les Paul. Have to work moore. Haven't had the oportunity to compare to a Gibson Magohany V, just to hear/feel the difference.

When i got mine, it was setup by the shop i bought i from. Low action, in tune, everyting was great. Nothing to complain about. The finish is very good, for at guitar priced as this one. It has some black stain here and there, and i've seen others complaining about this. I don't care, cause you can't almost see it and i didn't expect more for this kind of money.

The only thing i can complain about is the poor hardware. It ain't top quality and i don't know if it wil stand the test.

I own a used Epiphone Explorer (korina) aswell, so i know that the gold hardware will fade. After you made a few adjustments, like installing straplock buttons and better pickups, i wouldn't hesitate to gig with it. In fact, i can't wait!

I would never gig without a backup! It's not profesional and has nothing to do with kind of guitar your playing. Anything can happen.

I've emailed a lot of questions before and after bying the guitar, and i've always gotten excellent support from Gibson!

I've been playing for about 25 years. I use a Gibson Les Paul as my main guitar, until i got my Epiphone Flying V and Explorer (both Korina). After changing pickups i don't see why i won't be using these two beauties as my main axes. They Look great, sound great and i didn't get broke bying 'em!

I wish the would upgrade the quality overall. So people stop speaking badly about them. Gibson should try to do a Fender/Squire thing. Even though i really like the guitar, they have poor recognition in the business. It's a shame. Gibson could/should do better!!

Made in 1998.
22 Frets
Body is made of 3 pieces of Korina, neck and headstock are made of two - split between the headstock and neck, makes that point of guitar stronger so it wont break as easy.
Two Volume knobs, one Tone.
Three way selector
Passive pickups, I dont really like active ones anyway.
All of guitar is Korina, fingerboard is Rosewood.
Transparent finish - to show the beauty of Korina.
String-Tru bridge.
Medium Frets

This guitar is very nice. You can get almost ANY tone out of it you want. The only thing holding it back is that it only has one Tone knob, so both pickups have to have the same tone, you cant mix em.
I mainly play Classic Rock/Blues/Heavy Metal. This guitar can do everyone of them with no problem.
I get no buzz on any volume level from this beauty. A lot of people complained about the stock pickups, but I like them. I was going to get Seymour Duncans put in, but I dont want to now that I have actually heard these pickups. Very very full sound.

The guitar was set up horribly at first. There was A TON of fret buzz because they set the action too low. But that takes about 30 to fix, so that wasnt a big deal anyway. Almost every guitar you need to set to your own personal feel, so you probably wont find a guitar straight from the factory with the action you like.
The pickups were adjusted almost perfect. I had to raise the bridge about a mm to make the volumes the same.
The only flaw I can find is that the intonation was messed up, and I cannot fix it that easily. When they put the gold top on the bridge, it sealed the saddles into place, so I had to crack the gold a litle bit to make the intonation good.

The tuners need to go. They suck tit. Most everything else is fine for a couple of years, but everything needs replacing now and then. The bridge may go next, it isnt exactly my favorite bridge.
I dont know about the strap buttons, I put strap locks on it before I even put it on.....
You are an idiot if you take a guitar to a gig without a backup, anything can go wrong, not everything is on the guitar. If I had no other guitar, I would take it alone I guess. I dont think I would NEED a backup, but IF something went wrong, it would be nice to have one.

I dont really have anything to say here, but thanks for reading my review.

I GOT MINE IN 1999. NATURAL KORINA FINISH ECT,GOLD HUMBUCKERS,THE LOOK ALIKE KLUSEN TUNERS,THE ONES THAT LOOK LIKE IVORY KEYSTONE LES PAUL UNITS.MOVING RIGHT ALONG,I LOVED IT WHEN I GOT IT AND STILL DO.

KINDA LAME AT FIRST,BUT A CALL TO GIBSON CUSTOMER SERVICE CLEARED THIS ISSUE UP ,THEY SENT ME NEW GOLD HUMBUCKERS WITH EPIPHONE STAMPED ON BOTTOM,THE ONES THAT CAME OUT HAD A BLANK BOTTOM ,BRAND X IGUESS.THEN I STUCK A SET OF DIMARZIOS IN IT AND RUN THEM TO THIS DAY,BLUES ,JAZZ,CLASSIC ROCK COUNTRY ECT IS WHAT I PLAY I PLAY PRO SO I CAN ATEST TO THIS V REALLY ROCKS.

AFTER GIBSON SENT ME NEW PICKUPS, THEN I STUCK THE DIMARZIOS {DP100]x2 bridge and neck.YES I KNOW SHOULD HAVE A LESSER NECK PICKUP, BUT WHAT THE HECK,I WANTED GUSTOO.THE LOCAL SHOP I USED STUCK THE PICK UPS IN, AND FROM THERE IT WILL CLEAR DRINKS OFF TABLES MILES AWAY.FOR THE DOLLARS I PAYED FOR THIS AXE , I REALLY DO LIKE EVEN IF THE GIBSON CROWD LOOKS AT US FUNNY. IVE HAD TWO GIBSON FLYING V AND THEY WHERE COOL,BUT IF THEY WHERE THAT COOL,WHY DONT I STILL HAVE EM,THEY JUST WERNT AS COOL.

