Czech made Epis?

[Bladerunner]

Hi! I have heard about a special line of Epiphones being made in the Czech Republic - supposedly of a higher quality than current Chinese og even Korean versions. Have even heard it was a special production run intended for Scandinavia. Anybody has any information on this - would be highly welcome.

[epinder]

If I remember correctly, they were manufactured there in the '90's. They weren't a special run but I do recall people stating that they were (are) fine instruments.

[Lord Summerisle]

Some Epiphone models for European distribution were made by the Czech company Bohêmia Musico-Delicia in the 1990s. I played a couple of Les Pauls when I was an exchange student in Germany in the late '90s.

 

To be frank, I reckon there's an undeserved mythology which has developed around these guitars. They may have been a little better than their Asian-made 90s contemporaries, but not strikingly so.

 

I'd take a good, modern, Qingdao made Les Paul over one of these any day.

[Bladerunner]

Thanks, I'm going to the Czech Rep. shortly but won't bust anything trying to find one of these, then.

[Amino Moore]

Just the fact that the Czech models rarely surface creates a mystique about them. In the last 5 years or so I have seen only 3 or 4 for sale on eBay. The rarity of them, especially in North America, can create an unrealistic expectation on the part of the seller as to the value of the guitar. It is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

 

Those guitars had a serial number that started with the letter "B" and I remember someone on the forum a few years ago had one and that had factory installed Schaller tuning machines. So there are a couple of things that would help to identify one quickly.

 

As far as superior quality to the South Korean models, it would be good if someone who owns one could give us a review.

 

OTOH I have heard good things about the craftsmen, artisans and luthiers in the Czech Republic. I have an acquaintance whose wife is from there. The comments he made regarding hand made goods from CR were that the attention to detail was usually very good even on things like toys but especially furniture and musical instruments. So it is always worth taking it for a test drive if you find one you like.

[Sava]

My Epi LP Standard Plus No. B0038832 built on March, 1990

[stone1281734000]

Nice guitar and pics, Sava.

[Motherf67]

 

As far as superior quality to the South Korean models' date=' it would be good if someone who owns one could give us a review.

 

.[/quote']

 

Hello guys, i'm from Norway, and i have one of these guitars(honeburst, had two of them, but sold the other one years ago). The price was in year 2000 7999.-NOK....about 2000.- more than the regular standard, and about a 1000.- more than custom's and blackie's.

 

I'm far from being an expert on the different models, but i can say this....it's a totally different instrument than any other Epi i've seen, picked up, or tried out in the stores. The body is a bit thicker and heavyer than my mate's 2002 Gibson LP standard. I't looks and sounds better too...i(think;-)we both agree on that. The sound is like.....old. Not a metal guitar out of the box.

 

They were named "The Heritage", and came in cherry sunburst and honeyburst. The guitar was specially ordered by Luthman A/S(scandinavian Gibson retailer) for the Scandinavian marked only. The ad at the time said hardware by schaller and Alnico if i remember correctly.

 

I can take some pic's if you want, just tell me what details you want to take a look at, and i will try to get some good ones.

 

About long&short tenons.....i opened up to take a look at mine. I think it is a long one, because it reaches about an inch into the cavity(about to the middle). Am i right?

 

Here's some pic's of a nice Heritage in Cherry Sunburst that just got sold here in Norway for 4999.-NOK. That's about the same price as a brand new Asian model today.

http://forum.gitarnorge.no/topic/29382-solgt-epiphone-lp-standard-heritage-tsjekkisk/

 

 

Peace

[David13]

I own a Epiphone SG made at the Bohemia Czech Republic factory and can tell you that these are far superior then the Korean and Chinese made. The quality rival's some of Gibson's cheaper models, if not better.

[l.d.r]

I’ve just unearthed an Epi Les Paul from the loft, model number is B11116929. Can’t find much about it online other than it may have been built in Czech in the 90’s. Can anyone shed any light. Not sure if it’s worth much but just giving it a good clean before restringing and trying it out 

[diskotekno]

http://www.epiphonewiki.org/index/Bohemia_Musico-Delicia.php

The above link is probably the most detailed info about the Czech made LPs on the web.

[Lord Summerisle]

Wow, zombie thread time. Where have 11 years gone?

The mythology around those Czech Epis endures...European, so gotta be good, right? And rare, and special.

Yeah, well. British Leyland cars were 100% manufactured in the United Kingdom.

 

[iankinzel]

Agreed that the reputation of Czech-made Epi LP's is mostly mystique. Today we think of Czechia as a modernized, highly developed, highly skilled European economy, but that wasn't the case at the time when the Bohemia Musico-Delicia factory was producing Epiphones.

