Epiphone Broadway

This is the Korean made version of the Broadway bought brand-new from a dealer. As described by others, it is a laminated 17" big box guitar with two pickups, the "Frequensator" Tailpiece, and the usual volume and tone features for a guitar of this type. The scale length is 25.5", which gives it the feel and punch of an acoustic guitar. This is no blues-bender box. Mine is the blonde version. It's really quite pretty, with gold hardware throughout.

These features are exactly what you would expect from this guitar, so there is no reason not to give it a 10.

This guitar sounds terrific. Really. It is a very mellow and sweet sounding guitar. Of course, it is perfect for jazz. But, the middle pickup position has a lot of acoustic mojo if you EQ it properly. In fact, I prefer the sound of this guitar over most piezo equipped guitars because the Broadway doesn't "quack", compress, or give ice-pick highs like many piezo guitars. It does sustain more than a standard acoustic, so you won't necessarily fool anybody into thinking you're playing a Martin, but the sound is very nice.

The pickups sound great, but they have a fairly low output. Doesn't bother me, I like 'em. I can't imagine what I will ever do with the bridge pickup used by itself, but who knows.

Many reviewers go off on the fact that it doesn't sound like a $10,000 jazz box, blah blah. But, they never seem to mention that this can be a good thing. Laminated jazz boxes can have more punch than carved top guitars, and are a bit brighter. If that fits your sound, then you might do yourself a disservice with a carved top guitar. Ply box guitars such as the ES-175 have been used and loved by superb jazz musicians for decades. IT IS true, however, that carved guitars can certainly sound more complex and richer, so you really have to decide what is right for you.

My simple point is that this is a great sounding guitar on its own terms.

I am very picky and difficult to please about my guitars. I have owned well over 40 at this point. I went over this guitar very carefully, set the action way down low the way I like it, moved the knobs around and flicked the pickup switch. It's all terrific. This guitar is setup as well as my guitars that cost two and three times as much. It looks as good, it plays as good.

I am deducting 1 point for scary looking wiring clearly visible in the F hole near the pots. It is a rats-nest of wires all soldered together on the pot tabs. Ugh.

By contrast, My Guild jazz box is clean as a whistle inside. I am going to deduct only 1 point because the knobs work fine and aren't noisy. Whether this sloppy-looking wiring will be an issue some day, who knows.

Well... when I compared it to a hand-carved Eastman, the Broadway seemed built like a tank by comparison. But, this guitar has a thin body to make it more resonant, and it's big and bulky. I can't comment on the hardware because the guitar is brand new. I think a 7 seems about right.

I have no idea, and I never will. I would only go to the manufacturer with gross warranty issues, otherwise I would get them fixed locally.

OK, if you've made it this far, I want to emphasize a point here: A good Epiphone is as good as any comparable guitar you can buy from another mass manufacturer no matter what the price. Period. I bought an Epiphone Dot for my nephew that was far superior in construction and playability to many ES-335s I have seen. And I know, I've owned two of them.

BUT, here is the point that I can't emphasize enough, it has to be a GOOD EPIPHONE. I usually play as many different Epis of the same model as I can get my hands on until I find one that is just right. If you miss, the guitar can be a real dog. I would be really nervous about buying any Epiphone sight unseen from an online vendor or EBay.

Also, this is a Korean Epiphone. They are now making them in China, Indonesia, who knows. The Korean Epis had reached a point of being very cleanly engineered and well built. My guitar had been sitting around for a few years at the dealer.

By chance, this guitar just happened to be a really good Epiphone. So I am giving this guitar a perfect rating because it is a fine instrument. My only wince is over the wiring on the pot inside the F hole. That's not much to complain about, believe me. I played a $3,800 Gibson in the same store that had the nut cut wrong with a high E string that popped off the neck when you fretted on the 4th fret. THAT guitar would need a repair before you take it out of the store brand new.

So my Epiphone is a 10 for real. But yours may not be. Please check your Epi out thoroughly before you buy.

The features have been covered...... I give it a 10 because it has all of the features I was looking for in a jazz box.

