Emperor Question

[3LPCustom]

Hey everyone!

 

I have a question about one of my guitars; it's an Epiphone Emperor archtop (not a Joe Pass model), natural finish, gold hardware, 2 humbuckers, the PU selector switch is on the lower bout, and the tailpiece is identical to the Joe Pass model. It has the Epiphone winding vine headstock, but the truss rod cover says "GIBSON" in vertical letters.

 

I bought it on a whim (I was a bit drunk) back in the 80's , and haven't played it much, but I'm just curious if it's Japanese or Korean made, and how the quality stacks up against what's being made today.

 

Thanks!

[kidblast]

if it was bought new in the 80s probably korea,(chances are the Samick factory) but without a serial # or photos, it's hard to know. if you drop the serial number in this thread, I can guarantee one of the members can tell you more about your guitar.

 

you could try to look up Guitar Dater and enter the serial # in, but that site is not "Gospel" but, at least gives you a place to start. There is also some information on the Gibson/Epiphone site that documents the serial numbers, and gives you build years and locations based on the serial number. As a last ditch effort contact customer service

 

as for how it stacks up to today's builds, that's debatable.. there were some good guitars coming out of asia back then, but there was also a lot of hit and miss.

 

Probably the weakest link in these 80s imports was the electronics and hardware. 80s Korean made pickups had a tendency to be a bit muddy, and not very good at resisting feedback, especially in a hollow body. The volume and tone pots could be sketchy, and the pickup selector switches were prone to problems. Changing the electronics in a hollow body is a pain in the ares, so folks who didn't like the tone, or had problems with the components either lived with it, or sold them.

 

I can only offer that the new builds from Asia have vastly improved to examples from 20/30 years ago.

 

But the biggest question to answer is,, If all the stuff works good on yours and you've been happy with the tone, then

[Parabar]

Yes, Korean Samick factory. The "pre-Joe Pass" Emperors were not made anywhere else. All of the ones I've seen have been of very high quality - definitely superior to the Chinese Joe Pass models of recent years. I haven't tried one of the newer Joe Pass Pro models to compare.