Epiphone Zenith (1940)

We're never ones to shy away from a great vintage archtop, and frankly that's what you're getting when you see 'Epiphone' on the headstock.

This pre-war 1940 Epiphone Zenith recently came in from the daughter of what is believed to be the second owner, who'd purchased for said daughter to learn guitar some 50+ years ago. One of a few 16" archtop models produced by Epiphone during their most prolific period, the Zenith aimed at providing an affordable yet quality archtop.

Skipping over the professional-grade appointments and construction elements of more expensive models, the Zenith still presents a classy aesthetic with a shaded Sunburst top finish, striped celluloid pickguard, and 3-piece Mahogany neck. The carved Spruce top and laminated Walnut back and sides combine for a dry, woody tonality that has particularly impressive upper midrange and treble response. It excels as a rhythm instrument but will happily handle solo work. The Mahogany neck has a full but comfortable V/C profile with a moderate taper. Check out those original Grover open back tuners, too!

The guitar had recently undergone some minor repairs prior to our acquisition, all of which were very well executed. The original tailpiece was repaired, and a top crack extending off of the lower bout was glued tight. We tweaked the setup slightly to get the guitar nicely dialed in for a very comfortable playing experience.

It's paired up with a modern Epiphone hardshell case that works great for this guitar. Included with the sale is the original serial number card / warranty certificate, which is a rare piece of the guitar's history often misplaced or lost to time.

We're not quite sure you could find a better built or better sounding archtop at this price point in any corner of the vintage market. For us, New York made Epiphones still rule the roost.