The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
Reply to Thread Bookmark Thread
Posts 1 to 18 of 18
  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Something a bit special has arrived. Every since selling my Crimson WesMo and having played a friend's '54 Triumph, I've been on the lookout for a nice Epiphone. This one came up for sale, it was sold, then the deal fell through a week later and I was contacted asking if I still wanted it and after a nailbiting transatlantic journey it arrived unscathed.

    It's a beautiful instrument and sounds lovely. The neck does not have as pronounced a V as my friend's '54 Triumph. It feels very much like a rounded 50s Gibson neck. The fretboard is the darkest piece of Brazilian rosewood I have seen. Naturally, a carved spruce top and maple sides and back.

    It's certainly a different beast from the crimson L5 which had its own refined charm and is missed.














    I'm still working on the playing but here's a quick sample.


  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

    User Info Menu

    wonderful...always great to see those og epi's getting some attention..great guitars, used by so many pro's back in the day

    looks and sounds great

    congrats & enjoy

    cheers

  4. #3

    User Info Menu

    I've owned two of these! A 17" from 1938 and a 16" from 1935. These are some of the best acoustic archtops out there. As they used to say. "Only a Gibson is good enough", but you reach for an Epiphone "When good enough just won't cut it."

  5. #4

    User Info Menu

    That's a magnificent instrument! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

    PS Nice playing!

  6. #5

    User Info Menu

    Stunning score ! Do enjoy your new blessing.

  7. #6

    User Info Menu

    Congratulations on your new guitar! Pre-war Epiphones are at the apex of the acoustic archtop species! I can only imagine how nice it would be to have that beautiful guitar in my stable. Enjoy! And make some great music!

  8. #7

    User Info Menu

    Beautiful. You have my honest envy.

    Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

  9. #8

    User Info Menu

    Congrats on the new guitar, definitely on my list of dream guitars!

  10. #9

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by lang&django
    Congrats on the new guitar, definitely on my list of dream guitars!

  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    wonderful...always great to see those og epi's getting some attention..great guitars, used by so many pro's back in the day

    looks and sounds great

    congrats & enjoy

    cheers
    Surprised they don't get *more* attention. JV from Archtop has said they're the best kept secret in arch tops and Fisch & Fred's book (in particular Benedetto's foreword '30s-50's epis are second to none') is quite enlightening.

    Having played the 54 Triumph Regent local to me, it was quite an easy decision to make that an Epiphone would be next for me on first strum.

  12. #11

    User Info Menu

    Congrats! May she inspire your playing for many years to come. Having owned a few vintage Epiphone archtops, I can say that a vintage Epi is up there with the best of them.

  13. #12

    User Info Menu

    beautiful guitar! Refinished?

  14. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    beautiful guitar! Refinished?
    Nope, original

  15. #14

    User Info Menu

    Nice guitar, nice playing. I grabbed my guitar while listening and played along. Hope your don't mind.

    Did you have to get CITES documentation to get it across the border?

  16. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by doc w
    Nice guitar, nice playing. I grabbed my guitar while listening and played along. Hope your don't mind.

    Did you have to get CITES documentation to get it across the border?
    Thanks Doc glad to hear you jammed along, don't mind at all!

    No CITES as CITES comes into force in 1947. The guitar being prewar does not need such documentation fortunately!

  17. #16

    User Info Menu

    There was no restriction on importing my 1935 L-12 from the US to Canada, but I had to do the paperwork to prove that it was a 1935. I am glad you didn't have to go through that.

    Post more music!

  18. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by doc w
    There was no restriction on importing my 1935 L-12 from the US to Canada, but I had to do the paperwork to prove that it was a 1935. I am glad you didn't have to go through that.

    Post more music!
    thats good to hear. How did you ‘prove’ it was 1935?

  19. #18

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by danishbacon
    thats good to hear. How did you ‘prove’ it was 1935?
    I took a photo of the serial number and listed a few of the identifying features of 1935-37 L12. However, they wanted something more definitive so I used George Gruhn's book of Gibson serial numbers. I think that someone in this forum suggested that. In any case, they accepted it and a bonus was that the book told me the exact year. 1935