Epiphone Newport shortscale

[Deleted member 271037]

my Embassy came the same way. 10 minutes with a set of fret erasers solved that pretty easily.

They may LOOK better after 10 minutes of polishing but the frets on the Newport I just got need FAR more work than that. There's buzzing everywhere and the action is already quite high. Filing down the nut slots will help a bit with the action but the frets need levelling before this bass is (hopefully) playable.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I just couldn't see how the stock strings could possibly be 45-105 (which is specfied on the Epiphone website). They feel much floppier/thinner so I measured them and they're actually 40-100 which is WAY too light for roundwounds on a short scale bass. At least there's some room for improvement right there but it's also yet another sign of poor QC. Surely someone at Epiphone must have realized they were shipping out basses with the wrong strings? But then again, this is the same company that kept selling Embassy basses with the bridge in the wrong position until that entire batch of faulty basses had been dumped on their customers...

 

[wiscoaster]

I'm hoping that Epiphone is paying attention to all the negative exposure this bass is getting, because it's really a pretty cool bass and if they can get their QC right, they could sell a ton of them.

 

[GwenOnBass]

I'm hoping that Epiphone is paying attention to all the negative exposure this bass is getting, because it's really a pretty cool bass and if they can get their QC right, they could sell a ton of them.

It's totally a bass I want, but not if I have to sink coin on a luthier's time to put it right.

 

[Humberto Gillan]

The mudbucker is a true 30k ohms mudbucker or is the Musicman-like sounding low-z garbage?

 

[lowend1]

I just couldn't see how the stock strings could possibly be 45-105 (which is specfied on the Epiphone website). They feel much floppier/thinner so I measured them and they're actually 40-100 which is WAY too light for roundwounds on a short scale bass.

Your post got me curious, so I got out the ol' micrometer and measured the ones on my Newport (waiting on a set of DR short scale Sunbeams). They measured .040, .060, .075, .095 - no wonder bending notes was so easy!

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Your post got me curious, so I got out the ol' micrometer and measured the ones on my Newport (waiting on a set of DR short scale Sunbeams). They measured .040, .060, .075, .095 - no wonder bending notes was so easy!

My E-string measured around .096 to .098 on different parts of the E-string so I guess it must have been .095. I just assumed .100 because I didn't think Epiphone could be stupid enough to install a .095 roundwound E-string on a short scale bass. Do they WANT bad reviews?

But this is actually good news as it means there's even more room for improvement with better strings (although the G-string was actually the worst on my bass, horrible fret buzz on lots of frets).

I just levelled the frets on mine (but I've got other work to do now so I'll have to do the crowning, polishing and setup with new strings later). There were definitely a few high/low spots but not as bad as I had expected from the excessive fret buzz I was experiencing. The fretwork was more or less as expected on a bass in this price range. I'm not sure this is a good sign as it points to other issues than the frets. Some cheap basses simply have an uneven response along the neck, which causes the strings to vibrate too strongly and create buzz at certain notes. This will obviously get worse with floppy strings.

If the stock strings are 040-095 there might be a chance that this can turn into a playable instrument after all. It needs a proper setup though. The nut height is absolutely shocking!

I think I might try D'Addario Chromes on this bass. I don't like them on long scale basses where I find them too stiff and unresponsive but on problematic short scale basses this stiffness can be an advantage. I can't think of any stiffer short scale strings at playable gauges. Heavier gauges than 45-105 (or 44-106) tends to create weird tonal issues when playing up the neck on a short scale. I'm not a huge fan of the tone I get from Chromes but with this bass I don't think I have much choice. I don't think 45-105 roundwounds (which is usually the best compromise for rounds on a short scale IMO) will have enough tension/stiffness to avoid buzzing on this bass. With flats I usually find 45-100 to be the perfect compromise and Chromes are as stiff as it gets at those gauges.

Oh, and the pots were crackling out of the box. Not very impressive. Deoxit spray helped though.

 

[Hot Rats]

My E-string measured around .096 to .098 on different parts of the E-string so I guess it must have been .095. I just assumed .100 because I didn't think Epiphone could be stupid enough to install a .095 roundwound E-string on a short scale bass. Do they WANT bad reviews?

But this is actually good news as it means there's even more room for improvement with better strings (although the G-string was actually the worst on my bass, horrible fret buzz on lots of frets).

I just levelled the frets on mine (but I've got other work to do now so I'll have to do the crowning, polishing and setup with new strings later). There were definitely a few high/low spots but not as bad as I had expected from the excessive fret buzz I was experiencing. The fretwork was more or less as expected on a bass in this price range. I'm not sure this is a good sign as it points to other issues than the frets. Some cheap basses simply have an uneven response along the neck, which causes the strings to vibrate too strongly and create buzz at certain notes. This will obviously get worse with floppy strings.

If the stock strings are 040-095 there might be a chance that this can turn into a playable instrument after all. It needs a proper setup though. The nut height is absolutely shocking!

