Epiphone Broadway 1931

With its 16 3/8-inch body, the Broadway positioned itself between smaller models like the Zenith and the larger flagships. It was characterized by its walnut back and sides and a two-piece arched spruce top, which produced a warm and balanced tone with excellent projection. Intended as an affordable yet high-quality archtop for jazz musicians, the Broadway represented Epiphone's ambition to build guitars that could compete with the best instruments of the time. 

This 1931 Broadway is from the very first production year of the model, making it a particularly rare piece of Epiphone history. This 1931 Broadway features walnut back and sides and a two-piece arched spruce top with a sunburst finish. The five-piece maple and mahogany neck has a comfortable C-profile with a compound radius of 7.25" to 9.5" on the rosewood fingerboard, which features beautiful mother-of-pearl star inlays. The white binding with black-and-white purfling on both the body and neck, combined with the black pickguard, gives the guitar its classic 1930s look. The trapeze tailpiece and adjustable rosewood bridge complete the traditional look. 

The guitar was purchased by the Dutch Archtop Museum in March 2012 from Kennard Machol of Intermountain Guitar & Banjo in Salt Lake City. The guitar has undergone maintenance over the years. In May 2013, it was taken to the Gitaarwerk workshop, where a new natural finish was applied to the back and sides. A new vintage correct wrapped-over trapeze tailpiece, made by the late John Lambdin, was also installed. The guitar had also previously undergone a neck reset, and a crack in the top was repaired. After which, the top was also resprayed. The binding was also repaired in several places. The guitar is in good condition and comes in a hardshell case.