Epiphone?

Hill Phillips · Post by **Hill Phillips** » 13 Sep 2000 12:58 pm

have run across An Epiphone Electar steel guitar that
I know absolutely nothing about and apparently
he don't know either. I would appreciate some help knowing
what to offer for it with robbing him.
Also anyone heard of one?
Serial no.6708
Electar written on the fret board.
Miessner Inventions Milburn N. J. on a tag in the back.

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 13 Sep 2000 1:09 pm

Hill: The value of the guitar will depend on the condition, whether or not it has all original parts and is accompanied by the original case. Can you provide some more information? In general, Epiphones are much more desirable as collectables (most are quite beautiful) than as players, since the pickups are nowhere the same quality as those on many other instruments of the period.

Hill Phillips · Post by **Hill Phillips** » 13 Sep 2000 2:26 pm

Thanks Ian.
It is all original with original case.
Looks real good and sounds real good.
Needs new strings.
It does have a small place that looks like a soldering iron got a little too close.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Hill Phillips on 13 September 2000 at 03:28 PM.]</p></FONT>

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 15 Sep 2000 7:47 pm

Hill: The prices of these instruments seem to vary more than most. They're very collectable, and their sheer physical appearance sometimes pushes their value beyond what they're reasonably worth as players. Personally, I wouldn't be inclined to pay much more than $300 for one in excellent condition, but you may see ones even in so-so condition selling for much more.

Tim Rowley · Post by **Tim Rowley** » 16 Sep 2000 11:07 pm

L.T. Zinn has one of these, a 1938 doubleneck on legs. It looks great and sounds AWESOME. I'm assuming that the pickups have either been rewound or changed, probably just rewound. I haven't looked that closely at the guitar but maybe will get a chance to check it out more carefully in October. Betcha L.T. wouldn't take $2000 for his Electar! Tim R.

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 17 Sep 2000 6:06 am

Tim:
Does this guitar have conventional pickups or horseshoe ones? The pickups on the earliest Epiphones directly copied the Rickenbacher design (Rickenbacher quickly got an injunction and Epiphone was forced to change design). I've never played one of these guitars, but am told they sound comparable to pre-war Rickenbachers.

Eric Stumpf · Post by **Eric Stumpf** » 17 Sep 2000 1:44 pm

I was going to speak up when Ian expressed his opinion about early Epi's but he's such a nice guy I didn't want to rock the boat!! To tell the truth, I would have to say the the Epiphone steel guitar with the Rick-style horseshoe magnet pickup is one of the best sounding guitars I've ever owned. I have a 1936 Model M 7-stringer with two tone controls. '36 was the only year they offered this feature on their steels and it has to be heard to be believed. The guitar Noel Boggs broke into "the biz" with was a double 8 Epiphone "Rocco" model (with these very same pickups) and this guitar is what you hear on all the pre-1946 recordings he played on. The info re: his playing a Rickenbacher during that period in incorrect. I'd give up my Stringmaster before I'd let that wonderful Epi go!

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 17 Sep 2000 5:10 pm

Hey, Eric, thanks for going so easy on me!
In response to Hill's initial question, I should have mentioned that the early Epiphones (which are of course comparatively rare) have very different pickups from the later models. I actually have fairly limited experience with the latter, too, but what I have has done nothing to challenge the Epiphone reputation as a great guitar with a lousy pickup. A friend lent me a Century for a couple of weeks one time, and it was in every respect one of the best looking, nicest playing guitars I've ever seen. The only problem was it sounded terrible - no high end, no low end and not much in the middle. I thought it might be a problem with that particular instrument, but others I've tried since haven't been much different. What are other people's experiences?

John Borchard · Post by **John Borchard** » 18 Sep 2000 7:00 am

I have to agree with Ian. I had an Electar and it was a beautiful guitar that sounded pretty weak. The pickup looked somewhat like a Charlie Christian in that it had a blade rather than individual pole pieces but it had rounded ends. I've played others of the same vintage ('36-'38) and found them to be pretty consistent.

JB