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I've been stalking this for a while. Thanks Joe V for the connect! Some background I owned a 49 Triumph Cutaway (pre "Regent") and loved it very much. Due to the need for a stage guitar (read-steady gig playing a variety of material) I sold it. Madness, but it kept me in Beans and Rice. I've missed that guitar for over 20 years now and finally filled the position again. No plans for a pickup, will keep it acoustic like my 49.
Report more when she arrives.
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11-24-2017 01:54 PM
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Very nice, a couple weeks ago I was hot under the collar for a Emperor Regent Deluxe (??), a real cross way breezer, but it was already sold and the seller hadn't update his page.
Congratulations !!
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ST, Congratulations on the Triumph. It's a beauty, and I expect it has that incredible old, punchy, Epiphone voice. I own a '36 Emperor, #10460, one of the best in the herd, with a clear tone that vibrates from that immense, Adirondack Spruce top.
I'd love to hear a clip, when you get it. And, Epi Stathopoulo, thank you!
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One of the most important brand of guitars ever. Competition! With a steady stream of competition, guitar makers stay sharp. Without, they become complacent, exactly what Gibson has become ever since they bought up thier fierce competitor.
This guitar looks like it will reward such a long wait.
I hope it returns that feeling along with new inspiration.
Enjoy the new guitar.
Joe D.
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Beautiful guitar, play it in good health for many years.
Tony D.
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Thanks for the kind replies! I do plan to gig out with it, to give some variation to the duo format I work in with a Trumpet player. I've got the floating pickup archtop sound pretty well covered with the Benedetto Cremona (no surprise there!). However there are some tunes I'm going to use it on for more 4 on the floor chunky rhythm into a mic. I don't mind toting two guitars.
Cheers!
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congrats..beautiful guitar...epi was inner nyc made!!! cutting edge maker...with gretsch and guild and ampeg all nearby!!...
current epi should do a run of those guitars..it'd sell big...they are almost there with last bunch of masterbilt releases..just have to add the cutaway!!
enjoy...lotta history there
cheers
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Oh Yeah!
Congratulations!
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ST, your incoming Epi was made in Philadelphia, though it will have a New York label. I have owned three Triumphs (two non cut and one regent). The tone of those guitars is superb. The neck profile is not for me. I do not like a V neck, even a soft V. And my 53 was a huge neck. I hope the neck profile works for you.
And congrats in advance.
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Very nice guitar indeed.....hope you like it.
I have a Triumph Regent and an L-7c....both from '49.
I also play a '45 non-cut L-7 as one of my mainstays....so the sound of those Gibsons is something I know and love.
All are great guitars but the Epi has a distinctive sonic character that keeps those L-7's casebound at times.
Mine's been set up to play as an acoustic, but after a very favorable test of a couple old DeArmonds I may go that way.
Best of both worlds.Last edited by zizala; 11-25-2017 at 08:53 AM.
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Knowing a little about your stable of D'A's, Gibsons and Epi's, nice to hear you are a fan, SS. My 49 had a V profile neck which never bothered me. I'm pretty adaptable I guess. Nice thing about dealing with Joe V if I don't get along with it there's a return policy. Think by '53 Epi was in the hands of Continental Music, correct?
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Before Gibson bought them, so yes a Philly girl.
And hey, I have a guitar older than I am again!
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My 46 and my 51 Triumphs (both New York made) had a much slimmer neck than my 53 (Philly made). I still had issues with the soft V, but they were playable for me. The 53 neck was the biggest neck of any modern (post 1940) archtop that I have ever played. Combined with the low, skinny frets that Epi used in those days, that guitar (which sounded great) was difficult for me to play. I hope you like yours. Originally Posted by SierraTango
My understanding is that Epiphone moved production to Philadelphia due to labor problems (perhaps the mafia controlled unions in NYC were holding up the Stathopoulo family for too much bread?). Some say the Philly guitars are not up to snuff, but my 53 was every bit as good sounding a guitar as my other two.
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yes epi was having a hard time with the nyc union...they were actually shut down for 4 months in 1952 due to labor difficulties...while they were closed they moved a big portion of production (down the turnpike) to philly
many of the older epi workers did not want to relocate from nyc...many were living (in little italy) close to the 14th st epi factory...
out of these ashes al dronge started guild guitars in lower manhattan..using many of the epi workers (& sales/ management) who stayed behind
of course guild later had its own share of union/labor trouble and also moved from nyc
cheers
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Beautiful piece Sierratango, I've been looking at that one myself. And a great price! Wondered why she lasted that long.Please DON'T make a sound bite of her,it'll just make me feel worse that I missed getting her.Congrats!
