Epiphone Alley Kat

Made in 2002 in Korea, 22 frets, laminated highly figured flame maple top, one master volumn control, individual volumn controls for both pickups, one tone control, two humbucker pickups (Gibson designed New York mini at the neck, classic 57' at the bridge, chrome), mahogany semi hollow body, maple set neck, rosewood fret board with pearl block inlays, Vintage sunburst finish, single cutaway design in 3/4 scale. Chrome tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece, Chrome Gotoh tuning machines, 24 3/4 inch scale, nice fat frets, neck wide and thin, rather SG like on the width, but much thinner. no accessories, case $79

This Kat suits my music style perfectly. I play mostly blues and some Southern rock, though I suspect it could be utilized in most any kind of setting imaginable. She is a blues machine! I play it through a Fender twin reverb, and a Trace Elliot 60 watt acoustic amp. It literally crys when played with the pedal. The neck is super for playing slide. The humbuckers are quiet, and as one reviewer said, satisfactory enough to not justify changing them out to genuine Gibson pickups. The sound is bright, rich, and full for sure. As advertised this guitar can go from a purr to a growl. She sustains like a champion!
It stays completely in tune even with considerable string bending and passionate playing. I challenge anyone to find a better sounding guitar for the buck.

The guitar was set up nicely from the factory, with perfect intonation. I did lower the action considerably with no change in the intonation. No fret buzz at all. This adjustment is so simple with the adjustable tune-o-matic bridge. The pickups were adjusted perfectly, and were still so after I lowered the action. The flame maple bookmatched top is splendid. This guitar came to me nearly perfect in fit and finish. The body binding is impeccable, the well coated chrome hardware shines like, well, chrome. The finish did have one slightly dull spot around the pickup selector. It is hardly noticable. Several of the other reviewers talk about the "cheesy" cheap looking headstock emblem. Well, it is chrome and I think it complements the other chrome hardware nicely. It gives it character and distinction. I like it. One point I would like to make, although semi hollow, this is not a light guitar. It shoud not be confused with an acoustic/electric. It weighs about what my strat does. Very well balanced.

Here's the catch: Just as 90% of all the reviews have said, the volume/tone pots are obviously junk. My master volume control had a short in it right out of the box. If you leave it wide open, it plays fine, and you can adjust the volumn with the other two volumn controls. I am going to change all of them out with genuine Gibson pots and switch, and this minor problem will be rectified. I cannot for the life of me figure out why Epiphone would send out instruments that look and play like $2000 instruments, sound like $1000 instruments, and put crummy electric controls on it. I mean, Gibson did their homework to develop the fine pickups in this guitar. They should not install 75 cent pots when the good ones cost $1.50. Slap yourself Epiphone!! The strap buttons are rock solid. The finish seems good. This guitar has been professionally gigged and it will definately withstand the rigors of the road! Other than the faulty electronics, (easily rectified), she is a battle axe! Never gig without a backup. Even on the finest guitars, electronics can fail, and strings WILL occasionally break.

N/A, Haven't dealt with them.
limited (non transferable) lifetime warranty

I have played for 30 years or so. I have owned, or presently own Gibsons, Fenders, Guilds, Martins, Yahamas and an Ovation, and probably a few I can't think of right now. If it were lost.... what? how do you lose a guitar?, or stolen... now there's a possibilty, I would go and buy two more of them in case any of the above mentioned happened again! After many, many other guitars, and much, much research via the web, I conclude that for the buck, The Epiphone Alleykat is absoulutey the BEST and ONLY choice available to man today. I love it and you will too!!!

This is just a follow up to my original review. I have since gigged numerous times with the Kat, and aside from that selector switch problem we all have run into, it has done everything I could expect, and more.

My band comments all the time how much more 'authentic' the guitar sounds for the jump/swing/blues we do. And it'll rock as well as any semi-hollow I've heard! I am running it straight into a a 2001 Blues Junior (completely stock-I guess I got lucky, and I'm patient) and again, the sound is everything to my band. Still miss the other tone pot...but still thrilled with the master output pot!

