Help with Identification

[donniemal]

Hello All:<BR><BR>HELP!!!<BR>I have a 70's era Epiphone Hollowbody.<BR><BR>Inside the body, it has a blue tag with the following:<BR>"Style: Blank (nothing printed here)<BR> Epiphone: 5102 TE<BR> No.: 75905 "<BR><BR>On the back of the body where the neck is attached is a metal plate with the following:<BR>"Steel Adjustable Neck<BR> 0132892 "<BR><BR>To the best of my knowledge it was made by the Matsumoku factory in Terada, Japan.<BR>I know the record keeping at that time was not very well done.<BR>Was manufactured in 1977 and may be the Casino Elitist Model?<BR>It has a tremelo. I thinks it's a Bigsby but there is no name on it anywhere. I know that some of the Epi's had Bigsby's w/o the Bigsby name on them.<BR>There is no "E" logo on the pick-guard or the truss rod adjustment plate. <BR><BR>The guitar is in pristine condition and was just set-up by a luthier.<BR>I would love to confirm the specs and aprroximate value of her.<BR>Any help would be greatly appreciated.<BR>I tried to upload a picture of her, don't know if it was successful.<BR>You can e-mail at <A href="mailto:donniemal4u@yahoo.com">donniemal4u@yahoo.com</A> and through there I can send you more pictures if that is helpful.<BR><BR>Thank you and Happy Playing<BR><BR>Don

[Versatile]

Nice...be happy about it...

[Versatile]

Could be a Sheraton or Casino...is it fully hollow or with a centre block?

[jerrymac]

Hello All:

 

HELP!!!

I have a 70's era Epiphone Hollow

 

Based on the info you provided, it's a 70's era Hollow Body.

 

Seriously, how about a description??? Some pictures would even be better!!!

 

OK, let me take a stab at it. It has a bolt-on neck. Looks something like a Gibson ES-335. Sunburst, no I take that back, Cherry Red. 2 Humbuckers. I'm going guess it has a vibrato, but you're missing the arm. Bridge on a wooden base.

 

How am I doing so far???

 

Toggle switch on the bottom horn. Cheap tuners (unless they've been replaced), 3 on each side.

 

My diagnosis, Lupus. No wait, it's never Lupus. It's an EA-250 / EA-255. Basically these were Aria / Lyle guitars made by Matusmoku in the 1970s. When Epiphone decided to offshore the brand, they literally went through a Lyle catalog and picked this model out. Same basic guitar, Matsumoku just put the Epiphone name on the headstock. Sometimes they called them Rivieras or Casinos, minor changes here or there, but still the same basic guitar. Here's a page from a 1970s catalog.

 

So how did I do???

[RobinTheHood]

Based on the info you provided, it's a 70's era Hollow Body.

 

 

I would have stuck with sunburst...but thats just the original image in my head.

[jerrymac]

Hello All:

 

HELP!!!

 

I have a 70's era Epiphone Hollowbody.

 

Inside the body, it has a blue tag with the following:

 

"Style: Blank (nothing printed here)

Epiphone: 5102 TE

No.: 75905 "

 

On the back of the body where the neck is attached is a metal plate with the following:

 

"Steel Adjustable Neck 0132892 "

 

To the best of my knowledge it was made by the Matsumoku factory in Terada, Japan.

 

I know the record keeping at that time was not very well done. Was manufactured in 1977 and may be the Casino Elitist Model?

 

It has a tremelo. I thinks it's a Bigsby but there is no name on it anywhere. I know that some of the Epi's had Bigsby's w/o the Bigsby name on them.

 

There is no "E" logo on the pick-guard or the truss rod adjustment plate.

 

The guitar is in pristine condition and was just set-up by a luthier.

 

I would love to confirm the specs and aprroximate value of her.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I tried to upload a picture of her, don't know if it was successful.

 

Let me guess: Someone's trying to sell this to you.

 

It's not an Elitist, they didn't make Elitist until 2002. Elitists do not have cheap bolt-on necks. And while Elitists are made in Terada, the Matsumoku factory was located in the city of (drum roll) Matsumoku!!! Let's put it this way, if an Elitist is a BMW, this is a Yugo. These are not the same quality as the 1980s Epiphones made by Matsumoku for the Japanese market.

 

I've seen these guitars sell for $400 - $500, which is WAY too much. You can usually find the same guitar with the Aria brand for around $200. Frankly, I wouldn't even pay that much. You're better off going to Guitar Center and buying a new Epiphone Dot.

 

Also the designation 5102T was only used in 1970 - 1972 and was changed to EA-250. By 1977, it was the ET-255.

 

[jonnyg]

I owned an EA250 in the 70's and I must say that, although some people here seem to love them, it was the worst guitar I ever owned. The only thing that I could even describe as "fair" was the sound but "fair" may be a little generous. Because the neck seems to bend so easily it was almost impossible to keep in tune. i swapped it for a mid 70's Antoria ES175 which I still have today. Here's a pic of my '83 Matsomuko Riviera which as House Band said is like comparing a BMW to a Yugo.

[jerrymac]

I owned an EA250 in the 70's and I must say that, although some people here seem to love them, it was the worst guitar I ever owned. The only thing that I could even describe as "fair" was the sound but "fair" may be a little generous. Because the neck seems to bend so easily it was almost impossible to keep in tune. i swapped it for a mid 70's Antoria ES175 which I still have today. Here's a pic of my '83 Matsomuko Riviera which as House Band said is like comparing a BMW to a Yugo.

 

Magnificent!!! I had one of those in Natural finish, and I had a Sherry:

 

 

These were the two best ES-335 style guitars I ever played IMO.

[donniemal]

Let me guess: Someone's trying to sell this to you.

 

It's not an Elitist, they didn't make Elitist until 2002. Elitists do not have cheap bolt-on necks. And while Elitists are made in Terada, the Matsumoku factory was located in the city of (drum roll) Matsumoku!!! Let's put it this way, if an Elitist is a BMW, this is a Yugo. These are not the same quality as the 1980s Epiphones made by Matsumoku for the Japanese market.

 

I've seen these guitars sell for $400 - $500, which is WAY too much. You can usually find the same guitar with the Aria brand for around $200. Frankly, I wouldn't even pay that much. You're better off going to Guitar Center and buying a new Epiphone Dot.

 

Also the designation 5102T was only used in 1970 - 1972 and was changed to EA-250. By 1977, it was the ET-255.

 

I want to thank you for your response. The guitar in this picture is exactly what I have! Searching on E-Bay, etc. I could not find one.

I rec'd this guitar back in the early 80's and it's been sitting in a closet ever since. I brought it to a luthier to go through it so I can sell it, and he had no clue. I own an early PRS and and 80's Strat.

 

[WarrenAllen]

I have an EA-250, circa 1973. Originally red (I think) with the finish removed a la Lennon's Casino by a previous owner. Bolt-on neck, no pickguard, what appear to be P90's but may be single-coils, and no Bigsby unlike some others folks have mentioned. I cannot recommend this guitar at all. I've had it professionally set up, replaced the neck pick-up with a Bartolini, etc. and it still sounds and plays like poo. I'm no Epiphone hater either. I have a Wildkat that is an amazing guitar for the money.