Epiphone MM70 1984 Made in Japan

[DaveyMando]

A rare instrument, i'm looking at it tomorrow to perhaps purchase for $750. If anyone in the cafe has experience or insight about this model please share. Thanks!

Epiphone MM70 Master series MIJ 1984 F style mandolin

Hand crafted Master series 30 year old mandolin.

Very rare piece, Made in Japan in 1984.

Pictures don't do it justice.

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[mandroid]

Saga Imports Has Been changing suppliers as the other ones were getting less profitable for the target Price points.

[barney 59]

Saga Imports Has Been changing suppliers as the other ones were getting less profitable for the target Price points.

This is Saga? I always thought that Epiphone was a import brand for Gibson.(Since the 60's anyway)
The Japanese versions of these is probably superior to the later Korean made Epiphones. My only experience with any of these has been picking them up in stores and they weren't all that great. Maybe this is an early one and maybe handcrafted after all but there is nothing about any Epi that I've seen that made me think they were "handcrafted". I don't think you could call them "rare" either and sometimes there are reasons that something is rare anyway and not necessarily a bragging point. Kentucky mandolins within the price range of the Epi's always seemed like a better deal to me.

[Dave Greenspoon]

Have you had a chance to play it? Do you like it? if so, then why worry about it? IMO, that's a great price point for a used, solid wood, nearly-vintage carved instrument. I've picked on a few earlier (70's) MIJ and understand why Gibson was so afraid of Ibanez; Ibanez was making a better F-5 than they were!

[allenhopkins]

"Hand crafted" and "Master series" don't mean a lot when it's a factory-made-in-Japan mandolin from the period when Gibson was establishing Epiphone as an import line, rather than a US-made "budget/alternative" catalog of what were basically Gibson guitars (and a few electric mandolins).

Having said that, what seems to be the case is that it's at least solid woods, probably carved top and back (it was Epi's most expensive mando at the time, I believe), and so not badly overpriced at $750.

Don't get hung up over its "rarity." Not a collector's item, and "rare" probably just means they didn't import or sell that many -- might be a good reason for that. With the exception of a few models from well-respected Japanese shops, like the Sumi-made Kentucky mandolins, differentiating among the various Japanese instruments of that period is not too useful. The same factory or factories could have produced F-model mandolins for several US or Japanese labels.

[JH Murray]

I saw it in the local Kijiji ads. Looks interesting. Definitely not rare. But it was the top of the line model for Epiphone at the time. If it plays well it is worth the price. The poster buys and sells vintage instruments, so I'm sure there's room for negotiating the final price.

[lenf12]

The asking price is a bit too ambitious. $450 is about top dollar imho otherwise you could do a lot better with a $750 Kentucky. Shop wisely!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL