Origins Of The Epiphone Acoustic Guitar
The Epiphone acoustic guitar was eventually made by a company that was founded in 1837 by Anastasios Stathopoulo. A son of a Greek timber merchant who chose not to be a footstep follower of his father footsteps. Instead he crafted lutes, violins, and a Greek traditional instrument known as the lioutos. In time his creations were inscribed with his name, A. Stathopoulo.
In 1917 the company name was became The House Of Stathopoulo. The decision to change it was made by the son of Anastasios who was named Epimanonodas. Two years earlier, out of necessity, Epimanondas, or Epi, took charge of the business because of his father's untimely death. He was merely 22.
When Epi realized, after World War One, that one of his company's main products, the mandolin, had lost the popularity it once had he made the decision that his company was to start making banjos. What prompted the decision to adapt his product line was that interest in the banjo was on the rise and that there was a need to change with the times. He took care to continue same high quality of workmanship that the company was noted for in the manufacture of this new product line.
The name Epiphone was registered officially in 1924. Epimanondas, now general manager and president, combined his nickname Epi and, a Greek word that meant sound, phone, to create a name that would reflect the change in the image of the company.
The first guitars Epiphone manufactured, the recorder series, were not very popular. Production began on them in 1928. Sales were poor because the guitars were considered excessively ornate, a bit small in size, and lacked volume. The essential endorsements from celebrities were also definitely nonexistent for the series.
The new archtop guitars, in contrast, introduced just a three years later in 1931 became very popular. Earlier problems were not a consideration as the guitars had sufficient volume, were larger, and had an abundance of celebrity endorsements.
The switch to the making of guitars occurred at an opportune moment as the banjo's popularity began to decline. Epiphone was thus able to avoid the fate of other companies in the banjo manufacturing business. This was attributable to Epimanondas Stathopoulo and his keen business sense. In fact it was one of only a limited number of firms specializing in banjo manufacturing to make the successful transition to guitars.
Epiphone acoustic guitars that were made from 1937 to 1956 are the most desirable to collectors today. They are considered the foremost vintage factory manufactured archtop guitars that were ever produced. The most desirable of these are the professional grade models. The guitars that the company had built its reputation on.
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