Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips
archtop.com
1953 Epiphone Devon
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 by 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 #: 65999, New York label
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2". Nut width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Original blonde finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type
Materials: Handcarved solid bookmatched bearclaw spruce top; solid cherry neck with walnut centerstripe; arched maple back and sides; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with distictive oval fingerboard inlays, art-deco mother-of-pearl peghead inlay and Epiphone logo, triple-bound body, bound fingerboard.
Hardware: All original hardware includes nickel open back oval button tuners; bound red swirl tortoise pickguard; "Patent Applied For" nickel Frequensator tailpiece; compensated solid rosewood bridge; hex-key adjustable truss rod and cover.
Notes: The Devon is the rarest of all full-size Epiphone acoustics, made in small numbers only between 1949 and 1956. The guitar has the 17 3/8" body size and the long 25 1/2" scale of the Deluxe, Broadway and Triumph models, with whom it is structurally identical. Like these more commonly-seen models, the Devon also has a solid hand carved spruce top, figured Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, and the trademark Frequensator tailpiece.
This rare example is one of very few Devon models finished in natural blonde. But rarer still is the body itself. Reference works indicate that the blonde Devon was not introduced until 1954, and then was available only with white mahogany (Primavera) back and sides. This guitar, however, was built a year earlier, and is constructed with a body of arched slab-cut maple, with a light 'bubble' figure in the grain. Moreover, the solid carved spruce soundboard is deeply interlaced with 'bearclaw' cross grain (a feature often associated with Adirondack spruce) of an intensity we've never seen elsewhere.
The guitar is in wonderful condition, without pick, buckle or thumb or fingerboard wear, and the original blonde finish has aged to a warm, deep amber. Binding is original and tight to the body, and the Frequensator tailpiece has been reinforced from inside the bend. A pair of short grainline cracks near the bass f-hole have been soundly resealed, and a small chip of veneer has been replaced in the peghead, right by the logo. The action is smooth and fast over fresh pro frets and a slim comfy neck profile. The voice is loud, clear and focused, with exceptional power and projection. A rare and attractive example of one of the scarcest Epis ever, a delight for player and collector alike.
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: Plush hardshell case.
