John Lennon J-160E Review

In addition to the antique natural finish, the J-160E Peace Model has a P-90 pickup, signature truss rod cover, authentic body binding, and vintage case.

Features:	8
Sound:	9
Action:	6
Reliability:	10
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	7.8
Reviewer rating:	8.4
Users rating:	7.2
Votes:	38

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 06, 2006

Price paid: $ 628.74

Purchased from: ebay

Features:
- Made in Korea
- 20 Frets
- Single coil pickup (humbucking)
- 1 volume, 1 tone controls
- Vintage sunburst finish
- Vintage Greet tuners
- Block pearl inlays. // 8

Sound: Very Natural sound due to the passive humbucker. Even suitable for distortion. Sounds like a ES 335 but with more sustain (because there is no sustain block in the body). You can play very loud without getting any feedback. can be used with a classical acoustic amp or even a marshall full stack. use it for pop, pop-punk, country, classical spanish riffs, rock (guys, it's still a Beatles guitar), crossover/hard 'n' heavy. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Very well set up by the factory. But the pickup wasn't adjusted well (pickup would only deliver very high tones, work: 2 minutes with a screwdriver). There is an error in the finish, barely visible but it made the guitar cheaper (original price 672EUR, my price: 499EUR). The strapholder was loose(work: 1 minute with screwdriver). // 6

Reliability & Durability: The guitar beats any other guitar I've played live an can even compete with semi-acoustics. I used it on serveral concerts and there was never a single problem. The guitar is even very stable (amp fell on the guitar, little scratch, no problem). // 10

Impression: Even for its full price 672EUR, the John Lennon is worth every single cent. If you are looking for a reliable partner for touring, recording and rocking the stage, this is the guitar of the hour. I love it although I'm not a Beatles fan. // 9

Comments

[westo]

yay! i've been keeping my eye on this one and now u made ur point i'll make the money and buy it.

RIGHTEOUS!

[kenshinsrain]

yess thxs ive been doin mad research on epiphone so thxs

[jmwcompton]

are they made left handed?

[rockinstephen]

I've had my EJ-160E for 5 years now so I feel qualified to write a good review. You can't write an objective review the day you bring a guitar home...
Mine was made in China. It seems that some have been manufactured in other countries. This would indicate that you might expect variations in quality. Overall, the quality of my instrument is excellent considering the price($499.00 - case was extra).
The problem with my guitar was with the set up. A card was included that had been signed off. It claimed that the guitar had been "professionally set up in the U.S.A.". That was a total lie! Whoever had attempted the set up didn't have a clue about what they were doing. The A and D strings buzzed all the way up and down the neck. The guitar was unplayable. I had to spend many hours tweaking the truss rod to get rid of the buzzing. I also removed a plastic shim from under the compensated bone saddle. I finally got it close to being right when I block sanded the saddle and lowered it by .020. As the saddle fit too loose in the slot, I inserted a brass shim next to it. It's tight now and the tone is improved. I replaced the cheap plastic bridge pins with nice wooden ones with abalone dots. Other improvements I made were adding gold plated tuners and strap buttons. The guitar looks beautiful now and is so much more playable.
I play blues, roots rock & country, and write my own songs. I also perform at open mic nights. The guitar excells here. I just plug into the house P.A. and I've never had any problems. Since it has a magnetic humbucking pickup, I use medium nickel roundwound strings. Phosphorus bronze sound great acoustically, but they don't activate the pickup correctly. As for nailing those early Beatle sounds, that may be a stretch. Those old Gibsons had plywood tops, so this may actually be a better guitar as it has a solid spruce top. Overall, this can be made into a very nice guitar that is well worth the money. But it may need a professional set up if you can't do the work yourself. If possible, try before you buy!