1950 Epiphone Emperor- surprise inside

[fws6]

I just picked up a 1950 Epiphone Emperor Regent. My luthier asked me what the grey thing inside was. He let me look inside with a dentist mirror - turns out to be an old wasps nest ! Prior to my ownership; that guitar obviously hadnt been used for a while. I was glad I got it though it sound so heavenly.

[mattymel]

NICE!!! Epi appreciation!!!

[oldane]

Well, if you hear buzzing noises from the guitar, you may want to call Rentokil and not your guitar technician

[Norman931]

Gorgeous guitar! I can see how Epiphone could have been serious competition for Gibson back in the day.

[Franklin52]

Originally Posted by fws6

I just picked up a 1950 Epiphone Emperor Regent. My luthier asked me what the grey thing inside was. He let me look inside with a dentist mirror - turns out to be an old wasps nest !

Great story nice guitar BTW.

[mr. beaumont]

I'd argue miles ahead when it came to acoustic archtops.

[WhoisLevang]

Ooohs and Ahhhs!!! Man that's a beauty! I'd take the wasps nest AND spiders too, if they came with the guitar, SOooo Nice.

[KevinV]

Very nice find! Love it...thanks for the pics.

[BenThayer]

I stepped outside and thought I heard something terrific. Those things really do cut through!

[AlohaJoe]

That's a beautiful guitar. It's similar to the '55 John Stewart is selling but the back on yours is even more spectacular! Congratulations.

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I'd argue miles ahead when it came to acoustic archtops.

I'll second that. I've played a number of Emperors, as well as the 1/2" smaller Gibson Super 400s and and the Emperor is the bigger sound with a great tone. A hard driving rhythm player on an Emperor can be heard acoustically through a pretty good-sized horn band. That's what they were designed for and they do it very well.

[jazzbow]

Originally Posted by oldane

Well, if you hear buzzing noises from the guitar, you may want to call Rentokil and not your guitar technician

Ha ha ha ha ha, nice one.

[Pierrot]

Nice guitar, yes sir!
Any chance of hearing a sample of its sound?

[63Bigsby]

Originally Posted by AlohaJoe

That's a beautiful guitar. It's similar to the '55 John Stewart is selling but the back on yours is even more spectacular! Congratulations.
I'll second that. I've played a number of Emperors, as well as the 1/2" smaller Gibson Super 400s and and the Emperor is the bigger sound with a great tone. A hard driving rhythm player on an Emperor can be heard acoustically through a pretty good-sized horn band. That's what they were designed for and they do it very well.

And not just that; all the NY Epi's I've played were also very well balanced, making them great for chord melody / finger style playing. Very sweet tone!

[cosmic gumbo]

Thanks for validating my frequent advice on what to look for as a source of guitar buzz.

[Snap]

Gorgeous guitar... It actually buzzes!

[TruthHertz]

So this guitar actually does have a Bee string.

[Retroman1969]

As long as you didn't find a piece of Jimmy Hoffa.
That guitar is smokin' hot! I bet it sounds as great as it looks.

[mattymel]

I've never played a Emperor that wasn't killer. I've played plenty of 50s Gibsons that were so so. Epi...i find them so beautiful, love the shape, the inlays, and THE sound.

[hot ford coupe]

Oh wow, that's a gorgeous guitar. You've even had time to work the bugs out of it.

[voxwerx]

Thank you so much for posting those pics- we're getting perilously close to having a generation of guitarists out there who only know Epiphone as Gibson "knock-off" brand. I was lucky enough to get the Jim Fisch/L.B. Fred book "The House of Stathopoulo" for Christmas--- so much great stuff in that book. Just flip through a few of the pages in there, and you understand that Epi was doing great things with musical instruments- and made the Guitar a better instrument for all manufacturers...

[fws6]

> I was lucky enough to get the Jim Fisch/L.B. Fred book "The House of Stathopoulo" for Christmas--- so much great stuff in that book.

That's how this thing got out of hand for me, too... I got a Triumph Regent, as a trade-in on another guitar I was selling. I wasnt really into jazz guitars at the time, so I sold it on but missed it so much that I got another one a few months later. I bought the Fisch & Fred book too, and really fell in love with the blonde late 40s/early50s Regent models. Ever since then I have steadily been looking (and buying) those; see my website for details....

[hot ford coupe]

Old Epis are a very underrated instrument. In many cases, they're better than some of the Gibsons. I think they're actually better looking than the Gibsons. The inlays and F holes on the old DeLuxes and Emperors are way better than those on the L5 and Super 400. I still wish I had mine. Now if I had the disposable income and the choice to buy whatever I wanted, there's be no doubt I'd go for an Emperor or Deluxe.

[Keira Witherkay]

gorgeous instrument ......... i'm envious ...... thats an awesome archtop