Still love the look. Restrung with 10/14/17 on the high strings, and found it comfortable and toneful... eventually I'll go back to the wound G. Raised the bridge pick-up very slightly, the NYHB is factory set so well, why mess with it? Dropped the action very slightly...no buzz, helped accomodate my aging hands on the heavier strings...

So, the switch... replacement is the best idea, and I agree that a Gibson USA selector such as in an SG or Les Paul is the best solution, and simple enough to do if you can solder. I discovered, however, that by bending the contact springs on the the inner side, I have ceased to have any problem in months... a design flaw easily corrected.

Gibson is notoriously bad; when I tried to order a replacement switch, they quoted six weeks... hence my self fix noted above.

That cheezy head plate...but as one reviewer noted, it looks too generic without it...
The best deal for the money! Feels and plays like a far more expensive guitar....it has become may main axe over the last six months

I got the Vintage sunburst. Everyone else has already made the features known. No case, and kind of a pain to find one that fit.

Wonderful tone. Put her on clean and it's so fat and warm. Clean with that great Gibson tone. I play everything form jazz, blues, to some modern pop stuff. It can adapt to just about everything but shines with a nice clean, or screaming blues sound. I own a strat too, and play through a Fender Delux 85. It's only a solid state amp, but the tones I get out of this thing (As long as I don't turn it up too much) are just simply heaven sent. Put the gain on, and it just screams. Upon playing it for the first time with my new band, they must have said 8 times that they LOVED the tone. Great sound!!!

I've looked at Epi's in the past and was not impressed at all with the fit and finish. Even on some of the dot models, it was fair at best. This guitar is beautiful!!!!! The lines are clean, the wood is flawless, and everything has done what it's been intended to do. It even takes sweat well when gigging.

Well, this is the only complaint I have for the guitar. I had to replace the original switch within the first 48 hours of owning it. The guitar tech advised me that this was common. I replaced it...and sure enough this one has gone bad too. I also had a small problem with the cord input, but it's somehow corrected itself.

When taking my guitar to the tech I got the impression that Gibson Customer Service in general was weak. He had all these loops he had to jump through just to replace a switch on a guitar I had owned 48 hours. Ugh...

Overall, this has been a wonderful guitar. It had great action out of the box, great tone, and some downright gorgeouse wood. If it were lost or stolen it would be replaced. Nothing I played in it's price range was even close. I really wouldn't change anything about the guitar but the quality of some of the parts. The guitar istelf is GREAT!

2001 model made in Korea. 22 frets, two humbuckers, etc. See the previous reviews for the particulars. Mine is the Cherry Sunburst. I've had it since Christmas. I wanted to use it for a while so I could offer an honest review. I'm ready now.

I've got to admit I've had a love-hate relationship with it up until a few weeks ago but fortunately, after three months I am in love with it at last. It's a keeper for sure now that we understand each other.

The sound is very good now that I've played around with the adjustments for three months. I've been an acoustic player for a very long time so I had acoustic expectations for this guitar. Boy was I in for a learning experience. When I first got it I wasn't sure it had more than two tones. Read on. I put 9's on it and immediately had what appeared to be a High-Fret problem. Where any mixture of open and fretted strings sound very out of tune. So I went to tens, still there. I tried new high-end Les Paul and a Gibson 335 at the store and it did the same thing. So I wasn't so certain that something was actually wrong with the Alleycat. I sure was confused. I then tried 11's still there. I was ready to take it to get refretted when I tried 11's with a wound 3rd. Bingo - problem solved. It plays and sounds great although I now have to bend the G string so hard I inadvertently have to bend the D string along with it - or else bend one fret higher on the G alone.

Tone is also (mostly) a function of a good amplifier. I have a VOX AD60VT which allows me to select from a bunch of amp models and pedal settings. I can get my Alleycat to do a full range from B.B. King to Jeff Golub to Stevie Ray, etc. I did move the treble side of the humbuckers a little closer to the strings than the factory setting. I can now get every tone from very mellow to very bright - even through the pre-amp on my Jam Station which is a very clean output. It's now perfectly balanced. As perfect as my Lowden acoustic which cost about six times as much.

