The Blonde or the Brunette? Two great 1939 Epiphone Emperor Guitars.

[Blue J]

I am a fan of vintage Epiphone archtop guitars. I came across these videos of a pair of 1939 Emporor’s in blonde and dark burst/brunette. Both are fine examples of a good archtop sound. I prefer the burst over the blonde in both sound and aesthetic.
What say you? The blonde or brunette?

[AllanAllen]

I like blondes. I hope to have one of my own one day.

[Cunamara]

Hard to tell. I think they're miked somewhat differently with the blonde presenting much more directly to the camera and presumably the microphone, whereas the sunburst was pointing off to the side a little bit. In the room, they might sound very similar. The presence of the violin, too, masks some of the high-end of the guitar once they were past the intro. Of the two, I preferred the tone of the brunette in the video; I'm just not confident that that's representative of the actual relative tone of the instruments.

Both are very attractive guitars. I have never played a vintage Epiphone, but I have always found their aesthetic to be appealing. From the 1930s until the Gretsch George Van Eps model became available in 1968, George played an Epiphone Deluxe. It was initially a six string and then converted to seven string in, I believe, 1938. He was a strong supporter of Epiphone guitars and said that that the Deluxe was the finest instrument he ever played.

[supersoul]

Aesthetically I like the blonde a little more, but they're both great looking. Something about the black pickguard on the blonde wood looks more elegant.
Soundwise and just from the youtube clips, I like the dark sunburst. But I never trust what I hear on a YouTube video (or any recording, for that matter). I could just be that the sunburst was recorded better than the condenser placed 3 feet in front of the blonde's sonic ray field. Those old parallel braced archtops are sound cannons, and there might be a compressor involved as well.
I'd have to play both to decide.
Is your ‘59 Rodebald Hoyer acoustic archtop not working for you anymore?

[Hep To The Jive]

Inspiring playing! I'd love to have either one, they are both deliciuos!

[AllanAllen]

Are you going after a blonde vintage Emperor? That will be sweet. Leave a note for Santa this Christmas, be a good fellow all year, might be a plan for next Holiday Season?

I am on a tight budget, but am thinking seriously of selling my ‘59 Rodebald Hoyer acoustic archtop and save for a dark burst vintage Epiphone Triumph.Especially now, since I am determined to learn how to play this music called jazz.

I want an acoustic archtop. My preference for 25 1/5 scale points me towards Epiphone. I haven’t played one to see if I like the neck enough to buy in.

Honestly I’d just like a copy of my modern Broadway but with a carved top, and no electronics.

But I’m not going to commission a custom guitar, I don’t know enough to know what I want.

[pamosmusic]

I want an acoustic archtop. My preference for 25 1/5 scale points me towards Epiphone. I haven’t played one to see if I like the neck enough to buy in.

Honestly I’d just like a copy of my modern Broadway but with a carved top, and no electronics.

But I’m not going to commission a custom guitar, I don’t know enough to know what I want.

Super fun to learn about though

[AllanAllen]

Super fun to learn about though

Yeah, it’d be cool to visit Norm’s or someplace else with a plethora of acoustic archtops so I could try a bunch and see what I really like.

[deacon Mark]

I have always heavily favorited Gibson Guitars. Epiphones from back then are quite good but I still think they come a long way from the refined Gibson equivalent. That said sure there are many Emperors that sound better than a Super 400 or L5 but give me a Gibson any day over and Epiphone. I also am not a fan of the more pinched waist they have. To me the bigger upper bout allows more sound transmission and my ears say they sound better.

Oh, and blonds in the case of Epiphones.

[Danny W.]

I owned this '46 for a number of years. It was an excellent acoustic guitar but much too large for me to play comfortably:







I also had a newer blonde Emperor, not quite the same thing, also too big for me:



Danny W.

[daverepair]

Between those I own, or have owned, or worked on for customers, I’ve played many different vintage NY Epiphone acoustic archtops, ‘33-‘51, and small to large bodied. The neck shapes and feel can vary significantly over the years, and are mostly very comfortable. For what I play( vintage jazz, swing, blues and roots) their sound is superb: each size has its charms and advantages. My current favorite is a ‘39 Emperor: the sound is full, with excellent tone and volume: I am not a large person, and find it comfortable to hold and play, and the relatively narrow waist helps. But the Olympics, Zeniths, Blackstones, Spartans, Triumphs and Broadways have also been very fine too. The big problem for most people interested in these guitars, is finding examples in good playing condition to try out. I do think Epis and Gibsons have a somewhat different sound(I like both!).