EVEN IF I LEFT THIS AXE ALONE AFTER GIBSON SENT ME NEW PICK UPS. IHAVE USED THIS LIVE,AND STUDIO WORK. LIVE I USE A CRATE 120 WATT AMP, STUDIO IS SAME SET UP,THIS AXE WAS FINE OUT OF THE BOX.

WELL I JUST TURNED 40, SO GO FIGURE,BUT JUST TAKE YOUR TIME AND LOK OVER ALL YOUR OPTIONS.THEY MADE THIS GUITAR IN WHITE,TRY AND FIND ONE BESIDES EBAY.IF LOST OR STOLEN YOU BET ID WHIP UP ANOTHER ONE.I MEAN COMPARED TO OTHER GUITARS, I HATE SPENDING OVER 300.00 DOLLARS ON A FRIKINNNNN BOLT ON NECK GUITAR.SAVE YOUR EMAILS PLEASE,I LOVE STRATS IBANEZES,ECT.IF YOU WANT A V SHAPED GUITAR,THE ONES WITH BOLT ON NECKS JUST DIDNT WORK FOR ME.THIS ONE WORKS,AND I DIDNT RUIN A REAL 75,000 DOLLAR CLASSIC. NO WHAT IMEAN.

Mine guitar is a 2001 model with al the standard features. They have been detailed in other reviews so I won't bore you with those specs. Has exactly what you would expect from a V. 7 because it's not exactly a feature laden guitar. Pretty simple.

Sound is pretty good from the stock pickups. I've noticed alot of people don'y care for Epi's pickups. I like them OK. They could be better, but they do have a reasonably good vintage sound that's fine for most things . They are not high gain pickups, but are more vintage in their sound. I especially like the neck pickup sound. It can get a little muddy, but overall sounds pretty good. The bridge pickup doesn't sound great clean, but is good for overdriven lead work. I found that they sound better if left at a lower height from the strings. I thought the pickups in the 1958 Explorer reissue that's just like this V sounded better. I don't know why because they appear to use the same pickups.

The finish and fretwork are beautiful. I've never owned such a beautiful guitar! The bookmatched top and back veneer look great and the rest of the body is made of either 1 or 2 pieces of Korina wood. The body wood is a little flawed with some black specs etc, but looks great considering that good wood is rare these days. I don't anything that looks like it would lead to structural problems. The factory setup was OK. The intonation was close, but not that close. Of course the guitar proabably sat in the store for a good while and would have needed re-adjustment anyway. The action was a little high because there was too much relief in the neck, but a quick truss rod adjustment and setup took care of all that. The fretboard is a really nice rosewood slab that looks fantastic. I love the neck shape as well.

Looks reasonably reliable. This won't be my main guitar so it should hold up fine. It is very lightweight and some of the assembly might be questionable after repeated use. I will be keeping an eye out for loose screws and such.

I have sent in my warranty registration, but hope I never have to use it. I don't like Epi's website much. I can't find any kind of setup information for any of their guitars. Even the new product listing section doesn't have much info exept basic specs on current models. The discussion board provided a little more info, but takes alot of time to wade through.

I have been playing for 17 years and have never owned a guitar like this. I have always wanted an Explorer or V. It's probabaly the most beautiful guitar I've ever owned and the fretwork is better than any I've owned new. If it were stolen, I would proabably try an Epi Korina Explorer. I chose this guitar to have something different to play on certain songs. It is the only guitar with humbuckers that I own. I'm prett happy

Made of Hawiian Korina Wood. It was made in Korea, but who cares. Import guitars are all the same. You can find a good one, you just have to be patient and try a few. I got lucky with this axe. It plays amazing and the intonality makes it sound like it cost over $2000. It is beautiful to look at and makes wonderful music. The only difference with foreign guitars is that they pay the koreans with rice and the Americans about $50/hour.

the stock pick-ups were sub par and replaced the day after purchase. I threw a DiMarzio X2N to make up for the lack of wood. Now it sounds extremely full and rich.

The action on the guitar was poor, but after being set up it is great now!

This axe seems extremely durable. With a V it will always bump into things in a live setting. SO far so good. The finish is gorgeous and has shown no signs of fading.

i have been playing about 7 years. I use this baby for my heaviest music. I play it through a Digitech RP2000, Crybaby Wah, Whammy, Boss Chorus ensemble, Marshall JCM 900 with a 1960 cab.
As far as guitars i have quite a few others and this is my second favorite.

Picke up used. Finish is excellent. I am not a big fan of the mix of sound keys, but will make due. Action is pretty tight, although it looses tune fast.
A beautiful guitar on the eyes. This one happens to he the Ebony. I will soon sell it for the Natural finish. I have a whole pile of Original Gibson pickups with a brand new Floyd Rose tremolo.
It is hard to work with the Epiphone componenets as they are foreign to any other make or model. Your drill will come in handy.