I play mostly blues and rock however I enjoy "messing around" with some jazz chord runs, old standards, scale work, etc. just to expand my horizons. I was looking for that jazz sound and experimented with a couple of Ibanez guitars before trying the Broadway. I loved the guitar but eventually replaced the pups with Gibson 57's. The original pickups actually sounded great....I'm a gear head and couldn't resist installing the Gibsons.....they sound fantastic. I couldn't be happier. I used D'Addario Jazz 11's, roll the tone off on the neck pickup and I'm there.

I found no flaws.....I'm fussy. As I mentioned above I'm a gear head and I'm always upgrading or changing the hardware/electronics on my guitars. I thought I might have to upgrade the tuners on the Broadway, but honestly, they are very good and feel like quality. I don't who manufactures them, but they are more then satisfactory. I was almost disappointed that I didn't have to change them. Mine is a sunburst finish. Not crazy about the newer natural finishes...too light...not vintage looking enough for me....but that's just personal taste.

So far, so good. No problems. The guitar really does have a feel of a more expensive instrument.

Never had to use them....

If lost I would try to hunt down another sunburst version. Love the guitar.

The features are well described by others so I won't repeat them here. Excellent build quality on the whole for the price of the instrument. I removed the pickguard because it was vibrating and causing distortion in my output. I don't miss the pickguard one bit.

In fact, the only real negative I have with the guitar's "features" is the cheap little plastic Epiphone "E" on the pickguard, which looks extra-cheesy in my opiinion. They already put one on the headstock's truss rod cover, so why add another on the pickguard? This is a flippin' guitar, not an Epiphone billboard. One 'E' logo plus the full Epiphone name at the top of the headstock seem like more than enough marketing collateral for one guitar!

I bought the natural finish model (didn't care for the Sunburst) and it is an absolutely beautiful with the pickguard out of the way. The woods are beautiful, and the back is beautifully matched.

I play jazz and this is an unbelieveable jazz guitar for the money. It sounds better and feels better than my friend's 1978 Gibson 175, hands down. Maybe his is just a lemon, but the Broadway is one serious contender for the money. I have not played a better jazz guitar at anywhere near this price. You want a great hollow body jazz guitar and don't want to spend $2000 or more, buy this one and you'll be happy.

Set up was ok from the factory, not great but good. So I had my tech do his setup magic on it, and now it plays like a dream. Solid body players pick it up and don't let it go. I have had to politely pull it out of guys' hands after waiting patiently for ten minutes or more.

Mine does have the same little hairline crack in the binding on the upper bout described by others below. But it doesn't bother me, it is a 1/4" hairline crack that they filled at the factory.

When I was at the store purchasing the guitar, I noticed that the tone and volume knobs were loose. Two of them were so loose that they could fall off with barely a tug. So I asked the salesman for a new set of knobs, which the store installed at their expense (list price is about $25 - for a pack of four knobs!!! "Oh, but you see, they are 'Gibson' knobs......") They used the Gibson black replacement knobs. This did the trick, as the new knobs are on very tightly.

By far, the only real gripe I have is with the pickup selector 3-way switch. From day one, mine needed to be replaced, as the middle and lower positions don't always work unless you vigorously move the switch back and forth (did I say *vigorously* ?) for 10 - 15 seconds. I know this is probably fixable with just some electronic parts cleaner spray, but gee whiz, this guitar was new and the selector wasn't working properly on day one. Fortunately for me, all I really use is the neck pickup, as I love its sound for all of my jazz playing. Nonetheless, the middle and bridge sounds are really good as well, so why the heck did they put in such a crappy and cheap switch? I have noticed this same problem on two other Epiphones. Somebody at Epiphone should take heed, as this seems to be a chronic problem, at least from my experience. But nonetheless, I would buy this guitar at the same price I paid even with knowledge of the bad switch. I would buy it without a switch and install one if that were my only option. The guitar makes up for this annoyance in a huge way when you play it.

C'mon, how many of us have ever called a guitar manufacturer for support? ("Dude, I can't get no sound" "Dude, is your amp turned on?" "Wow dude, you nailed it, thanks!" .....)

The sound and feel of this guitar are awesome for jazz. This is one of the few instruments I would replace with the exact same model if it were still available. Not that I don't have other good instruments, I do, but this one is special. A great value for the money. It is a joy to own and play. Check one out and see if you agree (jazz players only, rockers wouldn't like a thing about this model. No, to be precise rockers will hate it. But that is not who this guitar is for).