I think I might try D'Addario Chromes on this bass. I don't like them on long scale basses where I find them too stiff and unresponsive but on problematic short scale basses this stiffness can be an advantage. I can't think of any stiffer short scale strings at playable gauges. Heavier gauges than 45-105 (or 44-106) tends to create weird tonal issues when playing up the neck on a short scale. I'm not a huge fan of the tone I get from Chromes but with this bass I don't think I have much choice. I don't think 45-105 roundwounds (which is usually the best compromise for rounds on a short scale IMO) will have enough tension/stiffness to avoid buzzing on this bass. With flats I usually find 45-100 to be the perfect compromise and Chromes are as stiff as it gets at those gauges.

Oh, and the pots were crackling out of the box. Not very impressive. Deoxit spray helped though.

I sent mine back for all the set up reasons you listed. I didn't want to put in the work needed for this bass.

 

[Sauron_]

I sent mine back for all the set up reasons you listed. I didn't want to put in the work needed for this bass.

I think is better to wait for the second version of the bass, with all mistakes corrected.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

My E-string measured around .096 to .098 on different parts of the E-string so I guess it must have been .095. I just assumed .100 because I didn't think Epiphone could be stupid enough to install a .095 roundwound E-string on a short scale bass. Do they WANT bad reviews?

But this is actually good news as it means there's even more room for improvement with better strings (although the G-string was actually the worst on my bass, horrible fret buzz on lots of frets).

I just levelled the frets on mine (but I've got other work to do now so I'll have to do the crowning, polishing and setup with new strings later). There were definitely a few high/low spots but not as bad as I had expected from the excessive fret buzz I was experiencing. The fretwork was more or less as expected on a bass in this price range. I'm not sure this is a good sign as it points to other issues than the frets. Some cheap basses simply have an uneven response along the neck, which causes the strings to vibrate too strongly and create buzz at certain notes. This will obviously get worse with floppy strings.

If the stock strings are 040-095 there might be a chance that this can turn into a playable instrument after all. It needs a proper setup though. The nut height is absolutely shocking!

I think I might try D'Addario Chromes on this bass. I don't like them on long scale basses where I find them too stiff and unresponsive but on problematic short scale basses this stiffness can be an advantage. I can't think of any stiffer short scale strings at playable gauges. Heavier gauges than 45-105 (or 44-106) tends to create weird tonal issues when playing up the neck on a short scale. I'm not a huge fan of the tone I get from Chromes but with this bass I don't think I have much choice. I don't think 45-105 roundwounds (which is usually the best compromise for rounds on a short scale IMO) will have enough tension/stiffness to avoid buzzing on this bass. With flats I usually find 45-100 to be the perfect compromise and Chromes are as stiff as it gets at those gauges.

Oh, and the pots were crackling out of the box. Not very impressive. Deoxit spray helped though.

GHS Pressurewounds 95 - 40 set on my bros 65 Newport with light but not floppy tension....sound great very smooth, enough top end for a real neck mudbucker bass....the neck is very straight with a fret rocker as well but hey its a 65 Newport!

 

[lowend1]

My E-string measured around .096 to .098 on different parts of the E-string so I guess it must have been .095. I just assumed .100 because I didn't think Epiphone could be stupid enough to install a .095 roundwound E-string on a short scale bass. Do they WANT bad reviews?

But this is actually good news as it means there's even more room for improvement with better strings (although the G-string was actually the worst on my bass, horrible fret buzz on lots of frets).

I just levelled the frets on mine (but I've got other work to do now so I'll have to do the crowning, polishing and setup with new strings later). There were definitely a few high/low spots but not as bad as I had expected from the excessive fret buzz I was experiencing. The fretwork was more or less as expected on a bass in this price range. I'm not sure this is a good sign as it points to other issues than the frets. Some cheap basses simply have an uneven response along the neck, which causes the strings to vibrate too strongly and create buzz at certain notes. This will obviously get worse with floppy strings.

If the stock strings are 040-095 there might be a chance that this can turn into a playable instrument after all. It needs a proper setup though. The nut height is absolutely shocking!

I think I might try D'Addario Chromes on this bass. I don't like them on long scale basses where I find them too stiff and unresponsive but on problematic short scale basses this stiffness can be an advantage. I can't think of any stiffer short scale strings at playable gauges. Heavier gauges than 45-105 (or 44-106) tends to create weird tonal issues when playing up the neck on a short scale. I'm not a huge fan of the tone I get from Chromes but with this bass I don't think I have much choice. I don't think 45-105 roundwounds (which is usually the best compromise for rounds on a short scale IMO) will have enough tension/stiffness to avoid buzzing on this bass. With flats I usually find 45-100 to be the perfect compromise and Chromes are as stiff as it gets at those gauges.

Oh, and the pots were crackling out of the box. Not very impressive. Deoxit spray helped though.

I have seen all the issues that have been mentioned re the Newport show up on other lower-priced instruments that I have purchased. I've found the string issue, in particular, to be almost a given across all brands at the lower price points. My CV Squier, SX J-Bass knockoff and of course, the Newport, all came with strings that were destined to be spares at birth. The Newport I got required pretty much the same prep that most of my other budget basses did out of the box. Maybe I just got a good one.

