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Big, bold, blonde and beautiful! This vintage 1959 Epiphone Broadway is truly a stunning archtop guitar. This is one of the classic Gibson-produced guitars, after Gibson bought out Epiphone in the late 1950s. Produced in Gibson's Kalamazoo factory, but at this stage still using the original stockpile of Epiphone parts, such as the "New York" pickups on this guitar. The pronounced "V" shape neck is also a New York item, with the peghead shape also being a clue in this regard. The natural or blond models commanded a premium price, as they used the best timbers (flaws could be hidden by a sunburst or coloured finish). This vintage guitar displays its "nat" designation on the label, with "E251 NAT" accompanying the 1959 serial number of 2338. Condition is astounding - no checking of the original finish, no scratches or wear, good fretboard with very minor fretwear (original frets appear never to have been dressed). Very close inspection shows two very small chips - one on the edge of the front face upper treble bout, and another on the back of the neck. Other than these tiny flaws I cannot overstate the perfection of this guitar. Consistent with other Epis and Gibsons of this period, three of the tuning knobs have shrivelled. Some of the batches of celluloid knobs of the period shrivelled, while others didn't. Normally they will appear randomly on a given guitar of the period, but interestingly on this guitar, the shrivelled knobs are all on the one side! Totally original, with its beautiful white bakelite octagonal knobs and 'frequensator' tailpiece. The case with this guitar is not original, but is a very sturdy vintage hard case. Sold to Craig in Rhode Island, USA
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