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Epiphone Newport looks like a winner.
- Thread starter User474755
- Start date
Here she is! Initial impressions- out of the box setup was TERRIBLE. High action (bridge height combined with not enough relief on the neck), bridge pickup was leaning really bad towards the neck, string volumes very uneven. Not great QC... Though it is a sub $400 instrument, there's a lot of competition in that area right now. Tone wise... it's a strange duck. The Embassy is gunning for the budget T-brid market as their bread & butter VP T-bird continues to move up market. It did setup nicely though, and I was able to lower the action, set the neck correctly, fix the bridge pickup slant, and install a fresh set of strings. I'll be sitting with this bass a little bit before doing a full review... and subsequent mod series.
The hard part about the mods here is that the bridge pickup is not standard T-brid sized... I learned that the hard way with the Embassy. They're a smidge smaller, making replacements difficult. Highly considering the 30k mudbucker at the neck though. We'll also be addressing the bridge and tuners. The bridge is... well... it doesn't fall off like the 3 point!... and the tuners are a bit loose and sloppy. We'll see how the mods turn out!
I'm going do be releasing an unboxing & first impressions video next week! Stay tuned
That yellow is a bit more mustard like than I was expecting. Still looks great though.
Here she is! Initial impressions- out of the box setup was TERRIBLE. High action (bridge height combined with not enough relief on the neck), bridge pickup was leaning really bad towards the neck, string volumes very uneven. Not great QC... Though it is a sub $400 instrument, there's a lot of competition in that area right now. Tone wise... it's a strange duck. The Embassy is gunning for the budget T-brid market as their bread & butter VP T-bird continues to move up market. It did setup nicely though, and I was able to lower the action, set the neck correctly, fix the bridge pickup slant, and install a fresh set of strings. I'll be sitting with this bass a little bit before doing a full review... and subsequent mod series.
The hard part about the mods here is that the bridge pickup is not standard T-brid sized... I learned that the hard way with the Embassy. They're a smidge smaller, making replacements difficult. Highly considering the 30k mudbucker at the neck though. We'll also be addressing the bridge and tuners. The bridge is... well... it doesn't fall off like the 3 point!... and the tuners are a bit loose and sloppy. We'll see how the mods turn out!
I'm going do be releasing an unboxing & first impressions video next week! Stay tuned
This is actually the cali orange. The camera makes it a bit more mac and cheese colored, it's a bit more of a brighter capri orange IRL. I hope the video camera captured it better lol.
Did this come from Sweetwater? If it did, so much for their 55 point inspection and set up. I'm hoping it did not.
Here she is! Initial impressions- out of the box setup was TERRIBLE. High action (bridge height combined with not enough relief on the neck), bridge pickup was leaning really bad towards the neck, string volumes very uneven. Not great QC... Though it is a sub $400 instrument, there's a lot of competition in that area right now. Tone wise... it's a strange duck. The Embassy is gunning for the budget T-brid market as their bread & butter VP T-bird continues to move up market. It did setup nicely though, and I was able to lower the action, set the neck correctly, fix the bridge pickup slant, and install a fresh set of strings. I'll be sitting with this bass a little bit before doing a full review... and subsequent mod series.
The hard part about the mods here is that the bridge pickup is not standard T-brid sized... I learned that the hard way with the Embassy. They're a smidge smaller, making replacements difficult. Highly considering the 30k mudbucker at the neck though. We'll also be addressing the bridge and tuners. The bridge is... well... it doesn't fall off like the 3 point!... and the tuners are a bit loose and sloppy. We'll see how the mods turn out!
I'm going do be releasing an unboxing & first impressions video next week! Stay tuned
Isn't the bridge pickup the same one they use on VP T-Bird and Embassy? Probucker 760?
If it is why would one want to replace it? Sounds great on a T-Bird.
If it is why would one want to replace it? Sounds great on a T-Bird.
My buddy bought an Epiphone semi hollow guitar recently. A Riviera, if I had to guess! It has a bright white pickguard that almost looks blue. I see these basses have the same pickguard material going on!
