well here they are and I will explain below what the plans are:

My Guitars

From left to right

1) Tobacco Burst 1987 “Epiphone by Gibson” Sheraton II (AKA E-by-G, made in Korea, Samick). Bought this semi hollow guitar for a very good price a few knocks and dings but has lots of character, just what you want for a blues guitar. I want to change the total electrics in this guitar and want a set of Lollar Firebirds, which I will split with pull-push tone knob controls. I will also get this guitar professionally set up. Those pickups should hopefully give me the bite and bark I am looking for from this guitar.

“E-by-G Blues” is a test recording of an improvisation by me playing a little lead over a blues backing track on my “E-by-G”

2) Cherry Burst 1997 Epiphone “Joe Pass” Emperor II (made in Korea, Samick). A full bodied entry level Jazz guitar. I have a total new assembly in this guitar from Mojotone in the US, and I put in a set of Seymour Duncan pickups Jazz (neck) JB (bridge). I have also changed the tailpiece, bought an additional TOM bridge to compliment the existing ebony bridge (can switch them for tonal reasons) and put a set of black speed knobs. I have plans to change the pickups to a set of GFS mean 90’s sometime in the spring.

“E-by-G Blues: Alternative take” is a test recording of an improvisation by me playing a little lead on my “Joe Pass” over a slow blues chord progression also played on my “Joe Pass”

3) Tobacco Burst 1989 Epiphone Sheraton II (made in Korea, Samick). Semi hollow guitar I want to change the total electrics in this guitar and want a set of good quality PAF pickups. It might look strange that I will have two Sheraton’s but I am aiming for two completely different tones from the two guitars, I want a sharp biting, barking single coil type vibe from my E-by-G, I am hoping the Firebird minis will deliver for me. This 89 Sheraton will be completely different the wiring and the PAF’s I am hoping will get me somewhere close to a 50’s/60’s Gibson 335 classic PAF sound.

4) All my guitars are second hand and this is the least expensive. A nice Vintage Sunburst Samick SG, I was missing a solid bodied guitar and for little money this will fill that niche. Will see if in time this guitar deserves the SD’s I will take from the Joe Pass. Hoping it gives me a nice feeling and I do put that SD Jazz/JB set of pickups in there.

Finally, and definitely not least.

5) My Levin 335 my only acoustic.

“I’ll never get out of these blues alive” is a test recording of a piece of a John Lee Hooker tune played on my Levin acoustic.

I feel the Sheraton’s cover most bases for me and once modified they are “keepers” the other three are luxury.

I will always hunt for my dream 1960 Epiphone Zephyr 311/312 thinline in natural like the one John Lee had in the 1960’s.

Epiphone Sheraton II

Just before the New Year, I found the Epiphone Sheraton I have been looking for. It is an 1989, Korean built guitar, in Tobacco Sunburst.

It is a very beautiful guitar, and I am very happy with it. It is all stock, exactly as it came from the Epiphone factory and was a fair price and came with a case.

I am enjoying the guitar as it is at the moment, sounds fine through my amp. However, I have started research on the Epiphone forums, about a set of pickups for this guitar.

In due course I will replace all the electrics and mount a new set of pickups in the Sheraton. The guys on the Epiphone forums are amazing, and I now know, where I am headed to find the tone I want for this guitar.

It is not going to be easy, the ideal pickups would be from a 1960 Epiphone Zephyr, they are rare and expensive, so I will have to find an acceptable compromise.

I will try out a few neck pickups, however, I may have found what I am after in the shape of the Jason Lollar Firebird mini.

Sounds like this: Jason Lollar Firebird (neck)

Well, I will carry on with my research and enjoy the guitar as it is for now.

Then, as things progress, I will update this post.

EKO Ranger 6

I am at home most days now, looking for a new line of work. Hopefully something will crop up by January. I look after the kids most time, but I need something, to focus on, creatively.

I need that.

So, at long last, I have picked up my guitar. I have a EKO Ranger 6, that I have hawked around with me for the last 20 years, but have never found time to play.

Well now I have that time. I have been looking for guitar tutorials on the net, and I have found lots of brilliant resources which I would like to discuss in greater detail in another post. (that post is now up and running click here)

I have always been deeply into blues and soul music. Therefore, most of what I want to learn to play, falls within these genre.

The John Lee Hooker video above is brilliant, and is a blues number in the key of e (as many of John Lee’s songs are).

The guitar John Lee is playing, looks to be an Epiphone Zephyr, or very similar model, a thinline guitar with twin mini humbuckers, which evolved from the deeper bodied Zephyr jazz boxes.

It is great to try and work out what he is doing and pick it out on my EKO.

I have also bought myself a very cheap electric guitar and amp, that will do for the time being. However, I am enjoying myself so much that I plan to reward myself one day with a “real” guitar.

After much searching and consideration of what would be my ideal guitar (considering my budget), I have decided on an Epiphone Sheraton II vintage sunburst. Hooker, played a Sheraton later in his career, but I would suspect his early recordings sound and tone came from deeper bodied guitars similar to the aforementioned Epiphone Zephyr or Emperor.

If I practice enough, and I am happy with the way things are going, I will get my semi acoustic blues guitar, one day, and hopefully, one that will give me a tone, that will encourage me to practice and practice.

The video below is someone testing the Epiphone Sheraton II vintage sunburst. So if you can imagine me trying to learn the song from the top video, and one day, playing it on the guitar in the bottom video, you get the gist of how I am occupying my time these days.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdxr2UJSxG0

UPDATE:

My newly acquired Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II

There has been a twist to this story. I spoke to the guy in my local guitar shop and he advised me, in his opinion, to stay clear of recent Indonesian built Epiphones, and he showed me an example of an acoustic, a recent Epiphone that was shocking.

Very poor finish and showing signs of not going the course. So, I decided to hunt for a second hand Epiphone made in the days when quality control was a big issue during builds in Japan and Korea.

I found a used (but in very good condition), Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor (I can’t afford a 1960 vintage Epi’ Zephyr, this is as close as I can get), on Blocket (Swedish, Ebay type site), for half the price of a new Indonesian built Epi’ Sheraton. The serial number is S701xxxx which means it was made in Korea in the Samick factory in January 1997. It is a beautifully made guitar, within its range and price bracket.

I love the way she looks, I love the way she plays, I love the way she feels…….(imagine that to the tune of Dimples by Hooker)

The plan now is over time to change to Gibson pickups and redo the wiring completely so it has a Epi’ body and a Gibson heart and hopefully soul. Once she has had the makeover and the project is complete this Joe Pass will be renamed “Annie Mae”.

Will add to this post when I start the transformation.

Found this amazing and inspirational video, of a music student from Brazil, pedromoser01 playing Jazz , getting some beautiful mellow tones from his Epi’ Joe Pass Emperor II (unmodified with standard Epiphone humbuckers) and a Fender Blues Junior tube amp……..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZeXB4xNdU