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1953 Epiphone Devon
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Serial #: 65986, blue New York label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2". Nut width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Tobacco sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type
Materials: Handcarved solid spruce top; solid cherry neck with centerstripe; arched maple back and sides; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with oval fingerboard inlays, art-deco peghead inlay, and inlaid Epiphone logo, all in solid mother-of-pearl; single-bound body and fingerboard.
Hardware: Original hardware includes nickel Frequensator tailpiece, compensated adjustable Brazilian rosewood bridge, hex-key adjustable truss rod at peghead, nickel-plated open-back tuners. Vintage correct bound tortoise pickguard.
Notes: The Devon is the rarest of all full-size Epiphone acoustics, made in small numbers in the New York factory only between about 1949 and 1953. The guitar has the 17 3/8" solid hand-carved top and the long 25 1/2" scale of the Deluxe, Broadway and Triumph models, with which it is structurally identical. Like these more commonly-seen models, the Devon also has a solid Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and the patent pending Frequensator tailpiece.
This gleaming example has a particularly handsome tobacco sunburst finish, and shows distinctive ribbon figure in the arched maple back. The guitar is in superb condition, and has been immaculately restored with a vintage correct genuine nitrocellulose finish in a faithful vintage Epi style sunburst. The multi-ply binding is all tight to the body, the original nickel Frequensator tailpiece is solid at the bend, and the original compensated adjustable Brazilian rosewood bridge has excellent height. Smooth low action over fine pro frets, classic Epiphone gentle C neck profile.
A vibrant and powerful guitar, and a perennial best buy, delivering outstanding performance in a true vintage pro-sized US built acoustic archtop guitar.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished as needed; 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 black plush lined TKL polyfoam case.
