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A Brief History of Epiphone Guitars & Basses

Epiphone has been putting quality instruments in the hands of musicians since 1873. Epiphone began in lute, violin, and bouzouki sales in what is now known as Turkey, moving to the United States in the early 1900s. The company transitioned from the old-world instruments into guitars as they were becoming the most popular instruments of the day.


Epiphone and Gibson race to the top

Guitar designs such as their archtop De Luxe, Broadway, and Emperor quickly made Epiphone a strong contender in the industry and a direct competitor to Gibson. In fact, Gibson and Epiphone battled for supremacy in the American guitar market through much of the 1930s. Gibson released the wide-bodied Super 400 archtop, and Epiphone immediately answered with their even wider-bodied Emperor. The competition remained fierce until company owner Epi Stathopoulo died in 1945. Epiphone's business declined and finally in 1957 Epiphone sold to Gibson. Luckily, Gibson saw the value in Epiphone's iconic brand name and quickly re-established the brand as a way to own high-quality Gibson electric guitar designs as well as Epiphone's original instruments at a great value.


Epiphone's originals endure to this day

Besides recreating many of Gibson's designs, Epiphone manufactures many iconic instruments of their own. The Casino was an instant hit in the mid '60s when The Beatles famously began using them on such hits as "Ticket to Ride," "Drive My Car," and "Taxman." Paul McCartney also brought wide-spread fame to the Epiphone Texan flat-top acoustic guitar. And even the famous Gibson Les Paul started its life as an experiment known as "the log", when Les Paul began working on his prototype for a solidbody electric guitar in the Epiphone factory. Other notable Epiphone original designs include the Wilshire, Triumph, Riviera, and Sheraton II.


The merger that made history

Under the Gibson banner, Epiphone continues to manufacture models like the Casino, Riviera, and Emperor. But today they are also well known for their high-quality replicas of Gibson's most famous models such as Les Paul Standards, Customs, and Studios, plus SGs, Firebirds, Explorers, and many more. In fact, many artist endorsers of both brands have their own signature models with Epiphone. Modern blues master Gary Clark Jr. has his Blak & Blu Casino, B.B. King was never far from his own Lucille, and Toni Iommi gets his tone with his signature SG Custom. And Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa, Slash, and Trivium's Matt Heafy all are proud owners of their own signature Epiphone Les Pauls.


Epiphone's legacy of innovation lives on

Inventions such as Epiphone's series/parallel switching, built-in KillSwitch pots, and their Shadow NanoFlex and NanoMag pickup systems are aimed at enhancing your playing experience, and they ensure Epiphone will be a major player in the guitar industry for years to come.


Epiphone product demos

Eager to hear Epiphone's catalog in action? Sweetwater recommends the following product demos: