GlorfindelRW Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 I bought this guitar from an auction several years ago. It has sat in the corner since then until I recently started trying to teach myself to play. I'm interested in finding out some more about it. I've found some similar looking guitars after a long online search. I believe it may be from the 1970s... maybe an et-278? (1974 catalog: http://www.matsumoku.org/models/epiphone/catalogs/1974/pg8-9.jpg) The serial number is faded and hard to read but it looks like it is a 6-digit number: 272183? The "8" might be a 0 or something else. It also says Japan underneath the serial number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 I think Duane V just got a guitar, just like that, and he's very happy with it. Stan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Nice guitar. I had one similar to it back in the 70s. Mine had a maple neck, natural finish, white pick guard, and gold hardware. Other than that they looked exactly the same. Same headstock design, unlike the new Wilshire reissues. I think mine was an EN-295. I could be wrong on the first two letters, but I do remember it was a 295. Looks like it is in great shape. I had forgotten about the case having the logo on it like that. Thanks for the memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Nice guitar. I had one similar to it back in the 70s. Mine had a maple neck' date=' natural finish, white pick guard, and gold hardware. Other than that they looked exactly the same. Same headstock design, unlike the new Wilshire reissues. I think mine was an EN-295. I could be wrong on the first two letters, but I do remember it was a 295. Looks like it is in great shape. I had forgotten about the case having the logo on it like that. Thanks for the memories.[/quote'] From the picture; the body, pickguard and control layout with the 3-way toggle certainly looks a lot like the '65 Epi Wilshire in my '65 Epiphone catalog. The only descrepancy is the headstock design. The '65 Epi Wilshire with ( mini humbuckers) had the Fender-ish style headstock (hockey stick). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 How about this one? ET-276 - Crestwood Custom-style double cutaway hardwood body, bolt-on hardwood neck, rosewood fingerboard with dot inlay, stop tailpiece, chrome hardware, 2 pickups, volume/tone controls, pickup selector switch. Available in Mahogany finish. Mfd. 1976 to 1979. http://www.everythingsg.com/images/old_epi/ET-276_2.jpg Looks to be a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Nice guitar. I had one similar to it back in the 70s. Mine had a maple neck' date=' natural finish, white pick guard, and gold hardware. Other than that they looked exactly the same. Same headstock design, unlike the new Wilshire reissues. I think mine was an EN-295. I could be wrong on the first two letters, but I do remember it was a 295. Looks like it is in great shape. I had forgotten about the case having the logo on it like that. Thanks for the memories.[/quote'] Here is a photo pf your guitar: http://www.everythingsg.com/images/old_epi/ET-290N_1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 From the picture; the body' date=' pickguard and control layout with the 3-way toggle certainly looks a lot like the '65 Epi Wilshire in my '65 Epiphone catalog. The only descrepancy is the headstock design. The '65 Epi Wilshire with ( mini humbuckers) had the Fender-ish style headstock (hockey stick).[/quote'] Could be, but I know mine had that style headstock and regular humbuckers. Thanks epinder, that is it! I'm gonna save the pic this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlorfindelRW Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 How about this one? ET-276 - Crestwood Custom-style double cutaway hardwood body' date=' bolt-on hardwood neck, rosewood fingerboard with dot inlay, stop tailpiece, chrome hardware, 2 pickups, volume/tone controls, pickup selector switch. Available in Mahogany finish. Mfd. 1976 to 1979. http://www.everythingsg.com/images/old_epi/ET-276_2.jpg Looks to be a winner.[/quote'] That sure looks a lot like my guitar! The only thing I notice that is any different is the part that holds the strings at the bottom... mine looks a bit smaller and more rounded than that. I always thought that the guitar was one of the best-looking I'd seen. Its pretty neat to know that its been around so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyG Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 I have that same guitar, and it has the same fixed string length stop piece that you have. I bought the guitar in 1977 and it's a sentimental favorite of mine... I've played it so long now the fretboard has been REALLY worn down from usage.... JimmyG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixstringthing Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I too have that guitar. Identical to the pic of the mahogony in the first post. I am the original owner. I purchased it back in 1976. I remember it being a "276", but I'm not sure about the prefix. Other posts mention it being a "japan" ET-276. It was my understanding that the guitar was manufactured by Gibson for Epiphone in the U.S. What I have noticed from earlier information is that the bridges are different on some of these models. Some have fixed bridges, and some have adjustable bridges. You can see for yourself if you check on the link from an earlier post (http://www.everythingsg.com/images/old_epi/ET-276_2.jpg) and compare it to the pic in this thread. My guitar has a bridge that is not adjustable. Does anybody know if any of these were manufactured in the U.S.?? And is there still a possibility to get some parts?