What do you think this Epiphone is worth?

[michaelmichaelson&son]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 7386360486

Any thoughts? might buy this for my wife.
Michael

[KennyLusk]

That's actually a very nice guitar. Epiphone was still making very nice acoustic guitars consistently then.

[hammertime]

I wouldn't have paid that much for it. My uncle has an Epiphone from about the same period -- I think they were Japanese. They have some kind of cool features. If you look to the right and left of the saddle, those two little knobs allow you to raise the saddle, to get higher or lower action -- a kind of cool idea. They don't play all that great, though.

[linus]

Epiphones from the Seventies were largely Japanese made. Note the bolt on neck. (Ughhh!). I'm sure that someone has one that they love and swear it is magic but they are cheap guitars.

$375 seams like $300 too much.

Epiphones of the 60's on the otherhand were Gibsons. Very similar models with different trim and model names. I'm not sure exactly what year the Gibson production of Epiphone acoustics ended and went over to Japanese factories but I'm sure you could google the info.

Epiphone's history (of the top of my head): Epiphone started as an independant guitar company and made very nice Jazz archtops in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. In the 50s Gibson bought the company (to eliminate competion) and eventually started manufacturing Epiphones in the Gibson factory. This lasted until the late 60s or early 70s when Epiphone production was moved to japanese factories, then later Korean and finally Chinese factories. I'm being loose with the details so feel free to correct them if I'm wrong.

[matyas]

I have an Epiphone from that era, pretty much identical to that one. It is Japanese made, but I'm not sure exactly of the year - late '60s or early '70s (it was my Dad's.) I have no idea what it's worth, or how much I could sell it for, but it's actually a decent instrument. I'm not a very serious guitarist myself, but my friends who are have had good things to say about it. It holds tuning pretty well, and it has a very nice resonant, warm tone. It even records well. My biggest complaint is that action is a bit high, but that might just be me, and it's easy enough to have it adjusted. So I would not hesitate to recommend an Epiphone from this era, provided it's in good condition.

[KennyLusk]

I know everyone has they're own opinion but IME the Japanese made Epi's from the 70's on through into '80 and '81 were very solid instruments. I had an Epiphone Genesis II (solidbody dual cutaway) from 1979 that was as decent and solid an instrument as anything Gibson was or is making in the U.S.. People fight for those things on ebay even when they're in very poor condition. Again, just my 2 cents; but I played quite a few Epi AC's and solidbody's during that period and always had a lot of respect for them.

[jkretz]

i have a mid 60s epiphone that my dad gave me (he was the original owner) it is hands down the best acoustic guitar i've ever played (beating out my dad's martin d-41 and a few nice taylors). i now always keep my eye open for 60s epiphone dreadnoughts....