Epiphone Zenith Acoustic Bass Guitars
(Dave Molter | Posted 2009-12-12)
Epiphone has always done a good job of producing popular guitars at intermediate prices, a fact that The Beatles knew 40+ years ago when Paul McCartney and John Lennon picked up Casino electric guitars that they played on a number of landmark recordings. Although priced higher than the Casino, the new acoustic-electric Epiphone Zenith bass offers a great looking instrument with unique features at a price that compares favorably with high-end acoustic models from Fender and Washburn.
The Zenith is a single-cutaway chambered rosewood body design with F holes, a laminated flamed maple top and a 34" scale bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and 21 frets. The low-impedance, two-pickup system places a NanoFlex pickup (better than a piezo, Epiphone claims under the bridge and a NanoMag pickup at the end of the fingerboard. Active electronics have a Master Volume, Pickup Blend and concentric Bass and Treble controls for each pickup.
The body is computer-routed to produce chambers, making the Zenith a hybrid combining the best features of hollow and solid bodies. Chambering offers acoustic sound with none of the feedback problems that can occur with fully hollow bodies. The neck is attached with five deep-set bolts for solidity, and the string-through body design maximizes sustain.
The fretted Zenith is available in black or natural finishes. A lined fretless Zenith is available in a natural only and comes standard with LaBella 760N Black Nylon tapewound strings.
The Zenith should be out in the US in early 2010 but is being shown on European websites at a cost of 666 Euros, which is about 975 USD. A hardshell case is optional.
