Epiphone Devon 1953

It featured a 17.5-inch body and the signature Frequensator tailpiece, an Epiphone innovation intended to better distribute string tension and improve intonation. The Devon was produced until the mid-1950s, when Epiphone's New York factory closed and the brand was acquired by Gibson. This makes the early-1950s Devon an interesting piece of Epiphone history, just before the brand's major changes. 

This 1953 Devon features a two-piece arched spruce top and maple back and sides, resulting in a bright and balanced tone. The three-piece mahogany and walnut neck has a comfortable soft-V profile with a rosewood fingerboard featuring pearloid oval inlays. The white binding with black and white purfling, the bound tortoiseshell pickguard, and the cello-style F-holes give the guitar a classic archtop look. The guitar features a modern Frequensator tailpiece and an adjustable rosewood bridge, while Grover open-gear tuners ensure stable tuning. 

This Epiphone Devon has undergone extensive maintenance over the years, as it has been fully restored. The guitar has had a neck reset, as well as a refret that adjusted the fingerboard radius. It has also been given a new nitrocellulose finish. The pickguard has been replaced, and two cracks in the top under the tailpiece have been professionally repaired. The binding shrunk in some areas and has been repaired there. Despite these repairs, the guitar is in very good condition. The guitar was purchased by the Dutch Archtop Museum in November 2010 from Antonio Fahme of San Diego, California, and comes in a hardshell case.