Epiphone has resurrected one of its most-loved signature guitars as the Joan Jett Olympic Special returns to the lineup, featuring an fresh finish and a subtle but welcome upgrade on its predecessor.
Where the 2022 model had an Indian laurel fingerboard, we now have rosewood. That’s not bad for starters. The other updates are mostly aesthetic, with Vintage Sunburst replacing Aged Classic White, and the pickup now has double-white bobbins.
But does that matter? The Olympic Special is a simple recipe: one asymmetrical double-cut plank of mahogany, a glued-in mahogany neck, one pickup, one volume control, and no fancy stuff.
There’s no coil-taps or switching to worry about. Turn it up and play. That’s its appeal. Don’t mess with it.
Besides, Jett’s take on the Olympic Special does come with a twist. As per the 2022 model, we have a toggle killswitch, located adjacent to the bridge and volume knob, everything within reach of the right hand.
Her signature can be found on the back of the headstock – speaking of which, that 3x3 headstock has got a lot of mojo.
Elsewhere, it’s as simple as an electric guitar gets. The design DNA is quintessentially Gibson/Epiphone, with the 24.75” scale length and the 12” fingerboard radius. The fingerboard is unbound and has dot inlays, betraying its lineage as an affordable electric.
There is one PowerHammer Pro humbucker at the bridge position, high-output, gutsy, voiced for playing power chords and if you want to clean your sound up roll back that volume knob.
It’s a CTS pot so should have a nice taper to it, and that black ‘Speed’ knob has been modified with rubber grips to make it more tactile and easier to grip.
The single-ply black pickguard is present and correct. The MTB605 wraparound bridge is neat and tidy, and helpfully has adjustable saddles. There are sealed die-cast tuners, too.
Would this Epiphone guitar look better with vintage Kluson-style tuners with white buttons a la the Gibson Les Paul Junior? Maybe. But there’s something about this guitar that is perfect as it is, a budget option to beat up onstage, or to fix up.
Young players picking this up could always install a more high-end aftermarket electric guitar pickup over time, or indeed install a new set of machineheads if that’s your bag.
Oh, there is a gig bag included in the price, which, at $599/£499 is very inviting. And you can find out more over at Epiphone. In other recent Epiphone artist model news, the Gibson-owned brand launched a very cool (and quite high-end) limited edition replica of Marcus King's El Dorado.
