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Epiphone EM-1

 

Epiphone EM-1 reviewed by The Man in the Jar

An affordable axe for fledgling shredders...

Features of the Epiphone EM-1

Tuners - Sealed mini-tuners work with a smooth and positive action.

Headstock - This is a direct copy of the original Explorer headstock and I love it. It has the air of the Grim Reaper's scythe that so suits the heavy metal application of the instrument. It does have downsides - you have to be careful not to bash it on things (as it's longer than you think!) and the string path is anything but straight-line from the nut. But I think the kudos of the mean looks makes it worthwhile! 

Nut - The black plastic nut abuts the fretboard and is tidily cut.

Neck - The bolt-on maple neck is deliciously slim and puts me in mind of an Ibanez, which is what I guess this guitar is pitched against. Despite the bolt-on construction the heel is moulded to give a set-neck feel in the higher register.

Fretboard - The rosewood fretboard has a nice tight grain and an even colouration. The fret-markers are traditional pearloid dots.

Frets - Big fat highly polished frets give an extremely positive playing experience and facilitate the wildest of bends. There are 24 frets with excellent access right the way up the neck.

Action - The set-up from the Indonesian factory is adequate. But you're not going to be a shredder unless you get down and dirty with your own guitar set-up techniques. The neck is as straight as an arrow so it's easy to work the action down to shredding paradise once you've fitted your preferred string gauge.

Body - This body shape has appeared before in both Epiphone and Gibson models. The over-exaggerated top horn actually serves a very important purpose as the guitar hangs on the strap - it causes the neck, and therefore the crucial shredding area, to sit further back to your body. This puts you in the best position over the fretboard to oversee and nail those fast runs. It is quite a different playing position that takes a few minutes to get used to. 
The alder body has a good thickness to it and has a good presence on the strap. There's some Strat-like comfort contouring on the back and under your forearm on the front. The gloss black finish is handsome indeed.   

Bridge - The bridge is a standard tune-o-matic with individual saddles adjustable for string length, this is especially important as this is a double-octave fretboard. The action is adjustable via two screws, one at each end of the bridge. Instead of a stoptail the strings dive straight down through the body via staggered ferrules. One important thing to not is the absence of any trem (or vibrato) facility. I actually applaud this decision on what is after all an entry-level shredding guitar. Far better to learn to play properly on a hard-tail and upgrade later to a Floyd-equipped instrument if required. Also the lack of a trem will make this guitar an attractive proposition for rhythm guitarists looking for a bit of metal credential. 

Pickups - Two black open-coil humbuckers sit in black surrounds.

Controls - One volume control and one tone control sit either side of a three-way pickup selector.

Strap-buttons - Two medium-large strap buttons are provided. one on the bottom edge of the body, the other is set on the back of the body at the top of the extended upper horn.

Output Jack - On the lower edge of the body in an oval chrome jackplate.

Finish - Very good throughout.

 

Sound of the Epiphone EM-1

The humbuckers loaded onto the EM-1 are voiced for practitioners of the metal arts. Therefore they are quite dark in spite of the brightening factor of the alder tonewood body. I enjoyed the depth of the bridge humbucker for high lead runs and found the guitar's voice balanced best when I flicked to the combination of neck and bridge humbuckers for lower patterns. For the price this guitar delivers highly credible metal.

 

Overall Impressions of the Epiphone EM-1

This is an individualistic guitar that is aimed at a certain type of player. I think it makes a perfect choice for the beginner or intermediate player interested in exploring high speed playing techniques in the heavier music genres. The lack of a trem unit also makes it a top choice for heavy metal rhythm players on a budget.

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