Epiphone Emperor 1935

With its imposing 18.35-inch body, the Emperor was the largest and most luxurious archtop Epiphone had ever built, a direct challenge to Gibson's Super 400. The Emperor was distinguished by its rich ornamentation, featuring nine-ply black and white binding, bound F-holes and pickguard, and the innovative Frequensator tailpiece. The model represented the pinnacle of Epiphone's ambition and craftsmanship during the brand's heyday in New York, making this early 1935 Emperor a particularly rare piece of guitar history. 

This 1935 Emperor features a two-piece arched maple back and a two-piece arched spruce top, resulting in a powerful, deep tone with excellent projection. The five-piece maple and mahogany neck has a comfortable C-profile with an ebony fingerboard featuring beautiful segmented split V-block mother-of-pearl inlays, one of the most characteristic features of early Emperor models. The white binding with black and white purfling on the neck, combined with the nine-ply binding on the body and the bound cello-style F-holes, gives the guitar an unparalleled elegance. The original Epiphone tuners with marbeloid buttons and the Frequensator tailpiece complete the authentic appearance. 

This Epiphone Emperor has had a turbulent history. Around 1978, one of its previous owners purchased it from a local guitar repairman, Charlie Wells, who claimed to have converted it for left-handed playing and later converted it back. However, the top collapsed within weeks, after which the guitar remained in storage for almost fifteen years. In the early 1990s, the guitar was restored by luthier Bill Moll, who removed the top and re-braced it with X-bracing to prevent further collapse. Moll also reinforced the top at the end block and replaced the binding due to deterioration. 

During the refinishing, Moll decided to remove the black paint from the back of the headstock, exposing the beautiful wood grain. The bridge was hand-built by Moll, as the original didn't come with the guitar, and a hole where an input jack once was was expertly repaired. The guitar was acquired by the Dutch Archtop Museum in May 2015 from Dutch archtop player Peter van Weerdenburg, who had recently had a vintage-correct tortoiseshell pickguard installed by Dutch archtop player Frank Wallboomers, but this pickguard has since shrunk. The guitar comes in a vintage hardshell case.