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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 #: 54333, blue New York label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut width: 1 11/16" Neck depth: .93/1.02, 1st/10th frets
Materials: Solid carved tiger maple back and sides; solid carved Adirondack spruce top; solid cherry neck with 3-ply walnut/maple centerstripe; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard; ornate vine style mother-of-pearl peghead and fingerboard inlay; triple-bound body; bound fingerboard and headstock.
Hardware: Original gold hardware includes epsilon-logo 16X1 tuners; adjustable compensated bridge (serial number stamped on maple base); original Frequensator string tines with chrome retainer; hex-key adjustable truss rod. Vintage correct bound tortoise shell pickguard installed.
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 fine example is crafted of highly figured tiger flame maple, with a bookmatched, quartersawn Adirondack spruce soundboard.
Original gold hardware includes the epsilon logo sealed Epiphone 16:1 tuners, and the adjustable compensated bridge with rosewood saddle and rock maple base, with the instrument's serial number stamped on its underside. The two gold Frequensator tailpiece tines are original as well, with a replacement chrome retainer, in the original design. A gorgeous vintage correct bound leopard shell pickguard, made from an original template, is installed as well. The block pearl fingerboard inlays and the elegant vine peghead inlay form one of our favorite design combinations, contrasting elegantly with the deep amber blonde finish.
The neck has a gentle light V profile, with beautifully dressed original fretwork making this guitar gig-ready right out of the case. The soundboard is carved to exceptionally fine tolerances, and the guitar is phenomenally light in weight, barely 5lb. 7 oz. The voice is powerful, with excellent clarity, and the headroom to project cleanly under aggressive pick attack: a true horn killer if ever there was one.
Examples in blonde finish are rare, and sold at a premium price when new. The quartersawn Adirondack spruce soundboard has ambered to a deep pumpkin hue, showing only some scattered pick marks near the guard, and gorgeous bookmatched figured maple in the back and sides. Preserved in lovely original condition, this gleaming guitar is nestled in its original Epiphone deluxe hardshell case, every bit as handsome as the instrument itself. A most attractive example of one of Epiphone's most desirable archtops, as gorgeous in tone as appearance. One only: call now.
Setup: 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-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" 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.
