Pretty cool Epi Tenor w/old P.U

[Dobe]

60's would be my guess, he's probably hoping for a bit much though.
http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/msg/4675046164.html

[mrmando]

I think I've been to that guitar shop in Louisville where the appraisal was done. If I had that guitar and some shop appraised it to sell for that much, I'd consign it on the spot.

[Nevin]

I think that appriasal is off by a factor of ten.

[ombudsman]

Fictional appraisals are getting to be classic Craigslist ad content.

Sellers like fictional appraisals because they are free and never bring bad news...

[jaycat]

It always makes me nervous when someone says an instrument is "perfect for a collector."

[Dobe]

It always makes me nervous when someone says an instrument is "perfect for a collector."

Yep, and when they date it from 58' to 70' you really have to wonder about the appraiser.

[barney 59]

The value of a Ft-79 or later "Texan" guitar is somewhere in the 2 to $3000 range. The early 40's 50's FT- 79's were laminated maple bodies the Texan was solid mahogany. The Texan was manufactured from '58 to '70 and that would explain the estimated date. I think maybe they were actually Gibson made for Epiphone. I don't know anything about Epi serial numbers but if it has a Gibson serial # from that period they are pretty much incomprehensible and I think by design to hide production numbers. This is a tenor --they made a Texan tenor? Who knew! If rare interests a collector I think this is pretty rare.

[Jim Garber]

Generally tenors go for much less comparative 6-strings. Rare, yes, but as desirable, not so sure. Tenor guitars are much more popular than they were a few years ago but still are in the super-minority.

[barney 59]

I still would bet if this showed up at a Schoenberg's or a Retrofret it would have a pretty big number on the hang tag! It's a big bodied tenor it appears. That is even less common and might be of interest to a performer. Neko Case maybe...I think she might be somewhat responsible for the renewed interest in tenors.

[Jeff Mando]

I'm with Barney on this. Pretty rare guitar. A mid-60's Texan 6 string brings big money because that's what Paul McCartney played "Yesterday" on, on the Ed Sullivan Show. I think this is rarer in terms of units produced, but of course, less buyers who play tenor.

[Steve Davis]

The seller clearly stated that it is not in mint condition and that he/she is open to offers. I think it's cool. If you factor in the additional cost for the needed repairs you might get a nice instrument at a low price.

[mrmando]

Big-bodied tenors tend not to sound all that great. Unless, of course, they are named Pavarotti.

[barney 59]

But they can be loud.... One of the sadist things I ever saw was an Advanced Jumbo ( a real one!) that had been converted to a tenor. The neck hadn't been replaced however, it was hacked in place! Uglier than that Buick on another thread! The story was that the guitar belonged to a big band leader that had a regular radio show somewhere in the Midwest. He didn't care how it looked, he was on the radio! What he needed was a big sound tenor guitar(my guess is he started his career as a banjo player) to compete with them horns while he chunked those chords and he destroyed a holy grail guitar to get it! He probably bought it new for $250 in 1936 and it still sold for something like 20k even in that condition!

[mrmando]

Yow, that does sound sadist.

[barney 59]

Another Freudian spelling error ---oh well --you know--when the machine doesn't pick it up who's looking ----can hardly read a newspaper anymore with all the spelling errors by former English majors..I was not one of those --I'm a former hillbilly from West (by god) Virginia---I usually do pretty good considering not that many could read up in my holler-- and I have all my teeth!

[allenhopkins]

The Epiphone Texan six-string was a Gibson-made J-50 equivalent with a different headstock and an "e" on the pickguard -- at least the examples I've seen have been. Blonde top, reverse-belly bridge, round shoulders.

This one has a bit of reddish "sunburst" added, which I haven't seen on the six-string Texans. My first good guitar was a Gibson J-50, so I have a bit of a soft spot for them. This tenor Texan's the only four-string I've ever seen of that model. IMHO the round-shoulder Gibsons from the '50's-60's are underrated guitars -- although they're now selling for pretty hefty prices.

