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1946 Epiphone Emperor

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Serial: #54595

Body size at lower bout: 18 1/2". Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut: 1 11/16"

Materials: Highly figured bookmatched flame maple back and sides; hand carved solid Adirondack spruce top; 7-piece maple-walnut neck; 7-ply ivoroid body binding; triple-bound heel cap, neck binding, f-holes and head stock; solid Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with "split-block" mother of pearl and abalone inlay; ornate pearl tree-of-life peghead inlay.

Hardware: Original gold Frequensator tailpiece; original gold epsilon-logo 16X1 tuners; adjustable compensated rosewood bridge, adjustable truss rod at fingerboard extension; vintage correct bound leopard shell pickguard; gold humbucking pickup with gold barrel volume and tone controls.

Notes: It's a guitar fit for The King. During the 60's only, Gibson produced its flagship Super 400 CES with a sharp Florentine cutaway body. The blondes are of course the most coveted and costly version of this scarce guitar, not least because Mr. Presley played one himself. Today, finding a good example would cost a king's ransom. So who wouldn't love a top-of-the-line Epiphone equivalent, at a pauper's price?

The glory of the line, the Emperor was the largest and most costly instrument produced in Epiphone's New York factory. With its massive 18 1/2" lower bout, this ornate instrument is the largest archtop model cataloged by a major producer. Yet due to its slightly smaller upper bout, many players find the Emperor profile markedly easier to hold than the somewhat bulkier Super 400.

While factory Epiphone electrics were all laminate in construction, this spectacular postwar acoustic was hand carved of extravagant solid tiger flame maple, with a bookmatched solid Adirondack spruce top, and fingerboard and bridge of true Brazilian rosewood. The ornate peghead vine and split block inlays blend lustrous mother-of-pearl with dazzling technicolor abalone. The original gold hardware includes 16x1 epsilon logo tuners and the postwar no-logo Frequensator tailpiece, seen only in '45 and '46.

The original owner, a working guitarist from Eastern Washington, had the Florentine cutaway added perhaps 40 years ago, along with a smooth, quiet gold humbucking pickup, and a nicely ambered matte blonde finish. At barely over 6 lb. this huge guitar is almost impossibly light in weight, with remarkable acoustic volume featuring the deep lower register and clear, brilliant highs of a well-played, well aged soundboard. The fingerboard is illuminated with abalone of exceptionally vivid color, and is fitted with immaculate pro frets for a smooth low action. The top is hand-graduated from solid quarter-sawn bookmatched Adirondack spruce, and the neck profile is remarkably contemporary, sitting very smartly in the palm. Lovingly maintained, the guitar shows no cracks, checking, pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear. The voice is smooth and powerful, ranging from a gentle Kenny Burrell moan to the wail of a T-Bone Walker. An exceptional find for the working performer, this unique instrument combines looks, tone and playability with best-buy vintage value.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; 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; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

Case: Deluxe plush lined hardshell case.