Epiphone Masterbilt Century Collection Zenith VN Owned by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Arch Top Acoustic/Electric Guitar (2016)
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Item # 13312
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Epiphone Masterbilt Century Collection Zenith VN Owned by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Model Arch Top Acoustic/Electric Guitar (2016), made in China, serial # 16112301922, natural finish, laminated maple body, spruce top; laminated maple/mahogany neck, black hard shell case.
Fresh from the Wilco Loft, here is a good-quality-for-the price-point modern reimagining a classic Epiphone archtop: a Masterbilt Century Collection Zenith archtop in an elegant natural satin finish. Supposedly inspired by a Zenith from their historical collection in Nashville, this sturdy Asian-made reproduction is a round-hole 16" archtop, a modified form of an original Zenith while still paying a respectable homage to the aesthetics and of the period. Even the label inside is styled after Epiphone's label from the 1930's, back when they were making high-grade archtops instruments in New York City a couple of decades before being bought out by Gibson and delegated to being the company's budget subsidiary!
This Zenith features a solid spruce top with flamed laminated maple back and sides with 3-layer binding on the top. The hardware is vintage-styled aged nickel from the trapeze tailpiece to the quite nice tuners, bushings, and brackets. The 25 1/2" scale 5-piece laminated maple and mahogany neck has a more modern C-shape profile and is dotted with diamond inlays like leaves falling down the ebony fingerboard.
This guitar is outfitted with a small mini humbucking pickup mounted to the pickguard right in the soundhole; this is different than Epiphone's stock electronic offering (the original bridge pickup is still there) and appears to be an aftermarket addition by Mr. Tweedy. Perhaps it was a special factory addition, though we cannot find other examples of this coming from the factory. The pickup is a modern take on a Johnny Smith-style pickup, itself a variant on the 1960s Epiphone mini-humbucker. It has two tone controls mounted under the original faux-tortoise pickguard and runs on a battery mounted on the lower treble side bout. Acoustically, this guitar has a loud and punchy sound that could easily be mellowed to jazzier standards with flatwound strings (we have left Jeff's choice of strings in place) and a bit of tweaking to the ebonoid adjustable floating bridge.
Overall length is 20 1/8 in. (51.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 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 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This Epiphone is in excellent playing shape and appears almost entirely clean, free from really any dings or scratches that would typically be quite visible in a light, matte finished instrument such as this. The only real change is the addition of the Johnny Smith pickup below the neck; beyond this, the guitar is original and unaltered. It resides in a non-original older black hardshell case. Inside the case is certificate of authenticity from the Wilco Loft validating the provenance of this piece. Excellent Condition.
Fresh from the Wilco Loft, here is a good-quality-for-the price-point modern reimagining a classic Epiphone archtop: a Masterbilt Century Collection Zenith archtop in an elegant natural satin finish. Supposedly inspired by a Zenith from their historical collection in Nashville, this sturdy Asian-made reproduction is a round-hole 16" archtop, a modified form of an original Zenith while still paying a respectable homage to the aesthetics and of the period. Even the label inside is styled after Epiphone's label from the 1930's, back when they were making high-grade archtops instruments in New York City a couple of decades before being bought out by Gibson and delegated to being the company's budget subsidiary!
This Zenith features a solid spruce top with flamed laminated maple back and sides with 3-layer binding on the top. The hardware is vintage-styled aged nickel from the trapeze tailpiece to the quite nice tuners, bushings, and brackets. The 25 1/2" scale 5-piece laminated maple and mahogany neck has a more modern C-shape profile and is dotted with diamond inlays like leaves falling down the ebony fingerboard.
This guitar is outfitted with a small mini humbucking pickup mounted to the pickguard right in the soundhole; this is different than Epiphone's stock electronic offering (the original bridge pickup is still there) and appears to be an aftermarket addition by Mr. Tweedy. Perhaps it was a special factory addition, though we cannot find other examples of this coming from the factory. The pickup is a modern take on a Johnny Smith-style pickup, itself a variant on the 1960s Epiphone mini-humbucker. It has two tone controls mounted under the original faux-tortoise pickguard and runs on a battery mounted on the lower treble side bout. Acoustically, this guitar has a loud and punchy sound that could easily be mellowed to jazzier standards with flatwound strings (we have left Jeff's choice of strings in place) and a bit of tweaking to the ebonoid adjustable floating bridge.
Overall length is 20 1/8 in. (51.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 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 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This Epiphone is in excellent playing shape and appears almost entirely clean, free from really any dings or scratches that would typically be quite visible in a light, matte finished instrument such as this. The only real change is the addition of the Johnny Smith pickup below the neck; beyond this, the guitar is original and unaltered. It resides in a non-original older black hardshell case. Inside the case is certificate of authenticity from the Wilco Loft validating the provenance of this piece. Excellent Condition.