I have the exact same guitar (Korean) and haven't experienced this problem.

Regarding the p-up, the member Byrds1965 has had both EJ-160e and J-160e and has had his Epiphone P-up rebuilt so perhaps you could ask him how he did it, how much it cost, and whether it was worth it.

Personally I don't think it's worth it because it's a solid top and doesn't really give off a great Beatles tone anyway. I've got a Piezo installed in mine and mainly use it in my Tribute band for the acoustic songs with acoustic strings using the Piezo. This works for me because I already have two electric guitars on stage.

I do still own my MIK EJ160E.

I had the PU rebuilt by Duncan and if I remember right they used Alnico 5 magnets in it, and I think it was around $80-$90 about 4 years ago now.

I was not happy with the volume level or tone stock. As Clarkuss states here it does not do a real good Beatles vibe either plugged in or not plugged in. As Red has said it will get you in the ballpark but that it about it.

A Gibson J160E sounds like an electric, plugged in not at all acoustic. The best way to describe the sound is a strat on the neck PU if you could add some hollow body tone to it.

The stock mini humbucker in the EJ160E is I think the worst PU they make. I wish they would either jack up the price and put something good in it or leave it off.

My Duncan rebuilt PU came back too bright for my taste so I had 250k pots installed and that knocked off some of the high end. Plugged in it is kind of like a cross between an acoustic and an electric. Nothing special but it does have the depth and volume now the original lacked. My bandmate still has his MIK stock and when he does play he uses mine.

It does have some hum to it, but the tech who did the install and the pots told me there is nothing in that guitar, being an acoustic, to really ground it to so it will hum but when you grab the strings the hum goes away a bit. By comparison the Gibson J160E has the famous P90 hum and is more noticable. Neither guitar is ever going to be dead quiet.

They are what they are love them or leave them pretty much.

If you want acoustic go the Piezo route and have them wire it to use the volume and tone pots and the output jack.

I play mine at bandpratice now and then and it works for certain things. My Gibson J160E never left the house.

Hope this helps some.

Dave

Rebuilt it is better than stock.

It depends on what you are looking for though. If you are looking it to sound like a real J160E, and by that the Beatles J160E's, it is never going to be.

As I said mine post PU rebuild and several other mods does not sound like a true acoustic as you would get with a Piezo PU and unlike a real J160E it does not sound like a flat out electric guitar. It sounds like a cross between and nice for what it is as no guitar really does it so............

That said that tone works well for some things and not so great plugged in on a whole lot more. On the whole I find it kind of an ehh tone, not a nice acoustic sound but not a solid electric tone either. I guess if you push me it does neither well plugged in stock or rebuilt.

Not sure a P90 will fit which is why I just had the PU yanked and rebuilt. If I did it again I would have told Duncan to make it sound as close to a P90 as possible given it is a minihumbucker.

I am hoping with these inspired by series that the EJ160E gets some kind of upgrade.