Epiphone brand today is likely to evoke thoughts of budgetfriendly, overseas-made Gibson alternatives that have worn that badge for the past several decades. But the brand began as a seminal American guitar maker and one of the “big three” of the early archtop, alongside Gibson and Gretsch. The subject shown here hails from the earliest days of Gibson’s ownership of Epiphone, a time when the maker’s own distinctive features were still prevalent throughout the design. At first glance, this 1959 Epiphone Sheraton might look relatively familiar, yet a closer probe reveals a wealth of unusual details that
