Roots Of The Epiphone Acoustic Guitar
62The company that eventually made the Epiphone acoustic guitar was founded in 1837 by Anastasios Stathopoulo. He was the son of a Greek timber merchant but did not follow in his father's footsteps. Instead he chose to craft violins, lutes, and a traditional Greek instrument called the lioutos. Eventually his handiwork carry his name, A. Stathopoulo.
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The name of the company was changed to The House Of Stathopoulo in 1917
by Anastasios' son Epimanonodas, or Epi as he was known. For reasons of
necessity Epimanondas took over the business at his father's early death
two years earlier. He was only 22.
Epi decided that his company was to begin making banjos in the post
World War One era due to the fact the company's mainstay, the mandolin,
was not as popular as it once was. The increasing popularity of the
banjo was what prompted his decision to adapt his product line to fit
the changing times. The same high standards of craftsmanship that the
company was known for continued in the manufacture of this new line of
products.
In 1924 the name Epiphone was officially registered. Epimanondas, now
president and general manager, used a combination of his nickname Epi
and phone, the Greek word for sound, to come up with a name that
reflected change in the identity of the company.
Epiphone manufactured its first guitars, the recorder series, in 1928.
Sales were weak due to the fact that the guitars were considered to be
too small in size, overly ornate and lacking in volume. Celebrity
endorsement, a necessity in this particular business, was also decidedly
lacking for the series.
In contrast the new archtop guitars introduced just a few years later in
1931 quickly grew in popularity. Earlier problems were not a factor as
the guitars were larger, had sufficient volume and had plenty of
celebrity endorsements.
The change to making guitars came at just the right time as the
popularity of the banjo began to wane. Thus Epiphone avoided the fate of
other banjo manufacturing companies. This was due to the business sense
of Epimanondas Stathopoulo. In fact it was one of the few banjo
manufacturing firms to successfully make the transition to guitars.
Today Epiphone acoustic guitars made from 1937 to 1956 are the most
desirable to collectors. They are considered to be the best vintage
factory made archtop guitars ever produced. The most desirable of these
are the professional grade models, which are the guitars that the
company built its reputation on.
