Epiphone Century Masterbilt Zenith Review

I've had this guitar for well over a year now and used it in a number of different contexts and settings.  I really like it but reading other reviews and forums it seems like it has had a very mixed reception.

I suppose many people will struggle to know what this guitar is for.  Excuse an existential question at the beginning of this review, but it is an important one.  This guitar is bit of a niche product that doesn't really have any obvious direct competitors.  However it does have lots of indirect competitors that come close to doing the same thing, and I wonder if anyone really wants that 'thing' any more.

I love playing carved top archtops, there is a mellowness to the sound that is perhaps slightly lacking in the Zenith. Is this a premium carved archtop guitar to rival a 1920s Gibson L5?  No, nor would I expect it to be at this price point, but read some of the disappointed internet forum reviews and you'd be forgiven for thinking that that is what it should be judged against.

Maybe I got lucky but I'd say this guitar gets a lot of the way towards that sound and for a fraction of the price.  It has opened up a lot as it has been played in too. I've travelled quite a lot of miles to try a number of sub £1,000 Chinese built carved top guitars, which many people have raved about in reviews. I've tried to like them, but each time I've been bitterly disappointed by poor finish, necks on new guitars that feel like they need a reset out of the box, atrocious fretwork and less than responsive acoustics.  Maybe I've just been unlucky, but build quality is important and things like the break angle of the strings over the bridge, and fretwork make a huge difference to tone and playability of an acoustic archtop.  Peerless and Eastman guitars I really like, but they are considerably more expensive and often geared more towards straight jazz applications being fitted with floating electric pickups, rather than acoustic pickups.

So where does the Zenith fit in?  I guess the difficulty of answering this questions might be part of the reason that the Century series seems to be struggling to gain traction in the marketplace or at least that's my perception. Happily for me this means I picked up mine way way under list price.  The Zenith sounds like an archtop, I like that sound, acoustically it punches through a mix of other instruments in a way a flat top guitar doesn't and gets lost quite easily. The Zenith seems to respond directly to the amount of energy you put into playing it, allowing a greater dynamic range than a flat top which always seems to have a natural compression once you hit the strings with rather more gusto.  Lead lines seem to project with this guitar in a way they just don't with a flat top.  It has that lovely natural reverb which comes with an archtop guitar.  But having said that a flat top is a much more pleasing rounded tone and overtones when played on its own. There is a richness to the tone which is severely lacking in the Zenith, which has in its place a bark and bite and a more strident mid range. This is not unpleasant but just very different and needs a slightly different technique to exploit and tame.

I love the way the flame maple glows through the deep red finish in certain lights

One of the main technique differences is in how you hold this particular kind of guitar.  An archtop is unusual in that, when it is working well, the back plate and the top work together to make the sound.  When you hold the guitar you need to keep the back plate away from any obstruction.  This not only vastly increases the bass response, but is also creates a 'bellows' effect literally pushing the sound out of the f-holes in the front.  This guitar is severely handicapped if you play it standing up for this reason, s the bass and overall volume drop off significantly.  A flat top guitar's back plate is far less critical in this respect.  With the old school players like Freddie Green you'll observe that archtops are played angled away from your body to allow the backplate full movement. If you develop this technique you'll get far more out of this guitar.  Interestingly with the relatively cheap Chinese carved top and back guitars I mentioned before the carving is quite thick and this is less of an issue.

Another technique difference is that this guitar, like a Macaferri, is no shrinking violet.  Limp wristed playing won't bring out the best in this guitar, you need to get the soundboard moving to get the tone and projection.  I suspect a lot of people pick these up off the shop wall and try to play them like a flat top and are deeply unimpressed by the tone.  However it is best to play this guitar with other instruments to appreciate the way it sits in the mix when my flat top for example would be totally lost with its wider tonal range. In this context the particular tone of the Zenith really begins to make sense. 

I do like acoustic tone of this guitar a lot.  In some ways more than the Deluxe which is a fuller rounder sound.  This one really does cut through a mix of instruments with its more midrange focus.

