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In the last year or two I've really developed a love for acoustic, non-cutaway archtops, after being an electric player, basically forever. I've also developed a particular fascination with the NY made Epiphones. Special thanks go to SierraTango for letting me know that Eric Schoenberg (Schoenberg Guitars in Tiburon, CA) had this one. I add this beauty to my '46 Blackstone and '46 Triumph. I still hope to find a good pre-war Emperor though.
Back to the Broadway. It's an absolutely wonderful sounding guitar with walnut sides and back. Not surprisingly, it's brighter than my '40 L-5, and also louder. While, it's certainly a cannon, but has the somewhat harp-like qualities of my Triumph. It's been getting a lot of my sitting around the living room time since getting it. I find it great at both straight ahead comping or chord melody. Like my other NY Epis, it can hold its own as an acoustic guitar when I sit down with my wife at the Steinway Model B, even taking single note solo lines. Despite the frets being near the end of their life and my preference for jumbos, it still plays pretty effortlessly. I will be getting it refretted sometime in the not to distant future though.
I tried a vintage DeArmond 1100 monkey on a stick on it, but it didn't really seem to suit this Broadway, although that's generally one of my favorite pickups. I think I'm going to leave well enough alone and keep it purely acoustic for home use. Its acoustic properties are where its real strengths lie. I don't intend on using it for playing out, at least not at this time.
Pics in the following posts.
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10-16-2017 11:22 AM
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GREAT guitar. The "hair part" Epiphone Broadways and Triumphs I have played are outstanding. Your guitar looks like a winner.
You just cannot beat a 30s acoustic archtop made by Gibson, Epiphone, D'Angelico, etc. They are great orchestral/jazz instruments.
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You know, if you didn't buy that guitar 2 weeks before I called up Eric, that guitar would be in my hands right now... Congratulations!
I played that very guitar about a year ago, but chose the advanced L7 over it for its solo-guitar voice. However, I had been thinking about that Broadway since.
Interesting choice of strings: flatwounds on an acoustic. I'd love to hear how it sounds!
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More than happy to see a NGD on the Broadway Rhythm Man! So glad it found a loving home with some other NY Epi's too.
It came down to two Walnut Broadways when I was hunting and that was one of them. I went with another one which had some serious issues and was returned to the seller. He was very gracious about it and is having the neck reset. I sort of lost the fire and used the refund to buy another Italian motorcycle, a Aprilia Futura. So now the Ducati 900SS and the Aprilia in the bike hut.
Wishing you many joyful and rewarding hours with the Broadway!
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Congrats ! Old Epi's are royalty axes. May it give you years of joy.
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ThatRhythmMan,
Gorgeous guitar! I just love old non-cut Archtops from that period. I had a 48' Epiphone Deluxe and an early 50' s Emperor - both were fabulous.
Do enjoy !
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I had a 40's Emperor non cut blonde that I rate among the top five I've ever owned. You can make most anything sound nice electrically today but, you can't make all of them sound nice acoustically. You know,like a Les Paul.
Originally Posted by QAman
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Have you seen this beautiful instrument, so cool that it is still alive
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Those asymmetrical headstock Epi's are too cool for school. to me they really represent the company's prewar guitars. No disrespect to center dip post '39's, a headstock shape doesn't make a guitar of course.
I had a '36 Emperor I bought locally from the orig owners daughter that was incredible sounding. No harshness, it was so full and thick in all registers like a great D'Angelico, especially the treble which is a little unusual for a production archtop.
It was one the the very first Emperors made and the best sounding Epi I've ever heard, and I've heard/owned some great ones.
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Thanks, everyone. It really is a joy to play, an inspiring guitar for sure.
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I’m glad I didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger! There are lots of great guitars in small shops. It’s great to have such a great group of guys here letting each other know about them. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
My string of choice has really become TI Swings for almost everything jazz related. I can’t stand the feel of bronze strings at all anymore, and I actually prefer the acoustic tone of the Swings. Heavy gauge round wound strings have begun to sound harsh to my ears for jazz, at least when I’m the one playing. I still use them if I’m playing anything overdriven or if I’m playing something where I want the extra bite, but that’s about it.
