1965 Epiphone (Gibson-made) EC-30 Madrid Classical Guitar

October 04, 2020

1965 Epiphone (Gibson-made) EC-30 Madrid Classical Guitar

Gibson-made classical guitars are not all that common. The Epiphone-branded versions are even less-so. It was surprising, therefore, that this super-clean old honey walked in the shop the other day headed for consignment. I mean -- no cracks, clean finish, a clean rosette decal without missing bits... it's nice.

Unlike "true" Spanish-style classical guitars, this guy has ladder bracing. It's still got a lightweight build, but without the usual fan bracing it's less-tubby and has better clarity in the mids and lows than the average classical. I like it a lot for flamenco-like brushing with the nails or folk-style picking and strumming.

Gibson's classicals are made just as well as their steel-strings, by the way. This one has solid spruce over solid mahogany and it has a particularly-pretty 3-piece neck of mahogany and maple sections. The extra-wide "open book" headstock shape with its slotted wings looks pretty classy, too.

The body shape is basically the same as an LG-series steel-string guitar though with a 12th-fret join.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, minor cleaning, restring, and setup.

Setup notes: the neck is straight, the frets have lots of life left in them, and action is spot-on at 3/32" overall at the 12th fret. It plays fast and is wearing a fresh set of D'Addario Pro-Artes in light tension.

Scale length: 25 1/4"

Nut width: 2"

String spacing at nut: 1 3/4"

String spacing at bridge: 2 1/4"

Body length: 19"

Lower bout width: 14 1/4"

Side depth at endpin: 4 1/2"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: ladder

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: rosewood