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Tell me about Kalamazoo made FT30 (Epi) early 60's.


markob

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With my ever increasing love/lust for small bodied Mahogany's I've stumbled across this little Epi. Price is right. I know it's comparible to the LGO I just acquired ('59). I'm such a sl*t.. I haven't gone by to check it out yet and I'm almost scared to. .Can anyone tell me more about this Gibby made brownie?

 

 

mob

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With my ever increasing love/lust for small bodied Mahogany's I've stumbled across this little Epi. Price is right. I know it's comparible to the LGO I just acquired ('59). I'm such a sl*t.. I haven't gone by to check it out yet and I'm almost scared to. .Can anyone tell me more about this Gibby made brownie?

 

 

mob

 

This site http://www.provide.net/~cfh/epiphone.html pegs it being produced between '53 and '70. ALso called the "Caballero".

 

Of the Epiphones, this vintage is somewhat sought after. The quality of late production, after Norlin bought Gibson and Epi production moved to Japan, can be sketchy.

 

The only way to know is a hands on inspection and to play the thing.

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I got to audition a Caballero once. It was built in Kalamazoo and was very much like my Gibson LG1. Ladder braced I think and very bluesy sounding..... I purchased my used Gibson at twice the price but mostly because the Caballero had been sold when I got the cash. (I might still have bought the LG1 over the Caballero though... both were rough but I felt better putting the $$$ into the Vintage Gibson to bring it up to speed.)

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In '85 I bought an Epiphone something or other. It was sunburst and looked just like an LG1 except for the Epi headstock. It was definitely a 60s K'zoo made Epi regardless. I think I have a 35mm print somewhere. Mint, seemingly unplayed. Some Air Force guy pawned it, never came back, and I had dibs on it before it went out on the rack. I think I paid $125 or some-such.

 

I can't explain why, but this was one of the stiffest acoustics I've ever played. It sounded good but it just had this feeling like it was ready to explode. Imagine what it might be like to tune a guitar up a full tone or a tone and a half and you'll get the picture.

 

Lost it in as part of a Les Paul trade a couple weeks later so all was good.

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