Epiphone Broadway Review
Jumbo Archtop For Jazz... And Rock: The Epiphone
Broadway
People generally equate fatbody archtops with jazz, and for
good reason - they're responsible for the warm, woody tones
that have fueled swing and bebop guitar for 60 years now. But
jumbo hollowbodies also have their place in rock 'n' roll, all
the way from early Chuck Berry and Duane Eddy to Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young (four mondo Gretsch's onstage
simultaneously!), not to mention '70's and '80's aces like
Steve Howe, Who's Next-era Pete Townsend, and Triumph's Rick
Emmet. Today, even former solidbody-users like John McLaughlin,
Larry Coryell, and Al Di Meola can be heard blowing fusion
solos on big-momma archtops. To that end, let's bring forward
the Epiphone Broadway for inspection. Although this is a
fully-functional jazz axe, replete with a grand 17" lower bout,
the presence of two humbuckers deftly implies you can rock on
this baby too.
Essentially an Epiphone Emperor Regent with humbuckers, the
Broadway's body is made of a select spruce laminated top (FYI,
most hollowbodies also have laminated tops), and laminated
maple back and sides that are lightly figured. The 25.5" scale
multi-piece neck is also maple, while the bound fretboard is
stained rosewood to give more of a dark ebony appearance (the
nut measures 1.68"). A big thumbs up must go to Epiphone for
the snazzy "block and triangle" abalone fingerboard inlays and
vine headstock inlay, which are most impressive for a
hollowbody in this price range. I would however, suggest
replacing the cheesy black-and-silver control knobs with
something more classy, such as gold ones to complement the the
gold hardware. The guitar has a rosewood bridge and adjustable
Frequensator tailpiece, as well as the obligatory pair of
f-holes on the top. Workmanship is pretty good on this
Korean-made guitar. There are a couple instances of filled-in
gouges or uneven lacquering on the body, but when you consider
that many archtops start around $4000 and can work their way up
to $10,000 or more in a heartbeat, this doesnt concern me too
much. The Broadway feels rock-solid and gig-ready.
To my ears, the Broadway's humbuckers are voiced with more of a
rock/fusion slant, having lots of puckery mids and large bottom
end. It may not have the woody, air-like tone of some jumbos,
but it's still a perfectly serviceable jazz sound. I even drove
it through the gain channel of a Crate amp as well as on the
clean channel with a Tech 21 fuzzbox, and got some nasty
early-fusion tones - think vintage McLaughlin and Coryell.
(But, hey, watch that overdrive level, unless you really like
howling feedback.) Of course, jazzers like a good unplugged
sound and the Broadway has a pleasing-enough acoustic sound for
practicing, though it's not on par with upscale jazzboxes that
are made for non-electric playing. But again, expect to pay for
that privilege.
Also, if you've never used an archtop before, beware of string
changing. Why? Because the bridge is not attached to the body
and if you're someone who takes all the strings off first, then
your bridge will fall off and you might not know where to put
it again (unless you mark it's location with masking tape or
wax pencil). Instead, change the strings one at a time. But all
told, the Broadway is a fine value for the money. Again, you
can spend a mint on jumbo hollowbodies, but if you want to get
into the archtop vibe on a budget and dont want to play a piece
of crap, this guitar fits the bill nicely. It's also a great
looker, being very sexy in both sunburst and blonde. I'll take
the blonde, thank you.
--Pete Prown
Guitar Shop Magazine
May 1998
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