I need to get my interface set back up so that I can record something that will more accurately capture the sound better than my phone.
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That sounds like just the kind of Emperor I hope to find someday. The remaining GAS I feel affecting me anymore is for one of those and possibly a carved top Stromberg. You know, just guitars you run across everyday. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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"You can make most anything sound nice electrically today but, you can't make all of them sound nice acoustically."
Archtop Guy is correcto-mundo on this point. Electric guitars can be blended and filtered via pedals and amplification such that a Telecaster and a L5CES aren't that terribly different sounding from each other. OTOH, acoustic guitars really stand out.
A good one sounds good; a bad one...well, you get it. AND, a great one really shines. A great walnut backed Epiphone, or a great 30s L-5, or a D'Angelico Excel (or New Yorker), just cry out, "This is a lap piano, folks. This is the whole show in one musician's hands."
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Great guitar , I had two of those they are really nice with the walnut back , congrats !
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Very interesting guitar.
I was under the impression that the pointed-corner f-holes originally appeared on the Soloist Emperor in 1941. They were subsequently introduced on the Triumph and lower-tier models in 1950, and on the Emperor, Deluxe and Broadway in 1951. Does the guitar have a '38 serial number and label?
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What Hammertone said above. At least, this is the information that Jim Fisch & L.B. Fred gave in their great book for the Broadway models:
1932: Segmented f-holes
1936: Cello f-holes
1950: Modern f-holes
Does the neck fit to the body?
Anyway, a great acoustic guitar - congrats! I like my '49 Triumph, back then the working guitarist's guitar.
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Yes, she’s number 13599 which according to Felix’s records makes her a ‘38. Guitarhq would make that a ‘39. Originally Posted by Hammertone
FWIW my ‘49s, the Blackstone and the Triumph have the squared off f-holes.
I’m also not familiar with any walnut Epis after ‘39. What about you?
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It makes sense to me that later Epi models pop up with the earlier soundholes - leftover top plates, drunken workers using the wrong jigs, whatever. I've never seen any later Epis with walnut back plates, but I don't follow them that closely. Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
Of course, none of this matters so long as the guitar sounds good and plays well. My own '38 Triumph is quite beat, but plays great and sounds glorious. Maybe I'll clean it up someday.
The headstock overlay on your Triumph looks like it came straight from Shellex in Germany - similar to some of the overlays they offered to German builders in the 1950s. Very cool.
Here's an old picture I have of my Triumph. Hmmm…time to take a few more.Last edited by Hammertone; 10-17-2017 at 02:05 PM.
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prewar Epi's are notorious for having binding issues.
It looks like the neck/headstock bindings are more yellowed than the body on this guitar.
I'd bet it was rebound at some point.
It's also possible it was retopped @ the factory on the early 50's.
That would explain the Epsilon on the guard, an early 50s feature and the 50s f-holes.
Good eye hammertoneLast edited by wintermoon; 10-17-2017 at 02:14 PM.
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Congrats, but bummer for me, because I was hoping to play that guitar on my next trip up to SF for comparison sake.
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The pickguard with the epsilon, I can’t explain. The binding on the neck looks like it may have been replaced. There is no lacquer on the neck binding at all. The binding on the headstock and body all have the same degree of yellowing. If anything it looks like the back may have been oversprayed at some point. The top finish seems like it’s a good match for the headstock. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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Not walnut-backed, but Schoenberg just got a 40's Deluxe and a couple of 30s D'Angelicos. Also, Gryphon currently has a 42 D'Angelico Style B. Might still be worth your while. Originally Posted by campusfive
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Regarding the use of walnut by Epiphone after '39: I just acquired a rather ragged, but good sounding sunburst '46 Spartan, which has walnut b&s(they were also made with primavera, in a blonde finish). This makes the 4th walnut Epi I've owned, can't seem to get my hands on a maple one...
Your Broadway is lovely, enjoy! I have Broadway # 13654, also a '38.
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Oh, I'm well acquainted with the listings for every archtop listed for sale at all of those places. I owe Eric a visit, as well as a to an acquaintance who's a private dealer. There are SEVERAL interesting guitars up that way at the moment.... Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
I actually just scheduled a trip up there second weekend of November, so hopefully some of those are still there by then.
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