Epiphone Broadway

Very nice looking guitar.I have changed pick ups to Gibson 57
Classics, saddle to Grap Tech, bridge to Gibson tune-o-matic and tail piece to Gretsch/Bigsby vibrato.

This guitar works perfect in rockabilly,blues and rock'n'roll.I play with plastic thumb pick and brass(cobalt plated) fingerpicks. 011-strings and late 70's Fender Deluxe Reverb(Blackfaced mod). In rockabilly stuff I use Dynacord Echocord S62 for slap echo. No other effects.Pick up-selector is most in middle position...

Guitar needed some work, but mainly everything was ok.

Everything is ok.

I've been playing 32 years. I own also National Duolian 1931 and Kay
archtop from 50's. These are my blues machines...But at this moment this Epiphone Broadway is the most important guitar for me ...it works.

This is a Korean made Broadway from around 2000? that I bought used, but in excellent condition. The top is an arched laminated spruce with laminated maple sides and back. The neck is painted, but is likely mahagony w/ a rosewood fingerboard. The headstock is the large retro Epi style with a tree-of-life inlay and no-name cast tuning machines. The neck is inlayed with pearloid block and triangle markers. The body has multiple bindings and the shell pickguard is thick and bound as well. There are two Epiphone humbucker pickups, the usual four control knobs, and a 3-position toggle switch on the bottom upper bout. The cutaway is venitian style. The guitar is finished in a sunburst that fades from a honey to a dark cabernet. The tailpiece is a Frequesator type and the bridge is rosewood. All hardware is gold plated. The guitar comes with a flat plywood case.

I have read people slamming this guitar on other sites. Incredible as it seems, some people actually think they can play heavy metal on this guitar (Ted Nugent and his Gibson Byrdland excepted)! This guitar is fully hollow, without the center 2x4 found in ES335 type thin lines. Additionally, it is a spruce top intead of maple giving it an even richer acoustic sound. It's not as acoustic as say the Epi Zepher Regent, but much more so than the Epi Joe Pass, Riviera, Sheraton II, et al. It will not handle being overdriven or an environment with alot of feedback. This model was made for accentuating the acoustic tones of a cleanly amplified guitar. BB King string benders should look elseware as well. The thicker gauge strings that are designed to bring out the best in this guitar don't bend well. Nor is the wooden bridge ideal for bending. Look to the thin lines with stop tailpieces and lower action for that style. This guitar is made for jazz, period. It has a fine unplugged sound (to me this is most important). Plugged in with a touch of reverb will dial you in to that classic jazz sound. The spruce gives this guitar it's unigue sound, but at the price that it is more vibration sensitive than a similar maple top model. If it was based on acoustic sound alone, I would give it a 10, but the pickups sound muddy and it is difficult to achieve a sound that is both loud and clean. My practice amplifier may be part of the problem and I intend to replace the neck pickup and go to a larger amp.

The finish of this guitar is really unbelievable. For all the binding, there is only one small flaw that I could find and that was a razor thin gap between the neck and one edge of the nut. The inlays are near perfect (are all these now done with a lazer?) The gold finish is awfull, however. This must be the thinest electroplating ever. I can see keeping the cost down, but I would rather have thick chrome than thin gold. If you buy a guitar like this, be prepared to fiddle with the bridge as intonation is approximate at best. I have heard of people replacing the bridge with a metal adjustable version, but I think that would sacrifice the acoustic tone that makes this model special. The toggle switch is another dud. It goes in and out in the middle position and should be replaced. The pickups should be replaced, but not an immediate concern. I do all of my playing in the neck position and may replace just that one.

This guitar easily takes live playing and is a solid product as one would expect from an Epiphone in this price range. As I said, the gold finish on the harware is very poor. I would rather pay another $50 for thicker plating or have had it done in chrome. For those that like a vintage look, you only have to wait a few months and the hardware will take on a 50 year fade. Like I said, the toggle switch is a POS, but can be replaced for a couple bucks. The tone/volume knobs are nothing special and should be replaced based on looks. Everything else is solid.

Never dealt with them, nor to be honest would I ever try.

