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1941 Epiphone Emperor
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Serial #: 18218, green NY label.
Body size at lower bout: 18 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut Width: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .89/1.02
Materials: Highly figured tiger flame maple back, sides and neck; hand carved solid spruce top; 7-piece maple-walnut neck; 7-ply ivoroid body binding; triple-bound heel cap, neck binding, f-holes and head stock; solid rosewood fingerboard with "split-block" mother of pearl inlay; ornate pearl tree-of-life peghead inlay.
Hardware: Original gold hardware includes 16X1 Epsilon-logo tuners, Pat. Pend. Frequensator tailpiece; adjustable compensated rosewood bridge, adjustable truss rod at fingerboard extension. Vintage correct triple bound tortoise pickguard.
Notes: Massive. Rich. Commanding. The experience of playing a genuine vintage Epiphone Emperor is not soon forgotten. Built to lay an unshakable foundation for the most raucous horn section, the Emperor produces a rich, buttery pulse like no other. But the big guitar is not merely a rhythm machine. It's lightly carved soundboard ranges effortlessly through the range of the fretboard with brilliant clarity and projection. Small wonder many players to this day regard the Epiphone Emperor as the finest big band guitar of all time.
The secret has been out for awhile, and demand is always greater for these big beauties than we can ever supply. So it's with pleasure we can offer this fine old player, at a price we haven't seen in decades. Fully restored from the ground up, this guitar shows distinctive prewar features including the large cello style soundholes, and the segmented fingerboard inlays in solid mother of pearl.
Body and neck show deeply figured fiddleback maple, and the soundboard is exceptionally fine grained, hand carved to particularly fine tolerances. Original gold hardware includes the 16:1 geared epsilon logo tuners, adjustable compensated rosewood bridge, and a fine Pat. Pending Frequensator tailpiece. The ornate 7-ply body binding is original and tight to the body, the tailpiece is solid at the bend, and the bridge has ample adjustment room in either direction. Free of pick, buckle or fingerboard wear, the guitar has a recent natural blonde finish, in correct vintage style true nitro lacquer. A number of top cracks have been cleated, splinted, and solidly resealed, and a fresh set of brightly polished medium tall frets installed. The back shows particularly vivid flame maple, with some older cross-grain streaking visible under the finish at the lower bout.
The multi-bound 1 11/16" fingerboard has smooth low action over a fresh high precision setup, and the gentle C neck is solid and comfy, neither clubby nor veed in profile. Remarkably, this massive 18 3/8" body, second only to the Stromberg Master 400 in size, weighs in at a mere 5 lb. 9 oz: exceptionally light for a super jumbo instrument. The carefully graduated, well aged tonewood, together with years of vigorous play, combine to produce an instrument of surpassing volume and rich, cavernous resonance. The mids and lows are buttery and clear, and the high register is brilliant with natural reverb. And volume, projection and dynamic range to humble the proudest horn section.
These deep voiced guitars deserve more than to be simply left idle in a collector's display case. This bandstand veteran is ready to hit the road again, all spruced up and ready to go. A true player's player, at a solid player's price. One only: call now.
Setup: 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.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings. The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" 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 black plush lined arched hardshell case.
