Epiphone Classical E1 - Overview and Best Prices

Epiphone Classical E1 Review
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  • 2 Prices - New from $149 >
  • From Epiphone's 2018 Original Acoustic series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.6"'' scale
  • Flat Fretboard Radius
  • Select Cedar top
  • Select Mahogany; Reduced body depth; 4/4 size back
  • Select Mahogany; Reduced body depth; 4/4 size sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Indian Laurel with PRO-Ease Lubricant fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Indian Laurel bridge
  • Acoustic EZ-Profile D Set neck
  • 19 Jumbo frets
  • Epiphone Deluxe Classical 16:1 ratio tuners
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
Epiphone Classical E1 Specifications
Epiphone Classical E1
General
Brand: Epiphone
Year: 2018
Configuration: N/A
Strings: 6
Made in: China
Series: Original Acoustic
Colors: Natural
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Hollowbody
Body Material: Select Cedar
Sides Material: Mahogany
Back Material: Mahogany
Bridge: Indian Laurel
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Epiphone Deluxe Classical 16:1 ratio
Fretboard: Indian Laurel with PRO-Ease Lubricant
Neck Material: Mahogany
Decoration:
Scale Size: 25.6"
Shape: Acoustic EZ-Profile D
Frets: 19 Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: Flat
Nut: NuBone
Nut Width: 44.5mm (1.75'')
Electronics
Pickups: ( / )
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Chrome

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 73
Sound 79
Build quality 60
Value for money 86
Overall Score 71
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Epiphone Classical E1
  • Expensive Wood
  • NuBone Nut
  • NuBone Saddle
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $450, which means that the Epiphone Classical E1 is around 67% cheaper than the competition. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in China.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Epiphone Classical E1's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Epiphone Classical E1 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Epiphone Classical E1
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Soft Strings
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Videos

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Guitar Review Epiphone PRO-1 Classic 2.0 Classical
The Epiphone PRO-1 Demonstration by Bryan Aspey
Epiphone Classical E1 - Unboxing and First Week

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Epiphone Classical E1's 25.6" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Epiphone Classical E1 Scale Length Comparison
Epiphone Classical E1's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

It's very similar to a typical long 25.5" guitar scale, but with an extra inch probably to compensate the saddle position in acoustic guitars. It should be pretty much the same as a 25.5" scale guitar.

It will allow you to strum hard without hearing so much fret buzz, even with lower tunings.

Neck Profile

Epiphone Classical E1 Neck Profile
Epiphone Classical E1's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a D type neck. It's similar to a C shape, and it's one of the most common shapes right now. It's a bit flatter and thinner, even though sometimes it has a bit more shoulders. It's a fast type of neck that is comfortable, and shredders love it.

However, Epiphone tends to be inconsistent with the shape and thickness of their necks. So two instruments, even if they're the same model, might have necks that feel different. It's been like this for a long time, and other brands don't have this problem.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Epiphone Classical E1 has a Flat fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Epiphone Classical E1 Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Epiphone Classical E1's fretboard radius compared to others

This is common mostly in classical guitars since the strings are soft and have lower tension, so there's no need for a radius. Also, it's perfect for fingerstyle and more technical play.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Epiphone Classical E1 has the same radius across the board.

Playability compared to main competitors

25.6'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.75'' Nut Width
99'' Fretboard Radius
25.6'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
23.622'' Fretboard Radius
25.984'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.89'' Nut Width
14.96'' Fretboard Radius
25.6'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
2.047'' Nut Width
99'' Fretboard Radius
25.6'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
2.047'' Nut Width
99'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Epiphone Classical E1 Nut Width
Epiphone Classical E1 Nut Width

The Epiphone Classical E1 has a nut width of 44.5mm (1.75''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Epiphone Classical E1 Fret Size Comparison
Epiphone Classical E1's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Epiphone Classical E1's frets are Jumbo size. This is a tall fret size that is becoming increasingly popular because it makes it easier to press down the strings cleanly. With this fret size, you won't feel the fretboard when playing, so if you press down too hard, you will get the notes out of pitch. However, this is something you can overcome by getting used to the taller size.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 55
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Tone

The type of wood and even the shape of the body will have a lot of influence in the final tone of an acoustic guitar. Here's we'll talk about what kind of tone you can expect from its specs.

Wood

Cedar wood pattern used for guitar building
Cedar Top
Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany Back, Sides, Neck
Laurel wood pattern used for guitar building
Laurel Fretboard

Cedar Top: This is a softwood that is commonly used for acoustic guitars. It's known for its warm tone with strong overtones. However, there are many species so the tone and look can vary a lot.

Mahogany Back, Sides and Neck: This is the type of wood found in many top-of-the-line guitars, so that's a positive point for the build quality. This red-looking wood Mahogany is found in Africa and Central America and has great sustain and a warm tone due to its high density. The downside about this type of wood is that it's relatively heavy.

Laurel Fretboard: There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies.

Pickups

This acoustic guitar doesn't come with preamp pickups, so you won't be able to connect it directly to an amplifier. Instead, you'll need to use an external microphone.

Sound Score

Sustain 75
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 79

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Epiphone Classical E1 is made in China. So you can expect lower build quality when compared to others made in Korea, Japan or the United States. Guitars made in this country are meant for mass production, which translates into less attention to detail and quality control. This doesn't mean the product is made poorly at all. Chinese products have a bad reputation since long ago, but they've definitely improved a lot the last few years.

Bridge

Indian Laurel: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

Tuners

The tuners have a ratio of 16:1. This means you need 16 turns of the tuner knob to make the tuner post go around 1 complete revolution. The more turns it takes, the finer and more precise your tuning is going to be. An 18:1 ratio is what most instruments have nowadays. Some high-end ones come with a ratio of 21:1.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Epiphone Classical E1 has a NuBone nut. It's a synthetic nut from the same creators of Ivory TUSQ. It's a hard and self-lubricating material that helps a lot with tuning stability. It produces a brighter tone similar to TUSQ, but it's not as hard.

More with the same nut material:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 61
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 60