I've owned may guitars and play in many styles as the mood takes me. Don't get the wrong idea, I love the string bending blues styles of the three Kings as well as rock through death metal distortion and have played those styles on a variety of solid and semi-solid body guitars. IMHO this guitar wasn't meant for those styles. Think chord melody. I compared this guitar to the Epiphone Zepher Regent and Joe Pass models and the Ibenez Artcore models of similar price.

2004 Epiphone Broadway, Vintage Sunburst, Made in Korea. Features have been summarized here alraedy (no changes for 2004). The binding, tort. shell pickguard and nice headstock inlay bump this to a 10 for a guitar in this price range. The Ibanez Artcore series (hollowbody) is close in features.

A very rich, full sounding guitar as expected with a big hollowbody like this one. The sound, through a Polytone MBII is very articulate. The guitar came strung with a set of 12-54's (roundwound, plain 3rd), which are fine. I have no intention of replacing the stock pick-ups, although I had planned on it before buying it. They really are nice sounding. Quiet, mellow, full, clear, no muudy lows or piercing highs. Good range of tone control with the two tone pots and volume control's perform well. The three way toggle switch is fine. Quiet and no problems. Perhaps Epiphone (Gibson) has reacted to the past criticism of this? Feedback at volume is no different than any other hollowbody. Easily controlable. I compared this to the Ibanez Artcore series and the Epiphone was clearly superior sounding to my ears. The Artcore was a bit "nasal" sounding, with weak highs and muddy lows at volume. In fairness, the Artcore was $300.00 (Can.) cheaper than the Epiphone.

Superbe. Simple as that. I am so anal about fit and finish. I checked inside with a small mirror and was impressed with the neatness. No glue drips or wood shavings. Wiring was neat and tidy and securely harnessed together. The nut was absolutely perfect. I'm wondering if the store touched it up? It was profiled properly, string slots cut just right (not too deep). Man, Gibson should take serious notice here. Frets were well done with no sharp edges or high spots. Tuners were straight and aligned (again, Gibson should take notice!). Floating bridge was cut properly. I don't know how many guitars I've gone through with consistently sloppy work in one or more of the above noted areas, including many Gibsons and a few Fenders. Full points earned here.

I will give a no opinion here, because I would be speculating. The finish and construction are top notch, I have no quams there. I expect the gold finish to eventually wear off, it's always so cheesy and lame.

I have no experience here.

I really can't fault anything on this guitar. I tried an ES-175, which sounded quite nice, but had some sharp fret edges, a finish flaw, and a binding flaw. It was $3,100.00 Can. No thanks. I have been playing for some 20 years and favour jazz and blues. I've owned a ES-135, a 137, a 335. I currently have a 333 and a Telecaster. I play professionaly and will not hesitate to use the Broadway. The neck is comfortable, the frets are well done, and the pick-ups are excellent. Drawbacks include a low re-sale value (if that's important to you), and the "stigma" of an imported guitar (jazz circles are very conservative). That seems to be changing though. I have to honestly say, in my opinion, that the Broadway rivals Epiphones own "Elitist" series, and certainly the Gibson stuff. it is a noticeable step above the Ibanez Artcore series in sound and build/material quality (but it's more expensive as well). You really do have to play one though, and grab an ES-135 or 175 for comparison. You can draw your own conclusions. I am extremely pleased with this instrument and am looking forward to many years of enjoyment from it. Well done, Epiphone.

I suppose my broadway was made in Korea like most other epiphones. It's a standard model and with an antique finish (which i find very nice by the way, surprising for a rather cheap guitar).
I got myself a hard case with that because i carry my guitar everyday at school (i study music) and i am quite satisfied by the fact that it doesn't get untuned so easily like other archtops.
I use .012 flat rounds and may i suggest to anyone using a broadway guitar to try flats once. they are fun to play with and sound very nice. a problem is in deed the wooden bridge, which not only cannot be tuned to perfection but i guess will have to be replaced one day because everytime you move it a little wood comes off.

This may sound weird but i like the fact that the screw that it used to tighten the neck or to loosen it is easily accessible, which i haven't found in that many guitars i tried.
For example, the strat (bleh) i have is terrible for that matter.