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I too have that guitar. Identical to the pic of the mahogony in the first post. I am the original owner. I purchased it back in 1976. I remember it being a "276"' date=' but I'm not sure about the prefix. Other posts mention it being a "japan" ET-276. It was my understanding that the guitar was manufactured by Gibson for Epiphone in the U.S. What I have noticed from earlier information is that the bridges are different on some of these models. Some have fixed bridges, and some have adjustable bridges. You can see for yourself if you check on the link from an earlier post (http://www.everythingsg.com/images/old_epi/ET-276_2.jpg) and compare it to the pic in this thread. My guitar has a bridge that is not adjustable. Does anybody know if any of these were manufactured in the U.S.?? And is there still a possibility to get some parts??[/quote'] The guitar originally posted here is as Epinder pointed out, an Epiphone ET-276 which was around from about 1973 until 1979 give or take a year. They were made in Japan by Matsumoku and no where else. NO USA production of these guitars and as much as I'm certain their owners love them, they were pretty low-end guitars with mystery wood construction and chintzy electronics. The slotted stop tail piece/bridge was stock and over the years the owners of these guitars attempted to make them more-playable by using things like Leo Quan Badass bridges etc. It's an ET-276, it was made in the mid/late-1970's in Japan, it cost about hundred and twenty five bucks when new and there are pieces, parts and whole guitars all over E Bay...just don't be stupid enough to be lead to believe these are in any way valuable collectors or "vintage" instruments and over-pay for these parts...these guitars are the classic examples of cheap Japanese guitars from the 70's. If you personally find them differently, well, everyone is entitled to their delusions and fantasies. Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereohigh Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I think it looks amazing,I would love to woon one of those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixstringthing Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Hey Nelson, thanks for you input. No delusions or fantasies here. I have other guitars for that. I really only value a guitar by its sound and playability, regardless of who makes it. I just wanted to make sure I understood about what I had. I dont think the guitar is a collectors piece,...I actually just like playing it. It feels good to me when I play. I still use it on occasion, even for gigs. The only mod I have made was that I swapped one of the pickups with a dimarzio. I am interested in some parts though, and figured ebay was the place. Just wanted to ask.......Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Hey Nelson' date=' thanks for you input. No delusions or fantasies here. I have other guitars for that. I really only value a guitar by its sound and playability, regardless of who makes it. I just wanted to make sure I understood about what I had. I dont think the guitar is a collectors piece,...I actually just like playing it. It feels good to me when I play. I still use it on occasion, even for gigs. The only mod I have made was that I swapped one of the pickups with a dimarzio. I am interested in some parts though, and figured ebay was the place. Just wanted to ask.......Thanks[/quote'] I didn't mean to suggest that these guitars were total crap but they aren't worth what I've seen asked for them on E Bay which is as high as $500 and that goes for the parts to these things too. In the 1970's there were maybe a half dozen truly exceptional guitars that came out of Japan which created this notion that the 70's were the pinnacle of Japanese guitar making so now every piece of Japanese crap from the 70's is a vintage collectible and worth five hundred bucks and more...the current Epiphones are equal if not superior to these earlier instruments in construction and component parts and as guitars go the current instruments are far better values. I've semi-seriously looked for a Crestwood from this era (ET-290 with the rosewood board) but the ones I've come across have been ridiculously over-priced and when I've brought this to the seller's attention I've been met with : "don't you know anything? These are rare Japanese-made vintage instruments and everybody knows how superior Japanese guitars from that era are"....right. Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I didn't mean to suggest that these guitars were total crap but they aren't worth what I've seen asked for them on E Bay which is as high as $500 and that goes for the parts to these things too. In the 1970's there were maybe a half dozen truly exceptional guitars that came out of Japan which created this notion that the 70's were the pinnacle of Japanese guitar making so now every piece of Japanese crap from the 70's is a vintage collectible and worth five hundred bucks and more...the current Epiphones are equal if not superior to these earlier instruments in construction and component parts and as guitars go the current instruments are far better values. I've semi-seriously looked for a Crestwood from this era (ET-290 with the rosewood board) but the ones I've come across have been ridiculously over-priced and when I've brought this to the seller's attention I've been met with : "don't you know anything? These are rare Japanese-made vintage instruments and everybody knows how superior Japanese guitars from that era are"....right. Nelson Nelson: If you don't mind a question regarding the value. Locally there is one for sale on CL that is exactly like the 1st photo.The seller is asking $300. