Gibson j160E versus Epiphone counterpart

[Medicus1963]

hi folks,

i am the owner of the epiphone EJ160E and maybe have the chance for the gibson original for 2000€.
Is it worth changing, ore are sound and playability not that different. Maybe someone has both of them to compare !

any suggestions ?

thanks

Peter

[jps]

Tonality is very subjective; have you had the opportunity to compare the two guitars together, in the same room, at the same time (not playing them simultaneously )?

[brammy]

I once borrowed and played one of the Epi J160 John Lennon editions and was totally underwhelmed. Haven't ever picked up the real thing.

[lennon211]

I've owned both. I sold my Epiphone the day that I got my Gibson. The life that the Gibson has is amazing in comparison to the Epiphone when it's unplugged. When plugged into a Vox amp, they sound the same. It's really in the unplugged sound that you hear the difference. Playability is also on the side of the Gibson, as is the overall feeling of the guitar. It was totally worth the upgrade. There are times when the difference from an Epiphone electric to a Gibson electric is pretty negligible, but this was not one of those cases.

[CarlosPrex]

I own the Epi EJ-160E, but never played a Gibson J-160E.

Some years ago I replaced the saddle for a bone compensated made by myself and installed a Fishman transducer Classic 4T. Set action at 4/64" and since then I have had a REALLY, REALLY nice playing, sounding guitar. Played through my AER Compact 60 or just unplugged it´s highly recommended.

Sometimes I prefer using this over my Gibson J-185 or the Gibson J-150 I´ve just sold some weeks ago.

[wj350]

I've owned both--I think they're both excellent guitars. Having said that, I did sell my EJ after keeping both guitars for about a year.

Probably the biggest factor influencing my decision to keep the Gibson was the shorter scale and preference for the beefier neck on the Gibby. FWIW, even with the solid top, I string it with TI Jazz/Swing flats--as I did the Epi. Even with the electric strings, I think it sounds very good acoustically, and great plugged in.

It's important to know exactly what you're buying in terms of the Gibson--they've made several different versions of the J-160E over the years, including several editions of "reissues" of the guitar Lennon and Harrison played.

If the Gibby you're looking at is one of the Lennon reissues, it's likely a plywood top, ladder braced guitar that's gonna sound rough unplugged. The current stock 160Es are solid topped and x-braced, making them better acoustic guitars than the Lennon plywood-topped RIs.

Depending on the year of manufacture, the solid-topped 160Es may be equipped with a P-100 (stacked HBr), like your Epi. Mine's an '07, a J-160E VS STD model, and it has a P-90. Not sure what the current models are using; you can tell by just looking in the sound hole to see the pup. There are also differences in tuners from year to year, etc..

[Medicus1963]

Hi thank you all for your answers,

the one modell i am thinking is not one of the John Lennon reissues, but rather the regular line.
And you think they will sound better than the reissues ?

thanks

Peter

[wj350]

Peter, it's really impossible to say for sure between ay two individual guitars, particularly acoustics/acoustic-electrics IMHO, which one will sound better.

My gut and some logic suggests that, IMHO, the Gibson will probably tend to sound better over a series of examples--with the Gibson, you can pretty safely assume there are better materials being used to build the guitar (to include wood), better quality electronics, and more friendly (tone-wise) finishes (lacquer over poli), sturdier hardware, etc.. There's a reason there's a $1-$1.5K price difference between the two, and only a small part of that difference is the MIA part.

As I mentioned, I eventually decided to sell my Epi--but none-the-less, I thought the guitar sounded very good and was exceptionally well-made. Truthfully, my ear is probably not gifted enough to have detected all the tonal nuances between the two that I had, but in the end, mainly for the reasons I mentioned above, I decided I was happier with the Gibby. But there are no guarantees....

Good luck with your decision.

[Medicus1963]

Thanks for all the helping,

I decided to buy a Gibson J45, because I would like to get a really good acoustic sound, and dont want to be so close to the Lennon specs. But the Guitar looks very like the acoustic guitars of both Beatles.
If I got it finally i will post some photos. I hope the guys in Bozemann did their Job very well, very important for me is the easy playability, as I mainly play my electrics.

See you !

Peter

[simer4001]

There really is no comparison between the two. The Gibson, IMO,is a instrument of higher quality. Not just with the Lennon model, but the DOVE & the HUMMINBIRD too.

[wolfgang]

hello,
I've never seen a Gibson J160E.
But my Epiphone JE160E JL has a string length of 25 inches (650mm), the Gibson should have the standard scale length of 24,5 inches (628 mm).
The Gibson shoud have an height- adjustable bridge, the epiphone has'nt.
The action of the Epi is about 3mm, so you can't get the I feel fine feedback properly. I am not sure, if the Epiphone has a solid top,
the Gibson should not have a solid top.
So, to me , the Epiphone is more a "JE 45 E", in Epiphone quality. And, well, it's a John Lennon signature model, too.

Wolfgang

[wj350]

Hi Wolfgang,

The characteristics you mention for the Gibson J-160E would be true for one of the various Lennon Reissues--ply top, adjustable bridge, etc.. The standard Gibson J-160Es (like the VS models) have solid tops and fixed bridges.

The Epiphone EJ-160E is a solid-topped, fixed bridge guitar as well.

Cheers,

Bill

[Medicus1963]

Finally i changed the Gibson J45 to the J160e and i am happy !
It is asolid topped x-braced guitar of superb sound and playability.
And through p90 and Vox AC30 it is Beatle time !!

Peter

[doctorwho]

Congratulations, Peter!

[Medicus1963]

Thank you Gary,

Photos can be seen in my thread "My tiny little guitar collection"

Peter