Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Back from SoCal


Cougar

Recommended Posts

Took a road trip visiting my 92-year-old dad and brother in the Pasadena area. I dropped off a cherry ES-339 (I kept the case for my blonde 339, which needed one ;) ) to complement my dad's Gibbie LP studio and Ibanez hollowbody electric somthing-or-other. AND I picked up a couple guitars he had stashed in a back closet. A like-new 70s Japanese-made Epiphone FT-160 twelve-string that my brother carried back from Hong Kong in the 70s. It's probably got 2 hours of playing on it. Bolt-on neck, which is where the 6-digit serial number is (starts 1316..). I'd recently had it set up but my dad never played it, preferring the Gibbie, of course. This 12 is soundful! I don't think they're worth a lot, but it's a great 12-string. I like it! Guitar dater doesn't recognize its serial number.

 

Then there's my dad's old, old guitar he played for probably 30 years before getting another acoustic. It's pretty beat up, but structurally intact. It's has 'Zenith' ink-stamped on the inside blue label, but the printing on the label says Epiphone Masterbilt. Epi dater says it was made in Philly in 1939. What's one of these worth fixed up? Here's a couple pics...

 

msb145.jpg

.

msb142.jpg

.

msb138.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup...

 

What really gets to me is that in the early '60s the "folkie crew" that I was likely to be around would consider that only an idiot who didn't know anything about "real" guitars would ever consider an archtop.

 

And yup, they'd play Carter Family stuff and gracefully ignore that Mother Maybelle played a big old Gibson archtop.

 

That, my friends, is largely why I keep howling that it's how a guitar feels to you and how you physically connect to it with your kinda technique.

 

A more personal example is that little guitar in my avatar. Dunno why I didn't dump it, because I decided that I didn't like it with those heavy "jazz" strings everybody said hadda go on an archtop. She sat for more than 20 years in an unopened case. One day on a whim I opened the case, figured I'd replace the strings and ... what the heck, I have these 9-42s. Since then she's been incredible for me. Why she wasn't swapped off, I don't know. Fate.

 

m

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...I'll bet it is a blast to play....

 

Oh, the strings are so high, it's practically unplayable. I've got to take it in to my tech and see what he can do with it. It's a set neck but apparently the neck doesn't adjust. The bridge is adjustable. Some of the binding is coming off; some's just missing. I guess I can get all new binding. There are lots of nicks and scratches. I'm not sure what you can do about those. Comments and suggestions on restoration welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of guitars from pre WWII had no neck adjustment mechanism, although they were made quite well. IMHO that's why necks so often were "baseball bat" types even after the "new" truss rod concept became pretty standard. I think personally that's one reason the archtops with adjustable bridges were as popular as they were.

 

I dunno... I'm with you on getting it to a luthier who knows what he/she is doing. Then... I keep thinking about one of those pickguard pickup combinations that have a floating pup and controls on the pickguard so no change to the guitar itself is needed except for possibly the installation of the pickguard.

 

In the olden days <grin> I had an add-on pup that simply clamped onto the strings behind the bridge on an archtop. It worked fine and added a different dimension to how I played the thing.

 

m

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, the strings are so high, it's practically unplayable. I've got to take it in to my tech and see what he can do with it. It's a set neck but apparently the neck doesn't adjust. The bridge is adjustable. Some of the binding is coming off; some's just missing. I guess I can get all new binding. There are lots of nicks and scratches. I'm not sure what you can do about those. Comments and suggestions on restoration welcome.

[/quote

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, the strings are so high, it's practically unplayable. I've got to take it in to my tech and see what he can do with it. It's a set neck but apparently the neck doesn't adjust. The bridge is adjustable. Some of the binding is coming off; some's just missing. I guess I can get all new binding. There are lots of nicks and scratches. I'm not sure what you can do about those. Comments and suggestions on restoration welcome.

 

A few months back I picked up an old ss stewart archtop and it was very hard to play but the honey burst finish got me. The wood bulged everywhere. Now after drying then humidifying the drying again its coming closer to perfect. I did a neck reset sanded some of the light scratches out ( didn't hurt the finish ) and tried to sand the crazy glue the guy used on some cracks. Its fun to play not a master piece but its fun

 

 

 

 

PS when I got it the strings where 1/2 an inch off the neck

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GEDC0400_zps30128d2d.jpgI have on it, It's pretty worn, the "heel" has split, some binding loose..it's all there. I'm going to bring it to the "Guitar Doctor" in Whitman, MA..real pro's there, I've used for other, more than several, "fix ups". He and his crew are true luthiers And I'm sure him and his "crew" will be happy to put new life into that old guitar. In the mean time, this is my "acoustic blues slide guitar", for nowmsp_smile.gif

GEDC0401_zpsa0ef79a1.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some may say that old Epiphone Masterbilt Zenith is worth "X" amount, which initially may seem like a lot of $$$. Personally, If it was my dad's, to me...I would never ever part with it...it's a priceless reminder of "good old dad"... but that's just me. Fix it and hang it on the wall, within quick reach, in your living room. A true work of "luthier art". msp_thumbup.gif And then when you look at it and play it, all the good memories of old dad will come back...probably bring a smile to your face. I know when I play this....which mom and dad got me for my 13th birthday..in 1966, it certainly brings a smile and wonderful memories back ...

IMG_0324.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some may say that old Epiphone Masterbilt Zenith is worth "X" amount. If it was my dad's,to me...I would never ever part with it...it's a priceless reminder of "good old dad"... but that's just me. Fix it and hang it on the wall, within quick reach, in your living room. A true work of "luthier art". msp_thumbup.gif

 

I agree with ya 100% and that's a gorgeous Harmony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

post-61719-091812900 1413937739_thumb.jpg here is my SS Stewart

 

Awesome...looks to be in great shape...dig the inlays...I bet that was a relatively expensive instrument...in 1958...maybe...nice looking old antique archtop guitars are cool by memsp_thumbup.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...