Epiphone Guitars: A Short History

Epiphone Guitars: A Short History

The video traces Epiphone’s journey from an independent American instrument maker and major Gibson rival to Gibson’s import-oriented sister brand—and, more recently, to a company making increasingly high-quality, historically styled instruments.

Early Years and Rivalry with Gibson

• Founded in 1890 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in Smyrna, Turkey, the business moved to the United States in 1903, arriving during a mandolin boom. It initially built roundback mandolins.
• After Anastasios died in 1913, his 22-year-old son Epi took over. Epi was a skilled craftsman, musician, and businessman with close ties to New York’s music scene.
• The company adopted the Epiphone name in 1923, based on a line of tenor banjos Epi designed. It became successful during the 1920s banjo and mandolin craze.
• Epiphone introduced its first guitars, the Recording models, in 1928. As Gibson gained prominence with its archtop guitars, Epiphone began competing directly, often building larger, louder, and more elaborately appointed instruments.
• Epiphone entered the electric-guitar market in 1935 and developed a range of archtops by 1939. Its top-of-the-line Deluxe, released in 1940, was designed to challenge Gibson’s L-5.

War, Leadership Problems, and Gibson’s Acquisition

• World War II disrupted production, and Epi’s death from leukemia in 1943 left the company to his sons. Labor difficulties—including a 1951 strike—further weakened the business.
• Gibson, meanwhile, benefited from the leadership of Ted McCarty, who became president in 1948 and guided the company through major product and business changes.
• In 1957, Gibson bought Epiphone for $20,000. McCarty had initially thought the deal concerned only Epiphone’s bass division, but it included the whole company, its factory, equipment, stock, and brand.
• Gibson moved Epiphone production to its Kalamazoo factory. The plan was to offer guitars close in quality to Gibson models but with some differences—such as mini-humbuckers instead of full-size humbuckers—and to use Epiphone as a second brand.
• The 1958 lineup reused historic Epiphone names, including Century, Zephyr, Emperor, Texan, and Frontier. In practice, many Epiphone models were priced close to their Gibson counterparts, making the intended distinction between the brands less clear.
• Sales gradually grew, helped in part by Epiphone’s distinct solid-body designs, including the Wilshire and Coronet, championed by salesman and clinician Andy Nelson.

The Casino and the 1960s Peak

• Epiphone introduced the Casino in 1961. It combined a double-cutaway design with a fully hollow body.
• Keith Richards bought and used a Casino before Paul McCartney did. McCartney later made the model famous through his work with the Beatles and as a solo artist; John Lennon and George Harrison also acquired Casinos.
• The Casino’s popularity grew sharply in the mid-1960s. The video connects this rise to high-profile players and the wider explosion in guitar sales.
• By 1965, Epiphones made up nearly one-fifth of Gibson’s instrument shipments. However, increasing competition from Japanese imports contributed to falling sales in 1966.
• U.S. Epiphone production ended in 1970. Gibson sold remaining stock at discounts and shifted the brand toward imported guitars.

Import Years and Brand Repositioning

• Gibson first contracted with Japanese maker Matsumoku. Early imports were inexpensive and often copies of popular Fender- or Martin-style instruments rather than continuations of Epiphone’s older designs.
• The import line later expanded, including models that drew more directly on Epiphone’s own earlier styles. Some production also moved to Taiwan as manufacturing costs changed.
• During the 1980s, Gibson revived historic models and introduced some U.S.-made Epiphones, while much of the import range was produced in Korea by Samick.
• In 1986, new owners acquired Gibson and Epiphone. They leaned into demand for affordable imported guitars, adding recognizable Gibson-style instruments to Epiphone’s range.
• Les Paul Standard and Custom Epiphones appeared in 1989. The lineup also included models such as SG-style guitars, signature instruments, and accessible jazz guitars, including the Joe Pass Emperor.
• Epiphone sales rose substantially during this period, prompting the company to invest more attention in the brand and place staff closer to production in Korea.

Renewed Attention to Epiphone’s Identity and Quality

• In the 1990s, Epiphone mixed affordable imports with limited U.S.-made reissues and artist models. The company brought back instruments such as the Coronet, Texan, and Frontier, while also offering guitars associated with artists including Joe Pass, John Lee Hooker, and Noel Gallagher.
• Production expanded beyond Korea. Epiphone opened a factory in Qingdao, China, in 2002, with training from experienced U.S. and Korean workers.
• Epiphone also launched the Japanese-made Elite, later renamed Elitist, line. These guitars cost more than the Chinese-made models and were distinguished by higher-grade components and U.S.-wound pickups. The line earned a reputation for quality.
• In more recent years, Epiphone has continued to offer affordable versions of Gibson designs while reviving some of its own distinctive models.
• The video highlights the Inspired by Gibson collection, introduced in 2020, as an effort to improve the specifications and historical character of Epiphone guitars. Features discussed include a more recognizable open-book-style headstock, rosewood fingerboards, and thinner nitrocellulose finishes.
• Gibson also produced small U.S.-made runs of the Casino in 2021 and the Texan in 2022.

Main Takeaway

Epiphone’s history is not simply the story of a budget alternative to Gibson. It began as a serious competitor with its own influential designs and identity. After Gibson acquired it, the brand’s role shifted repeatedly—from a close Kalamazoo-made counterpart to an import label and, more recently, to a brand combining accessible Gibson-style models with higher-quality revivals of Epiphone’s own history.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Keith Williams — narrator and host of Five Watt World.
• John Cordy — guitar-playing clips used with permission.
• Carter Vintage — supplied playing examples of Epiphone guitars.
• Gibson records — cited in connection with Casino production and shipment figures.
• Bruce Bolan — recalled Gibson’s transition to imported Epiphones and the end of U.S. production.
• Walter Carter — author of The Epiphone Guitar Book, recommended as a reference.
• TrueFire — video sponsor; its promotional material is read by the narrator.