Epiphone Deluxe Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1946)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 10484
Prices subject to change without notice.
Epiphone Deluxe Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1946), made in New York City, serial # 54654, natural lacquer finish, curly maple back and sides, spruce top; laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
The original high-end New York made Epiphone acoustic arch-top guitars were popular among professional users when new, but nice examples can be hard to find today. This Deluxe from early 1946 is a treat for the vintage arch-top enthusiast and an extremely fine player's instrument. At the time this guitar was built, the Stathopoulo family maintained their guitar building operation on the second floor of a large loft building on West 14th street where Epiphone, Inc. operated an integrated factory and showroom in the heart of swing-era New York.
In this just post WWII period the Deluxe, as well as the inch-larger and even fancier Emperor was among the very finest orchestral guitars available. Competition included the Gibson L-5 and Super 400 and individually built creations from John D'Angelico (about 20 minutes walk downtown), Willy Wilkanowski (a subway ride out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn), and Elmer Stromberg (a few hours north in Boston). The Epiphone company had been headed up by Epaminondas ("Epi") Stathopoulo until his death in 1943. By all accounts he was an extremely fastidious and dedicated man, who personally inspected every instrument produced. All high-end carved-top Epiphone guitars are fine instruments, often preferred by the era's top players to anything else available.
This Deluxe carries a serial number dating it to the beginning of 1946, only months after the end WWII. This was a high production period at Epiphone, likely due to a backlog of orders held off during wartime. It is a well-played but still great example of the more refined, "perfected" swing-era Deluxe. The 17 3/8" wide body is bound in 5-ply celluloid on the front and back with single bound F-holes. The finish is an ambered natural blonde showing off a truly stunning burl figure on the maple back. The tailpiece is Epiphone's patented "Frequensator" with separate tines for the bass and treble strings. The pickguard is an extended bound celluloid piece shared with the Emperor, secured by a simple gold-plated bracket.
The 5-piece laminated neck is slimmer than some of the older models with a hint of a "V" profile in the lower positions. The bound rosewood fingerboard has "cloud" shaped pearl inlay. The bound headstock has the fancy "tree of life" pearl inlay on the face that was an Epiphone trademark. The peghead is fitted with the heavy-duty Epiphone branded closed-back tuners introducer around 1940.
We are always pleased to offer these top-line Epiphones; they are not only great guitars, but a huge part of the New York area musical heritage. The sound of this Deluxe is smooth and powerful, with the definition Epiphones are known for. This one shows signs of long professional use and has a fantastic vibe as well as a wonderful tone and feel.
Overall length is 42 in. (106.7 cm.), 17 3/8 in. (44.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar has been played extensively but was also well-cared for. It remains original except for a very nice reproduction celluloid pickguard and bracket and a more recent rosewood adjustable bridge base; the rosewood saddle appears correct. There is general finish wear from play over most of the instrument including small dents and dings. The finish is more heavily worn down to the wood on much of the back of the neck, and on the lower side below the heel; someone plated up the neck a lot!
There are no visible cracks except the back center seam has been resealed along much of its length. The tailpiece shows no sign of the typical repair at the bend of the baseplate. The guitar has been refretted likely more than once; the wire is fairly small as was the original and quite playable. The fingerboard shows some residual wear and minor chipping in a few spots.
This Deluxe feels great and sings with a very full warm sound for a swing-era Epiphone with the physical and sonic character of a long-played and well-loved guitar. It comes with the original red-plush lined hard case in fully functional condition. Excellent - Condition.
The original high-end New York made Epiphone acoustic arch-top guitars were popular among professional users when new, but nice examples can be hard to find today. This Deluxe from early 1946 is a treat for the vintage arch-top enthusiast and an extremely fine player's instrument. At the time this guitar was built, the Stathopoulo family maintained their guitar building operation on the second floor of a large loft building on West 14th street where Epiphone, Inc. operated an integrated factory and showroom in the heart of swing-era New York.
In this just post WWII period the Deluxe, as well as the inch-larger and even fancier Emperor was among the very finest orchestral guitars available. Competition included the Gibson L-5 and Super 400 and individually built creations from John D'Angelico (about 20 minutes walk downtown), Willy Wilkanowski (a subway ride out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn), and Elmer Stromberg (a few hours north in Boston). The Epiphone company had been headed up by Epaminondas ("Epi") Stathopoulo until his death in 1943. By all accounts he was an extremely fastidious and dedicated man, who personally inspected every instrument produced. All high-end carved-top Epiphone guitars are fine instruments, often preferred by the era's top players to anything else available.
This Deluxe carries a serial number dating it to the beginning of 1946, only months after the end WWII. This was a high production period at Epiphone, likely due to a backlog of orders held off during wartime. It is a well-played but still great example of the more refined, "perfected" swing-era Deluxe. The 17 3/8" wide body is bound in 5-ply celluloid on the front and back with single bound F-holes. The finish is an ambered natural blonde showing off a truly stunning burl figure on the maple back. The tailpiece is Epiphone's patented "Frequensator" with separate tines for the bass and treble strings. The pickguard is an extended bound celluloid piece shared with the Emperor, secured by a simple gold-plated bracket.
The 5-piece laminated neck is slimmer than some of the older models with a hint of a "V" profile in the lower positions. The bound rosewood fingerboard has "cloud" shaped pearl inlay. The bound headstock has the fancy "tree of life" pearl inlay on the face that was an Epiphone trademark. The peghead is fitted with the heavy-duty Epiphone branded closed-back tuners introducer around 1940.
We are always pleased to offer these top-line Epiphones; they are not only great guitars, but a huge part of the New York area musical heritage. The sound of this Deluxe is smooth and powerful, with the definition Epiphones are known for. This one shows signs of long professional use and has a fantastic vibe as well as a wonderful tone and feel.
Overall length is 42 in. (106.7 cm.), 17 3/8 in. (44.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar has been played extensively but was also well-cared for. It remains original except for a very nice reproduction celluloid pickguard and bracket and a more recent rosewood adjustable bridge base; the rosewood saddle appears correct. There is general finish wear from play over most of the instrument including small dents and dings. The finish is more heavily worn down to the wood on much of the back of the neck, and on the lower side below the heel; someone plated up the neck a lot!
There are no visible cracks except the back center seam has been resealed along much of its length. The tailpiece shows no sign of the typical repair at the bend of the baseplate. The guitar has been refretted likely more than once; the wire is fairly small as was the original and quite playable. The fingerboard shows some residual wear and minor chipping in a few spots.
This Deluxe feels great and sings with a very full warm sound for a swing-era Epiphone with the physical and sonic character of a long-played and well-loved guitar. It comes with the original red-plush lined hard case in fully functional condition. Excellent - Condition.