1967 Epiphone FT-110 Frontier

1967 Epiphone FT-110 Frontier

The Epiphone Frontier was manufactured by the Gibson company in Kalamazoo, MI from 1958 until 1969.  This model was a continuation of the Epiphone made FT-110 which also featured flame Maple back and sides.  The Gibson made version introduced the square shoulder design for Gibson in 1958.  In 1962, Gibson introduced the Dove which was based off of this guitar but with the bird motif.  In 1963, Gibson added the cacti and lariat relief graphic onto the pickguard of the Frontier.  Isn't that a sexy guitar?!

The time that I had with my first Frontier was all too short so I was ecstatic when I got this one in.  I purchased it with a broken and loose bridge as well as a damaged nut.  Gibson had the bad habit of gluing bridges right on top of the finish during this time period.  Glue has an easier time of staying put if the joint holds wood to wood instead of wood to finish.

I dropped it off at my luthier's place (Burn's Repair) because I know I can trust him for a professional repair.  The bridge had split into two pieces because of the weak spot in line with the bridge pins.  Jason glued the bridge back together so that the repair was almost invisible.  If you're not looking for the repair then you won't find it.  There was one spot next to the saddle that showed signs of a previous attempt at repair.  Jason removed the old glue and glued it tight.  The nut slots had been cut down too low so Jason decided it was time for a new bone nut.  The new nut is gorgeous and perfectly cut and installed.

The resulting guitar is a dream to behold.  I don't usually like to refer to guitars in such flowery language but I believe this one deserves it.  The Maple back and sides and long scale length perfectly balance out the 60s build.  The tone is low and rumbly when it wants to be.  The highs are crisp and well pronounced.  It has good volume but likely won't overpower a singer/songwriter.

I'm always on the lookout for these guitars.  Do you have one for sale?  Please contact me.

Question for Twitter: What is the best guitar?

Maybe that wasn't the best way I could have worded that.  How about:

1. What guitar have you not been able to get off of your mind?
2. If any guitar could suddenly appear in your hands, what would it be?

Both of those questions should be qualified with "right now."

It may have looked like I was trying to start a twitter fight about brands, models, etc. but that was not my intent.  The question stemmed from a discussion I had with a friend over guitars a couple of weeks ago.  He recently started working at Gibson 5 star dealer and so began his dream of a Gibson J-200 True Vintage.  It was the pinnacle of tone and nothing else would do (paraphrased).  This was after he was really digging the weird 1930 Epiphone Model 0 I loaned him to record his debut album (Pete's Debut Album).  I had felt the same way about that guitar before as well.  There is still a soft spot in my heart for the huge tone that comes from a lightly picked fingerstyle blues on the old Epiphone.

In My Opinion

the best guitar is always the next guitar and I think that Pete would say the same thing.  There is nothing like the anticipation of an old guitar coming in the mail.  What will it sound like?  What weird features will it have that I didn't see in the pictures?

I recently bought a 1954 Epiphone FT-210 Deluxe Cutaway from a fellow in NY.  I had only seen pictures of these and could not wait to have it in my hands.  I knew that it needed work but I just didn't care.  It was the pinnacle of vintage guitars for the three and a half days that UPS had it, at least in my mind.  When it arrived I was ecstatic.  Among guitar forum geeks (such as myself) this is called an NGD or New Guitar Day.

What did it sound like?  Terrible at first, I'll admit.  I was so in love with it that I couldn't put it down.  After about two days of playing it, it really opened up and the tone was unique.  I love it now.

What weird features did it have?  It was ladder braced and had a weird compensated rosewood bridge/saddle.

The next guitar?

The Epiphone is still extremely cool only a week later but I've already got my sights set on another.  There is an eBay auction ending tomorrow on a Kalamazoo KG-12 with rare Maple back and sides.  It is a sickness!  The forum term for this sickness is GAS- Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

"Buyout" Period Epiphone Texans: Parts Guitars?