I got a great deal from the store, which sold it to me for $700 including tax. In other words, about $630 plus tax. Go to the stores that still negotiate and cut your deal. While you're at it, short sell the stock of the major US retailer, those guys are in for a clock-cleaning with that new crap they've been spouting about no negotiation on price. Wrong ecomomy for that attitude, boneheads.

Korean made (November 2006) Broadway, 20 frets, laminated "select spruce" top, laminated maple back & sides, maple neck, rosewood fretboard featuring beautiful triangular inlays.
2 volume & 2 tone controls, 3 way pickup selector switch,high quality pots - no crackling or distortion, just the right amount of gradual adjustment. 2 Epiphone passive humbuckers, nice adjustable rosewood bridge which provides excellent intonation at the height to which I lowered it. Poly finish over beautiful natural (blonde) color - other than one tiny spot which is hidden under fretboard where it extends over the body towards the neck pickup, the color & finish are perfect, as are the bindings & fretboard & headstock inlays.
Big fully hollow jazz box, size & shape of Gibson L-5, 17" lower bout, body 3" deep at edges, 4" deep underneath pickups. Non-locking Grover tuners really do the job, stays in tune.
25.5" scale medium C-shaped neck, very comfortable.
Case included in price, arrived separately 4 weeks after I bought guitar new on 8-14-08.

Not only is it a very playable, full & rich sounding jazz guitar, but it works great for blues & rock as long as you watch the volume - these big guitars can really feed-back. I play thru a Peavey Studio Pro 112 or Epiphone Valve Junior, medium to low volume & tone pots on 4 or higher to control feedback. Neck pickup is smooth & jazzy, both produce full & mellow sound, bridge can be bright & raunchy with tone up @ 7 - 10.
Has nice acoustic sound which I often use without amplification.
No dislikes, just gotta be aware of feedback potential.

Bridge pickup was too high, when I lowered bridge to get desired action the high strings were getting hung up it - once I lowered brodge pickup I was able to lower action to 4/64" on low & high E strings at 12th fret, intonation fine, stays in tune, no other flaws.

Well designed & built, finish durable, buttons solid, would gig without backup if need be.

Believe warranty is 2 years, no problems since I bought it new last August.

Completely satisfied, better than I expected - since the case arrived in September it has barely required any tuning adjustment even after being left in case over 2 weeks while I was on vacation.
Been playing on & off since 1964.
Had 3 favorite guitars before I bought this one, now the Broadway gets the most playing time - almost addictive.
Had read in previous reviews that it was best jazz guitar available under $2000, & I agree - before spending extra for an Elitist model or Gibson, try one of these out. Would definitely get another.

The Broadway is a basic hollowbodied archtop electric. It differs from many archtops on the market by being truly hollow. Its single-cutaway design is close to that of the L5, and allows fairly easy access to the high notes. The top is laminated, rather than carved. Two fairly generic humbuckers are built into the body and some OEM Grover tuning keys are also standard. Pickup selector switch and dual tone/volume controls make up a pretty standard electrical configuration.

Finish is a very light blond and is quite attractive. It will be interesting to see how it ages. There are a few very minor blemishes, but they are difficult to see and don't spoil the appearance at all.

The bridge is a rosewood bridge without adjustable saddles (ie, it's not a tuneomatic). While this worried me somewhat going in, it actually gives me pretty good intonation with my chosen strings. Could be an issue with skinny strings, but that's not what this guitar is about.

No case is provided. This is not a good thing, since an archtop guitar is inherently more fragile than a solid body. I purchased an Epiphone Jumbo hardshell case, which fits the guitar well.

I bought this guitar purely for jazz. My days of distortion and string bending are far in the past, and I wouldn't have considered this guitar for that type of music. For jazz, it sounds great. One of my primary needs was for a guitar that sounds good acoustically, since I'll typically be playing with little or no amplification. In that sense the sound is a combination of the acoustic and amplified components. A bit of fill from my Valve Junior amp combines nicely.

But you won't be able to tell much about the sound using the factory strings. Aside from being kind of skinny (.011 first string), they just don't sound very good. The acoustic sound is midrangy and honky. I replaced them, first with Gibson L5 strings and then with D'Addarios. The larger gauge (.013-.056) makes all the difference. The guitar is substantially louder and much more full-bodied. Sounds like a real jazz guitar.