In the 1990s, the Czech Republic was just a few years removed from being part of the Soviet bloc - just years removed from being a command economy, with most production in the hands of highly inefficient state monopolies. (The Bohemia Musico-Delicia, coincidentally, had been one such state monopoly). While Czechia today is a powerhouse for manufacturing exports, in the '90s Czech exports were much smaller and mostly consisted of raw materials (lumber, coal) and intermediate goods that would feed into German manufacturing.  Due to low labor productivity, low wages, and low tech know-how, the Czech Republic served the same role for Europe in the '90s as East Asia served the US.

The Czech economy has come a long way since then, of course, and now its exports are mostly higher-valued consumer and capital goods. But that's today in 2020, over two decades after the last Czech-made Epiphone.

Edited February 28, 2020 by iankinzel

[MaxW]

Hi Everyone, I am a lucky owner of a "Tiger Striped"- Sun Burst, s/n: B9117737.

On 8/12/2010 at 8:14 PM, Motherf67 said:

They were named "The Heritage", and came in cherry sunburst and honeyburst. The guitar was specially ordered by Luthman A/S(scandinavian Gibson retailer) for the Scandinavian marked only. The ad at the time said hardware by schaller and Alnico if i remember correctly.

 

Well, I dont know where it came from, mine really is "Tiger Stripe" Sun Burst. Build '89 or '99. Heavy, very nice quality, feels very solid. Upgraded with handmade pick-ups by the late Stef Peire.  The guy I bought it from had the tuners replaced for Grovers (I'm thinking to replace 'm with Gotoh's, but that is for later). The body is thick and quite heavy (around 4.6kilo's) and gives a very nice resonance. Smooth lows and High's as a bell. I'm trying to get a photo in here but it's not too succesfull yet.

My quiestion is does anybody have any idea of how much there were produced? Only contribution I can make is the knowledge that Gibson stopped the Czech production because of the perfectionism of the people making them. They are of very good quality (I prefer this one over a Gibson). It is said they were even better than Japanese production!

When I figure out how to get a photo in here Ypu'll see him. ( Besides the paperclip it says "loading"for 2,5 hours now so ......

[MaxW]

At last, after registration it is possible to place my Photo's: oopsie gotto shrink 'm

 

How can I get them under 0,49mb???

[mattbkk]

Hi all, I was reading some info on Czech Epis after I purchased one a few days ago on ebay and I want to add some considerations.

Firstly, the long post about the value of craftsmanship of Czech Republic in the 90's is quite wrong.
They may not have been the leader manufacturers in high-tech, but remember that many people consider their Skoda a no-frills cheaper version of a Mercedes. I am no car expert so I'll leave that to your judgement.
Secondly, between WWII and the fall of the Soviet block, several communist countries were able to produce high-standard items, including electrical equipment. I am 41 so I have personally seen a bit of that. I'd like to remind you that when Zeiss was raided in WWII and lens designs were brought abroad, USSR started mass producing some photo lenses that are still sought today for their peculiarities, see Helios, Jupiter and so on. Not on par with current Jap counterparts from Canon or Nikon for sure, but at the time they knew what to do and until the '60s USSR was second to none, including the US.

Personally, I have never been a lover of Gibsons and LPs, I am a Fender fan and I own several models, including USA ones. That's now.
10-15 years ago, between graduation and the time I started working, I have played and purchased dozens of brand new and old guitars. Since I had quit playing for more that 10 years I started from cheaper models, Eko first, then Epiphone Les Paul Studio, Standard and so on, before realizing they were really not what I was looking for. But I realized that only after owning almost 20 of them, which gave me quite some practical knowledge.
One day I saw an auction on ebay, Les Paul Standard, from Ireland (I live in Italy and the exchange rate was good back then), 350 euro or a bit less including solid case.
Take this with a grain of salt, but believe me when I say I am not a Les Paul fan at all. That guitar was awesome, very resonant even unplugged, tobacco sunburst with light brown in the middle and medium-light brown instead of black edge, something so cool I have not seen for the last decade on auctions. I plugged the guitar and the sound was simply excellent (tube amp), no real need to replace the pickups, of course that would have improved the situation, but it was not the desperate need I felt after buying other contemporary and more expensive Epis from the '2000-2010s, from China or other countries.

Then I looked at the serial...boom...B ...after searching a bit I found out what it meant and man...I could never believe I could love a Les Paul (call it a successful blind test).
To cut the story short, I sold it before emigrating for a decade in 2010, and that's the top guitar I regret selling in my "I should have not done that" list. Other contemporary Epis sounded and felt like toys compared to that. ALL of them (the top price was about 500 Euro then, not the crazy 700 Euro they ask today).
The buyer sent me a message...I still have it printed in my memory: "Wow, this guitar sounds unbelievable!" "Thanks, I know that, but I can't play it anymore" "Do you want it back?" "Erm...cough...cough..no thanks, enjoy it". And I started looking for Czech Epis as soon as I moved back to Italy a few years ago. I wanted the very same cool light brown/middle brown tobacco sunburst but I didn't find one yet. I hate those sunbursts with black edges, they looks so cheap!