[barney 59]

This tenor would be light years better than the TGO on another thread that some were drooling over. I've had some experience with LGO guitars and they're pretty much carpet beaters! A Texan on the other hand or a J50 are pretty nice! Has anyone communicated with this seller?

[Nevin]

I am having a hard time with the value some people are putting on this. It was a mass marketed plywood instrument of no great apperant craftsmanship. Just because it is rare doesn't make it valuable. They may not have sold many simply because they were not very good.

[Jim Garber]

I am having a hard time with the value some people are putting on this. It was a mass marketed plywood instrument of no great apperant craftsmanship. Just because it is rare doesn't make it valuable. They may not have sold many simply because they were not very good.

Yes, this was a factory guitar but I am not sure that it was made of laminated woods. In fact, it was still built in the Gibson factory. There is some info here. Yes, mass-marketed but there are plenty of Gibsons and Martins that could also be called mass marketed, some of which go for quite a large sum.

In any case, we should post the photos because the craigslist listing might vanish any day now.

Here is the listing description:

Selling a rare 4 string Epiphone Tenor Texan. The guitar sounds great and has an old pickup installed. Pickup works but sounds like it has a grounding issue, its quite old as well. Not sure of the date but Wildwood Guitars in Lewisville said it was made from 1958 to 1970 and appraised it around 2500-3000 in mint condition. This guitar is far from mint but a great piece, Frets are slightly worn and has 2 open cracks on the body and one near the soundhole. Bridge, Tuning pegs, neck, and headstock are straight and tight. Perfect guitar for a collector or hobbyist. I currently do not have the space to keep it and would like it to go to the right home. More info and pics upon request. Will entertain reasonable offers. Might be interested in trades. let me know, thanks.

[barney 59]

Mahogany and spruce --no plywood --this is not one of the Epiphones that are produced today. This is from when they were a real company making very nice instruments. Today the Epiphone name is owned by Gibson and used to market a cheap line of Asian imports and they bought and use that name because the name when they started doing that was a name that people recognized as representing quality. A younger generation may not see it that way but the Epiphone name still catches my interest even though I know better! This tenor was made by Gibson and sold as a Epiphone. Someone pointed out that this is a tenor version of a Gibson J-50 (is it true that as a Texan it would have had a longer scale length than a standard J-50?) which if a 6 string guitar and a Gibson would be a 3 to $5000 guitar if in excellent condition. Without the Gibson name attached you can save a grand or so only because these Gibson made instruments are branded Epiphone and not Gibson. I would love to play this one! I did not know until I read the article that Jim Garber posted that when the "Texan" was produced that Gibson already owned Epiphone. I just thought it was some kind of deal between companies.

[Jim Garber]

By the time this guitar was made, Gibson owned Epiphone. Before that Gibson and Epiphone were competitors. Gibson bought them out in 1957.

[allenhopkins]

...(is it true that as a Texan it would have had a longer scale length than a standard J-50?)..

Never knew that, but this article states that Texans were originally made with leftover Epiphone necks that Gibson put on J-50 bodies, slightly longer scale, and that Gibson continued to use a longer neck on the Texan after the leftover necks were used up.

Paul Geremia once told me that country blues players preferred Gibsons to Martins because Gibson necks were a bit shorter, which meant that the strings could be a lower tension and thus were easier to bend. Perhaps Gibson-made Epiphone Texans didn't follow this pattern.

[Jim Garber]

According to Gruhn's Guide, the Epiphone flattops FT-45, FT-79 and FT-110 were re-introduced by Gibson in 1958 as the Cortez, Texan and Frontier. The Texan and Frontier had the longer 25-1/2" scale.

All my flattops are Gibsons and I prefer them for the shorter scale.

[Jeff Mando]

Mahogany and spruce --no plywood --this is not one of the Epiphones that are produced today. This is from when they were a real company making very nice instruments. Today the Epiphone name is owned by Gibson and used to market a cheap line of Asian imports and they bought and use that name because the name when they started doing that was a name that people recognized as representing quality.

Agreed, the old Epiphones are quality instruments and solid wood. A younger generation might only be familiar with the budget-brand Epiphones of today. Hint--this can be a good thing for a buyer at pawn shops and craigslist.