This Epiphone Olympic certainly isn't mint and definitely has some stories to tell. When I purchased it, it had a very uncharacteristic 70s humbucker and quite ugly 80s bridge fitted. I have tried to return the cool 60s vibe to it while making it as playable as any modern retro-style guitar.

What's cool:

- It's a mid-60s Epiphone Olympic.

- It has Faber wraparound tailpiece fitted that gives it lots of resonance and sustain. They are known for making the best vintage-style hardware in the world.

- It has a Curtis Novak MM-90 fitted. This is a US-made boutique pickup that fits and awesome P-90 pickups into the Melody Maker housing. It looks just like the original pickup would have but gives a chunkier tone.

- The price. Why spend a grand on a Mexican Strat when you can get an iconic mid-60s Epiphone instead?

What's less cool:

- The guitar was routed for a humbucker by a previous owner and they did quite a messy job. You can see it in the photos.

- Because of the humbucker route, the original pick guard was totally trashed. I have replaced it with a reproduction version.

- It some point, it has had a bad neck break. I suspect that the headstock is not the original one, but has been replaced with an exact copy made from mahogany. The repair makes it impossible to feel where the join is, but you can see it if you look very closely.

- Because of the headstock repair, there is no serial number on the guitar. When I received the guitar, it did not have a logo, but I have added an Epiphone decal which does the job.

- The original truss rod cover is present but at some point a previous owner added a horrible GIBSON USA sticker. Removing the sticker has damaged the truss rod cover. You can see this if you look closely.

- I did not get around to restoring the original tuners. It currently has some chunky modern tunerson it, which work really well. You can see that it has had multiple different tuners of the years because it has empty screw holes on the headstock.

- It would originally have had a vibrola trem, which has been removed and the fitting hole have been filled. This is very common on these guitars.

- There are various small bumps and dings you'd expect on anything that is 60 years old.

All in all, a fantastic sounding vintage Epiphone that has lived a life. If you want a mint one, expect to pay about double. This one is cooler.