The "Forgotten" Holy Grail Brand: Epiphones of the '50s & '60s
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- čas přidán 22. 02. 2023
- While conversation around the most coveted electric guitars of the '50s and '60s largely focuses on brands like Gibson, Fender, and Gretsch, we can't sleep on another major player-Epiphone-who at one time was Gibson's largest rival. In this video, Joe takes us through the history and key models that make Kalamazoo-era Epi's some of the most desirable guitars.
Shop Deals on Vintage Epiphones at Reverb: bit.ly/3Zdcx5c
Special Thanks to Chicago Music Exchange and Phil Angotti for lending us a few choice instruments - reverb.com/shop/cme
Video Clips:
Crestwood Custom / Norman's Rare Guitars: • Norman's Rare Guitars ...
Riviera / Carter Vintage: • 1967 Epiphone Riviera ...
Wilshire / Emerald City Guitars: • "Pick of the Day" - 19...
Century / Empire Guitars: • 60 Seconds At Empire- ...
Granada / Norm's Rare Guitars: • Guitar of the Day: 196...
Olympic / Norm's Rare Guitars: • Guitar of the Day: 196...
Howard Roberts / Norm's Rare Guitars: • Guitar of the Day: 196...
Embassy Bass / Chicago Music Exchange: • 1964 Epiphone Embassy ...
Ravoli Bass / Vintage n' Rare: • 1964 Epiphone Rivoli
#vintageguitar #epiphone #guitar - Zábava
I got a killer deal on a '64 Casino back in 2020 and it's now my favorite guitar. Glad to see these old hidden treasures getting the attention they deserve. They're every bit the quality instruments as their contemporary Gibson counterparts.
I have a 1964 Sorrento that my mom bought my dad. It’s tone is majestic.
Great to see the old Epiphones getting some love. I have a 64 Wilshire and a 66 Coronet and they’re my absolute favourite guitars. And in my opinion the old Epiphone Frontiers are the best acoustic guitars you can find, sitting sort of somewhere in between a great Gibson and a great Martin, those are seriously underrated instruments.
I'm a Strat-cat through and through, but I *love* my Wilshire and can never see myself parting with her. Same year as yours, and she just... well, you get me; she's got that vibe that no other guitar does.
I bought a Riviera new in ‘64 in what was described as a Royal Tan finish. It was just gorgeous and had mini humbuckers that put out a higher voltage than standard full size humbuckers. Had the obligatory split tailpiece. Like an idiot I traded it two years later for a Barney Kessel for what reason I’m still not sure of. LOL. That Riviera was arguably the best playing and sounding guitar I’ve ever owned and I’ve had dozens in my playing lifetime. I’ve seen them go for $4K and up. I paid $350 for mine. Ran it through a ‘64 black face Bandmaster. I was in heaven.
Oh, and i also had a ‘46 arch top that i didn’t see mentioned here; a Triumph that i found laying on the floor in the back of a second hand shop sometime in ‘76. Paid $150 for it. Held on to that for many decades but let it go during a prolonged period of self doubt.
Man this legit hurts to read.
I have a 1964 Eppiphone acoustic guitar with Abalone shell inlays it sounds like a complete symphony just strumming a G chord it is so beautiful
A vintage Sheraton with the mini-hums is one of my dream guitars
Keep these kind of videos coming ! SO cool. Fun stuff. That Crestwood Custom playing Thin Lizzy "Boys Back in Town" sounds and looks killer.
Norlin moved Epiphone to Japan, but was stuck with a massive number of Epiphone’s mini-humbuckers in Kalamazoo. That’s where you got models like the Gibson Les Paul Deluxe.
One of my favorite playing guitars I ever played while living in Nashville was an “Epiphone Sorrento.” Incredible guitar
7:08 I had that guitar/amp called The Professional back in 1972 until around 1976. A very nice playing, clear but also warm sounding guitar. The amp had a great reverb tank. A great bedroom playing rig when I was in my late teens.
I have a '62 Professional.
Thanks for this video. Nicely done docu that sticks to the basics. I started with a Dot, went up to the ES 335 Pro and now am the proud owner of a Sheraton II Pro...I love it!
I've had and performed with many different Epiphone models, including New York made '51 Zephyr Deluxe Regent, '51 Triumph Regent, Kalamazoo made Riviera, Casino, and a very rare (I didn't know it at the time) Broadway Deluxe, which was a laminated blondeTiger Maple (Top, Back, & Sides) 16" sharp cutaway.
I have always suspected it was made by an employee, using an ES175 form with Epiphone headstock, Frequensator tailpiece and Mini Humbuckers. With lots of searching, I have only ever found one other example of a Broadway Deluxe, in wine red.
I always loved my NY & Kalamazoo Epiphones!!!
Great history piece Joe! 😎🎸
Got a really great black 59 Coronet, a silver fox 64 Coronet , a sunburst 65 Casino and a cherry 12 String 67 Riviera plus a Epiphone Devon amp from 65. I LOVE them all... Much more character than the usual Gibbys ( I.M.O. ). Look out and get one of these little buggers ! Cheers.
My Epiphone Allen Woody, Rumblecat Bass, is one of my favorite guitars. It is a budget bass but it sounds awesome and I love it.
yo i got a Bonomassa 62 ES 335 , THIS Guitar is the shiz net. so full sounding and wonderfully suttle, and aggressive at the same time . thank you Epiphone again for a vintage guitar working folk can afford, i got a Lazarus And a Bonomassa goldtop which are Superb.
