The Epiphone Broadway in the 60's

The Epiphone catalogue from 1961



On page 5 of the Epiphone catalogue from 1961 we find the Broadway.



The text says:
'Performance to satisfy the most discriminating.
A beautiful instrument with laminated arched top and back, matching maple rims, ivoroid binding.
Fast-action, mahony neck with adjustable truss rod. Bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl block inlays; pearl inlaid design and name on peghead.
Adjustable rosewood bridge. Frequensator tailpiece.'


The body was 17"1/2 wide.
The Epiphone Broadway came in 2 finishes: natural and shaded.


The Epiphone catalogue from 1962

Extract from the 1962 Epiphone with prices.




The Broadway costed $380.00 (281.62 euro) in natural finish and a little less: $365.00 (270.51 euro) in shaded finish.
Today you will pay between $2,000 and $3,500 for an Epiphone Broadway from that era.

The Epiphone catalogue from 1964

An Epiphone catalogue from 1964 showing an Epiphone Broadway in sunburst finish.



Archtop guitars were referred to as 'Electric Spanish' (as in Gibson ES).

Epiphone Broadway late 1950's (Gibson made)

Epi Stathopoulos, head of the Epiphone company, died in 1943.
Epiphone was left to his 2 brothers who, as the story goes, weren't as capable in managing the company and in 1951, due to problems with the union, it was forced to move from New York to Philadelphia.

Few years after, Epiphone was sold to their main rival, Gibson.
Gibson discontinued the acoustic model and the Broadway became an electric guitar with 2 pickups.

This natural blond is a Gibson made, cutaway model, from 1958.



The headstock changed during the fifties.



2 New York pickups (mini humbuckers).



Gibson style tulip tuning machines.

Epiphone Broadway 1938

Challenging the Gibson L5
The Epiphone Broadway was with his 17 3/8" body larger than his rival the Gibson L5. That was no coincidence. The New York based Epiphone factory clearly challenged the monarch of the jazz guitarists. Today the Broadway is often considered as a poor man’s L5. In the late 1930’s however, these guitars were considered as masterly built with a unique sound among jazz guitars.



This finish was called tobacco sunburst.
The solid spruce top was hand carved.

Abalone vine pattern peghead inlay in bound headstock.



Remarkable: the open-back butterbean tuners.



And of course the Frequensator tailpiece made his entry.

Epiphone Broadway 1932

Epiphone started the production of the 'Masterbilt Series' in 1931, including the Broadway.




No frequensator yet, just a trapeze tailpiece.
The frequensator tailpiece wasn't put into production until 1939.
Epiphone claims that the short fork on the bass side results in a deeper tone. The longer fork is used on the treble side for extra brilliance.

Epiphone Broadway 1953

A 1953 flower headstock with handmade inlay (mother of pearl).
This was the last year of the production in New York City before the company was sold to Gibson. The serial number of this one is 66685. At the moment this beauty is for sale at e-bay.