Epiphone ENSVEBVCH1 Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Epiphone Special VE is a classic, affordable solid body electric guitar that delivers great tone and playability. Part of Epiphone's Inspired by Gibson line, the Special VE model takes design cues from Gibson's iconic guitars while keeping costs down thanks to its Eastern manufacturing.

This no-frills guitar features a double cutaway style alder body with a bolt-on maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. The hardware includes Epiphone's reliable tune-o-matic bridge system and stopbar tailpiece for rock-solid tuning stability. The pickups consist of open-coil humbuckers that provide a warm, full sound. Controls are simple but effective - one volume and one tone knob plus a 3-way pickup selector.

Overall, the Special VE offers exceptional value in an electric guitar for beginners and intermediate players. Its simplistic design focuses on versatile tone and easy playability. The following sections will explore the various features and sounds of this budget-friendly Epiphone in more detail.

Body Style

The Epiphone Special Solidbody Electric Guitar has a classic double-cutaway Les Paul style solid body. This gives it a balanced feel and makes it comfortable to play standing up. The solid maple body contributes to the guitar's bright, articulate tone and sustain. While heavier than a semi-hollow or chambered guitar, the solid body gives the Epiphone Special a rock-solid feel that resonates nicely when strummed or picked hard. The smooth contoured edges and beveled cutaway provide easy access to the higher frets, ideal for lead playing. Overall the traditional solidbody design makes the Epiphone Special a versatile choice well-suited for rock, blues, and metal genres.

The solid body construction allows the guitar to deliver clean, sustained notes without unwanted feedback. This makes it a great choice for playing live on stage. The dense wood also enhances the sustain and resonance of each note. Compared to hollow or semi-hollow alternatives, the solid body concentrates the vibrations through the wood and pickups for a focused tone. This tonal character is ideal for hard rock, punk, and heavy metal where you want thick overdriven power chords. The solid body's sustain also works nicely for blues leads and riffs. Overall the traditional solidbody form factor gives the Epiphone Special versatility across many popular guitar styles.

Another well-regarded guitar with a solid double-cutaway body is the Yamaha C40 PKG. Like the Epiphone Special, it has a solid wood construction made from Indonesian meranti. This gives it a dense feel and balanced resonance. The Yamaha C40 PKG also comes with a full starter kit including an amp, accessories, and gig bag. So it provides great value right out of the box. While the Epiphone Special has a slightly more refined build quality, the Yamaha is another solid option for new guitarists looking for an affordable starter package with a classic solidbody electric guitar.

Woods Used

The Epiphone Special-II Electric Guitar has a iconic, simple double cutaway design that both looks great and offers fantastic access to the higher frets. The body is made from poplar, which is a cost-effective wood that provides a balanced tone. Poplar is often chosen by manufacturers for its visual consistency.

The bolt-on maple neck offers smooth playability. Maple is a dense, rigid wood that provides excellent sustain and bright tone. The maple neck is comfortable and allows for fast, fluid playing across the fretboard. Many guitarists prefer maple for its snappy, crisp sound that cuts through when playing with high gain.

Overall, the combination of poplar and maple woods provides a versatile tonal palette at an affordable price point. While not the most premium tonewoods, they allow the Special-II to deliver solid performance and reliability. The wood choices let the pickups and electronics shape the core of the guitar's voice. Another popular electric guitar that uses high quality tonewoods is the Yamaha CSF1M TBL. This guitar features a solid spruce top with flamed maple back and sides for exceptional resonance and sustainability. The spruce produces a balanced tone with crisp highs and tight lows. The flamed maple boosts projection and overtone complexity. Together, these premium woods allow for dynamic sensitivity and a rich, colorful voice. The Yamaha CSF1M TBL is an example of how high-end tonewoods can elevate an electric guitar. While more expensive than the Epiphone Special II, it demonstrates the sonic possibilities unlocked by all-solid wood construction.

Hardware

The Epiphone Special II Electric Guitar comes equipped with quality hardware that enhances its sound, tuning stability, and durability.

The hardware consists of chrome die-cast tuners, a Tune-o-matic bridge, and stopbar tailpiece. The chrome hardware provides a classic look that complements the vintage vibe of the guitar.

The tuners are Epiphone's Premium Covered tuners, which provide smooth and accurate tuning. They are high-ratio tuners, meaning you get more tuning precision with less turning of the tuning keys. This makes it easy to keep the guitar in tune even during heavy use. The sealed gearing prevents grit, grime and lubricants from getting into the works and compromising functionality.

The Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece work together to give great sustain and resonance. The adjustable bridge allows precise control over intonation, so each string rings true up and down the neck. The tailpiece anchors the strings solidly to prevent loss of sustain. Overall, the chrome hardware enables great tuning stability, tone, and tuning flexibility on this budget-friendly guitar.

Pickups

The Epiphone Special VE comes equipped with Epiphone's 700T/650R open-coil humbucker pickups. Humbuckers are known for their thicker, warmer tone compared to single coil pickups. The 700T pickup in the bridge position provides crisp highs and tight low end, allowing for aggressive riffing and leads. The 650R pickup in the neck position has a smoother, rounder tone for bluesy solos and chords. Together, the two humbuckers offer a versatile tonal palette. The open-coil design exposes the bobbins, resulting in increased high end presence and clarity. Overall, the 700T and 650R humbuckers deliver classic rock crunch and singing sustain. Players looking for vintage voiced pickups that can handle gain will appreciate what Epiphone included on the Special VE.

Controls

The Epiphone Les Paul Special VE comes equipped with simple but effective controls that provide a variety of tones. It features master volume and tone controls, along with a 3-way pickup selector switch.

The master volume and tone knobs are easy to adjust and allow you to dial in your desired levels of volume and treble cut. The volume control goes from 0-10, giving you a wide range of volume output. The tone control lets you go from bright and crisp to darker, warmer tones.

The 3-way pickup selector switch lets you choose between the bridge pickup, neck pickup, or both pickups together. The bridge pickup provides crisp, biting tones, while the neck pickup has a smoother, rounder sound. With both pickups activated, you get a balanced blend of both. Having independent volume controls for each pickup also allows you to blend their levels seamlessly.

Overall, the controls offer versatility without being overly complex. Beginners will appreciate the simple setup, while more advanced players can still get a variety of tones to suit different musical styles and preferences. The volume, tone, and 3-way pickup selector give you the core elements you need to craft your sound.

Playability

The Epiphone Les Paul Special VE electric guitar features Epiphone's SlimTaper neck profile, which is slim and easy to handle, especially for smaller hands. The guitar has a rosewood fretboard which provides a smooth feel during fast soloing. The medium jumbo frets are nicely finished, allowing for comfortable and precise fretting.

The Les Paul Special VE has a 24.75" scale length, a 12" radius, and a 1.68" nut width. This helps with comfortable chording and fretting access across the entire fretboard. The neck joint is smoothly contoured for easy access to higher frets.

Overall, the playability of the Les Paul Special VE is very good for an affordable guitar. The slim neck profile and rosewood fretboard make it comfortable and fast to play. The frets are finished nicely as well. These attributes make this a nice playing guitar both for lead and rhythm work.

Sound

The Epiphone Special SG delivers a versatile tone well-suited for rock and blues. Its dual open-coil humbuckers provide a thick, warm sound when playing through a cranked tube amp. The alnico magnets in the pickups produce excellent dynamics and responsiveness. From clean tones to crunchy overdrive, this guitar can cover a lot of sonic ground.

The bridge pickup has plenty of bite for lead lines and searing rock solos. It has a bright, cutting presence that sings. The neck pickup smooths out the top end for rounded rhythm tones. Its warmth and bass response help fatten up chords. Blending the two pickups produces a balanced midrange, great for classic rock riffing.

Overall, this guitar captures the snarling rock attitude the SG is known for. It can also mellow out nicely for bluesy lead work. The pickups have enough vintage character to please most rock and blues players. While not the most versatile guitar, the Special SG nails those core tones it's meant for.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The Epiphone Special II offers excellent value for the price. It's an affordable entry point into the world of electric guitars.

• The gloss finish looks great, especially considering the low price point. The guitar comes in stylish color options like Vintage Sunburst, Ebony, and Vintage Cherry.

• The 650R humbucker pickups are quite versatile. They can handle blues, rock, metal and various genres. The pickups provide a decent range of tones.

Cons:

• The hardware and electronics are on the cheaper side, as expected for a budget guitar. The tuners and bridge are basic, and you may want to upgrade down the line.

• Serious players may find the pickups lack character and depth compared to pricier options. But they perform well given the affordable price tag.

Summary

The Epiphone Les Paul Special II is an affordable, well-made solidbody electric guitar with a classic design that's great for rock and blues. Its mahogany body and neck provide a warm, resonant tone, while the two open-coil humbuckers can deliver everything from singing leads to crunchy rhythm tones. The hardware is basic but very playable, with a tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece that intonate well.

For the price, the Epiphone Special II excels at classic rock tones and feels substantial and road-worthy. It may lack premium features like coil-splitting or switching options, but it nails the iconic Les Paul vibe. Overall, an excellent choice as a first electric guitar or backup instrument for pros.