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1948 Epiphone Triumph
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Serial #: 57364
Body size at lower bout: 17 3/8" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Original blonde finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type
Materials: Handcarved solid Adirondack spruce top; solid handcarved maple back and sides; five-piece maple neck; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard; split-diamond pattern abalone fingerboard inlay and "column" style peghead inlay, triple-bound body, bound fingerboard and headstock; bone nut.
Hardware: Original nickel-plated "E-logo" tuners; original bound leopard shell tortoise pickguard; original nickel Frequensator tailpiece; hex-key adjustable truss rod. Compensated adjustable rosewood bridge. Kent Armstrong Handmade floating humbucking pickup, with thumbwheel volume control and endpin jack.
Notes: Designed in the height of the big-band era, the Epiphone Triumph has always been a favorite for players wanting maximum bang for the buck. Built with the same materials, scale length, and body design as the upscale Broadway and Deluxe models, the Triumph delivers all the sound and feel of the most costly guitars in the line.
This example is in superb condition, with smooth low action over fine high medium jumbo frets. The widely spaced walnut stripe neck is a very rare design, seen only briefly in the late postwar era. The original nickel plated epsilon logo 16X1 tuners are smooth and precise, and the Frequensator tailpiece is in excellent condition. The original blonde finish is deeply ambered, and is remarkably free from pick, buckle and fingerboard wear, with just a few scattered lacquer dings on the body. One small finish crack at the treble F-hole does not extend to the underside of the top, and the bridge height has been restored to new specs with a recent neck set giving this guitar tremendous volume and brilliant tone.
Best of all, the soundboard is carved of solid quartersawn bookmatched Adirondack spruce, the legendary tonewood of the prewar era. Finally a Kent Armstrong Handmade floating humbucking pickup has been installed, with a thumbwheel volume control and endpin jack. With it's huge voice, a fine contemporary neck profile and smooth low action, this great player is a unbeatable combination of tone, playablilty and value.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridgewheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original deluxe Epiphone plushlined hardshell case.
