What do you think Epi Blackstone 1947

[deacon Mark]

I see my old friend George Gruhn has an Epi Blackstone 1947 for sale for $500. Cheap for sure and it needs work, see this. Gruhn Guitars

Now I have plenty of work to do but I have some things I would like to try. Having a guitar that needs work can be ok if you can do it and the price is right. I have many opportunities with flattops but hate them so this caught me eye. What do you think I am out time but $500 buck up front. George is usually pretty high but this seems ok to me.

My thought is that I want to set the neck get rid of the screws. Then refret any maybe even refinish just to make it look spiffy. I can mount a new pickguard and pickup and in the end have a maybe decent archtop just to say I did it. Otherwise leave finish alone and get it in top playing order. I make no money but could eventually sell it and get my money back.

Has the deacon lost his mind is the question?

[Klatu]

I'm a huge vintage Epiphone fan and would snap that thing up in a second if I had the skills to bring it back to life.

[deacon Mark]

The thing that also has me is this guitar is at least 16 inches and I would not be interested in anything less. I tell you George will suprise you once in a while and I too said. Wow I can do that for sure it is just market for these when done is nothing but I still play on the back porch in the summer at or winter with no worries right?

[ThatRhythmMan]

With just a proper neck reset/heel repair and a refret that could be a little monster. I wouldn’t refinish more than the heel repair. The rest looks fine for an old player to me.

I have a ‘46 Blackstone that’s a little cannon. It doesn’t have much complexity in its voice, but boy can it bark.

Considering that you would do the work yourself, this seems like a worthwhile buy to me.

[Klatu]

I think you could get $1000 - $1200 once you've got in rocking condition. That said, I hardly ever sell guitars and I wouldn't go into it thinking about how much I could get out of it once the work was done.

[Klatu]

By the way, it would be one heck of a back porch guitar!

[wintermoon]

I'm thinking your D'Angelicos might be p.o.'d

[daverepair]

I say, go for it Deacon! If I wasn't awaiting delivery of a '37 Spartan, I'd buy it. Each of the half dozen vintage Epis I've had, have been(after some degree of repair) great guitars. They are best suited for comping and swing, but some, like the '46 Spartan I had, were marvelous all-round instruments. It's true, the Epi truss rods, for the most part, don't work well(if at all), but one just treats them(for fret work and set-up) like a non-adjustable neck, like a pre-'85 Martin.

[citizenk74]

I have a 1945 Zenith that we picked up many years ago that had been subjected to various indignities in its travels before it found us. Long story short, we sank a wad of cash into this humble instrument to have it expertly (if reluctantly) restored. It has repaid us with countless hours of playing and listening enjoyment. Getting a case roomy enough for the generously-sized lower bout took some doing, but in the end of the year long process we had a great looking, playing, and sounding member of the family.
A dealer/trader friend had chided me at the outset for "paying too much" for it; I asked him to find me another at the right price so that I could have two. This was just weeks before Acoustic Guitar magazine did an inside back cover feature of Epiphone arch-tops and what a great deal they were, making the whole discussion moot.

I'd do it again.

[Stringswinger]

Mark,

I had a 1946 Epi Triumph (that I sold to a fellow forumite to help pay for my 1935 Excel) that had a great voice. All three vintage Epi's that I owned sounded great. My one problem with all three was the soft V neck profile. I like a C profile. I will be sticking with Gibson's, D'Angelicos and Heritages. But if I had the skills that you do, I would buy that one (see if you can get George to throw in free shipping).

[ThatRhythmMan]

The neck profile on these Epiphones can be pretty variable. Most are either a soft V or a round C in my experience. If that’s a concern you may want to ask about it first.

[zizala]

I like old Epiphones....(and Guilds and Gibsons too of course).

I have a '32 Broadway and a couple of midget Zeniths from '32 and '33.

Then I jumped ahead to the post-war years and acquired a '49 Triumph Regent a few years ago.
I also play a '49 L-7c and the two fill similar roles but clearly have distinctive acoustic voices.

So....just a few months ago found a great '47 Spartan.

There are always a few things I look out for or need to address when looking at old Epiphones depending on the period they were built.
The Broadway has a dead straight neck with what appear to be original frets....the two early Zeniths were refretted to correct some forward neck bow (no adjustable truss rods during the early Masterbilt era).
The '49 Triumph needed a neck reset and some binding repair but the Spartan had no problems at all.
I'm usually expecting old Epiphones to need some work but not always. Without the guitar in hand it pays to know what questions to ask and have good photos to inspect.

I have to say that the Spartan has turned out to be one of the more musically versatile acoustic archtops I've ever played.
Fresh off that experience I was just looking at a '47 Blackstone at a good price but someone beat me to it.
It can be a surprisingly good guitar for a low to mid level Epiphone model.