How does it amplify?  Now here's a thing.  A lot of jazzers for reasons best known to themselves seem to like to buy very expensive carved guitars and then amplify them using lo-fi 1930s magnetic pickup technology (I may just be guilty of this myself!) The worst culprits make big holes in carefuly carved guitars to accommodate these. Others 'float' them on top so as not to spoil the acoustic properties of the guitar which they have paid thousands for, and admittedly some wonderful sounds can be had mixing a magnetic pickup in with them miced sound of a fine instrument. However to make the old pickup technology work many people put much less acoustically pleasing nickel strings on lovely tap tuned acoustic guitars or worse still flatwounds, which just make a beautifully crafted instrument sound rather dead and lifeless. Please don't get me wrong.  I love electric guitars and have lots of them. The electric jazz guitar sound is one of my favourites, but I mainly keep those sounds and pickups for much more feedback free laminate archtops in my collection, which are more robust and cope better with feedback.

Epiphone took a braver and more helpful route and put into these guitars an acoustic pickup.  At this price point it would be wrong to expect this pickup to be the absolute cutting edge of acoustic technology, but it is not at all bad.  However it has really divided the crowd. My main gripe would be that it doesn't do full justice to the 'real' sound of the guitar, instead it sounds much more like any other amplified acoustic guitar.  Not at all unpleasant, but losing some of the bark and bite of the unamplified sound. I would say that about my flat top guitars too, that an under saddle pickup doesn’t get to the heart and soul of the real sound of the guitar.  To get the best results you really have to mix the pickup together with a microphone, in my opinion, or just mic direct, depending on the circumstances.  However it is extremely convenient to be able to plug in and play, when there is no other alternative, and above all to be able to use bronze strings to really get that lively thin top plate moving.

This guitar is not ever going to directly compete with the big money carved archtops which are rightly prized, find a builder who will craft a guitar for you and you are into a totally different league of sound.  However the Zenith is in my opinion a really good honest working guitar.  It sounds good, it looks amazing, you don't have to worry about it like something costing thousands.  Perhaps the most pleasing thing is the fit and finish.  Other brands might offer carved specs for just a bit more money but it breaks my heart to see beautiful materials being wasted with poorly executed workmanship.  The Indonesian factory where the Zenith is made have done a lovely job on finish, fretwork and appearance.  The lacquer is nice and thin, the frets are smooth and level, and I haven't had to adjust the set up at all on mine since buying it.  The inlay work is well done and all the peripherals are solidly attached, no shifting strap pins.  The tuners are great with a huge nod to the 1930s, but on a guitar that stays in tune, is well intonated and doesn't need a neck reset or handling with kid gloves.

I've used this instrument in a huge variety of contexts and been very pleased with it, from ceilidh music, to trad jazz, to pop stuff, once you get the hang of playing it you realise just how versatile it is, and it doesn't get lost in the same way a flat top often does in a more complex mix.

The good news is that because the market doesn't quite know what to make of these beauties you can, like me, pick up one of these at very reasonable prices as retailers try to shift them.  I think they will be one of those guitars people will only really begin to appreciate a bit further down the line, maybe when they are out of production, and when some of their nearest competitors are lying unplayable and unplayed in a corner, while the tops of these well made guitars have just begun to open up and mellow into maturity...

Alesis Forge Drum Kit Review, Mods, Double Bass Pedal Workaround/Fix

I've had this kit now for about 6 months. I like it a lot and got it for an extremely good price used. I also have some reservations about it, which I will go into later on.

First of all: what's to like?  This kit represents really good value for money particularly if you can find one used as I did.  It comes on a fairly solid rack mount which doesn't use too much floor space and although all the drums are solid rubber pads they play fine.  The kit is expandable and the module is very good indeed, lots of high quality sound and kit options, some great practice tracks included and great midi/usb potential.  Lots of editing possibilities too.

I use the kit for practice and some recording into Logic.  It is perfect for both these things.  I particularly like it for recording as there is no need to mess with midi interfaces, our mixing up an acoustic kit. I can lay down my own basic grooves and then tweak the midi recording to my heart's content.

This kit is great for making your own mods.  A bit of careful eBay work and you can score all sorts of extras for very little money compared to Roland and Yamaha kits.  I managed to get my DM5 Pro cymbals for free by buying three and selling on one for more than I bought the three for in the first place!