As I said, I am the happy owner of several USA and Mexican Strats and Tellys, I bought an Epi a few days ago (block red), and I did it only because finally I found one made in Bohemia (it took me since 2016), and for less than the price I sold mine for. It's hard to find them below 400-500 Euro now, actually it's hard even finding them, I activated notifications for the past 4 years to see that one.

A mystique reputation? Maybe, but trust me on that: for a well deserved reason. It does sound like a real guitar indeed. The only Epi Les Paul I liked so far. The only one I would keep and on par <at least> with my Mexican Fenders. Comfortable well finished neck, full solid resonant body, good pickups, good tuners...try to find one...

Edited July 13, 2021 by mattbkk
typos

[mihcmac]

Czech made Epiphones

http://www.epiphonewiki.org/index/Bohemia_Musico-Delicia.php

[6stings]

Just found out that my son owns one Czech made Epi LP. The serial number decoding B20517717 says it was made in 2002. It's pretty heavy, 4.9 kg 🙂

[WHred5]

On 7/13/2021 at 10:11 PM, mattbkk said:

Hi all, I was reading some info on Czech Epis after I purchased one a few days ago on ebay and I want to add some considerations.

Firstly, the long post about the value of craftsmanship of Czech Republic in the 90's is quite wrong.
They may not have been the leader manufacturers in high-tech, but remember that many people consider their Skoda a no-frills cheaper version of a Mercedes. I am no car expert so I'll leave that to your judgement.
Secondly, between WWII and the fall of the Soviet block, several communist countries were able to produce high-standard items, including electrical equipment. I am 41 so I have personally seen a bit of that. I'd like to remind you that when Zeiss was raided in WWII and lens designs were brought abroad, USSR started mass producing some photo lenses that are still sought today for their peculiarities, see Helios, Jupiter and so on. Not on par with current Jap counterparts from Canon or Nikon for sure, but at the time they knew what to do and until the '60s USSR was second to none, including the US.

Personally, I have never been a lover of Gibsons and LPs, I am a Fender fan and I own several models, including USA ones. That's now.
10-15 years ago, between graduation and the time I started working, I have played and purchased dozens of brand new and old guitars. Since I had quit playing for more that 10 years I started from cheaper models, Eko first, then Epiphone Les Paul Studio, Standard and so on, before realizing they were really not what I was looking for. But I realized that only after owning almost 20 of them, which gave me quite some practical knowledge.
One day I saw an auction on ebay, Les Paul Standard, from Ireland (I live in Italy and the exchange rate was good back then), 350 euro or a bit less including solid case.
Take this with a grain of salt, but believe me when I say I am not a Les Paul fan at all. That guitar was awesome, very resonant even unplugged, tobacco sunburst with light brown in the middle and medium-light brown instead of black edge, something so cool I have not seen for the last decade on auctions. I plugged the guitar and the sound was simply excellent (tube amp), no real need to replace the pickups, of course that would have improved the situation, but it was not the desperate need I felt after buying other contemporary and more expensive Epis from the '2000-2010s, from China or other countries.

Then I looked at the serial...boom...B ...after searching a bit I found out what it meant and man...I could never believe I could love a Les Paul (call it a successful blind test).
To cut the story short, I sold it before emigrating for a decade in 2010, and that's the top guitar I regret selling in my "I should have not done that" list. Other contemporary Epis sounded and felt like toys compared to that. ALL of them (the top price was about 500 Euro then, not the crazy 700 Euro they ask today).
The buyer sent me a message...I still have it printed in my memory: "Wow, this guitar sounds unbelievable!" "Thanks, I know that, but I can't play it anymore" "Do you want it back?" "Erm...cough...cough..no thanks, enjoy it". And I started looking for Czech Epis as soon as I moved back to Italy a few years ago. I wanted the very same cool light brown/middle brown tobacco sunburst but I didn't find one yet. I hate those sunbursts with black edges, they looks so cheap!

As I said, I am the happy owner of several USA and Mexican Strats and Tellys, I bought an Epi a few days ago (block red), and I did it only because finally I found one made in Bohemia (it took me since 2016), and for less than the price I sold mine for. It's hard to find them below 400-500 Euro now, actually it's hard even finding them, I activated notifications for the past 4 years to see that one.

A mystique reputation? Maybe, but trust me on that: for a well deserved reason. It does sound like a real guitar indeed. The only Epi Les Paul I liked so far. The only one I would keep and on par <at least> with my Mexican Fenders. Comfortable well finished neck, full solid resonant body, good pickups, good tuners...try to find one...

Just purchased a sunburst cherry red epi LP and didnt do too much pre investigation so hadnt even asked for the serial number (dumb I know but it was real cheap) at first was real disappointed when I looked up the serial 'B110....' that it wasnt the 2001 Korean built LP Standard I ordered.
It works out is is also a Czech made LP and after a morning of googling my mood has gone from disappointment to absolute delight.