 

[Tooned]

here's another demo vid..

 

[covermego]

I sent mine back for all the set up reasons you listed. I didn't want to put in the work needed for this bass.

I sent mine back, too. I can handle a setup, but it was far beyond that; the bridge PU is crooked (off-axis), plus it's mounted approx 3mm to the left, where strings don't line up properly. And the string "anchor"is also off axis. Since there's those lugs pressed into the body, there's no way to correct that. I have another on the way; hopefully it will be better. Oh, yeah..... no Cali Coral for me.....I'm old and looking at it reminded me of eating sour oranges.

 

[JimmyM]

If I wasn’t so intent on not buying any more basses ever, I’d think about picking one up. I would have to see it first, though…I don’t mind a little slop for a lower price point but it has to be the right kind of slop

 

[JimmyM]

I think it's cool to see that Epi has become the place to go for Gibson reissue basses since Gibson seems entirely uninterested in doing it.

If bass players were willing to pay $3000 for basses worth $400, Gibson would be all over it.

 

[fretno]

Those are Epiphone basses not Gibson designs. Gibson still makes a few classic Gibson designs which are pretty darn nice but nowhere near this price range. Yes Epi offers cheaper versions of some Gibson designs and darn good ones at that. Meanwhile Epiphone still makes a few U.S. made instruments which are much higher priced. I don’t think it’s accurate to say Epi is out doing Gibson quality though. They are however offering cool instruments like the Embassy and Newport at a hard to beat price. Yes I bought and Embassy and love it. I got it from Sweetwater which btw are selling new ones less than used one on reverb and they have a current deal on some colors for an additional 150 sw bucks. So free case there. Plus you can see the instrument, the weight the pickups and various things that might go south in the QC dept. Want a Embassy pounce now
Epiphone Embassy Bass Guitar - Smoked Almond Metallic

 

[TN WOODMAN]

I like the smoked almond of the 4 available colors the best & the best deal to boot.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I finally found the time to finish the work on my Newport.

In addition to all the other issues I mentioned before there were a few more surprises:

The slot for the E-string in the tailpiece was too narrow for D'Addario Chromes (.100). I used a flat file to widen it. D'Addario strings generally have very "clean" wrappings near the ball end compared to many other brands so I suspect this may be necessary with most strings (if you install a .100 or .105 E-string, which you definitely should!).

Also, whoever assembled this bass must have been half asleep. Almost none of the screws/nuts were fastened properly. The nuts on the tuners were completely loose. The screws for the strap buttons and the logo faceplate were also loose. I'm not talking about a tiny bit loose but around 1mm gap between the screw head and the surface. Definitely far beyond anything that might have happened during transport. Absolutely shocking QC.

Anyway, I ended up doing the following:

-Levelled/crowned/polished the frets.
-Oiled the EXTREMELY dry fretboard (there were actually several tiny cracks in it).
-De-oxidized the crackling pots.
-Made a new bone nut (not strictly necessary but certainly an upgrade over the cheap plastic one and the stock nut needed filing too so it wasn't that much more work).
-Filed the nut slots down to playable heights (the stock nut was way too high and practically unplayable).
-Fixed various minor issues (loose screws/nuts, misaligned knobs...).
-Widened the E-string slot in the tail piece.
-Installed D'Addario Chromes.
-Adjusted the truss rod (needed a LOT of tightening with Chromes), bridge height and intonation.

The bass is at least playable now. There's still some fret buzz in certain areas of the neck. This is caused by the strings vibrating too strongly at certain notes. This is something I often see on cheap basses. The lower tension of a short scale bass makes this much more noticable. It works fine as long as I'm aware of this and hold back a little when playing certain notes on the D+G strings.

I guess my Newport may have been a lemon but based on what I've seen I can NOT recommend this bass unless you have the tools/skills to fix all the problems or factor in the cost of paying a luthier/guitar tech to do it. A skilled luthier should be able to do this in 1-2 hours, which isn't really that bad when considering the fact that ALL basses in this price range usually need a bit of work for optimal playability. Still, there are FAR better basses for the money, unless mine was a particularly poor one.

Oh, and remember that this bass might need MEDIUM scale strings, depending on the manufacturer. D'Addario short scale strings are definitly not long enough. On the other hand, Thomastik short scale strings may be slightly on the long side... D'Addario medium scale strings were perfect.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

If bass players were willing to pay $3000 for basses worth $400, Gibson would be all over it.

Gibson don't make musical instruments anymore, they make remedies for midlife crisis.

I still think the SG is the coolest guitar ever though. I guess my age is starting to show.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

GHS Pressurewounds 95 - 40 set on my bros 65 Newport with light but not floppy tension....sound great very smooth, enough top end for a real neck mudbucker bass....the neck is very straight with a fret rocker as well but hey its a 65 Newport!

Those old ones look gorgeous! The finish on the current Epis look more like they've been dipped in plastic.