ULTRA RARE 70's Japanese Epiphone Guitar

I bought this off an old gyspy woman (she told me) who lived in an RV home.
She told me she bought this guitar brand new in the 70s and it was the only guitar she owned and played.
First time I’ve ever seen true fret wear on a guitar.. I’ve always heard about “fret wear blah blah” but never truly understood what fret wear was until I saw this guitar… There are basically no metal frets sticking out of the fretboard.
Very high quality parts all around.. including the wood and metal hardware quality. Original Humbucker pickups (not sure what they are) sound very good as well.
Underneath the pickguard, the electronics were very clean and well organized. No mess with wires and everything was built very efficiently and with care.
Interesting guitar and a quality find for sure.
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VIDEO TIMELINE:
- Why I Bought This Epiphone Crestwood @ 0:35
- My First Impression of this Guitar @ 0:55
- My First Time Seeing True Fretwear @ 1:45
- What’s it like “Under the Hood”? @ 2:55
- Japanese Neck Profile Impressions @ 3:50
- Tuners First Impression @ 5:00
- Common Issues with MIJ Guitars @ 5:55
- Tone Review (1 String) @ 6:45
- THE FINAL VERDICT @ 9:00
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**LINK OF GUITARS I'VE REVIEWED SO FAR:
docs.google.co...
-------------------------------- THE REVIEW -------------------------------
Model:
- Epiphone ET-290N "Crestwood"
Average Price
- $800 (used)
Year:
- 1970 (50 years old)
Country of Origin:
- Made in Japan
Tone Rating:
- n/a
Guitar Build Quality:
- 8.5/10
Pros:
- Very high quality construction, including wood and hardware
- Comfortable U-shaped style neck profile
Cons:
- Hmm.....
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INSTAGRAM:
- @ everysingleguitars
#EpiphoneCrestwood #JapaneseEpiphone #VintageEpiphone #1970sGibson #EpiphoneET290N #ET290NCrestwood #EpiphoneCrestwoodReview #EpiphoneNaturalGuitar #EpiphoneCrestwoodNatural

[@everysingleguitars]

VIDEO TIMELINE: - Why I Bought This Epiphone Guitar @ 0:35 - My First Impression of this Guitar @ 0:55 - My First Time Seeing True Fretwear @ 1:45 - What’s it like “Under the Hood”? @ 2:55 - Japanese Neck Profile Impressions @ 3:50 - Tuners First Impression @ 5:00 - Common Issues with MIJ Guitars @ 5:55 - Tone Review (1 String) @ 6:45 - THE FINAL VERDICT @ 9:00

[@gtrmarv333]

This was my first electric . It is everything you say . It " went away " after a few years . Huge regrets . Have a few pics of me playing it , and have a few saved pics from ebay posts . Those are obviously not the original tuners . It was a GREAT first electric . I MUST save this video . Very bittersweet .

[@alanpelton2598]

that's like an old school Wilshire...one of epiphanies models that Gibson never remade, since Epiphone had their own models before being bought by Gibson

[@everysingleguitars]

Ya the body looks hella similar to the wilshire ... might actually b identical ... but the headstock designs are completely different

[@tonymullen4779]

Never even knew Epiphone had a guitar like this. Never even knew Epiphone had Japanese made in 60s

[@pascalf2253]

some of the best Epiphone guitars made are from the 60's and 70's. a lot of the Japanese made guitars back then are high quality

[@StevenDanielW]

The Epiphone ET Series guitars were solidbody guitars produced from 1970-1978 at the Matsumoku plant in Japan. This model is from between 1975-1978

[@stratmangler]

Good day mate, how much did you pay for that beauty? Anyways, you should post another video with the complete strings and some tunes. Nice video and informative.

[@stratmangler]

I actually have one and it sounds gorgeous... I have one problem with it though, the radius of the neck is fine for chording stuff but when youn get past the 14th fret and bend, the note chokes out. I try to set it up a little high to counteract that but I love my guitars action low. Also the neck is on the heavy side... not as heavy as an SG but a little bit of neck dive is present. Mines finish is still great after all these years, a friend of mine bought a gibson and after a year, checking started to appear on the finish. The pick ups are not that hot for a humbucker, really clear and glassy, tried it with an overdrive and the notes are clear. I have another humbucker equipped guitar and I can hear the difference. Nice for janggly, strummed tunes. Overall, its an old guitar that has a quality built. Remember its at least a 42 year old guitar (last made in 1978)

[@byrong1490]

@@stratmangler I had one that was completely refinished black and got it for $450. No regrets and definitely got my moneys worth. It's a very high grade guitar that sounded good I thought. I eventually traded it up for a American Jazzmaster though.

[@aizatharis]

That model must be based off of the Epiphone wilshire 1966

[@everysingleguitars]

Such an underrated guitar ...

[@aaronsidman4674]

Beautiful Guitar! I have a 1972 Cherry Burst ET290 and I believe it has Maxxon Pickups. Awesome Guitar that I will never get rid of.

[@hpodell]

I think the frets on these were originally very low. I've head two of these over the years, an ET 290-N like this one and my latest a red sunburst, and both had ultra low frets around 0.027" so I imagine they started life around 0.030". Just fell in love with the neck on these the second I picked one up. Typically the build quality is very good but surprisingly the bridge on my red one was positioned wrong from the factory and I had to move it forward almost half an inch. I also think the using three screws to raise and lower the pickups is a fantastic idea and maybe other companies should consider it. The third screw allows you to tilt the pickup to follow the angle of the strings.

[@everysingleguitars]

Never seen frets this low ever .....

[@MrBenderisgreat]

@@everysingleguitars based on what I’ve read about these guitars, they were using old Gibson “fretless wonder” style frets when manufacturing these guitars. I have a ET-290N as well and the frets are insanely low. You’d have to reallllly be playing all the time to wear them down this bad, and you’d also have to be using all the frets about an equal amount or pay for a lot of fret dresses to get them all the same level

[@pascalf2253]

@@MrBenderisgreat epiphone used actual gibson parts on this epiphone crestwood guitar? all the hardware is usa gibson?

[@jltrem]

It was made in the Matsumoku factory. It probably has a 7.25 fretboard radius, which would contribute to the comfort of play. The pickups might be made by Maxon. Hang on to it.

[@Mtn603]

Looks like an old Epiphone Coronet, similar to a Crestwood or Wilshire.

[@McKEYEU]

I have got such one. But with different tuners. Yet not sure about proper string gauge for this model. Who could share the experience?

[@tommygungd]

Do you plan to showcase the sounds of these guitars through playing demos at some point? I really like this channel but would also like to hear what they sound like.

[@tommygungd]

Also I have the bass model of this exact guitar. Epiphone ET-288n 1973 Natural. Here's one on reverb: reverb.com/item/34884032-epiphone-wilshire-et-288n-1973-natural

[@everysingleguitars]

Yep... most of the reviews with no tone is cuz the guitar got sold before I could review it properly.. or cuz it wasn’t set up.. that was the case for this Epiphone

[@geofftriesnewshit8251]

Do you have any issues with the connection at the neck joint/plate being so small? I've got a et175 which is similar except with a tremolo bar. I feel like if I put any pressure on the neck at all the tuning wobbles down almost a half step. I love the feel of the guitar but I have ti be so delicate playing it otherwise it's never quite in tune.

[@everysingleguitars]

Nope , u might want to bring the guitar to a luthier to get it checked

[@everythingviral.6081]

This guitar reminds me of a saxophone.

[@SocCHOI2013]

How much it cost today? any idea about it?

[@everysingleguitars]

$1 dollar

[@TheRealMikeySullivan]

500-700 depending on condition