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1939 Epiphone Broadway
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Serial #: 13176, white Masterbilt label label.
Body size at lower bout: 17 1/4" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut width: 1 3/4"
Finish: Sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type
Materials: Hand carved solid spruce top; hand carved bookmatched black walnut back and sides; 5 piece mahogany neck with maple and walnut centerstripe; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with block mother of pearl inlay; quintuple-bound body; abalone vine pattern peghead inlay, asymmetrical 'Masterbilt' headstock design.
Hardware: Original hardware includes gold Grover style Sta-Tite "butterbean" tuners, hand bound firestripe tortoise shell pickguard, Brazilian rosewood bridge with matching serial # stamped on underside of bridge foot, adjustable truss rod. Hand antiqued gold Pat. Pend. Frequensator tailpiece.
Notes: If you're one of the lucky owners of a nice old Martin, you might have wondered what an archtop might sound like if it too was made of Brazilian Rosewood. However, because of the cost, weight and difficulty in carving this exotic hardwood, rosewood has never been commonly used on archtop guitars. However, between 1931 and 1939, the Epiphone Company, alone among major builders, produced it's upscale Broadway model with back and sides of solid black walnut. The result was a guitar with unusually attractive looks, but more. The voice of these guitars is absolutely unique among acoustic jazz guitars. The hard, thin walnut back and sides produce a tone that is distinctly more brilliant than ordinary maple guitars. The mids and highs have exceptional projection and a brilliant bell-like tone, making these guitars particularly well suited for acoustic lead guitar. The cutting power on these instruments is simply phenomenal, rivaling that of a resophonic guitar, but with the warmth and sustain of finely aged wood.
Needless to say, we're always on the hunt for these amazing walnut cannons. Upsized from the 16" body of the early 30's, this 17" version of the walnut Broadway was produced for only three short years, between 1936 and 1939. Delicate, cello-shaped f-holes made their debut in this variant, replacing the segmented holes of earlier models. The vine headstock inlay and block fingerboard markers in mother-of-pearl lend the guitar a look of understated elegance. The neck profile on Epis of this era is particularly noteworthy. Slim and contemporary, they are notably free of the clubbiness found in many prewar necks.
This outstanding example is from the last year for the walnut body, and the first for the adjustable truss rod, the original style with a square (not hex) head located under the end of the fingerboard extension. The guitar's been maintained in superb condition, free of cracks, pick, buckle, or fingerboard wear, and shows just a small patch of light thumbwear near the peghead. The gleaming original dark sunburst finish is protected with a light dusting of clear lacquer, and the body rebound in vintage style true celluloid binding. We always love to see an original firestripe Epi bound tortoise pickguard in great shape, and a set of original gold Grover butterbean tuners. Most noteworthy is the generous 1 3/4" nut, uncommon for an Epi of this era, and the action is smooth and low over a very gently veed C profile neck, with a fresh set of perfectly dressed original frets in excellent condition. At just 5 lb. 6 oz. the instrument is phenomenally light weight and responsive, and the voice is supremely open and resonant, with brilliant sparkling highs, clear defined lows, and pronounced natural reverb.
You can pay $20K for a fancy new custom guitar that will never sound this good. Call now.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridgewheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished. This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original Epiphone plush hardshell case.
