Epiphone Embassy Pro's Coming back??

[D.M.N.]

The new colors look great. The laurel fretboards look surprisingly decent in the Sweetwater pics too. Maybe they're dying it or something.

My brother actually just got on of the Epi Thunderbird Vintage Pros, which also feature a Laurel board, and it is simply one of the prettiest fretboards I've ever seen. Definitely not as dark as most rosewood, but the grain and figuring is fantastic, I actually prefer it to some of my top end Fenders, but I'll also add I'm rather fond of lots of contrast between light and dark in the board more than just a solid dark. Outside of that, the Epi Thunderbird is also simply one of the best made basses I've picked up in years, plays incredibly out of the box, easily up there with my US Fenders.

 

[MtManiac]

My brother actually just got on of the Epi Thunderbird Vintage Pros, which also feature a Laurel board, and it is simply one of the prettiest fretboards I've ever seen. Definitely not as dark as most rosewood, but the grain and figuring is fantastic, I actually prefer it to some of my top end Fenders, but I'll also add I'm rather fond of lots of contrast between light and dark in the board more than just a solid dark. Outside of that, the Epi Thunderbird is also simply one of the best made basses I've picked up in years, plays incredibly out of the box, easily up there with my US Fenders.

I have a Vintage Pro, I didn't realize it was Laurel, the fretboard is incredibly dark, almost black.

I love the pickups so much that I ordered a Smoked Almond Embassy earlier today, should have it next week.

 

[D.M.N.]

I have a Vintage Pro, I didn't realize it was Laurel, the fretboard is incredibly dark, almost black.

I love the pickups so much that I ordered a Smoked Almond Embassy earlier today, should have it next week.

Well, early ones did have Rosewood, so it could be Rosewood but Laurel can vary in color.

 

[MtManiac]

Well, early ones did have Rosewood, so it could be Rosewood but Laurel can vary in color.

I agree with your assessment of the Tbird - I'm a long time Fender P player, and I've tried a lot of other basses, but nothing grabbed me besides the Vintage Pro, it sounds amazing, and has so much tonal range, all of it Tbird, and all of it awesome. The built quality is outstanding. The ergonomics leave me underwhelmed, but I've played an Embassy Pro in store a few years back and liked the feel of it, very P-bass like. Looking forward to my new Embassy.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Finally unpacked it tonight. Sales and QC owe me as it seems Epi's new box facilitates a scratch forming on the lower body just above the input jack.

Here's the probable scratch maker plus possibly shipping it on its side. Neither box(double boxed) had any sign of abuse or damage. Previous(old) Epi Embassy basses here did not have that extra cardboard IIRC.

Since we have loving dogs that sometimes jump/lean onto the side of wifey's shiny car with claws and leave scratches, I've found Meguiar's scratch remover works well. So I tried it on the bass and decided not to make the seller pay round trip shipping while I wait for a swap out. CHECK YOURS ASAP for scratch this when you get it. The fixer goop applies with a very soft cloth. This is one application with very little pressure applied. May have another round later after it gets some use.

And the result of round 1(a few seconds worth of circular motion). Red arrow points to the scratch.

I've got worse dings on other basses but not "brand new". Oh well......starting "road worn" while still in the box.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Update: new strings, setup(action lowered a LOT), intonated, gigged this week(3-1/2 hours no break), abusing the BOSE with it.
Great bass like the 2017 ones. The only minor complaint is the tuners leave a bit to be desired compared to the ones on the EpiTB. They feel and act a bit sloppy. Other than that, very close to perfect. Pix with bridge location measurements for 2017 model and this one coming sometime this weekend when I get time.

 

[kazuhank]

Thanks for the update. I am still waiting and these reports are helping. Keep them coming!

 

[Johnny Crab]

Update with pics finally.
The red one is a 2017 model, the "gold" one is a new 2021 model.
Intonation pics. Measurement is from the fretboard side edge of the nut to the bridge.

Front pics. Note the neck wood differences.

