datazar_1 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Late last year, a lot of you guys helped out in identifying my Emperor. Thanks a lot for that. Here's the link to that thread: http://forums.epiphone.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=6279 Unfortunately, I have to sell it and thought someone here might be interested. http://cgi.ebay.com/1983-Epiphone-Emperor-Made-Japan-by-Matsumoku-SWEET_W0QQitemZ170313153905QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item170313153905&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 Good luck to all, thanks again for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datazar_1 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 last chance.... 22 hours left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Just a heads up to sexygibson....... Let this thread hang out here until the bidding ends (22 hours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Just a heads up to sexygibson....... Let this thread hang out here until the bidding ends (22 hours). It's a beauty, I wish I had the cash. Good luck. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 non original pickguard though and modification to the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchie1281734003 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 non original pickguard though and modification to the bridge. No it looks all original to me, those thin line Emperor`s used the same bridge that Matsumoku put on the Westone Prestige and Rainbow models, and the pickguard looks original too (the ones issued in the U.K. got the tortoiseshell pickguard with the printed White "E" on it, or 3 ply white for the Casino & Riviera, as well as a white "E" on the TRC). I still haven`t found out why the U.S. issued Matsumoku archtops never got the white/tortoiseshell scratchplates with the "E"s, or the "E"s on the TRC`s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Ah i see! I was basing that one the one that was on Ebay UK last week. I prefer the look of the UK ones: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchie1281734003 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Ah i see! I was basing that one the one that was on Ebay UK last week. I prefer the look of the UK ones: That`s a full bodied one, which is why the bridge is different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Emperor thinline! Woah, that's awesome. I see the difference now in the pictures in the catalogue. Crazy. Shame they all didn't come with the "E" Pickguard. It's much nicer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eor Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 $1,175.00 wow. didn't see that coming. maybe if it was the full bodied version. lucky you, man. i thought it would go for much less. wonder if one of us ended up with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 The full bodied one in the UK went for £500. i've never seen a thinline one so they must be much more desirable to the Epi collectors. A rare piece indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rephil Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Hi, all, I'm the one that bought this guitar from datazar. I thought you all might find this amusing - I've been in shock over it since I saw this on e-bay. It may well be that I was the original owner of the instrument. I have to wait until I receive it, but the thing that twigged me to it was that the rear pickup has been reversed (the pole pieces are toward the neck, not the bridge.) That's something I did to mine years ago. It's such a dopey thing, that I've never seen anyone else do it on any guitar, and there are so few of these (I've never seen another, and that's since 1986!) that the odds of there being two of these with that same thing done to them are pretty small. Anyway, it was definitely a sweet guitar, and even if it's not the original instrument, I sure won't mind having one again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Excellent! I would have bid on that beauty if I'd had one more minute to think about it but I'm really glad it went to someone who'll appreciate it. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 That's a cool story. Don't get rid of it this time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rephil Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 The story's cooler than that - I didn't get rid of it by choice, and it's been a 23 year sore-spot. When I really cross the finish line, I'll share the whole story - so check back Fri or Sat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rephil Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I'm sure everybody has moved on, but I guess I'll just post this as promised. I received this guitar - thanks a million to datazar for helping hit our shipping window! We were able to receive it while visiting inlaws down in the States. (I'm currently living in Canada.) I started playing classical when I was about 5, and moved toward jazz since my Dad liked it and was a duffer on a '58 Guild archtop (X-150, still around). Moved into private lessons with one of the local big jazz players and jazz band, plus some gigging while I was in H.S. (Albuquerque, NM) Found this guitar, and worked all summer for it cleaning office buildings. I'd get off about midnight, and drive by the store to see if it was still in the window. I actually may not have been the very first owner of the guitar (my records aren't clear), but it was the first guitar *I* ever bought. I used it to audition and get