NAMM 2016: Epiphone unveils Ltd. Ed. EL-00 PRO Mahogany and EJ-160E acoustics

NAMM 2016: Epiphone has revealed two new limited edition electro-acoustics, the EL-00 PRO Mahogany and EJ-160E.

The EL-00 PRO Mahogany is rooted in the 'golden age' Epiphone acoustics of the early 20th century. It swaps out the spruce and adds a solid mahogany top to the 'select mahogany' back and sides of the production run model.

Meanwhile, the Ltd. Ed. EJ-160E, sees Epiphone adopting parent company Gibson's iconic J-160E electro-acoustic - a model first debuted in 1954 that became favoured by John Lennon, Elvis Costello and Lightnin' Hopkins. The new model emulates the solid spruce top and mahogany body of Gibson's original and augments it with an Epiphone Stacked P-100 humbucker, as opposed to the uncovered P-90 single-coil.

Both models will be available "for a limited time only" from Epiphone dealers.

PRESS RELEASE: The Epiphone Ltd. Ed. EL-00 PRO Mahogany Acoustic/Electric is a new addition to the classic line of flattops that trace back to the first golden age of Epiphone in the 1930s.

The smaller "parlor" or "blues box" style acoustic guitar is favored by blues players of all eras for its woody tonal quality, short scale, and comfortable weight which makes it ideal for fingerpicking or the bark of a bottle neck slide.

And the new Ltd. Ed. EL-00 PRO Mahogany not only features the warm, expressive sound of a solid Mahogany top but now you can plug in with the Fishman™ Sonitone™ soundhole preamp and Fishman™ Sonicore™ system for pro acoustic/electric sound.

Solid Mahogany Top

The Epiphone Ltd. Ed. EL-00 PRO Mahogany Acoustic/Electric features a Solid Mahogany top with 3-ply Ivory and Black color binding and is available in a classic Mahogany finish or Vintage Sunburst. Mahogany has long been a favored "tonewood" revered for its ability to sound "played in" from the first note.

The EL-00 body features select Mahogany with elegant single-ply Ivory binding on the back and single ply Black binding on the fingerboard. The combination of Mahogany for the neck and body along with a Mahogany top gives the Ltd. EL-00 PRO Mahogany a tone you might think could only come from a guitar that's been played for decades.

The smaller body (15.5" wide at lower bout) and straight Rosewood bridge also influences the Ltd. Ed. EL-00 PRO Mahogany's tone, which is slightly warmer and less forward than a dreadnought and is perfect for both solo singers and even slide guitar. The 24.75" scale Mahogany neck has a SlimTaper™ "D" profile with a 1.68" imitation bone nut and is set with a hand-fitted dovetail neck joint using premium Titebond™ glue.

The Rosewood fingerboard has a 12" radius, 19 medium frets, and pearloid dot inlays. The classic "Tortoise" style pickguard has a vintage metal "E" and the straight Rosewood bridge also features a compensated imitation bone saddle like Epiphone's acclaimed Masterbilt series.

Fishman™ Pickup System

The Ltd. Ed. Epiphone EL-00 PRO Mahogany Acoustic/Electric comes with the superb Fishman™ Sonitone™ preamp and Fishman Sonicore™ pickup system. Fishman™ is an industry leader in bringing a guitar's true acoustic tone to bigger stages.

The Sonicore™ pickup is set underneath the saddle. The Sonitone™ sound-hole preamp is an active preamp mounted in the soundhole with easy-to-access mounted rotary controls for Master Volume and Tone adjustment. Now you can make your adjustments during soundcheck and even fine adjustments on-the-fly during your set. No more running back and forth to your amp or the soundboard!

Finally, your tone is in your hands right where you need it. A single 9-volt battery powers the active preamp. And you can connect your Epiphone Ltd. Ed. EL-00 PRO Mahogany to a PA or amp of your choice with a standard 1/4" instrument cable. Batteries typically last up to 100 hours.

PRESS RELEASE: Epiphone presents the new Ltd. Ed. EJ-160E Acoustic/Electric, one of rock n' roll's most revered guitar designs now featuring a Solid Spruce top with an Epiphone Stacked P-100™ Humbucking pickup and available in two beautiful color finishes--Natural and Vintage Sunburst.

The original "J-160E" was one of the first acoustic/electric guitars on the market when it was released in 1954. Over the decades, the "J-160E" has been embraced by a wide range of artists like Lightin' Hopkins, Paul Weller, and of course John Lennon.

In fact, the "J-160" acoustic/electric was the only guitar to appear on every Beatles album from Please Please Me through Abbey Road. Now with the new Ltd. Ed. EJ-160E Acoustic/Electric, the "House of Stathopoulo" brings this vintage and hard-to-find classic into the 21st century with a Solid Spruce top, the King of Tonewoods.

Solid Spruce: The King of Tonewoods

Just like the original, the new Epiphone Ltd. Ed. EJ-160E has the same profile of the industry standard "Southern Jumbo" acoustic and features a Solid Spruce top with a Select Mahogany body. Solid Spruce is the "top" of choice for premier acoustic guitars.

The more you play your EJ-160E, the more open and expressive the tone. The body top has 5-ply Ivory/Black binding while the Select Mahogany back has single ply Ivory binding. The pickguard is imitation tortoise with the 60s era "E" metal logo.

The EJ-160E bridge is made from Rosewood and has the reverse belly design familiar to "J-160E" collectors and features a compensated bone saddle.

The Select Mahogany neck has a comfortable "1960s" SlimTaper™ D-profile and is glued to the body using a Dovetail joint. The neck has a 24.75" scale with a Rosewood fingerboard with vintage style pearloid "Trapezoid" inlays just like the original models. The fingerboard has single ply Ivory color binding and features a 12" fingerboard radius, 20 medium frets, and a bone nut along with the Epiphone classic Sloped Dovewing headstock.

Revolutionary Electric Sound

What made the original J-160E so renown was its unique pickup system. And to bring that sound back to life for the 21st century, the new Epiphone Ltd. Ed. EJ-160E features an Epiphone Stacked P-100™ humbucking pickup at the end of fingerboard.

The Epiphone Stacked P-100™ pickup is seated discreetly between the end of the guitar's fretboard and the sound hole. Master Volume and Tone controls feature Top Hat knobs with metal inserts and pointers--just like vintage models--and are located on the guitar's lower bout. And each volume and tone control use full-size 500K potentiometers.