Epiphone USA Collection Texan

Passing the Test

Wildwoodians, we are proud to present the Epiphone USA Collection Texan, a guitar that celebrates a less-known but vital part of American guitar history. You see, Epiphone actually predates Gibson by twenty-nine years--no kidding! Founded in 1873 by a Greek immigrant named Epi Stathopoulo, the "House of Stathopoulo" (a combination showroom and dream factory in New York City) was a hotbed for early jazz musicians and guitar innovators; in fact, the workshop was where Les Paul crafted his legendary solid-body guitar prototype, affectionately dubbed "The Log." However, Epiphone fell on hard times after Epi passed away, and the business was in dire straits.

Enter Ted McCarty, president of Gibson Guitars. One of Epi's sons offered to sell him the company and he accepted because he saw unique opportunity. Dealers all over America were clamoring for Gibson guitars at the time, but Gibson wasn't sure what dealers they could trust to be profitable, so they were very choosy about who got to carry their guitars. As a result, there was quite a contentious situation.

To calm things down without putting Gibson at risk, McCarty decided to use Epiphone as a "tester line" for dealers. Basically, Epiphones were built side-by-side with Gibsons in the Kalamazoo Gibson plant with the same materials and electronics. Then, they sent them off to prospective dealers, and, if they proved themselves by selling plenty of Epiphones, Gibson would award them a coveted dealer contract.

These guitars pay tribute to those magnificent USA-made Epiphones that inspired everyone from Paul McCartney to Noel Gallagher to John Lee Hooker to Les Paul. They're made of all solid woods at Gibson's Bozeman, Montana plant, and they capture the tone and vibe of their vintage forebears beautifully. We are proud to showcase them, we have no doubt they will inspire you endlessly.

Texas-Sized Tone

Wildwoodians, if you asked us if these USA Collection Epihones were killer guitars, we'd have to give you a Texas-sized ten-four, especially for the Texan itself! Originally, introduced in 1942 as the FT-79, the Texan went through a couple of changes to get to the classic instrument you see reissued before you. After Gibson purchased Epiphone in 1958, Gibson used the same model number for a brand-new slope-shouldered with a 25.5" scale instead of the typical 24.75" found on most Gibson guitars at the time. A Texan found its way into the hands of Paul McCartney, who used it to record Yesterday and many other classic Beatles tunes, raising its profile considerably. Since then, the Texan has captured the hearts of Graham Nash, Benjamin Gibbard, Noel Gallagher, and Peter Frampton, cementing its status as an iconic instrument.

So, the big question is: does the USA Collection Epiphone Texan live up to the standard set by its vintage forebears? Well, Wildwoodians, we are happy to report that it does. it's built with the same materials, care, and love as the Gibson acoustics from Bozeman we've come to love over the years, and it presents a fresh, inspiring take on a classic tone.

Basically, the Texan has the same tonewoods as a J-45, but it has that aforementioned 25.5" scale. This longer scale gives this guitar a springier attack with more "bounce" and a bit mnore sauce in the trebles while maintaining the woody, punchy, responsive qualities we love out of a J-45. It really shines as a strummer or when you play single-note lines with a flatpick, but don't sleep on its capacity for nuanced fingerstlye performance, either. If you're looking for a new spin on a classic tone that will work well for solo accompaniment, live band performance, and recording, the Epiphone Texan will inspire you to no end!