Wish I could get the action a little faster but, afterall, it's an arch top hollow body so I can't expect a Strat.

All-in-all, it does a lot of things pretty well.

The fit and finish are very good to excellent. The sunburst is a very pretty guitar.

Factory set up was okay. Pickups were a little low for my taste on the trebel side. Bass side was too loud. I dropped the low side and upped the treble side. The action was a little high but I fixed that easily enough. Strings really buzz if I get it where I really would like it. But for a Jazz guitar it's close enough. Lower than my acoustic.

Intonation was set up very good.

The factory setup was pretty good all things considered. Especially for a quitar in this price range. Believe me I've seen a lot worse for more money.

I gave it a ten because it's so pretty to look at. The bookmatch of the maple is execellent and really shows through the sunburst finish. I also love the neck. It's a little flat, very smooth, and just perfect for me. The fingerboard is also very nice. Best neck I've ever had on any guitar. I've had a bunch over the past thirty-five years. My hand never gets tired. Of course, it's all a matter of taste an playing style.

One other thing. It really cries for a pick-guard - finger rest. I like to anchor my little finger on something sometimes. So, I bought a small black Les Paul pick guard, whittled away about one third inch of the bottom cutout so the top pickup would be centered in the top cutout (it's made for a full size humbucker) and stuck it on the guitar with about five small chunks of double-stick foam tape 3/8ths inches thick. Then I cut off the threads of the screws (left about a quarter inch of thread) and painted the tops black and glued them in the screw holes with Elmers glue (dries clear) Looks like it was factory installed. It has been very stable and secure for three months. Makes the guitar play and look like it's supposed to.

One last thing. That pseudo chrome do-dad on the head is really cheap. I took it off and spray painted it with a hard black enamel - screws too. Then re-installed it. It now blends in with the black paint on the head and even tho it still looks kind of cheap, it's not as noticable as it was.

Gave it a nine because of the lack of pick guard and cheap thing on the head. They should leave the cheap thing off and put on a cheap pick guard insteal.

Okay. Now for one bad point. I read in someone else's early review on this guitar that the switches suck. Well they do. My tone switch went out within three hours on Christmas day. I mean it just quit working. I changed it out the next day with a real Gibson three-way and it's been fine since. I'm a good with a soldering iron but I don't think the average person should have to re-build their brand new guitar or have to wait days while the shop does it. For an extra dollar Epiphone could have put a better switch in it.
The original pots have held up fine so far and I crank 'em often. They shouldn't be too hard to replace if needed.

Other than that - no problems. Seems too bad they have to make such a nice guitar and populate it with such cheap switches. This is my only real complaint. Beware if you try to gig with it within the first few weeks. The switch is gonna go on you.

Lifetime warranty. Have never dealt with either Gibson or Epiphone so I can't comment. I'll give 'em a 9 just because they're a reputable company and I would hope they will stand by their products.

I've been playing for (gulp) forty-three years. Gees, that scares even me. I'm only a baby geezer - I just started playing very young. Play semi-professionally twenty years ago.

I like light rock, heavy blues, jazz, and everything in between.

I like the neck, the tone, and the looks. I play it every day and ignore my very expensive acoustic most of the time.
I would replace it if stolen. I would also recommend it to anyone wanting a hollow body. It plays as nice as any Gibson I've ever played.

2000 Epiphone AlleyKat. Vintage sunburst finish. My wife ordered it through Musician's Friend for Christmas. I was supposed to get the cherry sunburst finish, but the vintage looked great too.
Two p/u's - New Yorker mini-h/b in the neck and humbucker in the bridge, two volume knobs and a master volume, one tone knob.

