A vintage Japanese Epiphone with real character, unmistakable looks, and a sound that makes you want to keep playing.

Some guitars just have a personality you can’t manufacture today. This early-1970s Epiphone EA-250 is one of them.

Made in Japan during Epiphone’s Matsumoku era, this beautiful cherry sunburst EA-250 combines classic double-cutaway styling with a thin hollowbody design, vintage chrome-covered pickups, and a distinctive vibrato tailpiece. The redburst finish, cream binding, pearloid block inlays, and black Epiphone E pickguard give this guitar an unmistakable early-’70s look.

But what makes this guitar particularly appealing is how it sounds.

Plug it in, and there’s a lively, expressive vintage electric guitar character that makes it genuinely fun to play. It has a distinctive voice all its own, with the warmth and resonance you would expect from a hollowbody design and plenty of personality for blues, classic rock, indie, and alternative music.

Both pickups work, the electronics function as they should, and the guitar sounds fantastic through an amplifier.

A little bit of rock history

The EA-250 also has an interesting connection to Oasis. Noel Gallagher was photographed holding this same model on the artwork for the band’s debut single, Supersonic. It’s an interesting piece of early Britpop history and another reason these Japanese Epiphones have developed a following.

Playability and condition

Cosmetically, the guitar carries the character of its age. The original-style chrome-covered pickups show substantial plating wear and patina, with additional light scratches and signs of use on the pickguard, hardware, binding, and finish. The cherry sunburst remains attractive and presents beautifully.

This is a genuine vintage instrument, not a modern reproduction, and its natural aging is part of its appeal.

For someone looking for an interesting vintage Japanese guitar with great looks, distinctive sound, and genuine playing character, this EA-250 offers something quite different from the usual modern semi-hollow guitars.

Highlights

• Vintage Epiphone EA-250, approximately 1972–1974
• Made in Japan during the Matsumoku era
• Beautiful cherry sunburst finish
• Thin double-cutaway hollowbody design
• Two vintage chrome-covered pickups
• Both pickups and electronics tested and working
• Vintage vibrato tailpiece with arm
• Adjustable bridge with wooden base
• Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid block inlays
• Cream multi-ply binding and classic Epiphone E pickguard
• Bolt-on maple neck
• Neck angle adjusted using brass shims for improved action
• Attractive vintage hardware patina and cosmetic character
• The same guitar model associated with Noel Gallagher and early Oasis

A distinctive piece of Japanese Epiphone history that looks incredible, sounds fantastic, and is genuinely enjoyable to play.