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Vibrola, Tremelo, Bigsby, Horseshoes and Grenade Fights


wedgeSG

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Posted

Stabarah's- "Hope it Doesn't Explode" thread inspired the title and this head scratcher for the Historians

of all things Epiphone to ponder and then pontificate upon. Stabarah's Black Beauty (I703208x) trans-

lates from the Guitar Dater Project as Saein, Korea from March of 1997. I once heard a (statistic/fact/rumor

/lie/best guess/wive's tale), that all solid body Epiphones produced with a factory-installed, Epiphone-logo

inscribed, horseshoe-styled vibrola were built within a two to three year time frame and none were produced

prior to or thereafter that window. If that is true then all Epiphone solidbodies so equipped based on the '97

in question would probably fall between 1995 to 1999 somewhere; with the total allotment within a 2 or 3 year

span of that time period irreguardless of plant of origin. With that being stated, can anybody fill in the blanks

and provide some accurate information to the following:

1.- What were all the years of factory installed Epiphone-logoed vibrola production?

2.- Which models was the horseshoe installed on and was there any specific characteristic(s) mandatory to

the installation of the part? i.e. color, bridge-type, tuners used etc.

3.- Were these models in fact built at a single or selected group or any plant?

4.- Who actually produced the vibrola and was it ever offered as a single part or were they all installed to

only finished guitars?

5.- If vibrola production/installation exceeded the window and original parts supply was no longer available

was a non-logo type of horseshoe ever used in place of it? If so, when, for how long, and on which

models, and from what factories?

 

Hope some of the gurus can shed some light on this topic and maybe even totally answer all the aspects of

it. I have a G-400 that has this part installed and while the guitar is currently in the paint shop I think I have

the serial # recorded somewhere. If so, I'll run that info through the Dater and post it back here A.S.A.P. as

what I hope will be one of many entries to help solve this riddle. So guys haul out the volumes of references

and see if you can chase this one down. Hopefully this will make for a fun little scavenger hunt...

 

 

Wedgie

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