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Beautiful!
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I have always had a thing about old Epi's. Epiphone, Gibson, and D'Angelico were the absolute.
Congrats !
with Gibson's financial woes it would be nice if they sold the Epi name off to a company interested in making great archtops again. Real competition is a good thing. Look how fast Gibson pulled the Elitist line.
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Gibson destroyed the Epiphone name by moving production to Asia. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
Fender destroyed the Guild name by moving production to Asia.
The Arizona Ice Tea folks destroyed the D'Angelico name by moving production to Asia.
Now Gibson seems to be destroying it's own name with poor quality control.
Every empire has it's day and it's demise. Perhaps the same is true of guitars. The silver lining for us guitar players is that once the brand reputation is sullied, we can get superb vintage examples at a good price. IMO, vintage Gibson, Epiphone and D'Angelico archtops are the finest guitars ever made.
I am hoping that ST loves his incoming Epi. With his Benedetto and his Dupont, the Epi will be in good company.
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Recently I reconnected with a dear old friend that had fallen on some difficult times due to health challenges. He had to sell his guitars off to pay medical bills and was guitar-less. I UPS'd him my G&L ASAT Bluesboy Thinline as a gift so I had room for another guitar in my music room. How's that for rationalization! Was a win-win for both of us.
I'm pacing the floor here....
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SierraTango, you created great Karma with the gift you sent. Your guitar will arrive in perfect shape.
Im with Vinny. Gibson should unlock the shackles and set Epiphone free. The world of archtop guitars would be a much better place. And SS, you couldn’t be more right. Destroying your competition by buying them and then settling into mediocrity is unfortunately a common practice. I wonder if Jimmy D’Aquisto’s decision to let Fender mass produce his UN-MASS PRODUCEABLE guitars led to his unfortunate and untimely passing. We will never know.
Joe D
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Originally Posted by SierraTango
Congratulations.....what a beauty!
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Joe, Originally Posted by Max405
Curious. Can you elaborate? Was there a problem with quality control or something that caused a big issue between Jimmy and Fender?
Albert
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I had lost track of my friend for 18 years. I was a 22 year old kid that had been playing on the road for 4 years in 1977 and when I came back to LA I decided to go to every top tier studio in Hollywood and knock on doors till I got a job. Cherokee, Village, etc all sent me packing but amazingly I landed a job as a 2nd (slave) at the Sound Factory on Selma and Ivar. They told me show up the next day at 4pm for a session, I walked into the control booth and met Greg Ladanyi (RIP)-my first session was Jackson Browne's "Hold Out". Originally Posted by Max405
My friend was a staff mixer at the Sound Factory and I was assigned to work with him on many sessions-Donald Byrd (RIP), Natalie Cole (RIP), Warren Zevon (RIP) Neil Diamond and many others. He was kind to me and was learning guitar, so we hit it off well and I showed him a few things. He advised me to get out of records and into film mixing and when he left for Warner Bros he got me a job there. He went on to Fox and Sony Pictures and was re-recording mixer on many, many big feature films. I finally tracked him down and we had a joyful reunion and tons of fun reminiscing about those days.
His health took a turn for worse-and besides not having a guitar his vehicle was non-functioning so he had to take a bus to the doctor. We found a inexpensive car for sale nearby and I purchased it for him. I'm thankful I had the means do help him out.
I'm no expert but didn't Jimmy D have a heart condition that caused his early passing? I'm sure the stress of working for Fender didn't help though...
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Just for fun, a partial list of my friends film re-recording credits: as you can see, some were just a paycheck others are still unforgettable classics.
