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ID this Epi!


bloozeguy

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OK, here's something I saw in a book entitled something like "I Was There," a pic-book of concerts through the history of post-war pop that we all wish we coulda been at:

Johnny Cash at San Quentin. Clear shot of the lead player of the Tennessee 3 and his guitar which has a big ol' familiar, distinctive "e" on the pickguard. Hollow-bodied electric, single-cutaway, but mini-buckers. Looks to be 3 of them, in fact, though the bridge pup would be hidden. Any idea of what model this was and if it's ever been reissued in recent years?

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Sounds like an original Epiphone Emperor (from the pre-Gibson days). A pic would help to make sure, but the Emperor was a gretbigol singlecut hollow body (18 1/2" wide at the lower bout, if I recall correctly) which did have three minibuckers in at least some of its incarnations.

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OK, here's something I saw in a book entitled something like "I Was There," a pic-book of concerts through the history of post-war pop that we all wish we coulda been at:

Johnny Cash at San Quentin. Clear shot of the lead player of the Tennessee 3 and his guitar which has a big ol' familiar, distinctive "e" on the pickguard. Hollow-bodied electric, single-cutaway, but mini-buckers. Looks to be 3 of them, in fact, though the bridge pup would be hidden. Any idea of what model this was and if it's ever been reissued in recent years?

 

Here's a photo, not sure if it's the same one you describe:

 

Johnny%20Cash%20I.jpg

 

Note the bass player is also playing an Epi.

 

Here's a 3 pickup Emperor in the 1962 catalog:

 

epiphone62p3.jpg

 

And the 2 pickup Broadway version:

 

epiphone62p4.jpg

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It's an Emperor thinline. Carl Perkins (of "Blue Suede Shoes" fame) took up the lead guitar spot with Johnny Cash when his original guitar player, Luther Perkins (no relation), died.

 

I don't know what amp he used, but that guitar was loud and mean on the At San Quentin album.

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