quites possibly the coolest christmas present ever.

January 12, 2007 1:02 PM

I have an Epiphone 12-string from the early 70s. How do I find its year of manufacture/model/worth?

The guitar was my father's, and kept in its case in the basement for the last 30 years or so. There is a sticker inside the body with Style, Epiphone, and No. fields (blank, 6735, and 108131 respectively). Can I find what I want to know with this information?

I know that value is dependent on the state of the instrument;I don't intend on selling the guitar, but I want to know that I'm not treating something nice like a beater.

posted by tylermoody to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 comments total)

can you post a pic?
posted by Salvatorparadise at 1:09 PM on January 12, 2007

Cool find! I love my acoustic 12-string.

Unless it has something exceptionally interesting about it, though, it's probably not worth too much - On the order of a few hundred dollars... Search Ebay for "epiphone 12 string" every few weeks and you'll have a good estimate.

If it were a Gibson...
posted by mzurer at 1:10 PM on January 12, 2007

There are blue books for guitars and amps. Your local book store probably doesn't have one but a pawn shop or a good guitar store might.

If it's earlier than 1970 it'll probably be worth more than if it's post-1970. I think 1969 is the year that Gibson stopped making epiphones and started making them in japan or rebranding foreign instruments.

And my advice is, if it sounds nice, treat it nice. If it doesn't sound nice, take it to a guitar shop and see if they can do a setup for you, maybe ask them what it might be worth. If it still doesn't sound nice maybe THEN consider a beater ;)
posted by RustyBrooks at 1:20 PM on January 12, 2007

You might find something useful here
posted by RustyBrooks at 1:22 PM on January 12, 2007

Judging from this...

However, these import instruments have model numbers that do not correspond with Kalamazoo made Epiphone model numbers listed below. Also the serial number is usually 7 digits or longer (unlike U.S. made Epi's with a 6 digit or less serial number).

It was probably made in America considering the 6 digit serial number.
posted by drezdn at 1:25 PM on January 12, 2007

I have a Epiphone Sheraton, btw, and I love it.
posted by RustyBrooks at 1:31 PM on January 12, 2007

It is a Kalamazoo-made Epiphone with a label like the one here. There is no 'made in Japan' on the label, so I'm guessing it's pre-1970.
posted by tylermoody at 1:41 PM on January 12, 2007

American-made instruments are always more desirable than imports. The fact that it's also pre-70s leads me to believe that you may have a pretty decent guitar. It's not a beater. Take care of it.
posted by wsg at 3:11 PM on January 12, 2007

Check this and scroll down. Look to the right.
posted by snsranch at 3:32 PM on January 12, 2007

I dug this up but can't make heads or tails of it as it pertains to your guitar.
posted by mzurer at 5:13 PM on January 12, 2007