Here's where I come to some of the drawbacks of the kit.  Alesis, in their infinite wisdom, gave the Forge the same drum module as a number of higher end kits, but they crippled the firmware in the Forge module!  I can't for the life of me understand why they did this.  It means that the toms are single input only, and even though I have added dual sensor toms to the kit the rims won't speak to the module.  Why Alesis?  Surely you can give us all an update to the firmware to fix this? I do recommend doing what I have done though. I replaced the snare with a Crimson mesh snare which is much nicer to play than a rubber pad.  I've now removed the three original toms and replaced them with the Forge snare and a couple of other toms I got cheaply on eBay.  The Forge snare plays much better than the original toms supplied with the kit.

I've added a double bass pedal to my kit for practicing the techniques associated with this pedal.  Here's my next gripe.  To use a double bass pedal I've had to reassign the inputs as for some reason I can't fathom, the Forge module can't register fast kick drum beats.  Even fast double kicking with a single pedal doesn't pick up properly.  The work around is to create user kits and plug the kick drum into the spare cymbal input. You can then reassign the kick drum to this input in the menus. Then you can kick drum as fast as you like with no issues. If you want to add a second crash cymbal like I have done you can use the kick drum cable and again reassign the sounds in a user kit. Mostly I find this is fine as the crash only gets single hits.   Again why have you done this Alesis?  Surely this is a quick firm/software fix to put right for your customers?

The cymbals are only single sound (with choke) on this kit.  At this price point I wouldn't expect more, but I have used the spare inputs on the module to give me two extra cymbals.  I usually use a ride bell on one and an extra crash on the other.  This makes the kit a bit more flexible, and is a cheap mod if you can find some used cymbals to add in.

All in all if you are like me and in the position where you want an electronic kit for general use and don't want to pay a lot of money to get there, this is a very good kit to go for.   It is very flexible and expandable. Alesis have a lot of good cheap products you can add in.  I use the Sample Pad with this kit for example, and you can either use it to trigger midi sounds in the Forge Module or use your own samples from the Sample Pad.  I could see myself working with my band on some silent rehearsals using this kit, and plugging guitars into the mixing desk using modelling modules.  It would give a lot more flexibility as to where we can rehearse.  If it wasn't for some silly errors and omissions this would be a really, really great kit.


Update 2020

I've used some wheeler dealing to continue to upgrade this kit. There's a lively market for pads and parts so I've sold on the rubber pads and replaced them all with mesh ones which are better to play and quieter. I managed to sell on the brain for the same price as a secondhand Crimson module which unlocks all the dual and triple functions on the pads, and I'm really happy with this. I've then replaced the cymbals with a triple action ride and larger crash dual action which makes the kit much more functional for different techniques.

This has all been done at very little extra cost by buying low and selling high, so I'm now very happy with the kit and have got about as far as I can with upgrades, and can concentrate on playing!

Review of Eko Evo Gipsy Guitar - natural

This was a find that I had been wanting to make for a long time.  I play some Manouche/Gypsy Jazz with a friend who is a violinist and I'd been wanting to try out a 'proper' Macaferri style guitar.  This one came up locally at a price I couldn't resist and I went to try it out and (of course) came home with it!.

My first ever acoustic guitar was an Eko Ranger, so I have a soft spot for the brand, and I am really pleased to see they are back up and running and making some really good guitars these days, this being one of them.

First off this guitar is LOUD!  I am a bit of a sucker for niche acoustic guitars and have an acoustic archtop and a resonator This sits somewhere between them in terms of volume and projection.  It seems the more energy you put in the more sound you get out.  It doesn't quite match the resonator, but it comes close and of course the tone is very different.

I don't think Eko market this guitar very well.  Part of the reason for writing this review is to clarify some things I think they'd do well to mention to sell this guitar.

The most glaring error is that these are being marketed with a 648mm scale.  Unless mine is a one off I think they have this wrong.  Mine is a long scale 670mm or 26.3 inches.  This combined with an oval version of the 'grande bouche' gives a volume, projection and snap that is a prized part of the 'petite bouche' Selmers.

The guitar is very light in construction, weighing in at 1.78kg or about 4 pounds.  This also helps with the very lively and resonant feel.  The guitar finish is very thin, and the mahogany is open pore rather than filled, and both these factors help with the overall resonance.