Sound is heavy, yet disdained. No feedback to speak of, even when cranked "to 11". I love this guitar. For $400 brand new...it is one of the finest sticks around. Truly a beauty. Aside from my1964 Telecaster, it is the 2nd most treasured axe in my collection. I play it through my 1972 Fender Bronco amp. These two will crank any house louder than my father snores.

Epiphone truly does make a quality instrument under the scrutiny of Gibson. It is a name I trust. I know there are many players out there who think they are too big to play an Epiphone, but they really are playing a Gibson. It's kind of like when Squire came out and Fender was proud of its little offshoot. There's no mistaking it when it's tuned, cranked and ready to go.

I recommend filing down the frets for some real action. I'm even considering purchasing it's sister...the Epiphohone Thunderbird re-issue. Quality on a budget.

As originally purchased this guitar WAS the standard Korean made '58 Korina V', 2 humbuckers, tuno-matic style bridge and original '58 V' 'string through body' tail-piece as well as vintage style tuners all in gold-plate. Two volumes and a tone with black knobs on a white 3-ply scratchplate.
The body is made from 2 pieces of Korina with a beautifully book-matched and grained veneer of Korina front and back, out-standing! The neck is in Gibson 'rounded' profile and is made from 3 pieces of mahogany (neck-joint,neck,headstock) which looks un-original but not unnattractive. There is a bit of yellow/amber flame in the neck piece that is pretty nice. Urethane is used for the clear finish but is not over done. This guitar was hand-picked by the shop owner and I bought it from him with an excellent V shaped (hate those brown Gibson 'coffins') locally made hard-shell case for Australian $700.

I have played for over 30 years, and at the moment am playing rock covers mainly from the late '60's, 1970's and early '80's, lots of Free, ZZ Top, Van Halen etc. with the original pu's this guitar sounded pedestrian at best, IMHO!
However, since I installed some Gibson 500 T and 498 R ceramic humbuckers things have got a little HOTTER. It now sounds bloody excellent, where my 98 Gibson Explorer with the same type of pu's screams, the Korina V can roar!!! Gold plated Gibson pu covers have also replaced the original Epi ones. It was originally a 7 as bought, but now rates a 10!

This guitar was not set up at all! A low 13th fret caused horrible buzzing, the bridge, while well made itself, was mounted weakly and bent forward, the tuners looked nice but were slipping, well you get the picture. Suffice it to say that after installing all new gold plated Gibson tuners and hardware and a quick dressing of the frets it is now looking and feeling like the real thing! Action is nicely low but not overly so (by choice).
This guitars body is definetly made from only two pieces of Korina (like an original Gibson) and has a beautiful 'V' grained and book-matched front and back, my guitar is quite superior to other specimens I have seen hanging in shops. I guess because it was hand picked, well, I'm not complaining!
All woodwork is excellent there are no flaws visible. The finish is what Gibson term as 'Antique Natural' with amber/lemon hues against a fine darker grain which looks stunning.
I find it amusing that on the head-stock the Epiphone logo is in removable gold-adhesive and that underneath 'Gibson' is permanently etched on the truss-rod cover! Well, after all the Gibson hardware I invested in I felt justified in peeling it off. It now rates a 10 in this category but before I fixed it and even with the flawless woodwork and finish this guitar only rated a 5 at best!

This guitar is built like a 'brick out-house' and has already been doing it's stuff for nearly a year, the Gibson hardware plating has not worn off appreciably as I always give it a clean after every gig, while the urethane finish has certainly protected the guitar overall from minor knocks.
This guitar has cost me just over $1300 Aus but is worth every buck!
It is the closest I will get to owning a real 58 Gibson V and if you are prepared to work on it I'm sure you will be mightily pleased as well. The rating is for the guitar as bought.

N/A

I am no stranger to upgrading or modifying a guitar to my own specs, I love Gibson V's and have a 1988 '68' reissue, but knew that a custom shop repro of a 58 V was way out of my reach, when I saw the Epi hanging up I knew what I would do, and am bloody glad I did!
People always rank it as the most beautiful guitar in my collection and it always elicits a gasp from someone in the audience when it is put on stage. The rank below is what it rates overrall NOW...

Here's a list of all the good features on these things:

Sounds pretty darned good, tone-wise. The neck pickup sounds the best.

Here's a list of all the good things about the action, fit & finish on these things:

Here's a brief list of what is reliable/durable on these things:

Customer support should be carried out BEFORE these pieces of crap leave the factory. Otherwise, it's too late. Anyway, I suppose it's good that they have customer support, 'cause if you buy one of these "toys", you'll be needing them.

I have played so many guitars over the last 22 years that it ain't funny. I have seen better quality from JCPenny, Sears, and Kmart (yes, Kmart used to sell guitars in the 70's). I've seen $100. acoustic guitars that had better fret jobs. These guitars are unplayable pieces of wall-art. Too bad- they're among the best in appearance. For the same $600., you can buy TWO of any Fender Mexican guitar, and still have enough change left over to buy your mom some flowers.