At this early stage, the pickups seem just fine. I've been able to get useful sounds out of both pickups and from combinations. Many owners of this guitar seem eager to swap out the pickups ASAP. I'm going to bide my time and live with them a while. You can easily ascertain that I'm not really about high output.

One thing that will make you a little buggy if you play acoustically is sympathetic resonance. There's quite a long stretch of string between the bridge and the tailpiece, and it sings right along with you. A ribbon of cloth woven between the strings will fix it. Rubber grommets do a good job, too.

I recently had a chance to spend a week with a Washburn archtop (Oscar Smith). While it had its merits, the Broadway is lighter, with better tone, better action, and more acoustic power.

The guitar was set up pretty well. Since one of my first act was to upgrade strings (with heavier gauge), I got to set it up all over again. The trussrod was easy to adjust and new tensions seemed to come to balance within half a day or so. Frets were well-dressed. Overall, the action is pretty good. Over the next year or two, I'm sure I'll do a touch-up here and there, but that's been true of every guitar I owned.

Pickups needed a bit of adjusting, but they always do. This is driven by both strings and amplifier. But since the humbuckers have individual string adjustments, this is easily accomplished.

The one place where I'm withholding judgement for a while is the tuning pegs. They're Grovers, but we can safely assume they're not high-end. The guitar holds tune well while it's in the case, but tuning is a little, um, mobile as you play. I'll play with the tension screws on the pegs for a while, but I can see moving to better tuners at some point.

This guitar feels pretty solid and I expect I could gig with it. But then, I don't jump around like I used to, so the guitar won't receive those extramusical shocks. I see from other reviews that switches may need replacing over time. I'll just have to see about that. I do appreciate the fact that there's a rubber shock mount under the pickup selector switch.

If you play standing up, then you'll need to be careful in your choice of a strap. The upper strap button is positioned in such a way that the wrong strap could pull it away from the body.

So I'm rating this as a 5, since the guitar doesn't have enough mileage to know for sure.

I've contacted customer support a couple of times to ask questions about the guitar. They got back to me very quickly. If the guitar ever needs service, I hope they're as responsive then.

The warranty is a limited lifetime warranty that excludes instruments that have been modded or mistreated. Seems fairly standard, but you never know until you test it.

I spent my late teens and twenties playing guitar professionally. I played sporadically for another ten years after that and then set the instrument aside for a couple of decades while I pursued other things. In my day, I owned many guitars--Gibsons, Fenders, Voxes, Hagstroms and many more. My musical interests started as rock and ended up as jazz and classical.

In resuming playing after so many years, I looked for a guitar was was jazz-centric, good-sounding and reasonably priced. The Broadway has been excellent in this regard. It's not for everyone: it's one big guitar, noticeably heavier, and it demands a solid technique.

The Elitist model of this guitar may be a nicer instrument. Certainly bits of fit and finish may be improved. But the standard Broadway doesn't feel cheap and (once you remove the stick-on 'E' from the pickguard) it doesn't look cheap either. It's a great choice for an old geezer like me or for a player who needs a first jazz guitar.

This Epiphone Broadway Antique Vintage sunburst was made in Peerless Korea in 1997 and is a single cuttaway typical jazz hollow body large archtop 17" largely based on the Gibson L5 (with F holes) but for the frequensator tail and neck (tree of life). Mine has some significant modifications as I replaced the original stock pick ups for USA Gibson Humbuckers classic 57 (neck) and 57+ (bridge), frequensator by a US Bigsby B6, Nashville type roller bridge, and Gretsch style control pot covers/strap buttons. Tuners are I believe Grover (OK but not quite stae tite). Hard case is quite a decent Epiphone badged one.

I originaly wanted to buy a Gretsch 6120 or Duo jet to get Gene Vincent's Cliff Gallup sound with the help of a HH Multi echo and a HH Performer/Fender Twin Amp and simply could not afford It. This guitar proved to be an excellent purchase (second hand) and after my mods, I managed to get one of the most beautiful 50's clean sound any one could hope for (in fact very similar to Cliff). Which raised the question: Are we sure Cliff Gallup recorded on a Duo jet? The sound is truely amazing, playability worth any top guitars if not better (and I played a few). It is simply irresistible!!!

