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PAUL VERNON CHESTER

Manouche Maestro

Epiphone Emperor

The Emperor The guitar held by Jack Llewellyn a 1936 photograph above with his brother Charles is believed to be an Epiphone Triumph, but Jack’s instrument of choice was indeed the Epiphone Emperor.  Jack is playing his Emperor in the 1938 photograph taken in the broadcasting studio.  His preference for the Emperor was certainly not shared by his friend Reinhardt.  Jack told of showing the Emperor to Reinhardt in his hotel room.  Reinhardt tried a chord or two and then threw it back across the room to Jack.   The guitar which Reinhardt favoured, and which remains closely associated with his name, is the Selmer acoustic guitar commonly referred to as the Maccaferri.  This is the guitar played by Reinhardt and other members of the Quintette du Hot Club de France.  Jack indeed also owned a Maccaferri, and it seems probable that he acquired it at the time of his collaboration with Reinhardt.   It was Jack’s love of the Epiphone instrument that gave rise to his nickname, in musical circles, of The Emperor. Jack’s Emperor was sold in the mid 70’s by Knight Guitars on Jack’s behalf to Clive Hicks, who is believed to have kept it until just a couple of years ago, when it was sold on EBay to a purchaser in the United States.  It is the address-fob from the case of Jack’s Emperor that is still in the possession of Gordon Wells.    

 

 

 

    1937 Epiphone ad that caused some stir (she holding an Emperor).

Photographs from the late 1930's typically show Freddie Green playing a sunburst Epiphone Emperor guitar.
During the 1940's and 1950's, Freddie seemed to play Strombergs exclusively, usually sunburst.
These large 18-19" arch-tops were revered for their volume and cutting power in an era when electrical amplification was not yet commonplace, especially in big bands.
Green's guitar technique was to play only certain important notes of each chord. The unsounded notes were dampened by the fingers of the left hand. This technique gave a 'chunky' rhythm sound without creating unnecessary harmonic presence that might interfere with notes sounded by other members of the orchestra. Throughout his career, Green only rarely played single note solos. Green was a pioneer in the way the guitar is played in a big band setting. He held that "you should never hear the guitar by itself. It should be part of the drums so it sounds like the drummer is playing chords—like the snare is in A or the hi-hat in D minor".

 

Epiphone EmperorIn 1935, the Epiphone Company introduced several new arch-top acoustic guitars and topped their line with the 18 3/8-inch Emperor model. This model was considered the flagship of the company's Masterbuilt line, which was redesigned and expanded to meet the increasing popularity of the guitar during this period.

The Emperor featured a carved spruce top, multi bound f-holes, raised bound tortoise pickguard, multi-bound body, carved maple back, maple sides, 7-piece maple neck, 14/20 fret bound ebony fingerboard with pearl split block inlays, adjustable ebony bridge, Frequensator tailpiece, bound peghead with pearl vine/logo inlay, and 3 per side gold tuners. The model was available in Cremona Brown Sunburst or natural finish.

The acoustic arch-top version of the Emperor was discontinued around 1957, but in subsequent years the name has been used to name several electric models, such as the Emperor II, Emperor Regent, and Joe Pass Emperor. These instruments have very little in common with acoustic arch-top version that Freddie Green used. Under the ownership of Gibson, Epiphone offered a Japanese-made Emperor acoustic re-issue in limited quantities for a short time during the mid 1990's.

A key factor that contributed to Freddie Green's sound and volume was the fact that he set his string height, or "action" very high. It is said that one could almost slide a finger between the strings and the fretboard. This set up increased the pressure of the strings on the bridge and subsequently transferred more energy into the top and body of the instrument, increasing its volume. This high action also made Freddie's instruments virtually unplayable by other guitarists. 

Freddie Green strummed his four-to-the-bar chords using a standard tortoiseshell plectrum (or pick).

Freddie is said to have experimented with electric amplification and outfitted one of his Strombergs with a floating pickup for a brief period. Supposedly, members of the Basie band harassed Freddie about his new electric sound and even went so far as to remove components of his amplifier before a gig so that it wouldn't work, forcing Freddie to play acoustically. Accounts from band mates of the time suggest that these antics influenced Freddie to ultimately abandon amplification, and return to his signature acoustic delivery of sound.

Epiphone Patent Pending Frequensator Tailpiece

    •  allows for a longer string length on the 3 bass strings, shorter string length on the 3 treble strings, sometimes reversed by players to accommodate short strings, high end models: 1939-1970.

Logo-stamped Frequensator tailpiece  Heavy steel stock will not tear at the bend. (NOTE: retainer is shaped with a rounded tip in the Gibson Epi style , not pointed at the end like NY Epi tailpieces. Direct retro fit for Gibson era (post '59) Epis. On NY Epis ('56 and earlier) tailpiece cover the old screw holes, except for the one at the very bottom of the pointed tip, under the strap pin hole.)




1951 Epiphone Emperor with Dearmond FHC and OHSC

1951 Epiphone Emperor with Dearmond FHC and OHSC

Here is one of the largest guitars ever made! The legendary Emperor was Epiphone's flagship guitar. Constructed from the finest materials by Epiphone's best craftsman, the Emperor's huge 18 1/2" lower bout earned it a reputation as a "Super 400 Killer." The expanded body size was the largest of any production guitar. Its voluminous sound box met the demands of swing era rhythm players who were continually looking for increased volume and tonal range.

The sound of this instrument ranks among the best acoustic archtops in the world. It features a warm but "tight" bass register which adds bottom without being overly dark or muddy which is so critical for clean rhythm work. The high end is quite brilliant with some nice roundness for fat sounding single note passages. The sparkly highs are supported with some thick but focused mids. One of the most notable features is the "open" sounding natural reverb the guitar has. This characteristic is particularly nice when playing solo chord melody pieces which can sound lifeless on drier sounding guitars.

The condition of this instrument is excellent. The expression "closet guitar" comes to mind as the instrument shows almost no signs of use over it's long life. Other than some light scratches and small dings, the guitar is very "newish" in appearance. One tuning button and the pickguard were replaced with accurate reproductions. Otherwise, the guitar is entirely original.

A vintage DeArmond FHC Guitar Mic is attached

Serial #: 60918

Body size at lower bout:18.5" Scale length: 25.5" Nut width: 1 11/16"'

Flamed Maple Back and Sides

Spruce Top

Frequensator tailpiece

Epsilon logo 16X1 tuners

Adjustable Rosewood Bridge

 

1951 Epiphone Emperor

 

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Last modified: 13/09/2011