hitmakers made models like the Casino, Riviera, Sheraton, Rivoli and Texan an integral part of rock and roll’s DNA.Īnd it’s been that way ever since. Prominent use of Epiphone gear by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and other U.K. Epiphone’s new solidbody and thinline electric models complemented Gibson’s range of electrics by filling in gaps or exploring alternate approaches, and Epiphone’s flattop acoustic line expanded to provide lower-priced alternatives to Gibson flattops without sacrificing quality.Īs current Epiphone president Jim Rosenberg recently pointed out, “the merging of Gibson and Epiphone turned out to be one of the landmark events in pop culture history.” The new breed of Epiphone instruments helped fuel the game-changing sound of the mid-Sixties British Invasion. The same energy that had once driven the Gibson/Epiphone rivalry now blossomed into a beautiful partnership, and through McCarty’s leadership Gibson gave new life to Epiphone that still continues to this day. McCarty was initially interested only in Epiphone’s upright bass-making business, but when he found out that the price included everything, including the tools, fixtures, work in progress and even the company name, he decided to establish Epiphone as a subsidiary of Gibson. Shortly after Frixo’s death, Orphie called McCarty and offered to sell the Epiphone company to Gibson for $20,000. As the design genius behind the Gibson Les Paul, Flying V, Explorer and ES-335, McCarty successfully ushered Gibson into a new golden era. Ted McCarty, who became president of Gibson in 1950, played a significant role in bringing Gibson back from the reversals and doldrums of the war years. Ironically, it was Epiphone’s biggest competitor, Gibson, that breathed new life into the company. When Frixo died in 1957, Orphie’s interest in running Epiphone seemed to die as well. His brothers Orphie and Frixo carried on the business for the next few years, but eventually Frixo moved to Ohio in 1947 to start his own new company. Epiphone suffered an even bigger setback when Epi died of leukemia in 1943 at age 49. Like most other American guitar companies during the Forties, Epiphone persevered but struggled due to shortages of materials and other economic challenges caused by the United States’ involvement in World War II. “A lot of the great players did back in those days, when you really had to thump out the rhythm. “The great players like George Van Eps, Carmen Mastern and Freddie Green all had Epiphones,” Les recalled. For example, when Gibson introduced the Super 400 in 1934, which featured an 18-inch body and was Gibson’s largest archtop at that time, Epiphone responded by developing the Emperor, which boasted an 18 1/2-inch body. The rivalry between Gibson and Epiphone significantly drove the evolution of archtop acoustic and electric guitars during this period. Gorgeous and stylish, these instruments lived up to their big city, aristocratic names– Broadway, Emperor, De Luxe – in every way. Almost from the very beginning of Epiphone’s guitar production efforts in 1928, there was a synergy between the two brands – somewhat adversarial at first, but also with considerable admiration on both sides.Įpiphone’s guitar production expanded rapidly during the Art Deco Thirties, and the company quickly became known as a preeminent maker of jazz archtop guitars. The combo lock unused and still blocked from the factory.The rivalry probably existed well before then, but as Epiphone eventually transformed its primary focus from building banjos and mandolins to guitars, the competition between the two companies became increasingly evident. The original brown case is in overall good condition, minus handle wear, and a broken strap on the cover. The guitar is completely original, and has been set up with medium low action, and 12-53 gauge D'Addario Strings. The soft V neck fills your hand like it should, and makes for extremely comfortable playing. Frets are still 90%-95% life, and play great. There is the common lacquer checking throughout as well, namely on the headstock face around the tuning pegs. Please review the photos as I tried my best to showcase high traffic areas. There's several dings around the body where the forearm rests during playing, and is evident that the original owner(s) wore snap button shirts. Namely in the picking area under the strings, near the bridge, and around the pickguard. But there are several dozen small impressions, scratches, dings and dents throughout. There are no cracks, or structural damage to the guitar. It's the only one I've seen in Ebony Black, with the factory LR Baggs system. These were the absolute top of the line in this time period of Gibson Bozeman. Here is a rare 1991 Gibson J200 in Ebony Black, with the factory LR Baggs Element System.
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