1950s Epiphone Zepher Regent

[Keira Witherkay]

a few months back i was doing a solo jazz guitar gig... i do multipart playing , no backtrax ect ...and i was offered a drink by a gentleman at the venue ... who also said he loved my style and he also played jazz guitar....so we swopped numbers and seeing he lived within 10 min driving distance from where i stay ....we arranged to meet ..... and wow how glad was i to have followed up, and given him a call and arranged to meet , his name is Mickey Botha, 77 years young and a monster jazz guitarist , he has in the last few months become my mentor ,

we never to old to learn and at 49 i may teach jazz at a pretty advanced level but this man could and does show me so much to improve my own playing........ his hero and main influence in barney kessel...

but what a fabulous player.... he has played and gigged proffessionally only jazz from 17 and thats 60yrs of experience.....


and what more and the reason for this post ........ is back in the late 50's he purchased an Epiphone zepher regent .... (obviously when epiphone was still made in new york , usa ) and has in his 60 yr career NEVER had GAS (gear aquisition syndrome) to ever improve on this guitar ...and the amazing thing is .... it has never been refretted and sounds and plays amazing.... when asked when he bought it he mentioned sometime in late 50's.... when i asked if he ever owned any other guitars he answered ,,, no he still needs to learn to play this one well ....

anyway in the last few months i pay weekly visits to mr mickey Botha and he has become my mentor so to speak, unselfishly sharing his immense knowledge of jazz guitar with me,and at no fee , just a sense of wanting to let his experience and knowledge benefit others dedicated to jazz guitar

so a great example of how one needn't worry about what gear you play but worry about practising more.......

i am truly blessed to have met him and already in a few short months he has enabled me to improve my own style significantly .....


below are some pics of his late 50's epiphone (new york city) zepher regent ... the model number is in one of the pics in this post or the next ..maybe someone can date this guitar ...

but 60yrs on and it plays well and sounds incredible........ and whats so amazing he is a player that has remained GAS free ...this has been his only guitar for 60 yrs and it's still 100% playable....sounds huge ...he uses an old 80's usa peavey 1x12 amp ( not a bandit)he said he did some recording session with one loved the tone and owned one ever since ...and he gets amazing tone.... asked what strings he uses...he shrugged .... anyway they flatwound ..hehhehehe





photo above of Mickey Botha

[Keira Witherkay]

anyone know how serial numbers worked for USA new york city epiphones and can date this????

[M-ster]

Cool story, Keira! And, complete with photos, too. Thanks for sharing.

[goshawk]

Hi, Keira,

According to this site, Mr. Botha's guitar was made in 1953.

[docbop]

Thanks for telling that story and the lessons it contains. You two must have a great time playing tunes and sharing ideas.

[Keira Witherkay]

Yes , he's forgotten more than i've learnt .... Amazing man to meet and one who i will treasure as a friend and mentor

[Larry M]

Great story, Keira. And a super cool guitar. Thanks for sharing.

[rkwestcoast]

What was it like for him playing jazz in apartheid era SA?

[wintermoon]

he must be a Kessel fan, he's got the chicken head knobs on the guitar

[AlohaJoe]

What a great story, thanks.

I like the replaced knobs, and to me those old "New York" pickups sound like a choir of angels. Similar to a vintage DeArmond, and remarkably smooth. It's not hard to see why he never needed anything else.

On a side note, the Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent was the only one with the nice cloud inlays on the neck.
-Joe

[fws6]

I had one of those, kinda regret ever selling it. Great guitar, great neck, laminate spruce top with a very lively acoustic response. Wasnt super fond of the pickups and when I sold it later, the player who bought it refitted it with new pickups. With some conversion rings, mini-humbuckers or P90's will fit in the pickup cavities without routing the top - a trick popularized on old Epiphones by Duke Robillard who played one exactly like that

Mine had WILD flame on the back and neck it was a gorgeous guitar. Ill look for some pics

EDIT: found the pics.

[maggles55]

On a side note, the Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent was the only one with the nice cloud inlays on the neck.
-Joe[/QUOTE]

Yes, this one is a Zephyr Deluxe Regent. I have a 1954 Zephyr Regent (not Deluxe) and it is a downscale version of the Deluxe (Mahog neck, no Frequensator, plainer inlays, all maple laminate). Mine also had the single NY pickup changed to a mini-HB. But...what a sweet sounding guitar! Of my five archtops, this one is by far my favorite sounding. It plays quite well too. I am always afraid it will fall apart due to age, but there is no sign of structural weakness. It is very well made. I believe it was made in Philadelphia when the original Epi company was failing and the NY luthiers went on strike.

see http://epiphonewiki.com/ for info about these old Epis.

Andy

[Dave70]

Great luck to find a cool mentor, and such a beautiful guitar! I love the natural wear it has earned. Wabi Sabi baby!

[Petimar]

Very cool, have fun!!

[bigdaddyguitar]

1953 . Beautiful !!!

[zizala]

Keira,

Very nice story, photos and guitar!

I love nice clean vintage archtops, but have a big soft spot for well worn instruments like these that have been played and loved for years.

