A GREAT INSTRUMENT IN EVERY WAY !!

I purchased the Epiphone Emporer II two years ago. I arrange and play the old standards [Jimmy VanHeusen, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, etc.] both amplified and without the amp. This guitar sounds warm and beautiful both electronically and acoustically !!
It is positively the very best guitar purchase that I've made!!

Yes its a great guitar

I thought this guitar deserved better than a 3. Its a six hundred dollar guitar, I'm not going to compare it to an 8000 dollar Gibson, or guild USA. Believe me, NOTHING else in this price range will come anywhere near the Emperor 2. Its a pro grade instrument. I love Gibson Guitars and while I'm no expert on semi Hollow bodies this axe has definately got the Gibson Neck. Not all Epiphones do, not even the pricier ones, but this one does. The joinery is high quality and the hand work is there, Unlike Cheapy guitars which to me have a feeling as if they were never touched by human hands, much less skilled hands, but this one has got the feel.These kinds of large arch tops are what are known as "Jazz Boxes" and this one is done in the grand old Epiphone style. I have a feeling this guitar could also handle some hot electric blues or heavy 70's rock. Im going to give it a work out on my Marshall JMP Mk2 and find out.

A surprisingly good guitar

I was surprised at how good it sounded and played. My previous experience with Epiphone '57 Classic pickups had been bad--I had found them dull and lifeless but the original owner had lowered them a bit and they sounded great on this guitar. I love the neck profile; it's not too slim and not too meaty. The natural ones present a rich appearance and the vintage burst ones are also attractive. The earlier ones also had a cherry burst finish that just looked cheap in my opinion. For fun, I brought it to a blues gig and the response to it was all positive.

The only drawback is the pickguard. It sits on top of the pickup rings which means the nonjazzers are likely to catch their pick on the guard while playing rapid 1st string runs. I have fabricated a 335-style pickguard for mine but just removing the bracket and guard works fine.

So how satisfied have I been with this guitar? I swapped a great sounding but well used Gibson Les Paul Studio for this and I have had zero regrets.

big bang for the buck

I have a 93' model with sunburst finish and I love it. The craftmanship and construction is excellent. I love the sound and use it for blues/rock. For the money it is alot of guitar!

Emperor II

Have been playing one of these sweet jazz boxes for about a month now. Mine is the natural finish, but the vintage sunburst models also look gorgeous. The original Epi pickups are very good in this guitar's price range. The tone is full and warm with plenty of mellow midrange from the neck pickup. The bridge PU adds brightness without twang. As with any hollow-body, beware of feedback - can be fun to take advantage of when playing certain rock styles. Less sustain and more feedback than a semi-hollow, but has that real phat jazz tone. Original strings were 10's, I prefer 11's on this type of instrument but it's a simple change. The neck is comfortable and very playable. My only complaint is with the frets that could be filed a little shorter at the sides of the neck, but otherwise the fretwork is good. Overall, a great buy at this price range.