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Topic: A rare old Epiphone brought back to life |
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 8 Mar 2020 7:29 am |
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I have a soft spot for Epiphone steels, particularly the later Model M with the aluminum top plate and the under-string Master Pickup. Those aren't too hard to find, but the Duo Console counterpart is a rare gem indeed. Epiphone consoles from any era are uncommon, but the pre-War examples with aluminum tops are among the rarest electrics the company ever built. Consequently, it was a no-brainer for me to buy this one even knowing that it was likely going to need some restoration. In fact, it ended up needing a complete re-build.
 
You might expect a metal top to counteract string tension well, but it didn't in this case. The metal plate warped like a champ, and in the process it shredded the wooden body underneath. The original body was semi-solid, with a box structure partially filled by braces and blocks made of scrap wood. These were fitted together by dozens of glue joints that all failed as the warping of the top pulled them apart. I brought it to Mark Stoleson of Stol Guitars, and we concluded that the body wasn't worth saving. The primavera-wood veneers were half gone, the binding had disintegrated into powder, and re-doing all those glue joints probably wouldn't stop the instrument from warping again.
Instead, Mark built it a whole new sub-structure. It's made of maple, but with larger pieces and fewer joints, and edged with tortoise binding like the original. He disassembled the top and flattened it before joining it to the new body. A few tuners had been replaced, but I obtained some original Epi units and Mark machined the shafts to fit the tuner pans. Fortunately, the original pickups are in fine condition (albeit, they're so microphonic that you can sing into them and hear yourself through the amp). The tone control is wired as a bass roll-off in reverse; we're not sure if this is original since someone had already monkeyed with the wiring, but it sounds great so I decided to leave it.
The result is pretty much what you'd expect: that warm yet clear Epiphone sound, but with more sustain than any of the lap models. There's a little more depth to the tone as well, not bassier but somehow "bigger" than my Model M. The mute system isn't as handy as a pickup selector toggle, but it works better than the equivalent mutes on Gibson and Vega consoles. I won't be taking this to gigs due to the microphonic pickups, but it's a superb recording instrument.
Last edited by Noah Miller on 3 Jun 2021 8:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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David Knutson
From:
Cowichan Valley, Canada
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Posted 8 Mar 2020 10:28 am
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Nice save, Noah!!  
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David K |
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Steve Marinak
From:
Man O War Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
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Posted 8 Mar 2020 12:09 pm
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Cool, nice restoration.
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Steve Marinak |
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Brad Davis
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2020 12:46 pm
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| Very nice! So much mid-century cool going on there. Great job! |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2020 7:43 pm
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| like the channel aluminum machine heads. are the cool wooden stands in the pics also from epiphone? |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 9 Mar 2020 2:28 am
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| Bill Hatcher wrote: |
| are the cool wooden stands in the pics also from epiphone? |
Those are part of the Electar Grande model, which combined either the Solo or Duo Console with a built-in amp and legs that disassembled into a couple of suitcases:
There's a S6 version played in this video. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2020 5:11 am
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| Noah Miller wrote: |
| Bill Hatcher wrote: |
| are the cool wooden stands in the pics also from epiphone? |
Those are part of the Electar Grande model, which combined either the Solo or Duo Console with a built-in amp and legs that disassembled into a couple of suitcases:
There's a S6 version played in this video. |
now that would be quite the find to have that set up! have to admit...the blond super 400 sort of stole the show for me. |
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G Strout
From:
Carabelle, Florida
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Posted 9 Mar 2020 5:17 pm
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Beautiful job Noah !!!
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Melbert 8, Remington S8, Silk 6 string, Rick B6, Tremblay 6 lap steel, Marlen S-10 4&4, Prestige Guild M75 and Artist Award, Benedetto Bravo, Epiphone Century Electar (the real one) and a bunch of old lap steels.... mostly Ricks and Magnatones' |
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David Weisenthal
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2020 6:17 pm
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| Really amazing job Noah. Those Epiphone consoles are such time machines. I hope to find one some day. |
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