Epiphone Olympic, Sunburst (1961)

Built in the same format as Gibson's Melody Maker, the Epiphone Olympic is nearly identical to its older sibling, albeit with some aesthetic changes that align with the sister brand. These guitars were built with the young/student player in mind, keeping appointments, variety, and cost all to a minimum. Upon closer inspection, however, one can determine that many of the great qualities of a 60s Gibson electric can still be found in these models. The same great Mahogany was used for the bodies and necks along with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards and similar hardware to that of the Les Paul and SG Juniors of the time.

One look at this 1961 Epiphone Olympic and you'll notice this isn't your average 1960s budget electric. It's been hot rodded to absolute perfection by Laurent Brondel, and quite frankly plays and sounds like no other MM-type guitar we've ever had our hands on. The impeccable refret and replaced nut along with the installation of a MojoAxe wraparound tailpiece has this guitar so well dialed-in, with some of the most impressive acoustic resonance one could find in a small solidbody like this. The original single coil pickup and accompanying pickguard has been shed in favor of a monstrous sounding pair of DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers complete with coil-tap and a new pickguard. The tone is incredibly punchy and authoritative, and the split coil sound still retains richness with more sizzle in the top end.

Simply put, the playing experience is unreal with this Olympic - totally addicting. If they all played and sounded like this, you could imagine a price point well beyond what they fetch these days.