Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe (1950)

Back when Jazz, Bebop, and Big Band music ruled the clubs, halls, and radio waves of post-war America, electric archtops were the weapon of choice for pro guitarists. Heralded guitar maker Epiphone enjoyed longstanding success as one of the premier instrument manufacturers in the archtop world, giving Gibson a run for its money.

This 1950 Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe is a testament to that - an exquisitely crafted professional-grade electric archtop that could go toe-to-toe with the finest Gibson had to offer in its day. With a combination of 17 3/8" body size, laminated Spruce, highly figured laminated Maple back and sides, and New Yorker pickups, it had all of the presence, clarity, and power to stand out in nearly any setting.

One look at this instrument and you can understand why this model is as "Deluxe" as you'll find. Multi-ply binding is found nearly everywhere on this guitar, from the body, to the neck and peghead, and even on the celluloid pickguard. The signature cloud pearl fingerboard inlays combined with the vine peghead and script logo inlays elevates the guitar's presentation to the highest level. The Natural finish - a hallmark for showing off some of the best tonewoods available at the time - has aged beautifully, further highlighting the dramatic ambered Figured Maple back and sides and golden Spruce top.

The guitar has survived wonderfully, having just been expertly refretted in our shop with Jescar 45100 fretwire along with a replaced nut. Otherwise, it hasn't need much of anything. It remains crack-free and structurally sound, with all binding intact (although the heel cap has shown some shrinkage). The twin New Yorker pickups are strong - a pleasant surprise given they're generally lower in output - and still employ their rare original surrounds, along with the beautiful "carousel" knobs. The adjustable Rosewood bridge is tightly radiused to the top for maximum transfer of string vibration, and the original Frequensator tailpiece handles the tension of the 12-52 string set without issue.

This is one of the rarer variants of the Zephyr in existence, and certainly one of the best we've encountered both in and out of the shop. Given all this guitar has to offer, it's an incredible value in the vintage electric archtop market.

Priced with period-correct Lifton-made Epiphone hardshell case.