Epiphone Review: Alley Kat

History:

Purchase: Got this earlier this month from Musicians Friend for $479.99. This was the first inexpensive yet seemingly high quality semi-hollow archtop I had seen in years except maybe the De Armond Starfire model.

What I Like About This Epiphone Alley Kat: This is a "Black Chrome" finish, and you can still see the flamed grain of the wood through the finish. Body, neck and f-holes are fully bound. The neck is surprisingly close in feel to my 72 SG. The stock Gotoh tuners were a surprise, they feel very smooth. The Gretsch-style master volume has proven very useful, since I do not use effects. This axe can go from the sweetest deep tone to a ripping rock squeal in a flick of the switch and a turn of a knob. Judging from the headstock, this guitar should say Gibson on it!!! But then it would cost $1500! I have newfound respect for Korean guitar making!

What I Do NOT Like About The Epiphone Alley Kat: My first issue with this design is that there is only one tone control, so that the sproingy, "out-of-phase" sound that is so excellent on most 2 pickup instruments (like a LP, 335, SG, Ibanez Artist etc.) when the tones are pushed to opposite ends and the selector is straight up-just doesn't happen on this layout. But I can live with that, therer's plenty of pluses with the two different humbuckers. My only other issue is the headstock. It has the Gibson scroll work, and for some reason Epiphone decided to put this cheesy-looking metal nameplate on the head with 3 screws, which was not apparent in the photos- the screws, I mean. Also, the truss-rod adjustment cover has the Epiphone trademark "e" design, when it would have been much hipper to have had the name of the guitar there, since the only place that the name is on the guitar is inside the upper f-hole on the guarantee sticker! Minor issues...that's why I bought it!

Epiphone Alley Kat Quality Rating: For the uninitated, this is a set-neck, single cutaway, semihollow (not neck through!),dual humbuckers (1 small, 1 full size) tunomatic bridge/stop tail... think oversized Les Paul with f-holes...smaller than, say, an ES model, more body than the Blueshawk. Probably what the Blueshawk should have been... The workmanship appears to be as good as any Gibson (and I have a couple), except the f-hole "binding" which has a "brushed on" quality. Would I stand on the face of this guitar like I have done to prove a point about quality and construction on Guilds and Martins? Probably not.

Review Summary: This guitar filled a void for me at a remarkable price. Anyone one looking at spending a grand or more to get that jazzy/swingy hollow jazz box sound should at least find one of these and try it out, preferably through a small tube amp with master gain (like a Fender Blues Junior or Deville) and just put it to the ear test. I had done that with a FlameKat (same basic setup, with a Bigsby vibrato and a gaudy paint job,and, btw, missing the head stock plate!) and was amazed by the versatility and tonal range. Note my rating of 4 should be taken as about a 4.7!

Rating of this Epiphone product: 4

This Epiphone Alley Kat Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: K. C.

Review Date: 2001-11-27