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1946 Epiphone Broadway
Status: Pricing and hold status for all instruments currently available is shown on our Instruments page here. If this instrument does not appear on the Instruments page it has been sold, and is no longer available. Photos and descriptions of Previously Sold instruments may be found here. To be notified of examples of this model or similar instruments in the future, please contact [email protected],. Please be specific on which instrument(s) you're looking for, and we'll be happy to contact you as soon as they become available.
Serial #: 54318, blue New York label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut width: 1 11/16" Neck depth: .90/1.02, 1st/10th frets
Materials: Solid carved tiger maple back and sides; solid carved Adirondack spruce top; solid cherry neck with 3-ply walnut/maple centerstripe; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard; ornate vine style mother-of-pearl peghead and fingerboard inlay; triple-bound body; bound fingerboard and headstock.
Hardware: Original gold hardware includes epsilon-logo 16X1 tuners; Pat. Pend. Frequensator tailpiece; adjustable compensated bridge; hex-key adjustable truss rod. Vintage correct bound firestripe tortoise shell pickguard installed.
Notes: We love forties Broadways, and we're not alone: we just can't seem to keep these guitars in stock. With the same body, materials and hardware as a Deluxe, at a player's price, the Broadway is an exceptional value in a true Golden Era archtop. This spectacular example is crafted of intensely figured quilted maple, with a bookmatched, quartersawn Adirondack spruce soundboard.
The block pearl fingerboard inlays and the elegant vine peghead inlay form one of our favorite design combinations, contrasting elegantly with the deep formal sunburst finish. Original gold hardware includes the epsilon logo sealed Epiphone 16:1 tuners, postwar no-logo Frequensator tailpiece, and the adjustable compensated rock maple bridge, a hallmark of blonde Epis, with matching serial number stamped on the underside of the base. A lustrous vintage correct bound firestripe pickguard, made from an original template, is installed as well.
The neck has a gentle light V profile, with fine pro fretwork making this guitar gig-ready right out of the case. True to form, the guitar is exceptionally light in weight for a 17" archtop, barely 5lb. 8oz. A true closet queen, this stunning guitar is crack free, with all original deeply ambered blonde lacquer finish and is remarkably free of pick or fingerboard wear, with only some light buckle worming and some honest thumbwear on the neck, with a few incidental finish nicks, and a soundly resealed centerseam on the back. All binding is original and tight to the body, and the original postwar no-logo Frequensator tailpiece has been solidly brazed, and brightly polished.
With smooth low action over a fresh high precision setup, the guitar has an unusually powerful voice; clear and vibrant with exceptionally fine clarity and projection. You won't find a prettier one either, and she sounds every bit as good as she looks. As fine as they come: 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; 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 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.