By the dawn of the 1950s, the Epiphone company was struggling with problems in both the accounting and labor departments.  The company's product line hadn't kept up with the changing trends in guitars such as the new solid body electric (Gibson's Les Paul model?).  It had moved the production facilities from New York to Philadelphia in an attempt to avoid a problem with the labor union.  By 1957, the company's doom seemed imminent which forced its sale to their biggest competitor, Gibson, for the sum total of only $20,000.

American made Epiphone guitars (both during and before the Gibson buyout) are fantastic instruments.  Their relative obscurity and high standard of quality is a recipe for a very inspiring guitar.  I recently came across an immediate post-buyout Texan that has me intrigued (1959 Epiphone Texan with strange features).  The description states:

"Gibson FON on the neck block indicating 1952 manufacture, starts with a "Z"; solid, un-kerfed linings (no one has ever seen this on any modern Gibson instrument); the word GUITAR rubber-stamped on the inside of the back, between the neck block and the first back brace; black paint on the heel underneath the clear coat, which has been seen many times on various Gibsons in the 1960's."

 1952?

The body is easily dated using Gibson's backwards letter prefix used from 1952-1961.  They started with Z in '52 and ended with Q in '61.  These letters were stamped on the interior neck block and were proceeded by a batch number (usually 4 digits) then a unique rack number (the Xth number in that rack).  This guitar received a Z indicating that it was made in 1952.

Easy, right?  Not quite.  The description also states that this guitar has solid lining (as opposed to kerfed).  Lining is what gives the body's joints (top to rims and rims to back) a solid gluing surface.  Usually this lining is kerfed, meaning that it has small cuts vertically to make it bend without needed to be soaked in hot water and bent over a hot pipe.

Kerfed Lining

Solid Lining

Gibson phased out solid lining in favor of the kerfed style from 1933-1934.  I have never seen any flat-top Gibson guitar that used solid lining after 1934.  I would venture to say that Gibson did not build guitars using this kind of lining after 1934.  This is my opinion based on my experience so feel free to prove me wrong.  Edit:  I just acquired one of these guitars.  The lining is made of laminated Poplar.  The only other place I have seen this is on my 1954 Epiphone FT-210 Deluxe Cutaway.  I'm assuming Gibson got leftover strips of lining from Epiphone and used it?  Not sure.

(Edit)  At least Gibson phased out the use of solid lining made of Mahogany in 1934.  After acquiring a buyout period Texan I determined that this "solid lining" wasn't really solid.  In fact, it is made of laminated strips of what looks like Poplar.  The only other place I have seen this is on my 1954 Epiphone FT-210 Deluxe Cutaway.  Perhaps Gibson also acquired strips of unused lining from Epiphone as well as necks?

Gibson "J" body surplus

In the early 50s Gibson was selling some of their jumbo bodies to National.  National would manufacture a neck and bolt it on to a Gibson body calling it the National 1155.  These are great guitars for the vintage player on a budget but I am told that the necks are a bit difficult to get used to.  You'll have to decide that for yourself.

Since National ordered a bunch of J bodies from Gibson, they had more bodies than necks.  When a bunch of Epiphone necks showed up at Gibson's doorstep in 1957, the answer was simple.  They went downstairs to the parts basement and grabbed a bunch of J sized bodies.  That is how I would explain this guitar having a Z (1952) factory order number.

(Edit) .....but I'd be wrong.  After acquiring one of these, the tops were definitely made post 1955 judging by the bracing.  My next theory would be that Gibson needed finished bodies to sell to National.  Since National was bolting on the necks, Gibson needed bodies with uncut neck blocks (instead of cut for a dovetail joint).

When the Epiphone necks showed up in 1958 they were already cut for a dovetail joint.  Since the dovetail extension on the neck and the neck block were cut by two different manufacturers they differed to the point that they wouldn't fit right.  Gibson would need to use a body with an uncut neck block and cut it to fit the Epiphone neck.

So you have one of these short headstock Texans?  Send me some shots of yours.  Here is @guitaristo's (Instagram) 1958 Epiphone Texan that has recently been sold.  The serial on the blue label was an A-XXX number but he can't remember what was on the neck block.  I wonder if it was an earlier FON?

