Epiphone Zenith Archtop 1936 Sunburst

For your consideration serial number 10916, a 1936 New York made Epiphone Masterbilt Zenith archtop guitar. This guitar features a solid carved spruce top and laminated Walnut back and sides. Throughout the early 30's Epiphone steadily increased the size of these guitars and this one features a 16 3/8”lower bout width. The 25 1/2” scale length and parallel bracing pattern give this guitar a legendary bark both louder and distinct from Gibson's of this era. The voicing of this guitar is very mid-focused but can be very loud especially for those a few feet in front of you. In an acoustic jam this guitar has no problem being heard!

The neck profile is a soft “V” profile that is both fast and comfortable. The nut width is half way between 1-5/8” & 1-11/16” and the non-original bridge is hand made from a single piece of Honduran Mahogany to maximize sound transfer. The neck is steel reinforced but non-adjustable. Action is 6/64 / 5/64 (low E/High E) and has a small amount of relief. Frets have been recently leveled, crowned and polished and have some life left in them. Tuners have been upgraded to relic'd nickel plated open back Waverlys for stable tuning. The pick guard has been removed but will be supplied along with the original Grover tuners and a poorly made non-original bridge that the guitar arrived with. 

 This guitar will be shipped in your choice of a new Epiphone Masterbilt hard shell case  (a perfect fit for this specific model!) or what I believe to be the original hard-shell case with purple lining!  The old case has interior dimensions of 16 3/4" width at the lower bout and 43" length.   ( I have added some photos of the original case which is in rough shape but likely repairable. 

This 84 year old guitar is a player and not a museum piece. The finish contains many scratches but does not appear to have any repairs or over-sprays. There is a crack in the top near the tailpiece that is small and stable. There is a hole in the bottom where a strap pin would go but I have added a metal pin for piece of mind. There is a small gap at the heel that measures 3/64” at the plastic heel cap that is stable as it has not changed in the 3 years I have owned this guitar. While this guitar may need a neck reset some years down the road the current bridge height is approximately .600” and I believe it is good for many years!

I have recently purchased another 30's Epiphone archtop guitar from someone here on Reverb and my wife has strongly suggested that this guitar should go to a new home! If you have been curious about an archtop, are interested in studying jazz or want to study Dave Rawlings techniques this guitar may be for you.

I have listed shipping cost as $100 but will only charge actual shipping costs and will refund the difference after purchase is made.  Please let me know if you have any questions and thanks for looking!