I bought this guitar for the sound it offered me... i must say that with tone set to 4 and flat .012's i am *VERY* satisfied concerning the sound. i can sound a little like pat metheny cough cough :)
no problem here

Action has 3 dead spots i've discovered so far... this is my only meaningful downside of the broadway i proudly own... i like to have a rather low action and my tenth fret sounds dead on the a and the d strings and there is also a dead spot on the thirteenth fret on the d string. the finish is really nice, it looks awesome.

here is another minor problem i've had with the guitar, like a lot of epiphone guitars (i heard) the controls get loose after a little while. the jack also tends to get loose after a while.

weirdly enough, i had problems with the pickup selector (the guitar stopped producing sound sometimes when i set the pickup to the middle) only when i first got it ... after a week or so it simply stopped happening.

I don't know yet if the guitar will live longer than a year ;)
The wood for this guitar, if it is used properly seems like it will in deed survive years of intense practice. the knobs though seem like they will fall off in a few months, unfortunately. but i consider this as a minor problem that can easily be solved.

i don'tk now and i don't want to know how epiphone will answer my problems. i'd rather not make use of their international help and go to my nearest guitar techie

I am 19 years old and i have been playing for 11 years now. I study music at school.
I currently also have a Godin Artisan ST which i also like a lot.
Oh and I have a Mexican/Japanese/American/Idon'tgivea* stratocrapster i paid 50$ in case i have to pop gigs one day. /me pees on it.

I chose this one because i like playing jazz and my godin artisan st, while having helped me a lot with jazz, sure sounds thin compared to this hollow body semi-acoustic. I thought it was a perfect compromise for my needs and my financial situation.
(oh and by the way pardon my (sometimes) bad english grammar, my native language is french)

Serial number indicates year 2000. Likely Korean. Laminated top, sides, back. Rosewood 20 fret fingerboard. Two humbuckers, associated knobs and switch, normal configuration. Neck of three pieces (maple), well done. gold hardware. It has every single feature necessary to this type of guitar.

I've been using it for electric jazz, traditional. The pickups are not original (were changed before I got it) so I'll skip that, but everything works as it should-- except the pickup selector switch, which is not very reliable (since I only play the neck pickup anyway, this does not affect me. Not a big deal to replace it). I don't buy the idea of different body types affecting pickups. Affecting how the string vibrates, yes. I'll say this-- I am surprised at how well it sustains, considering how acoustic it is. With a soundpost, I might be able to rock out a bit. Frankly, I like a guitar that fights back with squeals and feedback. Obviously there are limits. For higher levels, a guitar like this needs a soundpost and probably a notch/parametric filter.

One thing I dislike is the "Frequensator" tailpiece. I have it on a Emperor, too. It rings like a telephone (er, when telephones had real bells?). I got rid of that on the Broadway, replacing it with a tailpiece off (I think) a Joe Pass model. VAST improvement. Looks better, too, IMHO.

The neck is pretty much like every Epi full-size archtop. It's a tad sharper at the edges-- not much rollover-- which suits me since I like a little wider fretboard and I don't hang my thumb over the top like a wild thing anyway. It PLAYS beautifully. Very fast neck. back to front it is flatter than the one on my '95 Emperor. About as good a neck as I've ever played, and much better than most.

The finish work is better than I felt I had a right to expect from such a reasonably priced guitar. It's fine. There are little places I could pick nits about but nothing ugly and nothing affecting playability. It's a GUITAR, not some object d'art in the Smithsonian.

Of course it's a giggable guitar. It's an Epi. A few little changes like the pickup switch, pickups (there's WAY too much choice out there these days to stick with stock pickups) and it's as solid a guitar as you could wish for. The gold finish is known to wear off on these Epis, but that's largely a matter of how acid a person's skin is and his habits. For a guitar of this price, it seems about normal to me.

I'd trust this guitar as much as any, to gig without a backup. I mean, if I brought a backup, it wouldn't be because I don't trust the Broadway.

Been playing 35 years, traditinal jazz, bluezy jazz, and rough blues. I love these big "jazz-boxes" (a term I don't care much for but what the heck), and have a few. Amps: '64 Bassman, Blues Junior (with a Weber Chicago, man what a combination!), Champ 12 (I liked dimed small amps), Dual Showman, and a few homemade tubers, basically Deluxes-- Tweed, Brown, Blackface.

This guitar, like most 17" archtops, falls in my lap just like my girlfriend of many years standing. Fits. Perfect. Other guitars invite me to get bluesy, even thrash some. This one coaxes jazz out of me like a nice sports-car invites you to use the accelerator. I smile when I play this. I smile when I look at it hanging on the wall. I like everything about it.