Backs' picture.

How I install the rear strap button(been doing this since the early 1970's)…..always unique to drill into a brand-new bass eh?
Dewalt variable speed cordless and exact bit with tape in correct position for hole depth. Roku controller and music in the background optional.

And get it done....

Result?

My "wife bass" for over a decade(sold to a good friend so I could afford to move to Texas in 1989). 3 thru-body holes at the bridge SECURED that bridge for good after it decided to come off one night during a show(factory screws bent from tuning to drop D and back to E and then it came out of the body). Old straplocs some will recognize.

 

[butterfingers1]

I have exactly those measurements on my 2017 Embassy (according to serial number, purchased in 2020). The E and A saddles are still all the way back, the E slightly but acceptably sharp.

 

[kazuhank]

TL/DR: If you are on the fence, the one I received had intonation issues and poor tuners.

Not to rain on the parade, but the Embassy I received would not intonate properly. The G-A strings were able to get there just fine, but the inexpensive tuners were terrible on the bass I received. The tuners had gaps where they would lose tension where the gears would not catch properly. For my preference, they would need to be replaced were I to keep the bass.

The E string tuner was especially bad, and I had some Hipshot 2x2 tuners handy, so I swapped out the E tuner to try and intonate that saddle. Unfortunately, this bass needed the saddle to go all the way back to the end of the bridge to get close. It's right on the edge, but still just slightly sharp.

Perhaps flipping the saddle would get it there, but I don't want to sacrifice a nice set of flats to find out. It's also kind of silly that they haven't fixed this issue or swapped to a different bridge knowing that these are hit and miss. Or perhaps I'm too picky and spoiled by my Sereks. I was not expecting this to be at that quality level and was buying this to leave at a rehearsal space and give me a set of t-bird pickups for recording variety.

On the tone front, the pickups are great and have that throaty thunderbird tone. If the bridge had room to spare, I would happily replace the tuners and dial in the setup, but it ended up a deal breaker for me. I'm happy that others have some that are intonate, but am bummed mine didn't and don't want to spend the time playing roulette to find a winner. Oh well. Maybe this has cured my gas for a rehearsal beater bass.

 

[BottomFeed]

It seems that there was a bad batch made late 2018, where the bridge position was slightly out. Making it impossible to intonate the E & A strings accurately. I think mine fell in this category... However, I took it to my trusted luthier, who used the old Gibson trick of reversing the saddles on the E & A & the intonation is now spot on!... I contacted the dealership that I had bought it from, who were very helpful... They even refunded me the cost of my luthier!
View attachment 4126166

Just to state again from earlier... My experience is reversing the E & A saddles really works! ... Mine is now very playable... Really enjoying playing it.. no tuning or intonation problems whatsoever!

 

[Lowbgalaxy777]

The 2021 Embassy plays awesome! The paint and bodywork came better from factory than my 2019 Gibson USA! The Author of the Gibson Bass Book was correct about the 2017 release of this bass and the Pro Thunderbird outshining the Gibson Basses for that year. The pickups sounds great and versatile on tone when blended.
I hook up to a David Eden WTDI Pre amp pedal through a Rumble 500 combo FX and the sound is great for low mid. The TBird humbuckers can easily overdrive with the hot output with the neck pickup alone if gain is too high on preamp pedal.
I immediately had to loosen the truss rod almost a full turn over a week just, as the string action right on top of the 7th fret. I switched the strings to low tension dunlop SS rounds (45-105) and didn't have to touch the bridge! Only the E string (common) is a hint sharp at the 12th, but really no audible difference at all even with drop D.
If you want a bass that brings great rock tone without over 5 knob settings (The Sire M2 I traded), this is a great alternative to Leo Basses. I will get through my Gibson Thor bass combo this week and report back.
Cons:
•Tuners- I want to upgrade to Hipshot
•Action: I am heavy handed & factory high action from the factory works for my playing, but not for everyone.
*Bridge- Still waiting to see if Hipshot has a direct fit tune o'matic bridge upgrade. I am hoping Babicz releases a bridge replacement in the future, but the stock bridge is sufficient with stock sized strings. This bass is definitely one of the best for under $1000.
* There also is an open hole behind the truss rod cover (Attached Pic)that looks like the bass was lifted by a hanger in the air during the factory painting process. I might just plug it with toothpicks and woodglue and file it flush. Any Embassy owners let me know if you found similar.

