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1939 Epiphone Triumph
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Serial #: 13241, New York Masterbilt label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2". Nut width: 1 3/4"
Finish: Sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type
Materials: Solid bookmatched hand carved Adirondack spruce top; solid hand carved tiger maple back; Honduras mahogany neck with 3-ply walnut/maple centerstripe; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl diamond inlays; ornate "snowflake" style mother-of-pearl peghead inlay, 3-ply top binding, bound fingerboard and headstock.
Hardware: Vintage correct hand-antiqued hardware includes nickel Waverly 16x1 butterbean tuners; stamped Pat. Pend. Frequensator tailpiece, compensated adjustable rosewood bridge; bound nitrocellulose tortoise pickguard; adjustable truss rod.
Notes: The Epiphone Triumph was introduced in 1932, becoming Epi's most popular full sized guitar until the company closed in the mid 50's. Priced competitively with the Gibson L-7, the Triumph is structurally identical to the upscale Epi Deluxe and Broadway models. This gleaming example is a rare transitional model: one of the last built with the prewar arched headstock and Masterbilt label, and one of the first to have been fitted with the Frequensator tailpiece, and an an adjustable truss rod.
The fine grained bookmatched solid spruce top is carved of Appalachian (red) spruce, North America's most highly prized tonewood, now virtually unobtainable in these dimensions. The body shows fine open rollers of tiger flame maple, and is more rounded than later examples, with cello-style soundholes distictly larger as well. The fingerboard is crafted of solid Brazilian rosewood, and the pearl work includes the graceful prewar snowflake peghead inlay, inlaid with exceptional skill.
Epi fingerboards narrowed a bit in the late 30's, but this guitar is an unusual, and happy exception. The nut measures a full 1 3/4" in width, a generous dimension preferred by many contemporary players. Though standard on Masterbilt Epis of the early 30's, this wider nut is the first we've seen on a guitar of this era, and may have been a custom order. Finally, this guitar is fitted with Epi's earliest adjustable truss rod, with a square terminus adccessible uner then end of the fingerboard.
A veteran player, the guitar has been well maintained, without buckle or thumbwear, and showing a few scattered nicks and dents around the sides and soundboard. A single grainline crack on the back was soundly resealed long ago, and the original dark sunburst finish now protected with a light overcoat of true vintage style nitro lacquer. The voice is notably clear, bright and open, with exceptional projection, and the neck is has the typical gently veed profile that sits nicely in the hand. Striking to belold, and rewarding to play, this guitar is an outstanding example of one of the rarest versions of Epiphone's most popular professional guitar.
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; 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-.057). 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: Deluxe arched plush lined hardshell case.