One of this guitar's best attributes is that, if it was lost, wrecked, or stolen, I could make a phone call and have another one before I hung up (OK, a week). I have custom guitars. They make me worry. Not this puppy. I know it must seem weird that I say I love this guitar, and yet at the same time wouldn't get all bent if it got stolen or something, but that's the way it is. I DO, however, take very good care of it. It deserves that. After all, it takes care of me.

My Broadway is a 2001, Korean-made model with 20 or 21 frets. The top is laminated spruce with semi-figured maple elsewhere. Everything is bound, including the two f-holes. The body is 17" wide at the lower bout and 3" deep - all hollow with a single, rounded cutaway.

This baby is a full sized jazz archtop with a 25.5" scale. The neck is a multi-piece maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is slim and narrow (1.68") like msot modern archtops.

The dual Epiphone '57 Classic humbucker pickups have been replaced with a gold-covered Gibson '57 Classic (8k ohms) in the neck and a Classic Plus (9k ohms) in the bridge. During the pickup upgrade, the pickup selector switch was replaced with Gibson hardware for better performance and reliability.

Additionally, a tune-o-matic bridge (ala ES-175) was added in place of the rosewood bridge-saddle. As such, I can switch back and forth as desired. The gold locking tuners are stock and work great.

The guitar sports a natural finish with the surrounding maple being slightly darker in hue than the spruce top. The fingerboard inlays are real - not plastic sheets. In fact, these fancy inlays are only shared by the Broadway, Regent, and the Riviera, while all other Korean-made Epi archtops use the plain, silver grey plastic inalys. All in all a very pleasing sight to say the least.

I have the Epi case made for this guitar, but the guitar does not come stock with it. Plan on an additional $100 outlay, but it's worth it.

For what it is - a jazz archtop, it has all the features I want and need. I'd give it a 10, but it doesn't have a "ton of features" like the category grade says. So, in deference to guitars with a piezo pickup, on-board tuner, and coil tap switches, I'll give the Broadway a "9".

This guitar was created with one thought in mind - jazz! Though I play other styles, this guitar is my jazz box. I use it exclusively for that.

I run the Broadway into a 1996 Fender Princeton Chorus amp for excellent jazz tone. I only use the on-board stereo chorus on the amp and play only on the clean channel. Beleive me, for lower volume playing - duo stuff, that's all you need.

This guitar is not noisy when idle or when playing or when switching the pickup selector.

Rolling back the volume or tone controls gives me darker jazz tones. I can brighten things up a bit by running both pickups together.

Acoustically, this guitar sounds quite good! Better then my ex-Joe Pass model. I don't play acoustically, though.

For jazz and clean pop, this guitar is excellent. There is nothing I dislike, so she gets a "10" in this category.

This gutiar is in perfect shape! Still has that new smell! Plays fantastic even with the 12's with which she's now strung. No annoying buzzes or weird noises either! All cosmetics are perfect, too. I can't say enough... OK, there is a little rough edge on the fretboard where it joins the neck in a spot or two. With that, she gets a "9".

This guitar was made to play live. hardware will last just fine as long as you don't use a metal polish which will take the gold plating off. The finish is excellent.

Haven't needed them on this guitar, but Epi has come thorugh in the past on other guitars with no hassle support.

I've been playing about 10 years on and off over the last 25 years. I play in a rock/blues band currently and have other guitars and amps to handle that stuff. The Broadway is my dedicated jazz box which I use primarily for self-enjoyment. I also own a Gibson ES-137P semi-hollow archtop, Fender Super Amp (tube), the Fender Princeton Chorus amp, and 5 or 6 pedals.

I've owned lots of guitars - Gibson ES-135, ES-135LE, Epi Joe Pass, Epi Regent, DeArmond X-155, 70's Lyle L5 copy, 70's SLM Howard Roberts Artist copy, '61 Gretsch Clipper (6186), and a whole host of other jazz and non-jazz guitars. Sadly, all have been sold over the past few years...

Amp-wise, I've owned SFSR, SFPR, BF and SF Champs, Sunn T50C, Marshall tube stack, oddballs like Alamo Capri/Gibson small amps, and many others.