Weird that they called it coral. That’s not what I’d associate with that name but I like it either way.
Maybe an EMG 35 sized pickup would fit in the bridge? A Novak BS/DS in the neck with a Nordstrand Big Split would be cool.
Unfortunately it did come from Sweetwater. The setup was pretty atrocious out of the box, the fingerboard was dry as a desert, AND the pickups were wired out of phase on the blend control (the neck pickup was wired backwards it seems). No pokey frets though, and the fret job seems at least decent. I also got a new Jack Casady in from a different retailer and WOW that needed some work as well! Epiphone QC seems to be no bueno.
They are great sounding pickups. I wanted to modify my embassy for fun/content and to demo the EMG Tbird X series pickups.... but the epiphone pickups are a bit too small compared to the EMG and Gibson style tbird pickups. Lesson learned! I am not touching the bridge pickup here, though that neck pickup is fair game!
That's really interesting! Like you, 'Coral' in my mind has a different association and a lot more of a pinkish hue. I find it comical how these a slew of new vintage inspired budget basses from various manufacturers with some neat 'vintage inspired' colors, and though the colors are cool they often miss the mark on their namesakes haha.
Dang, that's disappointing. Mine will be here tomorrow....we'll see.
I snapped a pic mid-oiling of the freboard. Using the Dunlop 65 fretboard oil. The fingerboard is MUCH happier now.
Check the pickup phasing on yours! Initially, center on the blend lost a LOT of low end and sounded... well.. out of phase. Sounds much fuller at center now once I swapped the wires on the mudbucker.
I'm expecting major work now... looking forward to your vid although by that time I will already have it in my hot little hands.
All very interesting. I might be looking to pick up a shorty. But I'd have to like the pickups enough to deal with possible (likely?) setup issues. I say that because I just returned an Embassy to Sweetwater due to it needing a full fret leveling to be of any use to me. I can do it myself in a couple hours, but to be honest, I didn't care for how the bass sounded (harsh and kinda raspy to my ears). I felt that fretwork wasn't worth the effort, and no way was I going to upgrade pickups. I know that others love these pickups, and if I were looking for a different sound, I might too. What I can say about them is that...they don't hold a candle to a pair of Lollars, that's for sure.
Too bad, too. Sweetwater had the gold one for $399, plus an additional $150 in "Sweet Bux" (gold one only) to sweeten the deal, which I surely could put to good use!
Which brings me to my next question about the Newport's pickups, specifically the neck pickup. Anyone able to verbally describe its sound? Does it at least have the note authority of a typical EB mudbucker? TIA
Too bad, too. Sweetwater had the gold one for $399, plus an additional $150 in "Sweet Bux" (gold one only) to sweeten the deal, which I surely could put to good use!
Which brings me to my next question about the Newport's pickups, specifically the neck pickup. Anyone able to verbally describe its sound? Does it at least have the note authority of a typical EB mudbucker? TIA
The most commonly messed up color I’ve seen is fiesta red. Fiesta red should be kind of pinkish red. Almost like an old brick. Some companies put out these blindingly bright red instruments and call it fiesta red when it’s closer to Torino red or hot rod red. Such a weird phenomenon.
Check out 'Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin' album cover, its a 2nd generation Newport (ive got one in house).....sounds like a P bass on the record.Here's my original 61 Newport, currently being restored.
View attachment 4947170
Didn't know they were reintroducing them...
Not sure why they added a bridge pup.... the originals sported one mudbucker, right against the neck. Basically Epis version of an EBO.
Great looking and well balanced short scale.
The bass I cut my teeth on.
Very cool project! Keep us posted!
I would say it does, it has the Squier Classic vibe Mustang bass phenomenon, which I’ve had 3, and they all did this, still have one of them. When the tone is all the way up it almost sounds like it’s over the point where a normal bass would be treble wise. But backing off the tone slightly gives it warmth and heft.
To the folks who got a Newport, what's the weight like? Lightness would be a selling point for me too.
