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Epiphone Zenith A622 Acoustic Guitar Information


antiqueshere

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Hello,

Tag inside reads Epiphone Zenith a622 a-1939. Ink stamp at other f hole z 8023 6. Kalamazoo, Michigan. My understanding is this guitar was made in 1958 by Gibson. Can anyone help verify this information. Included are some photos. Any information on this guitar would be helful. thanks.

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My understanding is this guitar was made in 1958 by Gibson. Can anyone help verify this information. Included are some photos. Any information on this guitar would be helful. thanks.

 

Yes, epi-dater identifies it as a 1958. That's the first year after Gibson bought out Epiphone for $20,000! Interesting little history here:

 

McCarty's marketing plan was to offer Gibson-made Epiphones to dealers who were keen to win a Gibson contract, but had not yet proven themselves as profitable dealers. (The right to sell Gibson models was hotly contested between dealerships at this time). It was the perfect solution. Dealers would get a Gibson-quality product without treading on the toes of dealers who already sold the Gibson line. The entire Epiphone operation was relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Epiphone was back in business.

That finish on yours is nice. I hadn't seen that style before. I wonder if it's original. There are a few differences between yours and my 1939 Epiphone Zenith. Pre-1957 Zeniths had dot fret markers. The headstock logo was a 'spear', not the 'paralellogram' like yours. And the label inside is different. Mine actually has New York on the label, but the epi-dater says it was made in Philly.

 

Unfortunately, the pre-1957 Zeniths aren't typically worth any huge amount of money. I don't know about your 1958. Looks to be in great shape.

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Yes, epi-dater identifies it as a 1958. That's the first year after Gibson bought out Epiphone for $20,000! Interesting little history here:

 

McCarty's marketing plan was to offer Gibson-made Epiphones to dealers who were keen to win a Gibson contract, but had not yet proven themselves as profitable dealers. (The right to sell Gibson models was hotly contested between dealerships at this time). It was the perfect solution. Dealers would get a Gibson-quality product without treading on the toes of dealers who already sold the Gibson line. The entire Epiphone operation was relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Epiphone was back in business.

That finish on yours is nice. I hadn't seen that style before. I wonder if it's original. There are a few differences between yours and my 1939 Epiphone Zenith. Pre-1957 Zeniths had dot fret markers. The headstock logo was a 'spear', not the 'paralellogram' like yours. And the label inside is different. Mine actually has New York on the label, but the epi-dater says it was made in Philly.

 

Unfortunately, the pre-1957 Zeniths aren't typically worth any huge amount of money. I don't know about your 1958. Looks to be in great shape.

 

There is a pretty good amount of finish checking. I took some photos. Its the original finish.

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It seems more interesting that that.

 

Word is (and I don't really know the facts or the history), that Gibson also got guitars, or unfinished pieces in the deal, as well as all the tooling and factory equipment.

 

So for some times or dates, which are actually built be Gibson, or assembled from previous pieces, that's perhaps a question.

 

THIS particular guitar is built on an EPI template, not a Gibson one. Could be an important transition model?

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  • 2 weeks later...
There is a pretty good amount of finish checking. I took some photos. Its the original finish.

 

Especially on older guits, finish checking is not really considered a drawback and shouldn't detract from the guitar's value. It's often considered to add character. That thing's a real beauty!

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It seems more interesting that that.

 

Word is (and I don't really know the facts or the history), that Gibson also got guitars, or unfinished pieces in the deal, as well as all the tooling and factory equipment.

 

So for some times or dates, which are actually built be Gibson, or assembled from previous pieces, that's perhaps a question.

 

THIS particular guitar is built on an EPI template, not a Gibson one. Could be an important transition model?

There are likely some New York parts involved here (note the TR cover), but hard to tell to what extent from photos alone. Don't know how important the transition models are considered to be, but hope they're extremely so. Maybe my FT-45 is more valuable than I knew, but somehow I doubt it.

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