Overall, I'd say that I am very, very pleased with this guitar. I love those Gibson '57 Classic humbuckers on this guitar, though on others I found them to be bright. The playability is perfect as is intonation. No complaints.

Would I buy it again? If I got the same exact deal? Heck, yes. Do I still want a Heritage Super Eagle? Yes... and a 50's ES-175 as well as a 60's Gretsch Country Club... you get the idea. I want it all! Which guitar player doesn't?

Untilt he time that I become a millionaire arrives, I am finding this Broadway to be mroe that suitable for my level of play and tonal expectations. It's the best jazz tone I've gotten to date from all mypreceding guitars, including my Epi Joe Pass which I heavily modified.

Oh, a word about the Epi Joe Pass... I sold mine and regretted it, whcih prompted me to buy this one. To get an idea how serious I was about my Epi Joe pass, why not visit my site:

http://www.geocities.com/oasysco/joepass.htm

and see for yourself. It is the definitive site on that gutiar as you will see. That said, I like the tone of this Broadway every bit as much and perhaps even a tad more.

I give the Broadway a "10" in this category, not because it is such a "Fantastic Value", but because I couldn't be happier with it.

At $800 for the guitar, $100 for the case, $300 for the dual Gibson pups installed, and another $50 for the tune-o-matic bridge, $1250 might not seem like such a "Fantastic Value". But having owned a $1,100 Gibson ES-135LE as well as an Epi Joe Pass that I had almost $1,000 into, the $1250 spent on the Broadway was well spent!

2002; maple sides and back, spruce top--this is important, I think, because I genuinely believe the spruce gives it a warmer acoustic sound. natural finish. true hollow-body--and big and fat (3" wide). I give this a '7' for the spruce and the rect/tri inlay and the binding on the sides, neck, f-holes, and the pickguard. I wouldn't give it more than that, just because of the pickups--which still sound great.

I bought this because I'm into jazz/swing and western swing. I've played tons of archtops--most of which cost a thousand bucks more. This has the best sound for anything I've played under $2k. Gibson's ES-175 sounded better plugged in, but, not as good, IMHO, acoustically. I won't play this acoustically at a gig, but I think it's important to start with the best unplugged sound you can get. Pickups are upgradeable. This could do jazz/swing/rockabilly--maybe blues, too, but I'm not a blues player.

Setup was very good. No complaints. Came with flats-11's. The finish isn't perfect, but it's very close, and i've been over this thing with a magnifying glass.

I'm used to playing acoustics exclusively, so I don't figure this one'll be any harder to take care of. And I just picked it up today, so, can't comment.

No contact as yet.

For the money, I don't think it can be beat. But that's largely based upon the fact that it has the sound I want--which is the most subjective thing in the world...I would've loved to buy purely American, but I would've had to lay down an additional 1000-1500 bucks to get the sound I wanted. Money I do not have, needless to say. I may upgrade the pickups in the future, but unless I succumb to buyer's guilt and return it, I think I'll be very happy with this guitar for a long time to come.

This is a 2001 model as specified in the seriel#. I think it must have new Gibson designed pickups as stated on the tape that covered them.... what a drag since you have to clean the goop off. This "IS" a jazz guitar and dont have any doubts about it ! Two gold plated humbuckers,rosewood stepped bridge,freqentsator tailpiece,extreeeemly nice inlays,medium light roundwound strings....they ought to be shot for this is a jazz guitar......etc...Plain maple body & spruce top,with rosewood fretboard and all gold hardwear. 17" X 3" body...nice!

I try to play jazz and blues mix without a great deal of success but I dont care I injoy it .....for about 37 years of injoyment!I play it through a converted Fender Quad Reverb(to 2X12 instead of 4X12). What a rich but bright full jazzy body this one has. I have read all the other reviews and some are on and others are off. I cant explain this, maybe its like a new model car... bad times in the beginning and time heals. Or maybe others are just expecting to find the all-a-round guitar, the answer to the alpha and omega....Who knows? To me "IT'S GREAT"

Here we go again... it "WAS THE WORSE SETUP IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND'. The guitar would not play out of the box. Yes I ordered it by internet.But after about an hour it was playing as pretty as it looks, and boy does this Ant.Sunburst look like a $4000 guitar. Purfling was beautiful as was all the finish. The only down side was one of the pickups had a lot of scratches on the side where it looked as though someone was drunk trying to set it up at the Factory. Beautifull frets but too square on the edges, it is roughon me fingers! They really nead to start rounding them off a bit.

