Epiphone L-00 Review

It’s no secret that Epiphone is producing budget copies of Gibson on a completely official basis. That’s why we can say right away that you will get a good guitar that will last you for years but is made of simpler materials.

In this Epiphone L-00 review, I will introduce you to a small studio acoustic-electric guitar, which, in my opinion, is very well suited for beginners or those who are not professionals. You may even be familiar with it, as the model was previously called EL-00 PRO and has already gained the trust of many musicians. Its reduced size is very convenient for teenagers, for lazy playing in a sitting position, or even lying on the couch.

Body

The Epiphone L-00 Studio acoustic/electric guitar is the direct successor to Epiphone’s original line of flattops, dating back to the golden age of acoustic guitars in the 1930s. The diminutive parlor or “blues box” style acoustic guitar is beloved by bluesmen of all eras for its compressed, woody timbre, short scale, and comfortable weight, making it ideal for fingerstyle playing or bottleneck slides.

As the manufacturer writes about its brainchild, “The Epiphone L-00 Studio is a direct successor to Epiphone’s original flattops, dating back to the golden age of acoustic guitars in the 1930s.” Its design is attributed to the “parlor” or “blues box” style because bluesmen often used a reduced size and thin fingerboard. The body is made of Mahogany (as are the sides), so it gives out a good resonance but is compressed, a bit barrel-like.

Belonging to the classics is also visible in the studio vintage sunburst coloring, pickguard Imitation tortoise with metal E. And the pegs are quite modern – Grover Rotomatic with 14:1 mini-knobs. The guitar was poorly tuned out of the box, but I easily adjusted the strings (which I recommend replacing).

Neck, fingerboard, headstock

Since the Epiphone L-00 Studio is a fairly inexpensive guitar, some things are inherent to its price segment. For example, the neck is glued to the body. This is not the most reliable attachment, but if you use it at home, this method will not cause quick wear and tear.

The neck is shaped like a SlimTaper D, and like I said, it’s quite thin and comfortable for small hands and thin fingers. The 24.75″ scale length, Medium Jumbo 19 fret, and mother-of-pearl dot inlays make it easy for your hand to move around the fingerboard quickly, hitting each fret clearly. I reached each fret with ease. Laurel fingerboard material gives off a very good sound, so it’s easy to control.

Pickup system

The electronics in the Epiphone L-00 are from Fishman, which makes excellent pickups. However, I was not enamored with the Fishman Presys VT, but I don’t want to be too harsh. This guitar, as I’ve outlined above, is small. It would be more suitable for a non-professional player just learning to play. So basically, the mere presence of medium-quality electronics is already good.

The volume and tone controls and the preamp are also from Fishman Presys VT, and you can connect to the amplifier through a regular 1/4″ input jack.

Sound quality

The Epiphone L-00 sound is very good. Voluminous, quite rich, but quiet because of the size. Good frequency balance, even with its simple electronics. Just what you need for practicing in the room. The comfortable shape and slimmed-down design, as well as the thin fingerboard, are very comfortable to hold, and I played it sitting down with ease. After changing the strings and tuning, the L-00 sounded even better. And I especially like the feedback from the guitar when using fingerstyle.