Epiphone Invader - what is known?

[Bluenotebilly]

I recently bought an Epiphone Invader in a house clearance. Judging by other guitars in the same sale, the previous owner must have been a semi-professional musician on the local scene.

 

I have since tried to find out more about the Invader but there seems to be very little information available except that it is probably an Epiphone version of the Les Paul Junior 'TV' model with just the one pickup in the bridge position.

 

Anyone know anything? Is it still being made? If not, when was production started and ended?

 

The serial number on my guitar is SI04081331 which leads me to believe that the guitar was built in the Samick factory in Indonesia. That assumption is based on a very similar serial number that I have on another guitar, although that is not an Epiphone. In the case of THAT instrument, the serial number is deciphered as meaning that the first 4 digits denote the month and year (or year and month) and the last 4 digits denote the unit number for that day's production.

 

As far as I can tell so far, the Invader is a good basic guitar with a slight tendency for the tuning to drift. This may be because the tuners are inferior or maybe that the previous owner fitted new ultra-light strings just before the guitar was put into the auction.

 

It's a shame that the bridge is a one-piece with no means of individual adjustment for string intonation, but by and large it seems to do a good job.

 

So - after all that - does anyone else have any information or opinion of the Invader?

[deflepfan]

Hi Billy! Welcome to the forum!

 

Here's a thread on the Invader. It is basically a Junior, and has those big knobs. There was one at my local used guitar store a while back for about $55. Wished I got it.

 

Hope this helps.

 

http://forums.epiphone.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=90129

Sheila

[Bluenotebilly]

Thanks for that - I'll nip over there now to see what's what.