 

[Lackey]

Finally played one today. Now that they've cranked the price up by a hundred bucks....

Horrible setup. The nut was unbelievably high, with crazy bridge height as well. All fretted notes going sharp. Playability was trash. Also, the G and E strings are too close to the edge of the fingerboard, uncomfortable to play and any vibrato risks going off ... Also, some weak paint finishing around the neck heel.

Shame. It's a killer looking bass, very comfortable and fairly light, and the pickups sounded good. But it clearly gets cobbled together in some wack offshore factory with no love or attention payed.

 

[kazuhank]

Finally played one today. Now that they've cranked the price up by a hundred bucks....

Horrible setup. The nut was unbelievably high, with crazy bridge height as well. All fretted notes going sharp. Playability was trash. Also, the G and E strings are too close to the edge of the fingerboard, uncomfortable to play and any vibrato risks going off ... Also, some weak paint finishing around the neck heel.

Shame. It's a killer looking bass, very comfortable and fairly light, and the pickups sounded good. But it clearly gets cobbled together in some wack offshore factory with no love or attention payed.

This was my experience as well.

 

[MtManiac]

Finally played one today. Now that they've cranked the price up by a hundred bucks....

Horrible setup. The nut was unbelievably high, with crazy bridge height as well. All fretted notes going sharp. Playability was trash. Also, the G and E strings are too close to the edge of the fingerboard, uncomfortable to play and any vibrato risks going off ... Also, some weak paint finishing around the neck heel.

Shame. It's a killer looking bass, very comfortable and fairly light, and the pickups sounded good. But it clearly gets cobbled together in some wack offshore factory with no love or attention payed.

The shame is stores putting instruments out without properly setting them up. Very happy I did not have the experience you had, but except for the assessment of weak paint, all of that seems to be about setup, which has little or nothing to do with a "wack offshore factory" where apparently nobody hugs guitars or cuts nuts properly and a lot more to do with humidity and retail shops where nobody loves or pays attention to what they hang on the walls. Anyway, mine was perfect.

 

[kazuhank]

...all of that seems to be about setup...

Setup will do a lot, but won't fix the bridge issues that they described above with the E and G being spaced too close to the edge of the frets. It also won't fix the intonation issues I experienced due to the narrow bridge not allowing the saddle to intonate properly. Even at this $400 price point, you should not have to replace the bridge to make a new bass play in tune.

 

[Lackey]

... Even at this $400 price point, you should not have to replace the bridge to make a new bass play in tune.

*500...

 

[Lackey]

The shame is stores putting instruments out without properly setting them up. Very happy I did not have the experience you had, but except for the assessment of weak paint, all of that seems to be about setup, which has little or nothing to do with a "wack offshore factory" where apparently nobody hugs guitars or cuts nuts properly and a lot more to do with humidity and retail shops where nobody loves or pays attention to what they hang on the walls. Anyway, mine was perfect.

Well I don't think any store is gonna recut a nut for an instrument.

For reference I played a bottom of the barrel Ibanez SR six string for 300 bucks (!!!) immediately after the Epiphone. Great playability, very low action, good B string, good fit and finish, solid tone...

Epiphone is a heritage brand. They should be far more invested in the quality and playability of their products.... You are free to disagree with me on this if you like.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

mine was perfect

Mine was also perfect.

 

[woodyng2]

1. Production of each iteration of these has been spotty, to say the least.
   I had one from the first run,and it was very well put together,no issues. I played it for a couple of years, and sold it for what i had invested.
2. I don't know why these numbers came up,but I can't seem to make them go away.