Epiphone Zenith 1932

	Epiphone Zenith 1932
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Epiphone Zenith 1932 Epiphone introduced 7 entirely new f-hole archtop guitar models in 1931-32 that were directly competitive with well established Gibson, and thus began a rivalry that would last 2 decades. Up until1931 Epiphone’s guitar line was represented by their unusual but well regarded Recording models. Though 1931 is written as the date of introduction, the earliest examples that have been recorded of late carry 1932 serial numbers. This 1932 Masterbilt Zenith was characterized as a student level instrument in its day. At only 13 5/8” wide, this is a very small guitar for an archtop. It has a carved spruce top and laminated maple back and sides. Gibson’s 1932 offerings had a black celluloid headstock cover plate with fancy colored engravings characterized by the white banners proudly identifying the Masterbilt line. By 1936 the Zenith model had been resized twice before arriving at the 16 3/8” bodied version that persisted well into the 50’s and up to the Gibson buy out. Courtesy D. Buettner

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