Why do these features even matter?

Although these Texans look like weird J-45s they are certainly not.  The main difference in a standard Texan and J-45 is the scale length.  Epiphone was using a 25.5" scale length so the necks were manufactured to this spec.  Gibson's traditional scale length and that of the J-45 is 24.75".  This alone makes for a tone that is probably louder and more piano-like than a J-45.  It also doesn't bend strings as well and may wear out your fingers a bit quicker.

This '58 Texan has more than just the scale length to set it apart from a J-45.  The body was probably manufactured in '52 which means that it differs from a '57 by the bracing.  The pre-'55 J bodies were made with scalloped braces while the post-'55s had straight braces.
(Edit):  Wrong again, TVG.  While the FON prefix was Y, the tops were definitely made in the late 50s.  The bracing is short and straight (unscalloped).

These buyout era features make for an interesting guitar.  Mine needs some braces reglued before it is playable again.  It was covered in 50 years of sweat and tar until I hit it with some Virtuoso cleaner.  Here are some shots of the clean up.

TVG

A Semi-Rarity: The 1966 Epiphone Wilshire (USA!)

Vintage guitars often come with a trade off: the "good ones" got played- hard.  As a result they have lots of character.  I don't mind character- in fact I love it.  I like seeing some scratches in the top of a guitar or the wear marks on the side of the neck from 60 years of first position chords.  Every once in a while however I will come across one that is clean.  This Wilshire, my friends, is CLEAN.

 

In 1957, Gibson bought a financially failing company that had been their long time competitor.  The Epiphone brand was known for very fine instruments like banjos, archtop electrics and acoustic guitars.  The competition was especially fierce in the large body electric archtop market.  Gibson would come out with a big jazz box and a month later Epiphone would come out with a slightly bigger or more fancy one.  Epiphone manufactured out of New York until about 1953 manufacturing moved to Philadelphia (although the labels still said New York!).  The failing company was at odds with its employees and the name was eventually bought along with a bunch of parts by Gibson.

Gibson began manufacturing Epiphone guitars first with leftover parts and continued by introducing their own Epiphone models.  This was a move by Gibson to get more guitars in stores.  Retailers didn't want 10 Gibson SGs but didn't really have a problem buying 5 SGs and 5 Epiphone Wilshires.  The USA Epiphones were made right along sides of the Gibsons in the factory at 225 Parsons Street, Kalamazoo, MI.  These are very high quality instruments!  The quality of the instruments bearing the Epiphone brand didn't drop to the current level until that unfortunate time in the 70s when the new owners of the Gibson brand (Norlin) shipped all production over seas to Japan.

The Epiphone Wilshire was a bit of a rare model until the its reissue this past year (made in China- sadface).  It has always had a small Mahogany body and neck but had two different editions.  The first was introduced in 1959 with a 3+3 headstock and P-90 pickups.  The second version appeared in mid-1962 that had a funky "batwing"style headstock and two mini humbuckers.  Mine is the second version with the silky smooth mini hums.

I absolutely love these guitars.  They have the coolest 60s styling with quality ingredients to boot.  The mini humbuckers are very versatile and can take you from Guns and Roses to Neo-classical jazz in a real hurry.  The neck joins at the very last fret so the player has full advantage of the fretboard.  Unfortunately the "Vibrola" was a source of frustration for most players so the trem arm is usually taken off and lost.

This is my second mid 60s Epiphone Wilshire.  My first one had seen some playing time and the finish showed it.  It was still original (but was missing the trem arm of course).  I eventually sold it but still had my love of Wilshires.  When I saw the ad for this one I couldn't believe it.  The seller was the original owner and the finish looked like it had just rolled off the assembly line.  I asked him when and by whom it was refinished.  He said that it hadn't been refinished.  Well, I have heard that before.  I always take that kind of thing with a grain of salt.

