1951 Epiphone Zephyr electric mando

[nmiller]

Two of my interests are obscure vintage mandolins and pre-Gibson Epiphones, so I couldn't resist when I saw this one:

It was built in 1951, and it's mostly original. The pickguard rotted away over time (as happens to the plastic parts on many Epiphones from the era) and was replaced with a reasonable replica. The outgassing from the original guard caused some heavy checking to the finish and a little decay of the binding, but it's very localized and mostly covered by the new guard. It came with newer knobs, so I borrowed some correct ones from another instrument for the photos. The body is all laminated maple, and there's a light birdseye pattern on the back.

The neck is very chunky to compensate for the lack of a truss rod, but there is only a little relief and it plays well up the neck with medium strings. The sound is very crisp and clear, becoming smooth and jazzy with a small turn of the tone knob. It's not as shrill as you might expect given the position of the pickup so close to the bridge. The "New York" style pickup is one of the quietest single-coil pickups I've heard, probably due to the solid metal cover. Balance across the strings is good but not perfect because the poles can't be raised much before they hit the strings. Still, the mandolin has pretty hot output and good sustain for a hollowbody.

[Jake Wildwood]

Pre-Gib Epis are classy rigs in any variety. I always love em to death when they're in the shop. Enjoy & thanks for posting!

[Jim Garber]

I love Epiphones. They still don't get as much respect as they deserve. One of my favorite archtops is my 1934 roundhole Spartan.

[Bruce Clausen]

Cute! I had the matching guitar model from the same era, some decades back. It too had a chunky neck, a V-shape that I filed down to suit me (yes, filed). And it also had the string balance problem— I remember I had to remove the B-string screw entirely to get a reasonable match with the G. Really good basic instrument.

[nmiller]

One of my favorite archtops is my 1934 roundhole Spartan.

I also love oval-hole archtops! I'll be that's a great guitar.

And it also had the string balance problem— I remember I had to remove the B-string screw entirely to get a reasonable match with the G.

It's kind of odd, considering that Epiphone patented the first pickup with individual string adjustment. I have a few Epi lap steels from the '30s through the late '40s, and they all have better balance than this mandolin - even those without adjustable pickups.

[Wolfmanbob]

I have a Zephyr guitar. Love it! Love Epi's. This is something cool I've never seen or even heard of!

[Jim Garber]

I also love oval-hole archtops! I'll be that's a great guitar.

I was selling at a big guitar show quite a few years ago in Boston and a guy came in with the Epiphone. I was trying to sell and not buy. But I played it and it was in great shape and sounded wonderful. I told him to take it around and if no one else bought it i would make him an offer. He came back to me after about half an hour and I bought it for a reasonable price. My friend and I sat around at a lull and played some tunes and at least two or three of the dealers came up to me and offered to buy it from me. Strange... where were they when it was readily available?

Non-cutaway, roundhole archtops are not the most desirable on the vintage market and Epiphones even less than Gibsons (with the exception of David Rawlings fans). OTOH it is a really nice balanced guitar, great for rhythm swing playing but also a good one for even old time fiddle tune backup.

I believe that '34 was the only year that they made these with round holes. I have seen maybe two others but none in as good a shape as this one. I also love the exclamation point on the headstock.

[Tavy]

Nice, and interesting for sure - any chance of a sound clip - would love to hear how that vintage pickup sounds!

Jim, I like your archtop guitar too: I recently repaired a really nice 1940 f-hole Harmony guitar for a friend, and it was nearly enough to tempt me over to the dark side

[Masterbilt]

Great find - these are pretty rare. Actually all '50s Zephyr Mando examples I have documented (in the NY Epiphone research project I am working on) seem to be from the same serial number range - so possibly only one batch was produced. So it would be interesting to know the s/n of this one to compare.

Interstingly the acoustic mandos (Strand, Rivoli) changed to an oval soundhole when Epiphone reintroduced mandolins in 1950 after a 5-year pause, while the electric model stayed with f-holes.

[nmiller]

Nice, and interesting for sure - any chance of a sound clip - would love to hear how that vintage pickup sounds!

I'll try and record one in the next couple of days.

Great find - these are pretty rare. Actually all '50s Zephyr Mando examples I have documented (in the NY Epiphone research project I am working on) seem to be from the same serial number range - so possibly only one batch was produced. So it would be interesting to know the s/n of this one to compare.

