1947/41 Epiphone Blackstone Electrified Archtop Guitar

Overview: My friend Dave Richard worked on this instrument a little bit ago. It's a '47 body with a '41 neck. The '41 neck is a little wider and fuller than the later necks but much more stable-in-service. He "did all the work" and then also fit a Kent Armstrong pickup and wiring harness for the owner, too. The result is a guitar that, as an acoustic, is fiery, punchy, loud, and proud (just as you'd expect from an Epi).

As an electric, it's got two very "classic jazz" tones to draw from. The pickup is a ~$200 KA P90-style single coil with a tap available. Tapped it sounds like a relaxed P90 and with the output full it sounds more like a hot DeArmond or DynaSonic sort-of rig. It's nice! There's a flip switch to access the tap and thumbwheels for tone and volume control at the edge of the pickguard.

Having the pickup on there lets you play from '30s-style jazz as an acoustic straight into classic, amplified jazz or blues, rockabilly, and early rock environments.

Repairs included: Dave reset and fit the neck, repaired a side crack on the body, cleaned it up, fit better tuners, fit the wiring harness and pickup, and set it all up. I did a light level/dress of the frets at the extension area, moved the jack to an endpin jack rather than one clipped to the tailpiece, added a ground to the tailpiece, and dialed-in the setup further. I also strung it with 54w-12 nickel strings to make most efficient use of the pickup. It's playing bang-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 5 lbs 5 oz
• Scale length: 25 1/2"
• Nut width: 1 3/4"
• Neck shape: medium-fuller soft V
• Board radius: 7 1/4"
• Depth at first fret: 0.93"
• Depth at seventh fret: 1.01"
• Body width: 16 1/4"
• Body depth: 3 1/4"
• Top wood: solid, carved spruce
• Back & sides wood: ply, flamed maple
• Bracing type: tonebar
• Bridge: rosewood adjustable
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: unsure
• Action height at 12th fret: hair-under 3/32” bass to 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 lights
• Truss rod: adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: narrower/lower

Condition notes: The pickup and pickguard are, clearly, non-original. There is an endpin jack fit as well. There are scuffs and scratches here and there throughout the finish and weather-check, too. The back has the most wear. There is a side crack near the heel that is repaired (in photos). As noted, the neck and body are not original to one another but have been matched beautifully. I did not spy any cracks. The tuners are non-original but look smart. The strap button at the side of the heel is unoriginal.

It comes with: It's got a nice hard case.

Consignor tag: JMCM