Epiphone Masterbilt Zenith Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1932)
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Item # 13112
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Epiphone Masterbilt Zenith Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1932), made in Long Island City, NY, serial # 5659, sunburst top, natural back and sides finish, walnut back and sides, spruce top; laminated mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black chipboard case.
This rather unassuming little archtop is one of the loudest and punchiest guitars of ANY size we have heard in a while! While the Zenith was close to the bottom of the New York Epiphone line in this early "Masterbilt" era they were still "bilt" to the same quality standards as all the other models, just smaller and plainer! In the depths of the depression inexpensive guitars were crucial to every instrument builder's survival; the $275 Deluxe may have been Epiphone's flagship, but the $50 Zenith was an important part of the fleet!
This Zenith is an early model built in 1932, the second production year for the Masterbilt line. The narrow-waisted body is just 13 1/2" wide with maple back (which appears laminated) and sides and a solid carved tight-grained spruce top. It is single bound with the company's original small segmented F-holes. The laminated mahogany neck has a thin maple center strip with a medium-round backed profile, somewhere between a "C" and a soft "V" with a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and fairly narrow just-over 1 5/8" nut. It is capped with the early pattern engraved plastic headstock plate with "Epiphone" and "Masterbilt" on contrasting banners and a center "Zenith" etched gold logo.
The Epiphone catalogs of 1932-34 show the Zenith priced at $50, without the case. "For general concert work, this Epiphone Zenith guitar stands supreme" was the 1932 blurb. Fifty dollars was still a lot of money in 1934 for most Americans and the lower end Epiphones do not appear to have sold in large numbers. As the 1930's progressed the size of most companies' archtop bodies on even the cheaper models were gradually expanded, making earlier under-16" instruments seem puny by comparison. This style of small-body carved top guitar was pretty much extinct by the 1940s.
This Zenith's combination of the small 13 1/2" body, fully carved spruce top and long 25 1/2" scale length is unusual in any era, and specific to these early Masterbilt Epiphones. This mix creates a very focused, cutting sound that retains more body than one might expect, especially in the higher register. This guitar sounds especially fantastic with a capo on the neck, offering a sound that our friend David Rawlings (Hi Dave!) has made a stylistic signature over the last couple of decades. Long ignored like most small-body early archtops, the early Masterbilt Epiphone Zenith has become a sought after instrument for this distinctive sonic character that is very difficult to achieve on any other instrument.
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 21/32 in. (27 mm.).
This guitar has been played over the last 90+ years and shows some typical cosmetic wear but is in excellent structural condition. The finish is completely original and shows moderate wear overall, with dings, dents and scrapes overall with some moisture-related laminate checking on the wood along the back bottom edge. The back of the neck is worn down to the wood over a decent part of its length, more heavily on the treble side and shows a couple of deep scratches in the lower positions.
There are no visible cracks or major repairs except the minor checking along the back edge. The neck does not appear have been reset and the angle is good. The hard plastic pickguard, openback stamped-plate strip tuners and rare early string-over tailpiece are original; the two-footed rosewood bridge is definitely period but not the standard 1932 Epiphone pattern; we are not sure of its origin.
The fingerboard has been trued and neatly refretted with period-style wire; the rosewood shows evidence of a light planing and a couple of filled divots in the lower positions but nothing that affects playability. The neck is nice and straight, the bridge is currently at its lowest setting but the action is quite comfortable and the guitar plays very well. The sound is bright and powerful; yes it does "that thing" these small body Epiphones are now prized for. It includes a rare period heavy chipboard case battered but still intact and functional. This guitar was until recently at the Wilco loft in Chicago; it does not bear their standard case logo on the bottom edge but does have a tape strip there reading "1932 Zenith archtop". Overall Excellent - Condition.
This rather unassuming little archtop is one of the loudest and punchiest guitars of ANY size we have heard in a while! While the Zenith was close to the bottom of the New York Epiphone line in this early "Masterbilt" era they were still "bilt" to the same quality standards as all the other models, just smaller and plainer! In the depths of the depression inexpensive guitars were crucial to every instrument builder's survival; the $275 Deluxe may have been Epiphone's flagship, but the $50 Zenith was an important part of the fleet!
This Zenith is an early model built in 1932, the second production year for the Masterbilt line. The narrow-waisted body is just 13 1/2" wide with maple back (which appears laminated) and sides and a solid carved tight-grained spruce top. It is single bound with the company's original small segmented F-holes. The laminated mahogany neck has a thin maple center strip with a medium-round backed profile, somewhere between a "C" and a soft "V" with a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and fairly narrow just-over 1 5/8" nut. It is capped with the early pattern engraved plastic headstock plate with "Epiphone" and "Masterbilt" on contrasting banners and a center "Zenith" etched gold logo.
The Epiphone catalogs of 1932-34 show the Zenith priced at $50, without the case. "For general concert work, this Epiphone Zenith guitar stands supreme" was the 1932 blurb. Fifty dollars was still a lot of money in 1934 for most Americans and the lower end Epiphones do not appear to have sold in large numbers. As the 1930's progressed the size of most companies' archtop bodies on even the cheaper models were gradually expanded, making earlier under-16" instruments seem puny by comparison. This style of small-body carved top guitar was pretty much extinct by the 1940s.
This Zenith's combination of the small 13 1/2" body, fully carved spruce top and long 25 1/2" scale length is unusual in any era, and specific to these early Masterbilt Epiphones. This mix creates a very focused, cutting sound that retains more body than one might expect, especially in the higher register. This guitar sounds especially fantastic with a capo on the neck, offering a sound that our friend David Rawlings (Hi Dave!) has made a stylistic signature over the last couple of decades. Long ignored like most small-body early archtops, the early Masterbilt Epiphone Zenith has become a sought after instrument for this distinctive sonic character that is very difficult to achieve on any other instrument.
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 21/32 in. (27 mm.).
This guitar has been played over the last 90+ years and shows some typical cosmetic wear but is in excellent structural condition. The finish is completely original and shows moderate wear overall, with dings, dents and scrapes overall with some moisture-related laminate checking on the wood along the back bottom edge. The back of the neck is worn down to the wood over a decent part of its length, more heavily on the treble side and shows a couple of deep scratches in the lower positions.
There are no visible cracks or major repairs except the minor checking along the back edge. The neck does not appear have been reset and the angle is good. The hard plastic pickguard, openback stamped-plate strip tuners and rare early string-over tailpiece are original; the two-footed rosewood bridge is definitely period but not the standard 1932 Epiphone pattern; we are not sure of its origin.
The fingerboard has been trued and neatly refretted with period-style wire; the rosewood shows evidence of a light planing and a couple of filled divots in the lower positions but nothing that affects playability. The neck is nice and straight, the bridge is currently at its lowest setting but the action is quite comfortable and the guitar plays very well. The sound is bright and powerful; yes it does "that thing" these small body Epiphones are now prized for. It includes a rare period heavy chipboard case battered but still intact and functional. This guitar was until recently at the Wilco loft in Chicago; it does not bear their standard case logo on the bottom edge but does have a tape strip there reading "1932 Zenith archtop". Overall Excellent - Condition.