I'm a big fan of travel-size acoustic guitars; they were conceived for a reason. Yes, they are more suitable for kids due to the dimensions but these were not designed for them in the first instance because kids take up standard-size guitars for lessons unless otherwise specified. The primary intention is the ease of mobility.
I chanced upon the Epiphone Expedition seen here, in the store, grouped together with the rest of the shorter-scale acoustics. The thing about acoustics for me, is that they have to make an impact upon mere handling because it's about the guitar per se, it's detached from necessary amplification unless the manufacturer meant it to be an electro-acoustic then the standards would be different. The Expedition was well built in every way but it was let down by a very synthetic feel. It's as if the wood was there to hide an artificial layer beneath.
Coming down to feel & playability, the Expedition possesses one of the more inviting necks in terms of feel & profile, thanks to the manufacturer's slim taper proprietory feature. Once again, the offsetting factor here is the body, it's too lightweight to counter the neck mass & neck-diving was inevitable during play. The body's solid spruce top could save the instrument much in terms of tone. Moral of the story- solid top is a desirable feature to have in acoustics but it doesn't guarantee good tones. One has to hear the guitar in its entirety & not judge it prematurely pertaining to solid top inclusion. As such, the guitar sounds very boxy (the typical let-down for guitars of this ilk), almost devoid of any inviting resonance. Only a fresh, crunchy set of strings could pull off (no pun intended) a good tone & I was fortunate the Expidition was equipped with a fresh set of strings.
All in all, the Expidition could serve you as a get-by instrument befitting of social gatherings, not a meeting of acoustic audiophiles. On a personal note, I expected more from the 'Epiphone' brand name but we know too well that these days, a brand name doesn't mean much if it doesn't deliver the real candy. For those of us who are more accustomed to a standard size acoustic (dreadnought et al), please assess this instrument on its own merits before saying it's too toy-like for your own good.
Rating: 6/10
1 comment:
I'm responding to this post just in case anyone is looking for information regarding the Epiphone Expedition travel guitar, as that's how I found this review. I was a little confused after reading your review of the Expedition; on the one hand, you profess to be a big fan of travel-size guitars, but then you proceed to trash this model (along with the Epiphone company) because it doesn't measure up to full sound of standard-sized dreadnoughts. I've just purchased a used Expedition (albeit the guitar looks practically new) and it blows all the other travel guitars currently available out of the water. I think the point is how this guitar compares with other models in the same class, and not to the full-size Martins or Taylors, etc. Many of these small-scale guitars have intonation and tuning issues, but luckily my model doesn't suffer from this common problem, having decent cast tuners and excellent intonation, especially in the lower frets. Of course it's not going to deliver the full-booming bass that full-sized guitars do, but unlike your perception that the guitar feels synthetic in some way, the Expedition's solid spruce top is extremely resonant and alive. As you said, "one has to hear the guitar in its entirety & not judge it prematurely pertaining to solid top inclusion." I certainly hear it and whole-heartedly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for an alternative to the Baby Taylors and Martin LX's.
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