Great Acoustics: A Mighty 1949 Epiphone Emperor Archtop

In 1931 Epiphone introduced the Deluxe, the first direct competitor to Gibson’s L-5, which had become the acoustic archtop of choice for rhythm guitarists at the dawn of the swing era. In a cheeky move, Epiphone designed the Deluxe with a 16-3/8-inch lower bout, slightly larger than the 16-inch L-5. 

This started a call-and-response competition between the two companies. When in 1935 Gibson introduced the Advanced L-5 with a 17-inch lower bout, Epiphone responded by redesigning the Deluxe with a lower bout of 17-3/8 inches. And after Gibson introduced the 18-inch-wide Super 400 in 1934, Epiphone responded the following year with the 18-1/2-inch Emperor. Gibson decided to let Epiphone have the last word and didn’t make anything larger than the Emperor from then on. 

The Emperor pictured here was made in late 1949 in the twilight of the swing era. This model has a carved spruce top, carved maple back, and extensive inlay work befitting such a fancy guitar. It has a Frequensator tailpiece, a 1937 invention that Epiphone claimed in an ad in Down Beat magazine delivered “greater clarity” and “truer tone.” (The efficacy of the Frequensator has been debated by guitarists ever since.) 

It was clear by this time that smaller groups with electric guitars, which were cheaper to hire than large swing bands and were just as loud, were the wave of the future. But even as the popularity of the acoustic archtop was fading, Epiphone and Gibson were building the finest instruments in the style. Like other Emperors from this period, this guitar has the volume and projection needed to drive a big band. But because it is so responsive, it also works well for styles that require a lighter touch, such as fingerstyle chord melody. 

Over the next few years Epiphone offered cutaway and electric versions of the Emperor to help sales, but players had moved on from big archtops. This particular example is a reminder that there was once a time in the guitar world when giants walked the earth.