Gretsch Guitars

Up for auction - my
gorgeous, precious, treasured, remarkable and perfect-in-every-way Epiphone
Broadway Elitist. Gibson decided to do a high-end pro version of its Epiphone
offerings and here's the rarest of them all - the solid carved top Broadway.

The guitar was handcrafted at the famed Terada factory in Japan (the other
Epiphones are made in Korea and cannot be compared to the Elitist instruments).
The guitar has a solid carved spruce top and unbelievably flamed maple sides
and back.

The workmanship on this guitar is beyond comprehension - the fit of
the bindings, the work inside the f-holes is just flawless. This guitar will
compete easily with ANY recent L-5 from the Gibson custom shop.

I have owned
and own many guitars – Gibson (Custom Shop and vintage), Fender (American),
Gretsch (vintage, pre and post Fender), Rickenbacker, etc. - this is may be the
BEST guitar I have played!

If you want an extraordinary archtop jazz guitar,
but don't want to spend $4,000 to $8,000 and up for a Gibson big body classic,
this guitar is your affordable entry into the promised land. This guitar is no
longer made.

You do not often find these for sale, people simply do not want to
sell them. For very good reason! Of the few that have been for sale none was AS
NEW and stock as this one. It is truly a closet classic!

The rumor is that
Gibson figured out that this line of guitars was so good, it was hurting their
high end USA custom shop sales, so they stopped making them.

When you play this
thing, and feel it in your hands, you will know why that is probably the case.

Simply put, the
guitar is in NEW condition, as is the case. The OHSC (arched on both sides and
a very, very nice case) warranty card and the original keys and wrenches are
all included. I bought the guitar new and it has rarely
left the case!

I looked and I could not find a single flaw. It is certainly in
better shape than 85% of the new guitars hanging in your local music store.

Word among guitar collectors is that these guitars are shooting up in value
because they are so remarkable, even if you don't consider how much less they
cost than their Gibson carved-top counterparts.

When they were in
production the MSRP was $3075.00; usual street price was $2000 - $2900. You
could pick this up in as new condition as though you knew what a FABULOUS deal
it was then (with hindsight) and IS today!

Here's some spec
info from archtop.com:

Body size at lower
bout: 17 " Scale length: 25 1/2" Fingerboard width at nut: 1
11/16" Body Depth: 3 3/8"

Finish: Natural
blonde finish.

Materials: Solid
bookmatched quartersawn spruce top; arched AAA flame maple back and sides;
solid 3-piece maple neck with walnut center stripes; solid ebony fingerboard
with abalone split- block inlay; compensated inlaid ebony bridge, 7-ply body
binding, tripe-bound neck and peghead; bound soundholes; bone nut.

Hardware: All gold
hardware includes twin Gibson 50SR/T USA humbucking pickups, Frequensator
tailpiece, Tunematic bridge and Grover Super Rotomatic tuners; bound tortoise
pickguard with epsilon logo; gold bell knobs; adjustable truss rod, medium
jumbo frets; 3 way toggle switch.

Notes: One of the
first models introduced by Gibson under the Epiphone label was the E-251/2
Broadway, a 17" twin pickup cutaway produced in the decade between 1959
and 1969. For almost three decades, the Broadway was unavailable, until
Gibson's Epiphone division reissued a budget priced Korean made model, built
like the originals with an all-laminate maple body. Finally, the firm issued
the Elitist series, a limited run of premium instruments built with solid
spruce soundboards, ebony fingerboards and other top-shelf appointments, and
crafted in the prestigious Terada factory of Japan. Both Broadway and Byrdland
Elitist guitars became instant player favorites, but have sadly been taken out
of production as of this writing. (my note: I played both before buying. The
Byrdland was beautiful, the Broadway solid top sold me - acoustically it was
better.)

This immaculate
example is fitted with a solid bookmatched quartersawn spruce top, arched AAA
flame maple back and sides, solid 3-piece maple neck with walnut center
stripes, solid ebony fingerboard with abalone split- block inlay, and a
compensated inlaid ebony bridge. All gold hardware includes logo stamped
Frequensator tailpiece, Tunematic bridge and Grover Super Rotomatic tuners,
bound tortoise pickguard with epsilon logo and gold bell knobs. Fit and finish
are stunning throughout, and the action is smooth and low over a gentle C
profile neck. Tone is warm and rich with the twin Gibson 50SR/T USA humbucking
pickups. An outstanding value in a true pro instrument, and now a very rare
bird indeed.

Case: Original
Epiphone deluxe plush hardshell case.

The guitar can do a
lot more than than just jazz, it sounds great on Blues with just a little
crunch dialed in,  it excels at
Western Swing, and I can even imagine using it for Country. But if you play
classic jazz and want to pretend you are Barney Kessel; Herb Ellis, Jim Hall,
Kenny Burrell or Wes Montgomery, here's the centerpiece of your Halloween
costume. You will be transported.

PLEASE NOTE:

Shipping and Insurance will be determined after close of auction.

Payment must be made within 3 days of close of auction.

I will report nonpayment to eBay.