Help identifying old Epiphone

[Steve Beyer]

I have an old Epiphone dreadnought 12-string acoustic guitar, which appears to be unlike any other Epiphone whose image I have found on the Internet. It has a very long headstock with the Epiphone name at the top, written in the distinctive Epiphone script, and it has a metal tailpiece instead of a bridge. There is no Epiphone logo letter-E on the pick guard. The headstock is so long that the guitar barely fits in a standard 12-string guitar case.

 

I purchased the guitar in the early 60s.

 

There is a label inside the guitar body, very faded, which appears to read

 

STYLE Texan

EPIPHONE SPT79 (and then handwritten: 12)

NO. 17155

Epiphone, Inc.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

 

The "SPT" is not very clear, but it does not appear to be "FT." My guitar is the only Epiphone 12-string I have seen -- if it is in fact an Epiphone -- with a tailpiece instead of a bridge with pegs. There is no sign that there was once a bridge that has been removed.

 

I would be very grateful for any help in identifying this guitar.

 

-- Steve

[pohatu771]

The Bard is the only 12-string I can think of Epiphone producing in Kalamazoo, but that was the FT-112. It was produced between 1962 and 1969. Some had standard pin bridges, others had a trapeze tailpiece like yours.

 

Photos would be incredibly helpful. Originally I was thinking it was a pre-Gibson guitar, but that wouldn't work with the Kalamazoo label.

[Vic Flick]

There is a label inside the guitar body' date=' very faded, which appears to read

 

STYLE Texan

EPIPHONE SPT79 (and then handwritten: 12)

NO. 17155

Epiphone, Inc.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

 

The "SPT" is not very clear, but it does not appear to be "FT."

[/quote']

 

FT-79 is the correct model # for a Texan. The serial # indicates 1961.

[el capitan]

I have heard of a Texan 12-string,which would be extremely rare & valuable if in good nick.

Photo puhleeze!

[Steve Beyer]

I am very grateful for all the help. I would be happy to post a picture, if someone would tell me how. :-)

[Steve Beyer]

Thank you for the very clear instructions. Here are some photographs.

 

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/3034/epiphone.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/953/epiphone2m.jpg

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6466/epiphone3.jpg

 

I apologize for the poor quality. All I have is my cell phone. :-)

 

I hope this helps. Again, thank you all for your responses.

 

-- Steve

[pohatu771]

I'm at a loss.

 

It's a round-shoulder guitar, like the Gibson B-25-12. It's possible it's simply an Epiphone-marked version that was never in regular production. The B-25-12 went to a square-should design in late 1962, and the natural version (all others were cherry sunburst) wasn't produced until 1963.

 

Round-shouldered Bards all seem to have pin bridges, all of them with trapeze tailpieces like this one are square-shouldered. They all have the Epiphone cloud inlay, also, rather than this split-diamond.

 

At this point, I'm guessing it's some sort of one-off 12-string Texan, or an Epiphone-marked version of the B-25-12.

 

Measurements would help - the B-25 was a smaller guitar, like the LG series, while the Texan was the same size as the J-45, other than scale. I own one of each and can easily compare measurements.

 

[EDIT] Thinking a bit more, I believe the Bard (FT-112) was the full-sized 12-string, while the Serenader (FT-85) was the smaller model.

[Hungrycat]

an Epiphone-marked version of the B-25-12.

 

That's my bet. It's got the same (or a VERY similar) headstock inlay. I do know one thing, though: It's really freakin' cool.

[Vic Flick]

A serial number would be incredibly helpful' date=' if only to date it.[/quote']

 

 

I purchased the guitar in the early 60s.

 

There is a label inside the guitar body' date=' very faded, which appears to read

 

STYLE [b']Texan[/b]

EPIPHONE SPT79 (and then handwritten: 12)

NO. 17155

Epiphone, Inc.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

 

The "SPT" is not very clear, but it does not appear to be "FT."

 

 

FT-79 is the correct model # for a Texan. The serial # indicates 1961.

[pohatu771]

I've read over that description so many times I've begun to forget what it said. I realized the serial was there are removed that before your post came up, but skipped over the Texan label.

 

In that case, I'm guessing it's a one-off 12-string Texan. "SPT" is probably a combination of "FT" and "Special"

[Vic Flick]

In that case' date=' I'm guessing it's a one-off 12-string Texan. "SPT" is probably a combination of "FT" and "Special"[/quote']

 

Perhaps it's SFT??? I don't see any 12 strings listed in the 1961 catalog, so my guess is that they were special orders only.

 

 

The Bard 12 string shows up in the 1962 catalog:

 

 

The 1964 catalog shows both a Bard & smaller bodied Serenader 12 string.

 

[el capitan]

It's a Texan with a 12 string neck & bridge.First examples of the B45-12 would have looked the same,until they changed to square shoulder.

[Steve Beyer]

Thank you all for the very helpful replies. It seems that an Epiphone Texan got married to a Gibson B45-12N and somewhere around 1961 had the child I now own. :-)

 

I would guess that the neck is reinforced like the Gibson. After almost fifty years of tension, the neck is still straight, and the action is still nice and low. I play it at concert pitch with no problems.

 

Any thoughts on how this hybrid might have happened?

 

Again, thank you all.

[el capitan]

Yes,

In 1961 Gibson started making 12-stringers for the folk boom.The B-45-12 was made in right and left-handed versions for the Rooftop Singers,who had a massive hit with"Walk Right In".Ian Tyson of Ian & Sylvia had one.

Epiphone had to have an equivelant-& so your baby!

I have a 1966 Bard with a straight-through pinless bridge-changing strings is a breeze!

[TommyK]

Yup, Looks just like a Gibson B-45-12, including the double arrow headstock logo.

 

> > > 1962 GIBSON catalog < < <

 

Cosmetically, it looks like all they did was change the headstock crown and the scratch plate.