Epiphone Review: Alley Kat

History:

Purchase: I purchased this guitar from zzounds.com for around $400. I wanted a semi-hollowbody guitar with a modern look, and I was very pleased with my Epiphone acoustic.

What I Like About This Epiphone Alley Kat: This instrument feels very strong. It looks great and has a really nice tone. I can get a great blues sound, and it has nice sustain. I don't have any trouble at all with noise or feedback. I really like the feel of the neck as well. The guitar just feels very natural to play.

What I Do NOT Like About The Epiphone Alley Kat: Initially, my biggest complaint was the finish around the binding on the neck. Nothing is sticking out, but it doesn't look all that great. My danelectro has a better fit and finish on the ends of the frets. The pickup switch also felt very cheap. Within a couple days it quit working and I replaced it with a rotary switch from digikey. I like this switch better, because I never accidentally hit it, but for a guitar that lists for $800, you would think a decent switch could be included. The switch was a pretty hokey design. It even had the Epiphone name stamped on it. I hope they have fixed this issue by now.

Epiphone Alley Kat Quality Rating: As I mentioned, the guitar seems sturdy, and feels nice. My only complaints are around the neck binding and the fret ends, and of course the switch. The rest is really nice. The quality of the sound lives up to my expectations. It was set up well, and after a year of owning it, I have had no problems other than those mentioned.

Review Summary: Over all, I would buy this guitar again. It suits my playing well. I like to play blues, rock, jazz, and funk, and this guitar can be used for any of them. It also looks great hanging on the wall. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a versatile, yet fairly inexpensive semi-hollowbody, provided they don't mind replacing that switch.

Rating of this Epiphone product: 4

This Epiphone Alley Kat Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Bob

Review Date: 2002-12-26