Having the chance to meet Mickey and learn where his experiences have taken him is the best part of the story I'm sure.....

Thanks for sharing this...

z

[fws6]

better pic of the backside. S0 stupid that I ever sold that ...

[Franklin52]

Great story, thanks for sharing.

[dmorash]

Ditto that - great story, best to you both.

[jazzbow]

It just goes to show that everyone we meet has something to pass on. Every now and then if we are lucky we meet up with a genuine teacher that will pass on pearls of wisdom!

Is he au fait with computing and internet? See if he wants to join up!

[Keira Witherkay]

yes i will ask him to join

anyway in a few short weeks he has kicked my butt (in a nice way ), he's a true gentleman and knocked any chip i may have accumilated on my shoulder clean off.... since after my 25yrs in the biz i was starting to feel very comfortable ....

well no more ...

his 60 yrs experience makes me feel like a novice again....... and NOT in a bad way .... and this has ignited my passion for developing my own technique and ear for jazz improvisation even further ....

and i eagerly and greatfully pay attention to what Mickey has to crit about my playing ....... and in only a few short weeks i have felt definite forward motion in my overall playing , and i hope this relationship will continue for many years ..........

truly blessed to have had that chance meeting and what transpired after

[AGM]

a few months back i was doing a solo jazz guitar gig... i do multipart playing , no backtrax ect ...and i was offered a drink by a gentleman at the venue ... who also said he loved my style and he also played jazz guitar....so we swopped numbers and seeing he lived within 10 min driving distance from where i stay ....we arranged to meet ..... and wow how glad was i to have followed up, and given him a call and arranged to meet , his name is Mickey Botha, 77 years young and a monster jazz guitarist , he has in the last few months become my mentor ,

we never to old to learn and at 49 i may teach jazz at a pretty advanced level but this man could and does show me so much to improve my own playing........ his hero and main influence in barney kessel...

but what a fabulous player.... he has played and gigged proffessionally only jazz from 17 and thats 60yrs of experience.....


and what more and the reason for this post ........ is back in the late 50's he purchased an Epiphone zepher regent .... (obviously when epiphone was still made in new york , usa ) and has in his 60 yr career NEVER had GAS (gear aquisition syndrome) to ever improve on this guitar ...and the amazing thing is .... it has never been refretted and sounds and plays amazing.... when asked when he bought it he mentioned sometime in late 50's.... when i asked if he ever owned any other guitars he answered ,,, no he still needs to learn to play this one well ....

anyway in the last few months i pay weekly visits to mr mickey Botha and he has become my mentor so to speak, unselfishly sharing his immense knowledge of jazz guitar with me,and at no fee , just a sense of wanting to let his experience and knowledge benefit others dedicated to jazz guitar

so a great example of how one needn't worry about what gear you play but worry about practising more.......

i am truly blessed to have met him and already in a few short months he has enabled me to improve my own style significantly .....


below are some pics of his late 50's epiphone (new york city) zepher regent ... the model number is in one of the pics in this post or the next ..maybe someone can date this guitar ...

but 60yrs on and it plays well and sounds incredible........ and whats so amazing he is a player that has remained GAS free ...this has been his only guitar for 60 yrs and it's still 100% playable....sounds huge ...he uses an old 80's usa peavey 1x12 amp ( not a bandit)he said he did some recording session with one loved the tone and owned one ever since ...and he gets amazing tone.... asked what strings he uses...he shrugged .... anyway they flatwound ..hehhehehe





photo above of Mickey Botha

Fabulous….

[EllenGtrGrl]

VERY nice guitar! And the knowledge and memories Mickey is passing on to you - just as nice!! I had a similar experience when I was younger in my family. My grandfather was a luthier (he made me my first guitar when I was 6 ears old) who also played jazz guitar in bands, and passed on the guitar playing (and some if his lutherie) skills to my uncle, who in turn, passed some of them on to me. Hearing my uncle's musical memories (I didn't get serious about playing guitar until long after my grandfather died) was always fascinating.

fws6 - with regards to your late and lamented Zepyhr Regent, join the club. I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of my 1954 Gretsch Country Club. But I was tight for money, and felt the guitar was not getting enough use to warrant having it. It was all original except for some of the hardware, and it's non-correct finish color (it was restored as a basket case by a local man, who for some reason decided to paint it in Gretsch Country Gent colors, instead of the correct natural, sunburst, or Cadillac Green finish Country Clubs have).

[zephyrregent]

Cool story. I have had a 1951 Epiphone Zephyr Regent since 1970 and it was my only guitar until about 2000. I still have it. The Tone Spectrum pickup died in 1995 and I had the insides of it replaced with a Lindy Fralin pickup. A friend gave me a set of chicken head knobs. It didn't have a pickguard when I got it. It's louder than an L5 or ES175 acoustically. It's interesting to see that someone else had one for a long time. Evidently they weren't popular guitars among jazz guitarisits of the time.

.

[zephyrregent]

Just spotted a blonde Epiphone Zephyr Regent with Tone Spectrum pickup in the opening scene of the movie Accused of Murder (1956). Typical Hollywood, there's a whole string section on the soundtrack in this little club and you don't hear any of the musicians in the picture.