Epiphone ES-295 (Update: NGD ES-175 Premium)
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Epiphone ES-295 (Update: NGD ES-175 Premium)
I remember passing on a clean Epi ES-295 at an antique mall about 5 years ago. Asking price was around $500.
Now they are $1200+ on Reverb.
Should I bite the bullet now, or wait and see if Epiphone makes more (if they make more)?
Now they are $1200+ on Reverb.
Should I bite the bullet now, or wait and see if Epiphone makes more (if they make more)?
Last edited by tdksa90 on Wed Jul 27, 2022 7:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/
-
- Expat
- Posts: 2827
- Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
If they’re anything like the ones they made in the early 2000s, $1200 is way too much for these. It’s too much for almost any Epiphone really (imo). My girlfriend paid $300 for her used ES-295, which was a great deal, and I think it’d also have been well worth $500. They’re fine guitars, but not built with the greatest attention to detail. We had to replace the pickups, which were stupidly hot and had weirdly short bar magnets, and then raise the new ones significantly to get them anywhere near the strings (with shims, cause dogears). The setup and intonation also required a little more time than usual, as the bridge came misaligned with the nut, but its previous owner might’ve caused that.
Sounds great now, but it did require investing another $200. At $1200, it‘d better be perfect. Frankly, unless it has Lollar or Gibson pickups or something, it’s wildly overpriced. Even then… it’s worth $700-800 tops in my opinion. Whatever you do, don’t buy without inspecting it first or having the option to return.
Sounds great now, but it did require investing another $200. At $1200, it‘d better be perfect. Frankly, unless it has Lollar or Gibson pickups or something, it’s wildly overpriced. Even then… it’s worth $700-800 tops in my opinion. Whatever you do, don’t buy without inspecting it first or having the option to return.
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
Thank you, this is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. Hopefully prices will come back down...Sauerkraut wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 12:35 amIf they’re anything like the ones they made in the early 2000s, $1200 is way too much for these. It’s too much for almost any Epiphone really (imo). My girlfriend paid $300 for her used ES-295, which was a great deal, and I think it’d also have been well worth $500. They’re fine guitars, but not built with the greatest attention to detail. We had to replace the pickups, which were stupidly hot and had weirdly short bar magnets, and then raise the new ones significantly to get them anywhere near the strings (with shims, cause dogears). The setup and intonation also required a little more time than usual, as the bridge came misaligned with the nut, but its previous owner might’ve caused that.
Sounds great now, but it did require investing another $200. At $1200, it‘d better be perfect. Frankly, unless it has Lollar or Gibson pickups or something, it’s wildly overpriced. Even then… it’s worth $700-800 tops in my opinion. Whatever you do, don’t buy without inspecting it first or having the option to return.
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/
-
- Expat
- Posts: 2827
- Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
It’s likely, though, that the one you saw 5 years ago was one of those earlier ones, like that of my girlfriend. I did a little searching, and the newer ones, which I think have been in production for less than 5 years, are of the „premium“ series. These have Gibson P90s, and from the pictures it looks like the pickup shims are actually thick enough for the pickups to get within normal distance from the strings. So it looks like they’re better built and spec‘d guitars. Still not sure I’d pay $1200 for one, but it would explain the big price difference.
Last edited by Sauerkraut on Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Larry Mal
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 19673
- Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
- Location: Saint Louis, MO
Re: Epiphone ES-295
You can buy shims for that kind of pickup, it's kind of the only way to do it, and I had to do that on my Gibson ES-330.
I'm sure this is a good guitar, however, $1200 is "spend a little more get a lot more" territory.
I'm sure this is a good guitar, however, $1200 is "spend a little more get a lot more" territory.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.
-
- Expat
- Posts: 2827
- Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
Yeah, shimming the pickups is easy enough.
My advise if you want an Epi ES-295 at this time and you’re mainly interested in playability/tone over collectibility/resale value and vintage accuracy is to try to get a good deal (<$500) on one of those shabbier late 90s/early 00s ones. Buy some new pickups and then spend an afternoon installing and shimming them and doing a thorough setup.
