Fans of Epiphone and Gibson that have long wished for some headstock parity between the brands have reason to rejoice: Epiphone's new Inspired By Gibson Collections will drop the sharp angles of Epiphone's recent headstocks and soften their curves into the "open-book" style, while still being differentiated from Gibson's own design.
The plan to move toward the open-book shape for Epiphone was softly announced back in September 2019 by Gibson CMO Cesar Gueikian, who shared a photo of an elongated open-book headstock on Instagram and said "it's coming" when asked to put it on more Epiphone models, as reported by Guitar World at the time.
The Inspired By Gibson Collections—announced today—will follow Gibson's lineup restructuring from last year. Epiphone's streamlined offerings will go nearly model-for-model with Gibson's, offering less-expensive, foreign-made versions of Gibson designs that look more similar to the US-built Gibsons than ever before.
Like Gibson's bifurcated lineup, Epiphone's Original Collection will feature vintage-style instruments, while the Modern Collection will offer slicker, more contemporary guitars.
The Original Collection—featuring the likes of Les Paul '50s and '60s Standards, SG Standard with Maestro, Firebird, Flying V, and Explorer—will have CTS pots, vintage pickup voicings and wiring, vintage-style tuners, and era-correct neck profiles.
The Modern Collection—featuring the Les Paul Studio, Les Paul Modern, and SG Classic Worn—will have push/pull pots, weight-relief bodies, slim taper necks, and other more contemporary appointments.
US-Built Texan
While the Inspired By Gibson line-up may be Epiphone's biggest news for NAMM 2020, it's not all. One popular acoustic, the Texan, is returning to Stateside production, for the first time in decades. And it's the first of what the company is calling a Epiphone Made in USA line—setting the stage for more stateside guitars to be announced soon.
The American handiwork and classic headstock shapes of the Texan look back to the golden era when artists like Paul McCartney strummed the Epiphone acoustic.
The Texan FT-59 will feature solid-wood construction, bone nut and saddle, a dovetail neck joint, and vintage-style tuners and finishes.
Check back soon for pricing and availability on all new Epiphones.