I do not know how the guitar was set up originally, but I would say pretty good at the moment. Not a very low action as one would expect from a jazz but this suits me.
The let down is perhaps very much on some of the finish (not necessarely noticeable to others but certainly to me). The pickup selector is not too great, the pots are a bit noisy, and some of the details are not too brilliant! I love this guitar but I am being honest. This is not an Elitist nor an L5 CES. But then again It was very cheap.
The days of the ET-290 and other crestwood are far for Epiphone.

I only use this guitar at home and I am sure that It will last for years to come. However I do not think that this guitar would have survived well playing 8 months every night during 4 years like I did when I was a member of the rock and roll group The Crazy Caps in the south of France (80's).
It is a beautiful guitar, fun and fairly well made, looks like a million bucks but not for the hard working musician.
I would have a backup: Bigsby are superb but they do get out of tune.

I was trying to replace the pickguard and contacted Gibson: They directed me to the UK distributor which does not seem to sell this part. So not too impressed. Although I will not judge a make as brilliant as Gibson on one experience.

I own a Gretsch G6121W Round up with dynasonic, a Fender Twin amp, a HH multi echo (vintage 1979) a HH Performer 150 Watts (early 80's) a Roland TD3K drumm kit, Ludwig/Tama kit (originally a drummer you see).
This guitar is one of the best any one on a budget could buy and after mods sound as good as any top Gibson. I play It very often and I am amazed every time...I chose this one over a new Joe Pass as It was 200 times better and over a white Falcon (price!!!!). If it was stolen I would hunt the thief to the end of this earth to retrieve it.
If unsuccessful I would purchase the same in Elitist and do the same mods again. If Gibson would only produce the same as my version (minus the imperfections yet remain competitive)they would make an absolute fortune with 50's music lovers.

Mine is a Vintage Sunburst color.

Wood bridge, all original configuration, no alterations has been done.
This one has a spruce top that really give a nice "cling" to the tone.

It has all features I need, but it would be nice to be able to move the saddles to intonate the guitar (wood bridge). Thc pup selection switch might need to be replaced, it makes a "skritchhhh" noise when I switch between pickups.

This guitar as a VERY nice jazz sound. It's not as fully as deep as a Gibson, but it has a very enjoyable sound, with AND WITHOUT an amplifier.

I would say that it is "better" that the Ibanez archtop series.

The frets make some noises, but I think that it has to do with my strings. I should use one step lighter gauge with maybe flatwounds. The noise from the frets can however be avoided with a good playing technique (the tone is all about technique anyways :))

I do not like the fact that the plastic around the microphones makes "buzzez" here and there when playing acoustically. This noise does not however sound in the amplifier.

Nice dark woody sound. Very full and rich. I play with bridge pickup, and the Tone on about 4, this gives a nice jazzy almost "bumpy" sound.

The action could be set a little lower, but then I would have more fret noises so... I feel that this guitar has a little bit of too high action for my taste. Maybe I dislike the action because I tried a Gibson ES 175 before buying this ;)

There is a sharp edge on the pickguard that is not supposed to be there. It is not visible though and it is not in the way whan playing. Other than that I cannot find any flaws.

Nice looking guitar! Very beautiful!

I can depend on this one. I would use this without a backup ( for jazz gigs).

The hardware MIGHT have to be replaced sometime in a distant future. The pickup selector makes some noise in the amplifier when switching between pups (this does not bother me as I only use the neck pickup.

Even though I have given this straight nines (9), I am going to give it a 10 in overall rating, because it was so cheap! A real bang for the buck!
If you are looking for a cheap giggable jazz guitar, this is the one! I would not buy the Ibanez archtop series (they have very ugly lightening flash on the headpice :)).

This is a beautiful guitar with superb tone. I believe that with the right technique, this guitar can sound like pat metheny and also more like a "traditional" jazz guitar.

Finish: Vintage Sunburst (Tobacco). Tune-o-matic bridge added to allow better intonation. 25.5 scale. Gibson Classic 57 pickups added as upgrade (although EPI pickups are really not that bad). I give it a ten in this category because it has all of the features needed for a archtop/jazz guitar.