My advise if you want an Epi ES-295 at this time and you’re mainly interested in playability/tone over collectibility/resale value and vintage accuracy is to try to get a good deal (<$500) on one of those shabbier late 90s/early 00s ones. Buy some new pickups and then spend an afternoon installing and shimming them and doing a thorough setup.
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
Thank you, I’ll look for an earlier model.Sauerkraut wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:58 amYeah, shimming the pickups is easy enough.
My advise if you want an Epi ES-295 at this time and you’re mainly interested in playability/tone over collectibility/resale value and vintage accuracy is to try to get a good deal (<$500) on one of those shabbier late 90s/early 00s ones. Buy some new pickups and then spend an afternoon installing and shimming them and doing a thorough setup.
I’ve been listening to a LOT of Geordie Walker lately, obviously.
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
I ended up finding a 2014 Epi ES-175 Premium for a good price.
I love it. I might replace the Classic 57 pickups with a set of BG Pure90s.
NGD thread coming soon…. Thank you all for your feedback!
I love it. I might replace the Classic 57 pickups with a set of BG Pure90s.
NGD thread coming soon…. Thank you all for your feedback!
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/
-
- Expat
- Posts: 2827
- Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
Cool! That's a smarter way to go about it than I suggested. Looks like it's basically the same guitar with more easily height-adjustable pickup covers.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295
I might as well make this my NGD thread!
2014 Epiphone ES-175 Premium. The back of the headstock was stamped "USED", so this was initially B-Stock from Epiphone. It must be the checking of the finish, which frankly I don't care about!
I was going to put Pure90s in this, but damn these Classic 57s sound amazing. This is the first time I've bought a guitar and decided not to mod it.
First thing I did when I left the shop was to have my regular luthier check it out. He moved the bridge back into place and inspected it... and gave it the thumbs up. I'm going to play it for a few weeks then bring it to him for a new nut and setup.
2014 Epiphone ES-175 Premium. The back of the headstock was stamped "USED", so this was initially B-Stock from Epiphone. It must be the checking of the finish, which frankly I don't care about!
I was going to put Pure90s in this, but damn these Classic 57s sound amazing. This is the first time I've bought a guitar and decided not to mod it.
First thing I did when I left the shop was to have my regular luthier check it out. He moved the bridge back into place and inspected it... and gave it the thumbs up. I'm going to play it for a few weeks then bring it to him for a new nut and setup.
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/
- Flurko
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:05 am
- Location: Stroßbùrri
- Contact:
Re: Epiphone ES-295 (Update: NGD ES-175 Premium)
This looks great! I really enjoy the 175 in opaque colors with a contrasting guard like this, it looks less like a piece of furniture and more like a "cool electric guitar" than the traditional Gibson sunburst style .
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295 (Update: NGD ES-175 Premium)
I agree, wholeheartedly.
What’s weird is that all the photos I’ve seen online of the 2014 Premium, no matter the finish, have black pickguards. I wonder if they just decided to throw something else on when they realized it was B-Stock, or perhaps it was just the choice of the previous owner.
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/
-
- Expat
- Posts: 2827
- Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:23 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295 (Update: NGD ES-175 Premium)
Looks great! Personally, I like it better than an ES-295. They’re a bit kitschy, with all the gold and the flowery pickguard. This looks classy. Also, you’re right; if you like the pickups, keep them.
- tdksa90
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:13 am
Re: Epiphone ES-295 (Update: NGD ES-175 Premium)
I dunno, Geordie Walker always made it look cool to me.Sauerkraut wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:57 pmLooks great! Personally, I like it better than an ES-295. They’re a bit kitschy, with all the gold and the flowery pickguard. This looks classy. Also, you’re right; if you like the pickups, keep them.
That said, I'm super happy with the ES-175. I feel bad neglecting my Jag, but such is life. I played a short solo set over the weekend, using a borrowed Fender Princeton, and I was in heaven.
My Music: https://keithhanlon.bandcamp.com/