I play modern/hard rock, and this axe is pretty versatile for everything I do. I also own an '81 Gibson Les Paul and a Squier Venus, and the AlleyKat gives me tones right between the two. I get both warm, mellow tones, and sparkly, bright tones as well. I thought I might have trouble with feedback when I used my Boss DS-2 (there's two F-holes), but man, IT RIPPED!!!! It sounds great going trough a Boss OD-3 Overdrive as well. I just got a Marshall Jackhammer, so we'll see how it sounds. This is truly a piece of art and a workhorse. I set the height for the neck p/u about 1/16th below the mounting ring, and the neck p/u right underneath the strings. What a world of tone. I omly wish there were two tone knobs.

The action was a little high for my taste, but that can be remedied. The neck feels nice, a bit wider than a Gibson neck, but not that thick like a Fender. The finish was beautiful, I could just put it on a stand and stare at it.
The master volume is parallel to the toggle switch, so depending on how you strum, it could get in the way. Takes some getting used to.

This guitar is just too pretty to use all the time (at least for me), but I do use it frequently. Becasue of the finish and since it's a semi-hollow, I take extra precautions. But if your not really into shiny guitars, I believe this one can take a licking.

I emailed Gibson to confirm my warranty, and they responded. Works for me. But even if I did want to get repairs, I don't think I'd want to part with it for too long.

This is just a great guitar, and the funny thing is, I wanted it before even trying it out, I just knew.

Brand new 2001 Alleykat with vintage sunburst finish. Otherwise like the others reviewed here: Korean semi-hollow, 2-p/u, stop tail, sort of an archtop, but without much "arch." Laminated maple top.

I'm loving the mini humbucker!! Smooth, fat, clean and jazzy. The bridge pickup is bright, very much like Gibson solidbodies. The variety, thus, is one of this guitar's strong suits. Versatility is the keyword here. Whatever you want, you can have. I'm a fan of the "master" volume pot. You can go from bridge to neck with total control; no surges or drops. Ingenious! I play pretty much clean all the time, ina wide variety of styles, from Matt Sweet pop to experimental non-rock. I can dial this guitar perfectly to whatever is called for,

Good set-up, although as another revieer noted, the knobs weren't set straight. An easy DIY fix, but also easy to get right at the factory. Vintage sunburst is heavenly. It's a head-turner, to be sure. I get LOTS of compliments and comments like, "Dude, what year is that guitar?" It has "vintage" written all over it. But the headstock logo plate thing looks pretty cheap. I took it off, but didn't like the generic look, so it went back on. Great action. I play with 11-guage, and they feel right and stay in tune. Intonation is spot on, right out of the box. Someone's doing their homework in the make-ready department. If it was legal, I'd marry the neck. God, I love those fat frets!

I'd like to think this would last forever, but I'm not exactly a basher. For the limited, small-hall gigs that I do, it absolutely has been 100% reliable. Solidly built throughout. I don't use straplocks, but my new strap so far has been snug. Play without a backup? That's an unfair question.. NEVER play without a backup!

n/a

This is now my one and only electric. It does everything that my others used to, and maybe more. I would replace it in a heartbeat if someone ganked it. I love the way it looks, I love the way it sounds, and I love that NECK!! I'm sure that spending three grand on a guitar has its rewards, but I've always been philosophically opposed to laying out that much cash for an electric.. it always seemed to me that the amp had more to do with the sound than the guitar. The Alleykat has disproved that theory. I play this through a small Marshall combo (notoriously good sound), and it totally delivers. I play everything form pop rock to post-rock, and I can always find the right tone. For 400 clams, I defy you to find a better playing, better sounding electic guitar.

This is a brand new 2001 Translucent Black "Kat". Amazingly made in Korea, but the workmanship seems extremely high quality. Do I need to repeat the stats on this axe again? Unlike it's sister models, this hardtail "Kat" stays in tune and really sings! The matched grain under the finish is subtle but beautiful.

