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1936 Epiphone Deluxe, Fan Inlay

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Serial #: 10038, white Long Island Masterbuilt label.

Body size at lower bout: 17 1/8". Scale length: 25.5" Nut Width: 1 9/16"

Finish: Sunburst finish, nitrocellulose type

Materials: Handcarved bookmatched solid spruce top; solid tiger-flame maple back, neck and sides; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with rare fan pattern mother of pearl inlay; ornate vine peghead inlay; bound fingerboard and peghead; 5-ply body binding.

Hardware: Vintage gold Frequensator tailpiece and adjustable compensated Epiphone ebony bridge, correct gold Grover Sta-Tite tuners with butterbean keys; triple bound tortoise pickguard.

Notes: Debuting in 1931, the Deluxe was introduced as Epiphone's top-of the line guitar, but it's unclear how many were actually built until 1933, the first year that serial numbers for this model appear in Fisch and Fred's index. This guitar, built in early1936, would have been one of the first made in the 17" Masterbuilt body style. A very rare transitional model, this guitar the asymmetrical headstock of the earliest Masterbilt guitars together with the modern Epi script logo and the cello style f-holes.

Most distinctively, however, are the fans: almost certainly the rarest inlay design on any Epiphone archtop. Appearing only in a few examples from mid-1935 to early '36, the 'fan' inlay pattern was the immediate predecessor to the famous segmented 'cloud' inlays of the prewar Deluxe. What is beyond doubt is that its among the most striking designs to grace the fingerboard of any guitar. The only other fan inlay Deuxes we've seen have all had the older 16" body. This rare example is the only 17" guitar we've seen to date with this dramatic inlay pattern.

As befits its top-drawer status, the guitar exhibits some extravagantly quilted bookmatched tiger flame maple. Deep 3D flame in the back is echoed in the neck and sides as well. The neck and fingerboard are as straight as a string, and a fresh set of precision frets has been added to highlight its bright, clear and penetrating voice. The guitar has been restored to mint condition, with a factory correct vintage Epi style sunburst by SF luthier Bill Reinhart, a freshly replated vintage Frequensator tailpiece, vintage Epi compensated ebony bridge, and correct Grover butterbean tuners with smooth 18X1 gearing.

The neck is notably slim and fast, and ideal for the player looking for prewar tone without the clubby profile often found on the older guitars. The voice has the warmth and projection the Deluxe is renowned for. A great player with spectacular looks, materials, and performance this guitar represents a rare opportunity to own and play one of the scarcest and most compellingly attractive archtops of the prewar era.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, crowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridgewheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Plushlined hardshell case.

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