Epiphone Limited Edition 1964 Caballero Review – Return Of A Legend

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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So you’re in the mood for a little vintage? You’ve come to the right place, as we review Epiphone’s Limited Edition 1964 Caballero, which is a faithful recreation of one of the Gibson subsidiary’s oldest and most iconic steel-string acoustic guitars. However this model – which was released back in 2014 for the Caballero’s 50th anniversary – features some powerful upgrades that allow it to offer modern day performance, which is why it sits comfortably in our chart on the best electro-acoustic guitars on the market today.

Body And Neck

This Caballero looks pretty sweet, and very much keeps to its roots – no exotic tonewoods, colors or designs. With a 24.75” scale length, it sports very similar body and neck specs to the original. There’s a compact non-cutaway body crafted entirely from mahogany – top, back and sides – to give it a deliciously dark look. It also features some high quality additions that add to the vintage appeal, including tortoiseshell-style binding on the top and back, a matching pickguard (with the historic foil E logo), and a high gloss finish. Then comes a classic 60s-style SlimTaper neck, made from mahogany, with a rosewood fretboard and 20 medium frets – very smooth to play and comfortable in the hand, just like the original. As with the majority of Epiphone guitars, it may be produced in a big factory, but it still shows good craftsmanship and feels durable.

Hardware

The hardware on the guitar keeps things looking vintage, with a classic rosewood bridge, a ‘sloped dovewing’ headstock, and a set of good quality Wilkinson Deluxe-style tuners, with a responsive 14:1 gear ratio and small cream buttons. However, as we’ve already highlighted, one aspect of the revived Caballero that varies from the original is the fact that it features electronics. Still, all the better for the modern player who can use the included Shadow ePerformer preamp and NanoFlex bridge pickup for amplified performances. This stage-worthy system allows you to find your favorite sounds with master volume, bass and treble controls, as well as a phase switch and handy built-in tuner.

Sound

The revamped Caballero also matches the original in tone – nothing too extravagant, but a solid performer that sounds good whatever you throw at it. The mahogany provides a warm and mellow tone, while the projection and low end on offer is more than enough, considering the smaller body size. The Shadow electronics also do a very commendable job of amplifying the natural sound. For such an affordable price, the sound you get is actually quite surprising.

Conclusion

Whether you owned an original Caballero, or are in the market for an affordable vintage electro-acoustic, this Epiphone classic ticks all the boxes; historic style, warm tone, and quality electronics. Apparently only around 1,000 of these reissued Caballeros were made worldwide – for under $300, finding such an exclusive and reliable performer is a steal!

For more info about the Epiphone Limited Edition 1964 Caballero, click here.
For more top acoustic-electric guitars, click here.