It should be as dependable as any other jazzbox.

Not yet....

Great Buy! DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN & AGAIN &>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

2000 Model, natural finish with Gold hardware. Spruce top, Maple sides and back. Frequensator Tailpiec and 3-way toggle.Rosewood Neck with nice looking inlay. Came with a Rosewood Bridge and Gotoh Tuners, which even Epiphone didn't know!. Nice Binding and a very well made product. The Guitar was outstanding out of the box and the best bang for my buck. After having the Neck Set up it really was nice then i did the following - Replaced the Rosewood Bridge with Schaller Tune-O-Matic roller Gold and replaced the toggle switch to a Gibson and replaced the Epiphone Pick Ups with Gibson Classic 57'S - Did I say that this Archtop sounds as good as any guitar i can find.I didn't have to make the changes because the guitar sounded great but i figured that for the price i paid i might as well invest in it. And i am in love with this thing.

With the changes i made the Broadway is just sweet and is perfect for the Blues which is where i am at. I use a Musicman HD212 old (early 70's)Amp and a DOD-GS30 Effects unit.

Like I said, this guitar came out of the box just great. I did have the neck and action adjusted to my particular taste but it was very good. The three weak areas on any Epiphone Guitar is the Pick Up's, the Toggle Switch and the Bridge. Not they are bad but this is where they save money. I suggest replacing these three if possible but at the very least change the Toggle Switch, it will break!

Archtop Guitars are always more delicate the solid body guitars due to the floating bridge and the type of Tailpiece. If you know how to set the bridge ypu will be ok. I play out always and don't have any problems. The guitar is as reliable as anythig esle in this world. But you must change the switch because it will break!

If you registar your guitar and use their web-site tech-support center as well as their forum which is all on the Gibson Site you WILL - NOT have any problem. They are very quick to help and are very pleasent to deal with. I used their advice to make the changes i made and they where dead on. Gibson/Epiphone customer support makes Fender look sick. I am selling all my Fenders and going back to Gibson all the way.

Been Pplaying for over 20 years and was mostly a Fender nut. If it where stolen i'd be really upset and i may replace it but then again i may buy a real Gibson and save the upgrades.FYI: I am a real shopper, not so much for the price but i am always comparing spec's.If you can't afford a Gibson or you are just getting started the Epiphone Brand is excellent and you can always make the upgrades. I went with the Epiphone because i didn't really know if i would like the Archtop type guitar. Now i know what i want and i also love the Archtop.

Recent model bought in 2000. L-5 CES copy, Frequensator tailpiece (some strings are not long enough!), 3 inches thick as opposed to L-5's 3 1/2. Standard two humbucker setup with a toggle switch and a pair of volume/tone controls. The top is laminated spruce. I saw the laminations when I replaced the toggles switch; there are two thick layers of spruce and some veneer. The back and sides are plain maple. Fingerboard is rosewood. Rosewood wooden floating bridge. The brochures say that the guitar has a three-piece neck - what a joke! There are three pieces, but not longitudinaly split, as you would expect. One piece is the headstock, attached in a really strange fashion, the other is the neck itself, and the third piece is what extends over the top. The guitar came with a hardshell case that seems to be made for dreadnaught-style guitars

I use it for jazz. I use a Boogie Mark I. The guitar absolutely kicks ass. The sound is excellent. Geat jazz sound. Great sound with little distortion. Big, fat sound.

Great playability. I had lighter strings on it for a while and the upper frets were buzzing a bit, but with 13 - 54 there are no problems. The neck feels great.

Seems reliable enough.

Don't know

I've been playing for 30 years, have a degree in music. I own a Heritage Golden Eagle and use the Epi for more electric situations. I also want to install RMC pickup on it for piezo sounds and synth access. I compared it in the shop to a Heritage Eagle, some Gibsons, and other guitars and the Epiphone won hand down. It's got some dead notes, but most archtops do. If it were stolen, I may get something else or replace it. I think it was a bit too expensive, but overall it's still a great deal. Don't waste money on expensive Gibsons!