When I showed up to look at the guitar I still couldn't believe it hadn't been refinished.  We met outside of a Waffle House so I couldn't really take the pickguard off to check.  It looked "right" so I went ahead and bought it.  I took the pickguard off but the wires kind of stuck.  I looked closely to see what was going on.  Yes, the wires were stuck in the lacquer.  I carefully peeled them away to find that I was the first one to ever take the PG off.  This was clearly the original finish.  There was even a little bit of router dust in the electronics cavity.  That was a cool moment but I totally regretted it after!  I knew I had to take the pg off to verify the originality of the finish and electronics but I wish that it had still "never been taken off."  Oh well.

There is no checking on this guitar.  NONE.  It looks like it was made recently.  This thing is as real as it gets.  There are a couple of nicks around the guitar (about 3).  That is all. The original owner was not keen on the original set of tuners so he had them changed to mini Schallers.  He also lost the tremolo arm.  Other than that, this is the way it came from Kalamazoo.  One thing that is weird is that the gold Epiphone silk screen logo was done once, painted over, and done again slightly more centered.  Must have been a new guy at the silk screen booth that day.

The seller said he went into the shop in '67 to buy a Gibson SG.  He saw this one up on the wall and bought it instead.  Good call.  I don't think he played it very much because it has hardly any fret wear or wear on the back of the neck.  It is an absolute joy to play I hope you get a chance to play one of these oddities sometime too.

I took this guitar to the Nashville guitar show and another dealer was interested in it.  He took it over to an amplifier and played it for a while.  When he came back he told me that the pickups were wire out of phase!  That was news to me but I wouldn't have noticed it because I stick mainly to the neck pickup.  I took it out this morning and messed around with it and found that he was probably right.  One other thing I found interesting is that the bridge pup is rotated 180 degrees from where it "should" be.  I asked the original owner why he swapped it and he said that he didn't.  That is the way that it came from the factory.

Peter Green's 1959 Gibson Les Paul was made this same way in that his pickups are wired out of phase as well.  Apparently it is more common than originally thought but most people probably didn't notice it.  Maybe they just played on the neck pickup too...

TVG

Pre-war Epiphone Flat-top: 1940 Epiphone FT-50

I say 1940 but I don't really know.  A friend on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum concluded that this was built by Epiphone in 1940 or '41.  There were very few of these ever made.

This one popped up on the local Craigslist.  I don't think that many people on there knew what it was.  Of course, this is no asian made Epiphone.  This was made before Gibson purchased the Epiphone brand in 1957.  They moved the production of Epiphone branded instruments overseas in the 70s tarnishing the name.  The American made Epiphones were very fine instruments.

This Epiphone lived a sordid life.  It came to me covered in soot with two stickers and a name carved right in the top.  The seller was the nephew of the schizophrenic aunt that owned it (last).  The soot and stickers came up fairly easily with some Naptha and elbow grease.  The name, "Kelsi" is there to stay.  It features an Adirondack Spruce top, Walnut back and sides, and what looks like a very dark Rosewood fingerboard.  It has feaux tortoise shell binding and a very nice pearl inlay on the headstock. The tuners have been changed.  It still has 4 of the original Bakelite bridge pins.

 The FT-50 started showing up in the 1941 but it says that they had Mahogany backs and sides.  It also shows a model FT-45 that had Walnut but also white binding.  This may have been pre-catalogue before they really nailed down what was what.  The label with the model number and serial number is badly torn so we may never know if this was a 45 or 50.

The Epiphone researcher that I spoke with on the forum said that since this was X braced and lacked the metal cover for Epiphone's "thrust rod"then this was probably pre-war.  His research indicates that the model line was reduced during the war and this was one that was cut.  They start reappearing a couple years later with serial numbers indicating 1945.  After that, the FT-50 was cut for good.  

He is currently compiling serial numbers, pictures and catalogues into a database so he can offer a better understanding of Epiphone's past.  Do you have a guitar like this?  Please email me and I will pass the information along to him.  

Follow @tvguit

The One(s) That Got Away

Half the fun of vintage guitars are their history and the path they took to get to me.  Some of the guitars I have bought came with pictures of the original owners and stories about how all those scratches came to be (most have to do with the owner drinking a lot).  Sadly, the sellers are rarely the ones that owned the guitar for so long.

