Description

It’s the 1940s, Jazz orchestras reign supreme. The role of the guitarist is to provide an accompaniment that sails majestically over the band and lands in the hearts and feet of the young lovers dancing and smooching to the beat. Plenty of down beats, lots of Freddie Green chords. The ‘f’ holes are specially designed to let your sound cut through the band and reach the listeners – including the band members, who are all leaning back against your rhythm.

You bought a dark sunburst Gibson L-7; but your friend bought the rival Epiphone Triumph. Blonde, hand carved spruce top with carved maple back and sides; with fancy headstock and fretboard inlays. Both supremely great guitars, neither to be equaled again in the history of mass guitar production, but you’ve always had a nagging sense that his was the better guitar. Gibson bought Epiphone because they made such great instruments; natural colour tops were always more expensive than shaded (which hid the imperfections); Epiphone’s appointments far exceeded Gibson’s, and the list goes on and on.

Playing it, it sounds fantastic with a rich, open and commanding voice, and you begin to see why this was the top of the range vintage guitar of its day. We have it setup with D'Addario EJ21 .012 - .052 strings.

With later (60s) hard case, this guitar is in excellent condition. It has a replacement pickguard and floating pickup (not fitted). There is a 1cm ding at the back of the neck behind the B string at the 12th fret. It sounds magnificent – you will not be disappointed and if you are, you shall have your money back!

Epiphone Triumph features

• 17½” body with f holes natural colour
• Solid carved figured maple body with highly figured hand carved spruce top
• 5 piece maple neck
• Brazilian rosewood fretboard with fancy ivoroid fretboard markers
• 1-11/16” width at nut
• 25½” scale length
• Frequensator tailpiece
• Adjustable rosewood bridge
• Early Epiphone logo and Fluer de lys headstock inlay on headstock
• Individual closed Epiphone tuners with fancy buttons
• 1960s plush lined hard case

Epi Triumph tags:

Vintage Jazz guitar, f hole acoustic, Epiphone Triumph, Epiphone acoustic, Gibson L7, L-7, hand carved top, spruce top, maple body, five piece neck, f hole guitar, swing era