The Official Epiphone Weblog

kris kristofferson and masterbilt

epiphoneblog — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:22:14 +0000

We came across this cool 2008 photo of the Legendary Kris Kristofferson with his Masterbilt DR-500P the other day. This is the only Masterbilt that has a Maple body and it sounds great! Good choice Kris! CLICK HERE to check it out.

emperor swingster demo

epiphoneblog — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:05:11 +0000

I’ve been working on an audio demo of the Emperor Swingster this afternoon. These pickups are smokin’ hot and the combinations of series and parallel settings give you a wide variety of tones. I think you will be impressed. Look for a Swingster feature (with audio demo) on www.epiphone.com soon!

for the vintage freak in all of us

epiphoneblog — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:37:10 +0000

Here’s something cool for the vintage freak in all of us. Today I had this beauty in the studio for some detail photography. It’s a 1964 Coronet on loan from our friends at Chicago Music Exchange in the rare “Silver Fox” finish.

A white grain filler was used and then covered in a “green-ish” clear back in ‘64 to get this desired effect… and is quite difficult to reproduce today. But we have the guy who can do it! (hint, hint)

it only looks expensive

epiphoneblog — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:35:04 +0000

We have been creating some new print ads lately and last week it was time to spotlight the new “Worn ‘66 Wilshire“. The idea was to point out that this new version of a classic brings you incredible value (MSRP is a ridiculously low $632) with the tag line of… “It Only Looks Expensive”. To hammer the point home, we found the most luxurious car we could find in a local parking lot (BMW X5) and convinced the owner to hand over the keys for a half hour or so. The natural lighting was perfect and I fired off 60 or so frames from every possible angle. The final ad is below… you should be seeing it in music publications soon.

BTW… I couldn’t help but play this beauty for a few minutes after the session and man what a great guitar. These things are gonna be flying out of stores next month. You should check it out. CLICK HERE for more info.

new print ads coming soon

epiphoneblog — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:15:58 +0000

We are wrapping up work on a couple of new print ads. They will appear in music publications in the near future and feature the new 1959 Les Paul Standard and the Thunderbird Pro Bass.

photographing the 59 LP

epiphoneblog — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:48:43 +0000

Spent a little time this afternoon photographing the 59 LP for an upcoming ad. This guitar is gorgeous!

Oh Man!!!

epiphoneblog — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:54:52 +0000

Oh man!!! We got one of the ‘59 Les Pauls in the office today for a major photo shoot that is coming up. WOW… this thing is stunning. These pics don’t even start to do it justice but I had to post them anyway. You can almost hear the Burstbuckers screaming off that flame maple top!

READ MORE HERE about the new 1959 Les Paul Standard.

another peek at a new model

epiphoneblog — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:38:42 +0000

OK… I’m around this stuff every day but I have to say that I am really excited about this one! Want to know more? CLICK HERE

ZAKK WYLDE GRAVEYARD DISCIPLE REVEALED

epiphoneblog — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:42:02 +0000

We’ve been plotting some cool stuff with Zakk Wylde recently and today I can reveal one of them. A new model! Zakk was very hands-on coming up with his new Epiphone Signature model… the Graveyard Disciple. Some of you have already seen it if you have been to any recent Black Label Society shows. Check the video below. Oh, and the pic above is one of the original protos that we ended up sending to Zakk for his birthday back in January… signed by the Epiphone Nashville team.

CLICK HERE for a closer look at the Zakk Wylde Graveyard Disciple.

Backstage at Crue Fest ’09 with Nikki Sixx, Rev Theory and Charm City Devils

epiphoneblog — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:28:09 +0000

Last week I went to CrueFest and got together with Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue before the show to discuss his Epiphone signature bass. Nikki customizes every bass he plays with his own unique treatment and artwork so when Nikki’s tech, Darron showed us Nikki’s rack of basses, the discussion immediately turned to the possibility of offering some limited edition Epi Blackbirds inspired by Nikki’s designs. Here’s a few pics.

Then it was on for a get together on the Gibson/Epiphone bus with Charm City Devils who are signed to Nikki’s new label “Eleven Seven” and Rev Theory. Both bands use Epiphone Prophecy guitars and put on yet another great performance. Below is a shot of Rev Theory’s Rikki Lixx soloing with his Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul EX.

If you have the chance to go to Cruefest 2009 I’d encourage you to do so. Motley Crue headlines the festival with an amazing show playing all the hits (and more) from their classic Dr. Feelgood album. Crue Fest 2009 runs through September 5th. You can check out the dates at www.motley.com.

Jim “Epi” Rosenberg