Epiphone Spartan Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1946), made in New York City, serial # 54483, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, Primavera back and sides, spruce top; cherry wood neck with rosewood fingerboard, brown hard shell case.
The Spartan sat in the middle of the 1940s Epiphone line, a nicely appointed carved top instrument but not part of the full professional 17" wide line; this was the top model for the 16" wide smaller archtop guitar series. It started out in 1934 as Epiphone's only round-hole archtop but was quickly to altered have standard F-holes by 1936. By the time this one was made in 1946 the new more deluxe Blonde variant carried a $135 price tag (plus $38 for the #884 case).
The natural finished back and sides are made of figured Primavera wood, an attractive if unusual choice that Epiphone abandoned not long after. The top is fully carved from fairly wide-grain spruce and triple bound. The back edge has single-layer white celluloid binding, as do the fingerboard and headstock. The hardware includes the higher-end "Frequensator" two-tined tailpiece reserved for Epiphone's better models.
The neck is slim for the period with a "soft V" profile and a narrow (for the 1940s) 1 5/8" nut; this was an Epiphone selling point at the time. The rosewood fretboard has slotted-block pearl inlay. The cresting open-book headstock has an inlaid celluloid Epiphone script logo and a distinctive "column" inlay particular to this model.
An attractive guitar if not a flat-out flashy swing-era showpiece the Zenith boasted one technical advantage over similar Gibsons of the time. The long 25 1/2" scale enhanced tone and power; smaller Gibson archtops had a shorter 24 3/4" scale. The Spartan had a decent run in the company line but was discontinued by 1949. Despite their midline status original 1930's Epiphone Spartans are fairly rare today, especially in good playing condition and this guitar represents an excellent bargain in a fully carved top, natural finish instrument.
Overall length is 41 1/2 in. (105.4 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/16 in. (8.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This guitar has seen some action over the decades but presents well, remaining largely original and looking and playing very well. The original natural lacquer finish shows light checking with a number of dings, dents and scratches. There is a mark to the top where the bridge once sat, and a noticeable "case lid bite" near the upper edge above the soundhole. The back of the neck has noticeable wear down to the wood mostly along the treble sides and but only a few small dings and dents;
The guitar had the neck reset probably some time ago, and the job was completely solid not as neat as we might prefer. It looks like a dowel was set through the heel, the end of which is visible near the tip. A strap button hole was patched inn the center of this. In addition there are two crack along the side above the heel block that likely happened during this process. As might be expected there is some fairly minor touch-up around the heel area, the rest of the finish remains unaltered and there are no other crack repairs.
The binding all appears original and in unusually fine shape for a 1940s-era New York guitar. The hardware is a mixed bag; the Frequensator tailpiece remains original with no tearing at the baseplate, and even more un usually the original pickguard and bracket are intact with only some minor downward shrinkage. Unfortunately the original Epiphone tuners have been replaced with Kluson Deluxe reissues, requiting the bushings on the face be re-set. The two-footed adjustable rosewood bridge is a later generic piece, fully functional if not an exact Epiphone-style fitting.
The guitar was refretted some time ago, with at least some re-crowning along the way but still play fine. The bone nut remains original. This Spartan has a powerful incisive sound without being overly brash, one of the best sounding smaller-body 1940s Epiphones we have had. This lovely old "Blonde" is a fine player, a cool survivor of late swing-era New York housed in a modern hard shell case. Overall Very Good + Condition.
