- Spruce top
- Rosewood back and sides
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
- herringbone inlay on soundhole, top binding and back strip
- Tortoiseshell effect scratch plate with Epiphone “€” logo.
- Epiphone Plush Lined Hard Case
- Serial #: 84369
SOLD
Made in the early 1970’s, when Epiphone had moved production from the U.S. to Japan. These guitars were made by the Matsumoku factory, featuring a set mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard with matt-silver dot markers / rosewood bridge with plastic cream bridge pins / Herringbone purfling sound hole, top binding and centre strip on back / Original chrome tuners and tortoiseshell scratchplate / Made in Japan “blue label”
Accurate serial numbers and model numbers aren’t very available or reliable as Epiphone transitioned from US production to Japan in the early 1970’s. One of the general accepted ways of roughly dating the Japanese Epiphones is from the the label colours. From 1971-1975 there were Blue labels, with early models (70-71) saying “Union made” on the label. 1976-1979 have Tan or white “Lincolnwood” labels with Norlin logo, and 1980-1987 have Brown labels with a “splotch” pattern. This guitar has the the Blue label with “Made in Japan” in the bottom corner, so could be assumed to be between circa 1972 in manufacture.
It’s a really handsome looking guitar and you can see the age in the natural Spruce flat top having a lovely vintage colour and vibe, with a nice contrasting tortoiseshell pickguard with the Epiphone ‘E’ logo. Ivory coloured herringbone binding front and back contrasts against the natural top and the rich dark figured rosewood back and sides. Fingerboard is in nice condition is a lovely rich colour. Some of the Japanese Epiphones feature a bolt-on neck design, but this guitar has a set neck construction. Again, there is no concrete catalogue of guitar models and features from this period. Simply, some of better than others.
This is a loud and lively guitar with a powerful open sound when played with a flatpick, crisp and articulate, mellowing out when played finger style. Action is really comfortable & has plenty of room on the saddle for adjustment if required!
Bearing in mind that this is almost a 50 year old instrument, it is in absolutely excellent all-round condition, with just a couple of minor dings that would not really show up on the photos. It is absolutely structurally sound with no splits, cracks or bellying to the top and the glued-in neck joint and headstock are totally solid and stable. Fitted with a bone nut and saddle, she sleeps in a beautiful & pristine condition Epiphone Plush Lined, Hard Shell Case.
These early set-neck Japanese made Epiphones were sadly superceded by bolt-neck versions in the late 70s. There doesn’t seem to be that many of them around in the UK – most of them seem to have gone to the US or to Europe. I’ve only ever seen one other offered for sale in the UK.
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Our shipping policy is simple: We ship Guitars, Amps and Accessories to the UK, Europe & ROW. We’ve been shipping items to the UK and abroad for many years without any issues, as we always use the best and most reliable shipping companies. All guitars and amps will be shipped insured and tracked. So you can check your shipping status anytime. We always package them to the highest possible standard.
Note: All amps are preferably UK shipping or collection only. We rarely ship amps internationally, due to potential breakage, unless this is agreed separately. If you are outside Europe and are interested in any of our guitars or amps please contact us for a special shipping quote.
We operate a 48hr approval period for on-line mail order purchases only. Customers who buy goods in the RGG showroom can fully evaluate them prior to making the payment, and as such do not have this return and refund option available to them. The 48hr mail order returns period offered is with regard to either a problem with the guitar upon receipt, IE, the goods appear to have a defect that was not outlined in the sale listing or clearly not sold as advertised. If the purchaser wishes to return the goods for any other reason, then there will be a re-stocking fee of 10% of the original sale value & return carriage must be paid by the purchaser, there are no exceptions to these rules.
If you want to return an item please make contact for a returns authorisation. You have 2 days to try the instrument. We offer a full refund minus our shipping costs (including our cost of free shipping if applicable) It is the purchaser’s responsibility to organise the return promptly to the company in the condition it was received, using the original packaging and with a copy of the sales receipt. (We recommend you insure the item in transit). The item must be shipped back via a service comparable with which it was delivered, within 24 hours (Excluding weekends) upon receipt of the return authorization. Goods that have been altered from their original condition in any way cannot be returned.
Any items returned after the 48hr agreed approval period, and not exceeding more than two weeks, are subject to a 10% re-stocking fee, based on of the original sale value of the goods. PayPal, Credit/Debit card refunds will be processed immediately upon receipt of the returned goods and normally take 3-5 working days to show on the customer’s account. Bank transfer and cash purchase payments will be refunded by Bank transfer to your nominated bank.