Nice, full, deep clean jazz sound. I use bridge pickup exclusively. The tone knobs are much more responsive than other Epiphones and Gibsons I have owned or played. It sounds best with the tone rolled off for a true jazz tone. Excellent for a guitar in this price category and higher.

I can't comment on the factory set up as I purchased the instrument used. However, I was amazed at the workmanship and very impressed.

Like any archtop, it takes a little more care, but honestly it seems like it will endure. I don't think you should ever play a gig without a backup, but I'm very confident in the reliability of this guitar.

Have never had to deal with Epiphone (I own two...the other is a Riviera). Haven't heard much positive about their customer support.

YOU CANNOT BEAT THIS GUITAR FOR THE VALUE!! Yes, there is some difference when compared to a Gibson for instance, however not several thousand dollars worth of difference. It is great for what it is designed for......jazz, early rock, etc. Don't plug it into a high gain amp and complain about it. Its not designed for that. If you're looking for sweet tones and a very playable neck/fretboard, then serously consider this guitar.

Epi Broadway, i believe i have a 2006 model... made in korea... natural finish.... you know the rest of the story

like other reviewers have said, this is a JAZZ BOX. it sounds best CLEAN with some REVERB....

before i bought this guitar, i had been 'borrowing' my band mates epi dot deluxe, and i really loved the neck pickup tone, and the way the neck felt in my big hands moreso than my trusted fender tele. so i decided to buy one for myself. however, i played a bunch of hollowbody and semihollowbody guitars, and this broadway was the one that sounded the best to my ears.

WARM WARM CLEAR CLEAN LUSH RICH FULL.... get the idea?

i play rock music and the only tone this guitar doesn't do well is the "pumpkin sound" ie big fuzzy creamy distortion. but everything else sounds great.

the action from the factory was a tad high for my taste. easy fix
the pickups are just right. if anything i might heighten the bridge pickup, but only to make it have more bite.

i haven't found any flaws yet, i have had it for a month. the toggle switch seems flimsy, but if it breaks i'll just get a gibson. everything else seems to be up to par.

reliability and durability have yet to be seen. only 1 month with it so far. always have a backup at your gig, just because. so far it's been trouble free and i have played it every day since i got it.

i play this or a "partscaster" (american parts) thru a boss gt3 into a 1980 silverface fender twin reverb. twin stays at master volume 8, channel volume 2.3, treble 8.5, middle 8.5 bass 4.5 reverb off. plug in any guitar straight in and you'll find out if it's a good instrument. the only time i dont' play the broadway is when i'm going for that pumpkins tone... then i get out the tele.

i played a bunch of archtops and semi hollowbodys, a bunch thru various clean amps, and the broadway spoke to me. it was too expensive, but sometimes you just gotta spend some money.

i think it's rediculous that it didn't come with a case at all. i told guitar center if they wouldn't give me a hardshell case then no sale. they threw in the hardshell case for free.

i've been playing for 14 years.

The gold plating on this guitar is a waste of time. It will be gone within the first year resulting in an older look.The stock Frequensator tail doesn't add much to the looks.(replace) The rosewood bridge takes some fussing to get the guitar in tune. The bridge on this particular guitar is too high for my liking (replace)I don't like grover tuning pegs so they'll be going soon. The plastic nut is really bad (replace)the input jack shorts out because it is loose and needs some work (again)and change the tail.

The pickups are fine but I screwed them down. I put on a set of ghs burnishe pure nickles roundwound 009-42 and they sure brought out some great sounds from this guitar. (Also try Gibson Brite Wires and flatwounds)The tone is fantastic for jazz and would be very suiting for large orchestra playing and advanced solo playing.

The antique black spray paint over the honey colored spruce sound board looks cool if I were wearing chaps and a ten gallon hat and had my name pasted in day glow pink,white and green lettering on the sound board. The binding, inlay are great.As I say, the antique sunburst looks like a guitar for a country band. If your playing jazz go for the natural finish.

This guitar is great for jazz and at the price it would be hard to go wrong.Do some replacements (if you like) and you'll have a great jazz guitar that will last for years.

Been playing for amost 40 years. Would I buy this again YES! (but not the antique sunburst finish)