I play a variety of styles, but lately mainly jump blues, swing, old R&B and traditional blues...with an occasional foray into jazz. I have been a solidbody guy for nearly 30 years, but the sound I was looking for had to come from an f-hole instrument. So far this amazing piece of Gibson oversight has done everything I've asked it to do in rehearsal, but I have not gigged with it yet. Gibson should have put this out instead of the Blueshawk, IMHO! I just miss that second tone control so the pickups can be "split" in the mid-position of the selector, the way my SG and Melody Maker do. But for under $500, what am I complaining about?

The guitar came with .011's and a wound G, and the action was a bit high, but the tone was excellent. I had to replace the original strings after about a week, because I had burned throught the winding on the D and G strings! Currently it is wearing .009/.011/.015 on the high end, but I think I'll go up to .010/.012/.015 for deeper tone, as befits this remarkable guitar. I am still fine tuning the intonation, and will have to again when I go to the other strings. I did drop the action ever so slightly when I changed strings.
The only apparent mis-alignment (which I have heard about $2400 Les Pauls, too) is that the front pickup screws aren't lined up under the g, b and e strings ...but they aren't on my SG either! So that may be an intentional designed in feature, for all I know!
The finish was almost flawless, there is a minor 'ridge'in the binding of one of the f-holes...I really had to look for that, too!

The pickups sound so sweet (BTW, these had the Gibson USA plastic on them when I got it!) that I haven't considered taking off the covers, adjusting the pole screws, or raising/lowering them! Plus, I think taking the covers off would destroy the elegant appearance of the guitar!

I am certain this instrument will serve me well for many years of gigging. The tuners, tail, and tun-o-matic seem to be reliable. I immediately replaced the strap buttons with strap locks (all my electrics have them except the SG, which has a permanent strap). I've never dropped a guitar yet, and I don't plan to; but I've seen it done!
Would I gig without a back up axe...probably not; there are several reasons for that, and not because I don't trust the guitar. Mainly I always have at least 2 on a gig for string breaks/alternate tunings/ different styles.

I will give this a 9 only because I have not gigged with it yet...

Lifetime warranty on workmanship... of course they all will say that... I don't think I've ever bothered to take an instrument back to the manufacturer in 30 years.

I have been playing for thirty years or so. I had a Guild Starfire when I was very young, but felt that the sound was not rock'n'roll enough for me, so I went through a parade of solid bodies (still have the '72 SG, '63 Melody Maker and a '74 Strat and a late '50s Magnatone lapsteel). Now I wish I had kept that big hollow beast! This was the only semi-hollow archtop in it's price range that had real tone and character (the only other one with a set neck that I found even in the ballpark was a De Armond 'Starfire', but it sounded weak and wimpy in comparison).

What do I hate? The cheap-looking metal Epiphone 'nameplate' screwed on the headstock (which has the distinctive Gibson scroll!).
What do I love... the feel of the neck is so close to my SG, I felt at home immediately on it, althogh it obviously does not have the same accessibility. The tonal capabilty is awesome. For those who have not figured out the need for the Gretsch-style master volume, play through a small tube amp, and use the master to roll up for your solos... the tone of the guitar, it's voice, stays constant, only the volume changes. (And for Oscar, no, the pots are pulled up into the face after contruction (using fishing line or wire...geez how could they do all that finish work with the pots in?) Think about it...)
What do I wish it had? The second tone control, and Gibson on the Headstock! but then it would be an ES model and cost four times as much!

Made this year (2001), Korean. Pickups: 1 '57 humbucker, 1 mini-humbucker. Hardware: Chrome (Gotoh tuners, stop tailpiece, tune-o-matic bridge). Scale: 24.75". Nut Width: 1.68". Neck Joint: Set. Neck Material: Maple. Fingerboard: rosewoord with block inlays (rosewood looks and feels like ebony). Binding: Body/Neck. Body Material: Mahogany (semi-acoustic guitar with f-holes). Top: Lam. Maple. Finishes: Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Translucent Black, Vintage Sunburst. Frets: 22, Gibson-style. Big, comfy neck.

A guitar like this isn't meant to be a gizmo-laden instrument; it's a retro-flavored rock/blues/rockabilly instrument and for that task it has everything that's needed.

