Epiphone question

[bradeinhorn]

anyone familiar with this model? my buddy was over this evening for some picking and he brought his beater (nugget is in the shop. wah wah)

anyway-just curious about this model - the date 1937 was stamped on it. could that be correct? the serial number was something like 127198. the sound really surprised me, it needs a new bridge, but seemed to have pretty good mojo:

[bradeinhorn]

pic:

[bradeinhorn]

headstock (mirrored - sorry). dig the string coils:

[cooper4205]

it looks like this 1966 Epiphone Venetian (http://www.vintagemandolin.com/66epivenetian_501614.html); it really looks like an A-50, so it might have been made after gibson bought the company?

[Jim Garber]

I believe that pre-Gibson Epiphones did not have model numbers, only names. A six-digit serial number also indicated Gibson which would put it around 1963.

Jim

[bradeinhorn]

thanks jim-that is helpful - any idea if they have any value? perhaps someone was goofing with the label - found out the em-66 was the same as the gibson em150...though that was an electric mandolin..

cooper-it is not like an a-50 - the neck is longer to the body and has much slimmer profile. the pictures didn't really show that.

[bradeinhorn]

one other quirk-the serial number on the label is stamped on the back of the headstock.

[johnl]

The serial stamped into the headstock is a good thing; that makes it a Kalamazoo Epi instead of a MIJ. As for value, I think the last one I saw on the auction site went for around $600, but it's probably been a year or so since I've seen one; they may go for higher now.

[bradeinhorn]

yeah - the label inside says kalamazoo. charles from mandolin world headquarters put it to 1963.