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks nice in the photos. I'm looking at this guitar as an art piece. I love the shape and design. I'm a lefty. Long way to go to get to the question. Do you think it would be worth $250-$275 if it is in decent shape? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Nelson: If you don't mind a question regarding the value. Locally there is one for sale on CL that is exactly like the 1st photo.The seller is asking $300. I haven't seen it yet' date=' but it looks nice in the photos. I'm looking at this guitar as an art piece. I love the shape and design. I'm a lefty. Long way to go to get to the question. Do you think it would be worth $250-$275 if it is in decent shape? Thanks,[/quote'] Yes...and maybe as much as $300 in great shape and if it hasn't been molested. The guitar in the first photo is probably worth $300 but not $500. I like the looks of the guitar in the first photo but I'm not crazy about the maple board ET-290N but I do like the ET-290 with the rosewood board and I wouldn't mind having one of those to use as a platform for some really basic mods like a pickup change..weird because I'm actually a Strat player but have never been able to get my head around Strats with rosewood boards and even weirder I own four Strats with rosewood boards so go figure??? Nelson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 Yes...and maybe as much as $300 in great shape and if it hasn't been molested. The guitar in the first photo is probably worth $300 but not $500. I like the looks of the guitar in the first photo but I'm not crazy about the maple board ET-290N but I do like the ET-290 with the rosewood board and I wouldn't mind having one of those to use as a platform for some really basic mods like a pickup change..weird because I'm actually a Strat player but have never been able to get my head around Strats with rosewood boards and even weirder I own four Strats with rosewood boards so go figure??? Nelson Thank you very much for the response. I realize that I could have looked in the price guide' date=' but truth be told, I think the published prices tend to be a bit on high side. I'll try and look at it today. I am actually more of a strat person too. I am down to 5 of them with 2 having rosewood boards and 3 maple. My favorite at the present time is my newest '08 in silver blizzard. OK, you twisted my arm, here is a photo of Sliver Streak: [img']http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg218/maccraw/08_silverstrat.jpg[/img] I love what Fender has done on the new fret boards. It plays like silk. Once again, thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAC Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hello Everyone, I am new to the forum and saw this post which peaked my interest. Back in 1977 the other guitar player in my band had an Epiphone like the one in the picture below only it had the gold hardware and had a very glossy finish as what .jcwillow777 described. I had always wanted to pick one up and never found one. I did find the Bass Guitar equivalent back in the 80's and picked it up but traded it for some other equipment needed at the time. I always wanted one but never ran across one. The cropped picture I have attached, hopefully if it shows up, is from my first public performance in 77 of him playing his. Fuzzy and not very good but wanted to post it. I had a Teisco Tulip that I was playing at the time which resulted in guitar envy. Anyway, I would love to find one someday. I am a strat guy and love the maple fretboards. I also have the EJ 200 Ebony Jumbo and a Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro along with 2 American Strats, an American Ovation acoustic shallow bowl, and a Peavey T-60 Could be, but I know mine had that style headstock and regular humbuckers. Thanks epinder, that is it! I'm gonna save the pic this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 For what its worth, I have 2 Matsumoku made guitars. One is from the mid 70's which is really not very good. It's not exactly a toy, but you wouldn't gig with it even as a backup. The other is c83-84 model and is very decent and gets regular action and does not let me down at all. From my (albeit limited) experience I'd see this as a factory who could do excellent work but could be a bit hit and miss depending on the model and level of development put into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAC Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 For what its worth, I have 2 Matsumoku made guitars. One is from the mid 70's which is really not very good. It's not exactly a toy, but you wouldn't gig with it even as a backup. The other is c83-84 model and is very decent and gets regular action and does not let me down at all. From my (albeit limited) experience I'd see this as a factory who could do excellent work but could be a bit hit and miss depending on the model and level of development put into it. Thanks for the info. I would have to say the one I came in contact with was one of those good ones. It was one of the best playing and sounding guitars I can remember during that period. I played that tulip for only a short time so please don't judge my comments with that in mind. Long story. The reason I looked this up was I came in contact with that guy who owned it after not talking to him since 1978. The first thing I asked was about his Epiphone and he stated he sold it and regretted it ever since. I researched a little and came to this post and emailed the pic to him. I appreciate it the the added information 'Scales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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