The other thing that gives the unique manouche sound to this guitar is the fact that the top of the guitar is ladder braced, not x braced like most flat top guitars.  This allows the guitar sound board to resonate more freely as there is far less bracing than on a standard flat top. To give the top and back more strength both are very, very slightly arched.  This allows the bridge to sit slightly higher than a conventional bridge and the neck is angled to accommodate this, like on an archtop guitar.

The rosette is a really nice touch, not painted on, but a properly crafted inlay made up of concentric ovals of different woods.

Then there is the heritage.  It is arguable that the manouche guitar comes directly from an Italian tradition of luthiery, and I love the fact that this guitar is conceived and designed by an Italian company, even if it is made in the PRC.

The sound of this guitar, apart from being very loud, is gorgeous.  Eko have done an excellent job of putting together a unique guitar that gets to the very heart of that manouche sound.   The beautiful solid spruce top, laminate sides, thin finish, ladder bracing, arched top and long scale make this sound just like the sound I have in my head of a gypsy guitar.  It has a very special place in guitar history as makers tried to increase the sound projection before the advent of electric guitars.  Although I love the electric guitar, my heart is with these old designs and I am rather sad that most people only ever get to play on a Martin inspired flat top (nothing wrong with that design, I love it, but it is a particular sound).  What you get with this guitar is an ability to cut through other acoustic instruments, either with chords or with a lead line.  It doesn't compress the sound like a flat top guitar but translates all that energy you put into plucking into volume.  It is not subtle when you do this, but it sounds fantastic, if you play more gently there is a lovely tone there as well. Of course you need to string this with Argentine strings to get the proper sound.


The rest of the guitar as a package is very nicely executed.  No faults I can find.  The wood binding is done well, the veneers and top well book matched.  The nut is bone with a zero fret, and the tailpiece is pressed brass like a Maccaferri. The neck is a slim flat D in shape.  The action is highish as it needs to be to obtain the projection.  I like the simple Evo inlay on the 12 fret.  The tuners work well, and the headstock veneer is a very nice thick slice of rosewood.


Although this is a bit of a specialist guitar, if you can find one give it a go - lots of craftsmanship for your money.

Review of Aria Acoustic Bass - FEB-FLLVS

I've had this memorably named bass for a while now. I mainly play electric bass, and I like fretless for the variety of tones that it can produce.  The Aria is very well priced and has a surprising number of good features despite this.  I bought mine secondhand and if you can find one this means you get a huge amount of instrument for your money.

The price point is only really noticeable in a few finish niggles.  The worst is that the truss rod rattles very slightly in the neck when certain notes on the bass are played hard.  The rest are just the standard small blemishes due to lack of time for the workers finishing the guitar, but no deal breakers.

The positives greatly outweigh this.  First off the acoustic sound is louder than most acoustic basses I have played, this I guess is down to the huge body this model has which allows it to displace plenty of air.  The lower bout is 16.5 inches or 420mm, and the soundbox is 4.72 inches deep or 120mm.  I think the fact that the bass has f-holes also helps with a more double bass sound.  The soundboard is an x braced laminated spruce, nothing too special here, but it is thin enough to be resonant.  The sides are a beautiful flamed nato laminate, and bound with wood rather than plastic which is a very luxurious touch at this price.  The bass feels very light, and I think this also helps with resonance.  The bridge is a nicely cut piece of rosewood and the strings feed through this with pins in standard flat top tradition.

The pickup is a under saddle piezo with a decent pre-amp and tuner built in.  No complaints here, though I prefer to record this using a microphone to get the full acoustic range.

The fretboard is a well manufactured and finished piece of rosewood and my bass is strung with flat wound strings which give this instrument more of a double bass vibe, with a nice bit of slap onto the fretboard if you want that effect.  The neck is nato with a rosewood veneer to the headstock.  the tuners work well and the bass stays in tune extremely well.

I use this bass to play some jazz numbers we do with the band, when I want a more acoustic sound.  It does tend to feed back at higher volumes, so you have to be more careful about positioning the amp compared to an electric bass.  Unplugged I think it would just hold its own against an acoustic guitar, but would quickly get lost with more instruments even though it is quite loud compared to other acoustic basses I have tried.

All in all I am very happy with this bass, which was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase.