When was epiphone made

The latter is a Greek stringed instrument similar in appearance to the mandolin. By , Anastasio Stathopoulo had already earned a reputation as a luthier and opened his own instrument factory. A few years later, Anastasio married and started a family.

Epaminondas would later play a key role in the history of Epiphone guitars. Years later, in the early s, the Stathopoulo family moved to the United States and settled in Manhattan.

Once in America, Anastasios continued his trade in musical instruments. On March 25, , Anastasios filed his first and only patent for an Italian-style mandolin. He attended Columbia University and graduated with honors. With Anastasios, his father, making and selling his instruments downstairs and Epi along with his entire family living upstairs in the same building, the line between work and family life became increasingly blurred.

Epi was only 22 when her father Anastasios died. As the eldest son, Epi had the responsibility of keeping the business going. Also, it eliminated most of the old-style mandolins, while also introducing the Recording line of banjos, then the most popular instrument in the United States. Epi continued to expand the business and also its reputation for quality work. The Stathopoulo family acquired the goodwill and modern machinery from an instrument plant from the Farovan Company on Long Island.

Here, Epi changes the name of the burgeoning company, thus the name by which the company is known worldwide today was born: Epiphone. The most popular instrument in North America at the time. Epi retained most of the skilled workers at the Long Island factory. Production increased and quality improved. Business was doing well and the Stathopoulo brothers, with Orphie now as vice president, moved the company to West 47th Street.

In , Epiphone introduced its first line of acoustic guitars to compete with the company that Epi determined was the greatest rival, Gibson. The instruments combined spruce and laminated maple and were available with flat and arched tops. Recording guitars were unsuccessful. One problem was a lack of endorsement from famous artists, the other was a lack of size. These acoustic guitar models were too small, especially compared to the size and volume of the popular Gibson L-5, which was introduced in and had quickly become an industry standard.

Although banjo sales were stable, in the immediate aftermath of the stock market crash of , Epi was well aware that archtop guitars were becoming more popular and that their main competitor in quality and design was Gibson. In , the Epiphone Banjo Company announced the introduction of the Masterbilt line of guitars with a carved-archtop- top and two f-holes. It was not difficult to see the influence of the L-5 on the new line. Epi continued to distinguish his company with model names that musicians could easily remember and be proud to own.

Throughout the s, the rivalry between Epiphone and Gibson turned from friendly combat to all-out guitar warfare. Not to be left behind, Epi responded the following year with the Emperor , its top-of-the-line model. This new model had an even wider body and a provocative ad campaign with a naked woman holding the Epiphone archtop. In , Epiphone struck again, increasing the size of the De Luxe , Broadway, and Triumph guitars by an inch.

Epiphone went intercontinental with a distribution agreement with Handcraft Ltd. In addition, the company opened a new showroom at West 14th Street in a seven-story beaux-arts building near Little Italy. The Epiphone showroom on the first floor was both the company headquarters and a gathering place for musicians. On Saturday afternoons, Epi would open shop windows and let the leading guitarists of the time — artists like Al Caiola, Harry Volpe and Les Paul — perform while people listened on the sidewalk.

Epi was also aware of the success of the Rickenbacker steel electric guitar models. In , Epi made his move with the introduction of the Electar series, originally known as Electraphone, from Steel Guitar. By the end of the s, sales had doubled. Collaborations between Epi and other companies became more frequent. Epiphone also began selling amps after meeting electronics enthusiast Nat Daniel, a friend of Les Paul.

In , the two firms introduced similar pitch-changing Hawaiian guitar designs, the predecessor of pedal steel. When Gibson introduced a violin line, Epiphone responded with a vertical bass line. It took the outbreak of World War II, a shortage of key materials, and the virtual shutdown of guitar production around the world to give the escalation between the two manufacturers a respite. Epiphone was one of the preferred brands on the market, an industry leader.

But at the end of the Second World War in , it had suffered a great blow; the Company had lost its leader when Epi died of leukemia. Shares and control of Epiphone went to younger brothers Orphie and Frixo. Epiphone continued to compete aggressively with Gibson, each introducing versions of their best cutaway archtop electric guitars. The pickups also continued to be refined and musicians continued to appear on stage with Epiphone guitars.

From the outside it seemed that everything was going as usual. But soon cracks appeared both on the production line and in the meeting room. The Stathopoulo brothers did not agree with the vision of the future of the company, and in Frixo sold his shares to Orphie.

Tastes were changing and Epiphone products seemed traditional and somewhat dated. Les Paul, was a lover of Epiphone and Gibson guitars. I had contact with both companies. In fact, he had access to the Epiphone plant, where the artist experimented with instruments and in built his solid guitar called The Log.

With this guitar he went to Gibson to propose the solid guitar project, but the then president, Maurice H. Published on 16 January Yes, the rumours are true. Epiphone are shaking up their entire range, and the headstock re-design is just the beginning! The other big news is the return of select Epiphone models being made in America! You'll find news about Texan acoustic a little further down, but for now, here are a few entirely exclusive shots of the Casino!

THis is the first time in decades that Epiphone have been made on US soil. We expect them to be high quality pieces! The Les Paul Standard is now available in 50s and 60s iterations, with different specs and finishes for each. For example, the 50s LP Standard has a slightly chunkier '59 style neck and can be had as a gold top, as below CTS pots under the hood are a serious level-up, too!

Great idea! There is also a very tempting style SG with a Maestro tremolo! Accurate styling and vintage voiced ProBucker pickups work together to conjure a historic vibe. Is this the coolest of the whole lot? The use of better grade wood also means the Gibsons will get better as they age and tend to resonate and sustain more.

Gibson Les Paul Faded — one of the most affordable Gibsons you can get. For some players, only a Gibson will do. Some players who favour Gibson as their main instrument often have the Epiphone counterpart as a reliable backup at gigs. I really like Epiphone guitars — I have a few at home and I do use them.

I can coil tap if I need but there are so many tones with out. I play it more than my squire strat. Juat a week ago I decided to play at home and got the EpiphoneStudio back—cleaned it and re string.

It is a wonderful guitar, solid and after making a few adjustments it sounded very very good unplugged! Now i just need a decent amp to check how much more I can enjoy it. I still wluld like to get me a Gibson — in time but for now this is more than I need. I play a BB King Epiphone. My Epiphone is fine for live performances. Why risk damage to the Gibson. I also prefer my Gretsch Country Gentleman to any guitar. I like both companies but the Gretsch is a different tone.