I remember first learning about the Casino because of The Beatles and have loved those guitars ever since, they’re undoubtedly iconic and sound and play great
great review! my favorite is my p93 riviera royal white!
Love my 1983 Kalamazoo Epiphone Spirit 1 ! - Only a couple hundred made then rebranded as
Gibson.
I have a 66 casino and a 65 Olympic, such amazing instruments!
I would love to see a video about the epiphone acoustics. I Had a 1964 epiphone Cortez come into my life and can not understate how easy it plays and how comfortable that Lg body shape is.
I have a mid-‘60s Olympic II and I love it!
@7:14 I have an Epiphone Professional (EA7P) I am currently trying to get appraised!
I am in love with Epiphones that are older still: the pre-war and 1940s acoustic archtops. But these have a ton of personality as well… in the hands of someone like Robben Ford, a Riviera is second to no other thinline electric guitar ;D It's nice to see Epiphone rediscovering its heritage with the recent 150th anniversary models…
I owned a 1965 Kalamazoo-branded "Melody Maker" for a while... MDF body, but a fantastic mahogany neck with a brazillian rosewood fretboard, plus some "underwound" but very soulful pickups... I miss Lobster.
I have a 63 Rivoli bass. Very unique sound
I have a '64 "batwing" Coronet, that I have modded six ways from Sunday over the years. Crazy light. Sadly, the neck was really made for 12 year-old "student" hands, and doesn't get as wide as most regular nuts until you get up around the 5th fret or higher.
I used to have a late '50s blonde single-pickup Windsor, with the distinctive big oval fret-markers, before it was stolen from me. One of the best necks I've ever played. It came with one of those New Yorker pickups, that *look* like mini-humbuckers but are really more closely related to Gold Foil pickups underneath. The creme-coloured sides of the pickup might cause some trouble crossing international borders because they are real ivory...from back in the days when one could get it and use it. I gave the pickup to Mark Knopfler. Don't know what he ever did with it.
Nobody ever forgot about about these. The best you did was remind lawyers what else to put in their display cases and drove up prices on your site. Which makes sense.
My favourite Epiphone is the Model 6830 acoustic, made in Japan in 1970 and which was a wedding present from my first wife in 1975. A real prince of a guitar.
You kept the guitar and not the wife :-)
I love Epiphone guitars.
You failed to mention that Epiphone is older than Gibson and that aside from dominating the archtop scene , Epiphone and Kay uprights were outselling Gibsons basses. The upright bass market was the one of main reasons Gibson wanted Epiphone
Mine aren’t vintage, but I absolutely love my Riv and Casino. They play great and sound killer. They punch way above their price range
Thing is epiphone today are built in a state of the art facility built ran and owned by Gibson. It's called Gibson Qingdao.
Gibson isn't importing guitars from generic OEM factories they are building them to their quality and specs.
@@SionynJones I’m sure there are dogs in there, but yeah my new Chinese made ones are great. I have a LQJ Les Paul and it’s incredible. A lot of the Korean epis I’ve played have been nice, too. I don’t like the new headstock shape otherwise I’d buy an lp special and sg too
Under Gibson new management epiphone is getting the respect it deserves. Epiphone high end guitars easily compete with other brands offerings including Gibson.
The other thing people don't appreciate is that for the last 15 years Epiphone guitars have been built in a state of the art facility built and owned by Gibson called Gibson Qingdao ran by Gibsons master luthiers.
You only have to look at their recent inspired by range and signature guitars like Joe Bonamassa black beauty to see not only achieved critical acclaim but legendary status amongst players. Same goes for the custom shop partner guitars 1959 Les Paul and 61 SG.
Today's epiphone easily surpass the 90 era and 2000 era epiphone used by oasis and the strokes, but truth be told 90s and 2000 epiphone guitars weren't bad guitars either.
“If it’s epic tone you want, it’s Epiphone you flaunt”. -A Wise Man
I bought an epiphone in 1959, had dual cutaways two humbuckers, two volume controls and two tone controls and a toggle switch. I don't know the model or name of it but the volume and tone control had white pointy knobs. I have not been able to find any information on it. could you please help.
If the Casino is the ES330's counterpart and the Riviera the ES335's. The Professional is the counterpart to the ES345, as they share the construction, three ply body binding and a notch filter circuit.
😂😂😂😂vintage epiphones are definitely not forgotten
4:22 *ES120T
I bought a road worn 1934 Epi Olympic archtop on Reverb, which I got cause it's the same model that Dave Rawlings plays. to my extreme shock and disappointment, I still can't play anything like Dave. I bought this 3 years ago. Can Reverb offer me a refund? plz make this right 🙏🙏🙏
While we can't offer you a refund, if you send it back to our office we'll try to get some Dave Rawlings out of it and see if it's really NAD. You still know the address?
@@BrianOnBreak my man if you can play like him you won’t sound like him
Lemmmmmo!
Borrowing Lemmo clips for these retrospectives is a great move. He's basically Vintage Guitar Andy. Always knows just what to play to show off the instrument's strengths.
I always thought Epiphone was a play on the word “epiphany”
Nah, that would be Guild.
Epiphones over Gibson all day long..
Epiphone & Squire > Gibson & Fender
They're not forgotten. They're just not holy grails. Stop trying to create a market.
the literal entire purpose of this channel and company is to create the market
Yes they are holy grails! Zip it🤐
The real golden era of Epiphone in my opinion is the 1930s and 1940s when they made some of the best acoustic archtops of the era.
They were pretty awful guitars but a great investment if you are fortunate enough to have one?
Yo Reverb, delete this....we can't have the prices going up smh