It’s actually fairly deep and rounded, but very comfortable indeed. It’s not entirely clear why Epiphone describes this neck profile as a ‘slim taper’, but we’re not complaining. Hardware includes a LockTone tune-o-matic bridge on a pinned wooden base and Grover Rotomatic tuners, while the familiar-looking control array features a potential ace up its sleeve in the form of series/parallel switching via push/pull tone pots. The neck also features a two-way truss rod.
It’s shaped to a peak at the end, much like some of Gibson’s high-end archtops and acoustics, and has sparkle binding with multi-ply purfling to match the body. Indian laurel is a perfectly acceptable fretboard substitute for rosewood, but this is the first time we’ve seen it with such attractive figuring. The Swingster is a true hollowbody guitar made from laminated maple, with a set mahogany neck and no centre-block or trestle bracing.
