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1949 Epiphone Triumph Regent, First Year
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Serial #: 59749, New York label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2" Neck width at nut: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .93/.109
Materials: Bookmatched solid carved spruce soundboard; solid carved maple back, sides and neck; 5 piece cherry neck with walnut centerstripe; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with diamond mother of pearl inlay; adjustable compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge, pearl peghead inlay, triple-bound top, bound fingerboard, back and headstock.
Hardware: Nickel 16X1 epsilon logo Epi tuners; vintage correct bound firestripe tortoise shell tortoise pickguard; recent Frequensator style tailpiece; original adjustable compensated ebony bridge.
Notes: Epiphone debuted its new Triumph Regent model in 1949. The cutaway version of Epis most popular professional archtop, the Triumph Regent was manufactured in New York for only about three years, and is accordingly much scarcer than either its counterpart, the Gibson L-7C, or the non-cutaway version of the Triumph model. The Epiphone's Venetian cutaway is deeper than Gibson's, allowing greater access to the uppermost frets, and cutaway Epis tend to have greater acoustic projection than their Kalamazoo rivals as well.
With an unusually powerful voice, Triumph Regents are among the very few cutaway guitars that can compare favorably in volume with their noncutaway contemporaries. (It's only a pity Epiphone didn't make more of them. Production tapered off sharply after 1953, and dwindled to a mere handful by the firm's demise in 1956.)
This rare example is from that debut year, and is only the second cutaway Triumph from the forties we have seen here to date. This remarkable instrument has been well maintained, and is free of pick, buckle, or thumb wear. All binding is tight to the body, the epsilon logo 16:1 Epiphone tuners work smoothly, and the Frequensator style tailpiece is rock solid. The original dark sunburst finish is intact, and still shows traces of light age checking, under a bit of light overspray. A pair of tight hairline cracks at the bottom of the treble soundhole have been soundly cleated, and the instrument shows no other structural repairs otherwise. The maple back is solid carved, and the matching maple neck is a welcome contrast to later versions of the model, which were built with mahogany or cherry necks.
Action is smooth and low over a fresh high precision setup, and the neck has a comfy light V profile, easy in the hand. The voice is notably clear and open, reflecting its decades of play, with resonant bass, focused mids, and sparkling reverb in the upper register. And power, with exceptional projection and cutting power.
Oh, and that firestripe pickguard: how cool is that? A rare opportunity to acquire a truly pioneering instrument, from the dawn of the modern jazz guitar. One only: 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 wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel 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.
Case: Deluxe black plush lined hardshell case.