Sin City (re-recording mixer)
2004 The Last Run (re-recording mixer)
2004 D.E.B.S. (re-recording mixer)
2004 The Motorcycle Diaries (re-recording mixer)
2003 Once Upon a Time in Mexico (re-recording mixer)
2003 Spy Kids 3: Game Over (re-recording mixer)
2003 National Lampoon's Gold Diggers (re-recording mixer)
2002 .com for Murder (re-recording mixer)
2002 100 Mile Rule (re-recording mixer)
2002 Girl Fever (re-recording mixer)
2002 Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (re-recording mixer)
2002 Taboo (re-recording mixer)
2002 In the Echo (TV Movie) (re-recording mixer)
2001 According to Spencer (re-recording mixer)
2001 On the Borderline (re-recording mixer)
2001 Barbie in the Nutcracker (Video) (re-recording mixer)
2000 Shark Attack 2 (Video) (re-recording mixer: Bulgaria)
2000 A Better Way to Die (re-recording mixer)
2000 Four Dogs Playing Poker (re-recording mixer)
1999 Absence of the Good (TV Movie) (re-recording mixer)
1999 Ave María (re-recording mixer)
1999 All the Rage (re-recording mixer)
1998 A Murder of Crows (re-recording mixer)
1998 Disturbing Behavior (re-recording mixer)
1998 Phantoms (re-recording mixer)
1998 A Price Above Rubies (re-recording mixer)
1998 20 Dates (re-recording mixer)
1997 Jackie Brown (additional sound re-recording mixer)
1997 Best Men (re-recording mixer)
1997 Trojan War (re-recording mixer)
1997 Boogie Nights (pre-dub re-recording mixer)
1997 Bad Day on the Block (re-recording mixer)
1997 Speed 2: Cruise Control (additional sound re-recording mixer)
1997 Selena (re-recording mixer)
1997 Star Maps (re-recording mixer)
1996 The Glimmer Man (re-recording mixer - uncredited)
1996 Foxfire (re-recording mixer)
1996 Chain Reaction (additional mixer: Twentieth Century Fox Sound Services, Chicago Pacific Entertainment)
1996 Independence Day (additional sound re-recording mixer)
1996 The Rock (additional sound re-recordist)
1996 Sunset Park (re-recording mixer)
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn (re-recording mixer)
1996 Citizen Ruth (re-recording mixer)
1995 A Walk in the Clouds (re-recording mixer)
1995 Desperado (re-recording mixer)
1995 The Quick and the Dead (re-recording mixer)
1994 Todo cambia (Short) (re-recording mixer)
1994 Blankman (re-recording mixer)
1994 Speed (additional sound re-recording mixer)
1994 My Girl 2 (re-recording mixer)
1993 Look Who's Talking Now (re-recording mixer)
1993 Mr. Jones (re-recording mixer)
1993 Rudy (re-recording mixer)
1993 So I Married an Axe Murderer (re-recording mixer)
1993 Poetic Justice (re-recording mixer)
1993 Jack the Bear (re-recording mixer)
1993 Groundhog Day (re-recording mixer)
1992 Used People (re-recording mixer)
1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (re-recording mixer)
1992 Supercop (re-recording mixer)
1992 Alien 3 (re-recording mixer)
1992 Medicine Man (re-recording mixer)
1991 29th Street (re-recording mixer)
1991 Dying Young (re-recording mixer)
1990 Monday Morning (re-recording mixer)
1990 Predator 2 (re-recording mixer)
1990 Die Hard 2 (re-recording mixer)
1990 Class of 1999 (re-recording mixer)
1989 Un lugar en el sol (re-recording mixer)
1989 The Abyss (re-recording mixer - uncredited)
1988 They Live (re-recording mixer)
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john d'angelico died at 59...jimmy d was the one who found him...story has it, that jimmy d always thought he would die at that same age...59....
he did!
cheers
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ST, that's quite an amazing story. It sure shows that you've led a life filled with determination, music, and caring, and have great memories to share, which I appreciate! Thank you for that! The guitar is awesome, and sounds amazing. If you ever need someone to drop down to Joe V's and do an independent review, I'd volunteer. I love visiting his place, and when I do I feel the need to leave my checkbook and credit cards locked securely at home because the temptation is so huge. Congratulations on the vintage Epiphone Triumph Regent. I'm with Vinny and Joe D about the Epiphone Gibson history. There were times when Epiphone was clearly kicking ass with incredible instruments. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these old beauties, and did manage to find a 1936 Epi Emperor Masterbuilt that is the most remarkable piece of craftmanship and art that I have hanging on my wall of favorite archtop players. It sounds like what Johnny Smith used in his early recordings.
Congrats!
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Grant Green, What is This Thing
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