Epiphone PRO-1 Acoustic Guitar

A first acoustic that's easy to play and very easy on the wallet

Learning guitar is a challenging task for many beginners. While learning the instrument at a basic level is not too difficult and is certainly easier than many other instruments, that task is often needlessly complicated by the instrument the student uses in the attempt. New players are often saddled with an old hand-me-down guitar that may have sat for years in the attic or basement without care or attention. These often come complete with heavier gauge, old rusted strings, a bowed neck and poor setup that puts the strings an inch above the fingerboard, making the guitar virtually unplayable. With "features" like these, it's not hard to see why many neophyte guitarists give up in frustration.

But there's also financial considerations. Not everyone can afford or justify a new intermediate or high-end instrument, and while it's fine to buy something slightly upscale that you can "grow into" as a player, some folks won't be convinced that the initial investment is warranted - especially parents of younger players who wonder if Junior's enthusiasm is going to quickly wane, leaving Mom and Dad with an expensive guitar that no one uses. Because of this, striking a balance between affordability and playability in a first guitar is crucial. Epiphone claims that their new PRO-1 series was designed with just this balance in mind, and is intended to make learning to play as easy as possible. How well does the PRO-1 meet the needs of beginning guitarists?    

What You Need To Know

• The Epiphone PRO-1 is a Dreadnought-style acoustic guitar and part of the new Epiphone PRO-1 Collection, which currently consists of four models: The PRO-1, PRO-1 Classic (both $119 "street"), PRO-1 Plus ($229 "street") and PRO-1 Ultra ($329 "street"). We'll be focusing on the lowest priced model in the collection, the baseline PRO-1 steel-string acoustic guitar in the course of this review.

• Epiphone consulted professional players to get their advice regarding what features were desirable in a entry-level guitar and incorporated many of their suggestions in the PRO-1.

• The PRO-1 has a laminated "select" spruce top, and custom "PRO-Prietary™" bracing. The bracing is based on a traditional X bracing pattern, but slightly opened up, with taller braces near the soundhole that stiffen the area and, according to Epiphone, allow the top to vibrate more evenly. While the review unit has a gloss-finished natural top, other colors are available including Blueburst, Vintage Sunburst, Ebony, and Wine Red.

• The back and sides use select laminated mahogany, and have a gloss finish. The body depth ranges from about 3 3/4" - 4" (depending on where you measure it) and is slightly shallower than what you'll find on many acoustics, making it a little bit easier and more comfortable to wrap your arms around.

• The inside of the sound chamber is coated with a thin layer of sanding sealer. This is kept thin to minimize any effect on top vibrations, and it helps keep the moisture content of the wood from changing with fluctuations in environmental conditions. This should help it to be more forgiving of brief exposures to overly-dry or humid conditions, although as with all guitars, it shouldn't be subjected to extreme conditions, especially over longer periods.

• The rosewood bridge features a pin-less design, which should make it easier for beginners to re-string. The GraphTech NuBone XB saddle is compensated for improved intonation.

• The glued-in neck on the PRO-1 is mahogany, with a rosewood fingerboard with dot position markers. The rosewood is treated with PRO-Ease™ lubricant, which slightly darkens the wood and reduces finger squeaks and friction. No, it doesn't feel too oily or weird, and yes, it does seem to work. Strap buttons are pre-installed at the tail of the guitar and on the neck heel. 

• The neck features a dual-action truss rod and has a GraphTech NuBone XB nut. Epiphone's EZ-Profile™ neck has a C shaped profile of moderate proportions and is designed for playing comfort. At 1.68" wide at the nut there's enough width there to provide plenty of room for your fingertips without being too big or bulky to play comfortably. Epiphone calls the PRO-1's frets "JumboPRO", and they're both tall and wide, which makes it easier for beginners to successfully and cleanly fret a note with minimal finger pressure.

• The headstock features the traditional Epiphone Sloped Dovewing shape, and an old-style metal Epiphone headstock badge. The "tulip button" tuners are stamped Epiphone Deluxe, and feature an 18:1 gear ratio. This finer ratio makes it easier to tune accurately, and once tuned the PRO-1 holds its tuning well, which lets students spend more time playing and less time tuning. 

• Another thing that really helps ease fingering is the stock strings, which are very light gauge (.009/.014/.023w/.030/.039/.047), and require much less force to fret properly than heavier strings. The string action of the PRO-1 I tested was agreeably low and buzz-free, and the overall setup quite good, which also helps make things easier for the beginning player.

• Epiphone refers to the PRO-1 as having a "short scale" length in some of their ads, but that's relative. It's 24.75" - which is shorter than the 25.5" you'll find on some guitars, but the standard scale length that most Gibson and Epiphone models have used for decades. While I wouldn't really consider the PRO-1 a true short scale, the slightly shorter scale length is another detail that adds slightly to its ease of playability.

• A humidifier is included, along with a Guitar Beginner's Guide to Guitar booklet by Craig Anderton and eMedia online lessons. Epiphone offers an optional Accessory Kit that includes all the other accessories you'll want including a strap, picks, spare strings, a guitar tuner, string winder, and guitar polish and cleaning cloth.

Limitations

• The tuners were mounted a bit unevenly on the review unit. This is purely cosmetic and in no way affected the tuning stability or playability of the instrument.

• No case or bag is included. At this price, one shouldn't be expected, but you'll still need to budget for one or the other to keep the guitar safe when not in use or when traveling.

• While the stock ultra-light string gauges are a good choice for playability, they're not ideal for getting the most out of the PRO-1 from a tonal standpoint. The tone of the guitar gets a bit better with heavier strings, as you might expect, although the stock string choices are great for encouraging beginners with tender fingertips.

• Since changing strings is one of those things beginners often struggle with (or outright neglect), it would be nice if the PRO-1 came equipped with longer-lasting, coated strings like the Cleartone strings Gibson currently installs on their guitars.

Conclusions

A lot of thought went into making this guitar easy to play, and while no single feature is going to make a drastic difference on its own, the combination does add up to a guitar that is very beginner-friendly and relatively painless to play. The sound quality of the base model is not going to challenge Epiphone's higher end models but it's not at all bad for a laminated wood instrument, and most importantly it's good enough to inspire the neophyte musician and to not hinder them in the course of learning how to play. In fact, I could see more experienced players buying a PRO-1 as a "knockabout" guitar for use at the beach or beside a campfire. I had a couple of friends who are experienced guitarists try it out, and both were impressed with it and thought it cost more than it actually does.

I am impressed that this much guitar can be made and sold at this low of a price point. While a lot of the claims in the marketing material initially struck me as marketing hype, the combination of features really does make a difference that will be appreciated by beginning players. When you can get a guitar that's this good, with so many features that are designed to make it easier for a new player, why bother with (or risk) buying used? I would not hesitate to recommend the PRO-1 as a first guitar for beginning guitarists. -HC-

Resources

Musician's Friend Epiphone PRO-1 Acoustic Guitar online catalog page ($198.00 MSRP, $119.00 "street")

Epiphone's product web page

Epiphone PRO-1 demonstration video

Are you interested in discussing acoustic guitars? Need advice on the right acoustic guitar for you? Then be sure to check out Harmony Central's Acoustic Guitar forum!

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Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.