Here is a wonderful slice of jazz-box heaven, a 1944 Epiphone Broadway, made in Brooklyn, in Excellent Minus condition, beautifully built and set up, and now sporting a Dearmond Rhythm Chief 1000 pickup.  With a carved Spruce top, Curly Maple back and sides, and a 17 1/2” lower bout, this is a richly voiced acoustic given further subtlety of tone with a classic DeArmond design.  With the exception of the added pickup and possibly, a replaced pickguard, this Broadway is entirely original.  For the professional jazz guitarist, this is a dream come true.

Younger players have grown up with the understanding that Epiphone is something of a second tier instrument.  It wasn’t always the case.  From the late 1930s through the mid 1950s, Epiphone archtops were considered by most professional players to be superior to their Gibson counterparts.  The level of competition between the two companies may well have been what led to Gibson buying out Epiphone, and quickly shuffling their production off-shore while relegating the Epiphone brand to an also ran.  But, if you’ve had the chance to sit with an old Epiphone archtop, you know that they can be magical.  In the jazz clubs of New York, these are the guitars that the pros were most likely to be playing.

Here are the specs:

Scale: 25 1/2”

Top: Hand Carved Spruce

Back and Sides: Curly Maple

Neck: Five Piece Maple

Fretboard: Brazilian Rosewood

Bridge: Rosewood

Bindings: Top, Back, Fretboard and Headstock

Tuners: Original Epiphone Closed Back

Tailpiece: Original Epiphone Frequensator

Lower Bout: 17 1/2”

Upper Bout: 12 1/2”

Body Depth: 3 1/2”

Nut Width: 1 11/16”

String Spacing at Bridge: 2 1/16”

Adjustable Truss Rod under end of fretboard

Action at Twelfth Fret: Low E - 5/64”, High E - 1/16”

This guitar came into the shop in great, well loved condition.  This was clearly an instrument that was played out and played often.  It has ample signs of age, in the form of minor dents, scratches and discolorings of the finish.  There is a section of finish on the back that has been worn just about through. But structurally, the guitar is absolutely sound. At some point in its history, it appears as though the center seam of the top had separated. It has been cleated and glued and does not yield to pressure. For our part, we had to reattach a little bit of loose binding, adjust the fit of the bridge to the top, and clean and lubricate the tuners.  The tailpiece had cracked (as they do) along its 90 degree edge; we sent it to the great folks at National Resophonic Guitars and they rebrazed it, ground it smooth, polished and replated it to perfection. Then, in setting up the guitar, we added a new DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000 pickup, which is supported by Schatten Volume and Tone controls, located on the underside of the pickguard and routed to a jack through the side.  The sound is glorious! The range of tone is very impressive, from warm mellow to a clear, ringing treble. Coupled with the fast, responsive action, this Broadway is a delight to play. We’ve strung her with a fresh set of D’Addario XL Chromes (.011-.050) and she is ready to swing!

Be sure to check out the photos carefully and zoom in for detail. This guitar is certainly not flawless, but all “damage” is entirely cosmetic. We’ve tried to capture this guitar from every angle.

The guitar comes in a hard shell case that is almost certainly NOT original, but which has nestled it gracefully for a long time.

This Epiphone Broadway is sold AS IS and is not returnable, unless it arrives in a condition other than as described or photographed, here.

Serial Number: 51297

Price: $4800.00 plus $145 shipping (Lower 48 USA, only)