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1946 Epiphone Broadway
Status: Pricing and hold status for all instruments currently available is shown on our Instruments page here. If this instrument does not appear on the Instruments page it has been sold, and is no longer available. Photos and descriptions of Previously Sold instruments may be found here. To be notified of examples of this model or similar instruments in the future, please contact [email protected],. Please be specific on which instrument(s) you're looking for, and we'll be happy to contact you as soon as they become available.
Serial #: 54321, blue New York label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2". Nut width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Amber blonde finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type
Materials: Solid carved bubble figure maple back and sides; solid bookmatched quartersawn carved spruce top; solid cherry neck with 3-ply walnut/maple centerstripe; ornate vine style mother-of-pearl peghead inlay and distinctive block fingerboard inlays in lightly colored abalone, triple-bound body, bound fingerboard and headstock.
Hardware: Original gold hardware includes Frequensator tailpiece and epsilon-logo 16X1 tuners; Brazilian rosewood/maple bridge (serial number stamped on underside matches label number); hex-key adjustable truss rod. Vintage bound Epiphone tiger stripe pickguard
Notes: We love forties Broadways, and we're not alone. We just can't seem to keep these guitars in stock. With the same body, materials and hardware as a Deluxe, at a player's price, the Broadway is an exceptional value in a true Golden Era archtop. This rare blonde example is crafted of bubble-figure birdseye maple of simply astonishing intensity. (Much scarcer today than tiger or curly maple, bubble or blister maple is quite costly by comparison, when it can be found at all.) Together with the deeply ambered carved spruce soundboard, this guitar has a richly burnished look that only decades of careful aging can impart.
Owned by just one family since new, this magnificent guitar has been maintained in superb condition, without cracks, pick or buckle wear. All original hardware is in place, including a rare original unstamped Frequensator tailpiece, seen only on instruments from this immediate poswar period, and a simply gorgeous vintage Epi tiger-stripe pickguard, still gleaming almost 70 years after manufacture. Apart from a trace of rust stain under the pickguard bracket, the guitar is in simply uncanny condition, with block pearl fingerboard inlays and the elegant vine peghead inlay forming one of our favorite design combinations. The neck has a contemporary gentle medium C profile, with beautifully dressed fresh medium fretwork making this guitar gig-ready right out of the case. (Which by the way is an original Epi logo hardshell, every bit as stunning as the guitar itself.)
Best of all, the voice. The soundboard is carved to exceptionally fine tolerances, and the guitar is notably light in weight, barely 5lb. 10 oz. A bit of honest thumbwear on the neck is a clue to the exceptionally powerful sound of this instrument. When combined with the decades of vigorous play, this light, stiff soundboard produces an instrument of phenomenal projection and responsiveness: the notes simply jump off the soundbox with startling clarity and definition. An exceptional example of one of Epiphone's most desirable archtops, every bit as gorgeous in tone as appearance. Call now.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned 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: Original brown Epiphone deluxe arched hardshell case, with epsilon logo in plush under lid.