I play rock'n'roll and blues, both infused with tons of jazzy voicings, plus lots of clean stuff. Up 'til now I basically always played single-coil instruments (Teles, Les Pauls with P90's, etc.) but this guitar sounds so good that I had to have it and it's my #1 now. It's super-responsive and the sound (though much more airy than a solidbody) isn't 'dark' at all: it's lively, complex and incredibly dynamic. It really breathes. With the proper amp setting, you can go from a whisper to a scream just by varying your picking attack (without touching any controls). Way cool! I use it to play any kind of music - tough, heavy rock'n'roll (think AC/DC), gritty blues, Knopfler-esque clean, no problem. Wherever I wanna go, this thing goes with me. I play it through Fender amps (a HotRod Deluxe tube amp and a Frontman Reverb practice amp); it sounds absolutely gorgeous through both. I was worried beforehand about the pick-ups; I mean Epiphone pickups aren't exactly the holy grail of tone. After playing the guitar for a while I decided against upgrading; an A/B comparison with my Les Paul told me that the increase in tone quality I can expect isn't worth the money. These pickups are different from earlier Epi pickups; they sound pretty darn good, period. That neck minibucker is pretty amazing even.

I saw the guitar in the store, the owner put on the strings I like (.011's with a wound G), did the intonation and handed it to me. It fit like a glove right away. The nut is cut perfectly; even with the big strings it doesn't pinch 'em at all(no tinkling sounds when tuning). Same thing with the bridge: the strings don't get stuck at all so this guitar stays in tune really well. I remember having to do some work on the nut and bridge of my Les Paul that cost me thrice as much so I'm really happy with the way Epi set this thing up. I didn't do anything to it at all - the action is perfect for me (not too high but not too low either). The fretwork is fine - no uneven fret heights at all (so no buzzing problems) and nicely crowned and set. Pickup adjustment was fine. As hard as I tried, I really haven't been able to find a construction or set-up flaw. Quite amazing.

I've only just bought the guitar a month ago so ask me again about durability in a year. I'd definitely take it to a gig without backup. Of course I added a Schaller strap-lock.

The one worry that I do have is the accessibility of the electronics. There are little back covers for the pickup switch and the master volume but the volume and tone controls can only be reached through the lower f-hole. Now THAT is a problem! These controls were added to the top before assembling the guitar! So, depending on the wiring scheme, changing pickups or pots could be a hellish job (if the pickups are routed to their individual volume pots BEFORE going to the pickup switch, then you can't change pickups fast)! As long as it works and you're happy, fine. But if it needs work: you're in trouble.

Dunno, hope I never need it! Plus, in Holland, if a guitar malfunctions you just take it back to the store where you bought it and they take care of it.

Been playing for 22 yrs. Own a Gibson Les Paul, a couple of amps and the usual assorted guitarist's junk (pedals etc.). I've never, ever become THIS attached to a guitar in such a short time. I saw it, looked at it, it said "pick me up" and that was that. I never would've considered buying an Epiphone but apparently they really have their business together these days. This guitar is a marvelous deal (it's sister, the Wild Kat, got an Editor's Pick Award from GP Magazine - that's the same guitar with other pickups, a Bigsby, dot inlays instead of blocks and other finishes). 'Nuff said.

Well as every other person has stated, these are Limited Edition, made in Korea guitars. 3 volumes (which befuddles my mind) and 1 tone. Maybe I just haven't goofed around enough with the 3 of them to figure what I can do with 3 that I can't do with 2 but hey, I turn 'em and it either gets louder or it gets quieter. The 3rd control is supposed to control the volume after you have selected the mix between the 2 pick ups. A novel idea that so far is kinda useless.

Maple neck, laminated maple top and mahongay sides and back. Gotoh tuners. Tranparent black finish. Ivory colored bindings. Nice heavy frets, neck feels very good to me!! This thing is heavy!! Lets face it, it aint a Gibson but for $320 (new!!) I am more than happy!!!