I'm not always successful in my pursuit of vintage flat-tops.  Sometimes it will get snagged by someone else or the owner decides not to sell.  Here are a few of the ones that got away.

I was really upset about this one.  This is a mid forties Gibson Southern Jumbo.  The seller didn't really know what he wanted for it but invited me to come take a look.  It was in Knoxville, TN which is quite a drive from the school I was attending in Tuscaloosa (Roll Tide).  Long drives have rarely gotten in the way of a me and a guitar so I was planning to leave after my last class that day.  I called the seller back after class let out and it was sold.

This was the only picture I had of it but it was all I needed to know this was a real banner Southern Jumbo.  The split parallelogram inlays on the neck told me it was a SJ and not a J-45.  The belly down bridge combined with the lack of binding on the neck told me that this was most likely wartime (meaning is has the desirable banner on the headstock).  I should have skipped class!!

 Yes.  You are seeing this correctly.  This is a 1958 Gibson Les Paul with the original case.  This one was in northern Florida and I couldn't believe my eyes.  Most of the pictures you see of these floating around without a price tag of 200k+ are fakes.  This one was not.  I spoke with the owner and she said that she had already sold it by the time I even saw the ad.  She was working on taking the ad down and was having trouble.  Figures.

There was a musician who passed away in Cullman, AL in 2008.  His family was ready to sell off his collection of 10 instruments but they didn't know anything about any of them.  I had found a picture of this guy online that showed him holding a late 30s Gibson J-35:

I was a bit disappointed when I showed up to take a look at the collection.  It was pretty much all junk.  There was no J-35 or anything close.  There was a jacked up parts telecaster, a squire strat, a plywood parlor guitar.  That was the best of the lot and I was not really interested.  I thanked old lady that survived the man and on my way out the door she handed me this picture:

I turned to her and asked politely, "Where is this guitar?  We need to find it."  She didn't know anything about it.  Supposedly there was a blackface deluxe too but it wasn't there.  I figured that all this stuff had been picked over long ago and I was too late.  WRONG.  I was too ill-informed!  A year or two later I found this picture that I had taken:

With the help of my buddy Keith we came to the conclusion that this is that blackguard tele!!!  But how, you ask?  The neck is changed, the pickguard, hardware, all changed.   Take a look at the screws.  There are 5 old screws and one new one.  The holes are in the right place for a black guard Telecaster.  The body has been poorly refinished but I would be willing to bet that this was that telecaster- right before my eyes and I missed it!  Who knows what parts of the electronics were original.  Maybe none, maybe all.  I called the lady back and she said she had sold it a while back.  Still kicking myself.  The moment that you think you know what you are doing is when you find out that you really don't!

 

I would be impressed if you knew what this was just from the picture.  I sure didn't.  All I knew was that this was not your typical Asian made Epiphone.  This was a pre-Gibson buyout Epiphone flat top which have been aptly described as "rare as hen's teeth."  After a bit of research I found that this was the presursor to the Gibson-made Epiphone Texan.  This was a 1943 Epiphone F.T.-79.  Good luck finding another one of these at any price.





Having little knowledge of Epiphone flat-tops, I posted this picture on the Gibson guitar forum that I am a part of.   There was a guy on there that is a fellow vintage guitar guy that told me what it was and how uncommon they really are.  They are especially uncommon in this good of shape!



A buddy of mine agreed to come with me on the road trip but I decided to call the seller one more time before we left.  He had just sold it to a buyer in California.  I posted on the forum on how it had sold and the guys were giving their condolences when all of the sudden there was a new member on the forum.  It was the buyer in California!  He was a very cool guy and certainly deserved this fine, rare bird. 




Of course, there were a few scores that I didn't expect.  One of them was this little number:

 

This Epiphone is from roughly the same time period (WWII).  It sort of fell into my lap.  It had been through a house fire and ownership by a someone who decided to carve her name into the top.  She apparently like stickers and glue as well.  Strangely enough her name was "Kelsey".  This happens to be my wife's first name.  Strange how that works out.