The serial is 62061. This is actually the second Zephyr I've had. The other was a blonde one with the pickup a bit closer to the neck, and I sold it because it needed more work than I wanted to pay for.

What's the story on this Epiphone research? I have four Epi lap steels from '35 through '49 and I'm always curious to learn what I can about them.

[Masterbilt]

I'll try and record one in the next couple of days.



The serial is 62061. This is actually the second Zephyr I've had. The other was a blonde one with the pickup a bit closer to the neck, and I sold it because it needed more work than I wanted to pay for.

What's the story on this Epiphone research? I have four Epi lap steels from '35 through '49 and I'm always curious to learn what I can about them.

Thanks - s/n 62061 is obviously from the same batch as the other '50s Zephyr Mandos in my database which are in the s/n range between 62043 and 62065. Interestingly, their features vary slightly, eg pickup position and fretboard inlays.

My NY Epiphone research project: Over the last few years I have been collecting info about surviving Epiphone instruments (pre-Kalamazoo era) - with s/n, model, feature descriptions, and photos. Today my database includes c. 2500 documented instruments, with a total of 18500 photos. My goal is to make the info available in the near future - on a website similar to and inspired by Dan Beimborn's great Mandolin Archive. When it's ready I will announce it in this and other forums.

Owners of pre-1957 Epiphone instruments are welcome to contribute info. Also if you have specific questions about Epiphone instruments and their history etc. - just send me a PM. I love to discuss this stuff...

[Nevin]

Masterbit, I don't know if you have this information but Molly Kay over at Talkbass has been documenting Epiphone upright bass history. Here is a link to her site. http://www.bassmonkey.net/

[Masterbilt]

Masterbit, I don't know if you have this information but Molly Kay over at Talkbass has been documenting Epiphone upright bass history. Here is a link to her site. http://www.bassmonkey.net/

Nevin - thanks - yes, I know it, excellent website!

My research does not include basses or banjos at this time. I focus on the acoustic and electric guitar (incl Hawaiian) and mando family instruments plus amps.

[nmiller]

Thanks - s/n 62061 is obviously from the same batch as the other '50s Zephyr Mandos in my database which are in the s/n range between 62043 and 62065. Interestingly, their features vary slightly, eg pickup position and fretboard inlays.

My NY Epiphone research project: Over the last few years I have been collecting info about surviving Epiphone instruments (pre-Kalamazoo era) - with s/n, model, feature descriptions, and photos. Today my database includes c. 2500 documented instruments, with a total of 18500 photos. My goal is to make the info available in the near future - on a website similar to and inspired by Dan Beimborn's great Mandolin Archive. When it's ready I will announce it in this and other forums.

Owners of pre-1957 Epiphone instruments are welcome to contribute info. Also if you have specific questions about Epiphone instruments and their history etc. - just send me a PM. I love to discuss this stuff...

Thanks - this sounds like a great idea. I feel like Epiphone doesn't get the respect it deserves now that an entire generation of guitarists know it only as a cheaper import brand. Here are my steels for your database:

1935 Electrophone, no serial
1936 Model M (s/n 334)
1938 Model C with matching amp (s/n 1877 and 1414, respectively)
ca. 1949 Duo Console (s/n 100036)

[Jim Garber]

Those steels are very cool, Noah. I esp like that "E" amp set. Epiphone was a great company from its beginnings with House of Stathopoulo thru Epi and until the end. I love some of the more oddball things and would love to get an Epiphone upright bass one day. A friend of mine keeps pestering me to sell him my exclamation point Spartan but it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

[Masterbilt]

Noah - thanks, great collection and website, excellent photos and info, too! Included in my database.
Jim - love those exclamation point headstocks... my '34 Zenith has one, too. Below a few of our prewar Epiphones.
Felix

[delsbrother]

I've posted about this before on this forum, and not sure if you already know this, but the book Swing Era New York - The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson contains several vintage photographs of prewar Epi archtops, mostly tenors and plectrums played by Eddie Condon. I really love the sensuous curves of the noncutaway Epis, along with the neat banjo-ish headstocks and inlays. It's been awhile since I've looked at my copy, but I'm guessing there may be some six stringers in there too. NFI

[Samjessin]

I am rewiring the pick up on one of these right now and I am having trouble. I am pretty new to wiring and followed a diagram. There are three wires coming out of the pick up. A white thicker gauge and two green cloth with four very small gauge wires inside. The white and green were previously wired together. Any help would be appreciated.

[Verne Andru]

3 wires can be hot/cold/ground.