Oh ya, I am pretty sure the pick ups are made in USA Gibson.

I like to play rock as in the mode of Skynyrd, Stones, Georgia Satellites and CCR. I also like hillbilly country. Yikes, what a combo!! Scares my neighbors too! You hear that this is a mellow guitar? Huh? It rips like a buzz saw! Tell ya what, play Nuge mans Stranglehold on it and I think you would rather hear it on this bad boy than on Ted's Gibson. Slide is a breeze. And if you get any hollow body, you are gonna get feed back. IF you practice, you can control it and then WOW, you got something nicer than you thought!

I play this through a Fender Priceton Chorus and a '69 Twin Reverb. On either channel on either amp I am very very happy. This is smooth blooze and wild smiles!!!


I wouldn't change a thing!

This isnt a Gibson, it doesnt cost $3000. Everything was fine with one exception, I had to adjust my "G" string, but I did it in private and no one saw me do it! Just had to set the saddle up a bit higher and then fix the iontination. No problem.

Stings must be 13s cuz I know have arms like Popeye's. Makes playing my other guitars much easier too!! My advice is, if you want to get the most sound and tones from this beast, keep heavy strings on. Light strings will just make this thing sound like every other $300-$400 guitar youve played. Keep 'em on and people will think you are better than you are. Trust me.

So far, I have been pleasantly suprised. When I started playing, shit 30 years ago, we all laughed at Epiphones. And justly so. No more my good people. Do yourself a favor, try one with the big strings. I am pretty sure you will be sold.

Id say its a good thing that I have no idea what they are like.

OK, well by now you know that I am very impressed. So much so that I bought another and I even have ordered a Wildkat. I'd ask Epi to ditch that 3rd volume and put sonething cool on like a variable phase selector or a coil tap. But heck... I aint crying the blues, Im playing them and anyhting else I like with this thing. It is a alley cat, it sreams bloody murder it you turn it up and beat on those strings and it meows if you stroke it gently. Try it, you'll but it.

Lastly, in the for what its worth department, this was given an Editors Choice award in 2000 by Guitar mag.

Features have already been well described by previous reviews.Mine is the antique flamed sunburst finish - very pretty. No accessories included, case was not in stock ANYWHERE locally - which forced me to buy a cheap gig bag until I could get one ordered over the internet. The music megastore (Mars) had only the display model in stock, but knocked off $100 and wiped off the fingerprints.

My main guitar is a PRS CE22, which has a great range of sounds. My band plays alternative pop/rock, ala Radiohead, Toad the wet sprocket, Cold Play etc. I wanted to add a mellow, hollowbody sound to some of the songs where I play the clean backup guitar. I run mine through a Line6 Flextone head with a 4x12 Peavey cabinet. I REALLY enjoy the warmth of tone I can get from this guitar. The PRS is a maple-topped, maple bolt-in neck, and has a fairly bright sound, so the two guitars complement one another well. You can get a decent range of tones by blending the neck and bridge pickups on the Alley Kat, but all are on the mellow side. High gain settings tend to cause feedback, but no worse than the Rickenbacker 360/6 I had last year.

I have yet to find a flaw in this area. Surprising but true... I have noticed this guitar is a bit harder on my fingers than my PRS for some reason, but it doesn't seem to be the fault of the setup. Perhaps it has something to do with the wide-thin neck carve.

Only played one gig, three practices so far. Everything feels and looks very solid. I can't rate the quality of the wiring job inside... time will tell. Strap buttons are solid, but small (like all Gibson style buttons). I intend to install straplocks soon. This is my backup guitar, but I would be comfortable using it without a backup if necessary.

No dealings with Epiphone Customer Support.

I've been playing off and on for 30 years, more seriously in the last 5. I did not go into the store to buy this guitar - I don't even like the name... I had my eye on several more expensive hollowbodies by Epiphone and Gretsch, but the complexity and richness of the Alley Kat's tone really spoke to me and won me over. I'd definitely replace it if it were lost or stolen.