a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, and used it for a couple of pretty big festivals (for us) in Denver, and Phoenix. I turned the rear pickup around (thinking it made the rear pickup less "twangy"), and another neurotic thing I did was line up all the pole pieces so that the slot in the screw ran parellel to the strings. (That's how this guitar is!) Mostly, though, I just played it. And played it. And played it! One night, in Jan of '86, I rehearsed or jammed at a friends, and when I got home just left the guitar and a couple of little amps (my Polytone!) under the seat of my VW van. Figured it was hard to see under the seat, we'd never had any trouble in our neighbourhood, and I locked the car. The next morning, my mom asked if I'd left the light on in the vehicle. The pit of my stomach dropped out! It was gone. The insurance paid for everything, but since I'd be out and about in Boston, I decided that I should probably replace it with something I'd be a little less heartbroken to lose. So I got an Ibanez solidbody and moved on. Did a music degree but fell into composition and production, so I got away from playing (even though I was hanging with some serious players and teachers - boy I'm going through a lot of notes and things now!). Not long after Berklee, I was in a car wreck which made my right had pretty uncoordinated. The damage wasn't permanent, but there was nothing about playing that made it interesting to fight uphill to get back my chops. I did end up with an Epiphone Emperor II Joe Pass that a friend had gotten, but needed the dough. I told him I'd sell it back to him, but moved around and still have it, since we sort of lost touch. That was over 15 years ago. Started teaching a few lessons a couple of years ago, and lately have really gotten back into playing - and the chops are back, probably better than I used to have them. Really excited about playing, and having a blast fixing up some of my other instruments (I never get rid of them!) So, I've been hanging around music stores more, and when I saw a Regent (I think), with the Frequensator Tailpiece, it reminded me about this guitar. I wondered if maybe I could put that tailpiece on the J.P., for old times sake. I asked the guy at the store, and he said that they really couldn't get Epi parts like that. (This is Winnipeg now - I don't know if that's strictly true about availability elsewhere.) Anyway, it occurred to me I could look on e-bay, and see if I could find the tailpiece. I was really surprised when I found this guitar! So I started thinking I should get it. Then I started looking and noticed the pickups and that the serial No. was awfully similar. Well, the rest is history. But what are the odds that the one time I think of looking on ebay for something similar, I run into my old guitar?!?!? So I got my hands on the guitar for the first time in over 23 years this Friday, and it was a trip! The case (my old one - a "Gibson" case, not an "Epi" case) has seen a few miles, so opening the lid was like opening a time capsule! Other than a little grime or discolouring about the binding, it was in pristine shape! I'm really glad datazar enjoyed it and took such good care of it - as well as the other people who had it over the last quarter century. I thought I'd like to know who stole it in the first place - but as long as they don't try it again, it's water under the bridge. It's just great to be able to play again, and must be close to nirvana to be doing it on this guitar! I know it sounds like I should be signing as some Nigerian Prince and asking for you to help me launder the settlement money from the lawsuit against the guy that stole this, but this is what happened.:D/ :D/ So now you can go back to normal forum stuff, and I'll go back to playing the Emperor! "Peace" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Fantastic story=d> there's been some very retrospective reads by some of the members here lately.... Really adds a human side to the forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 That's absolutely class. What are the chances? Lovely (and rare) guitar as well which makes the story even better! Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Now that is a great story. Congrats, HN(old)GD, and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datazar_1 Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 As a follow-up. I'm Super glad rephil got his Emperor back. It was an amazing story as it developed and we were talking back and forth. It's truly a small, small world. I sold it because I am moving from a big house in Michigan to a small beach condo in Florida and don't have the space for all my guitars. I hated to do it but figured, if I have to sell some, I my as well sell my favorite first to get over the pain. Kind of like ripping a band-aid off. I was back in MI this past weekend and told my Bro-in-law the story. He reminded me that the guy who sets our stuff up saw the rythym PU was flipped and asked if I wanted it set back "the way it should be"? After thinking about it, I told him to leave it the way it was. Had I changed it back, rephil probably wouldn't know that it was his. I love this forum and still have my Epi Les Paul 12 string. Cyas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Awesome story, thanks for posting. Glad I didn't buy it, it was very tempting. Now if I could just find that single P-90 sunburst Gibson ES225 I had when I went to Berklee... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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