Epiphone Broadway
Introduced in 1931, the Broadway occupied a position one step below the Deluxe in the Epiphone catalogue (except for a brief period in the 1930s, when it was pushed into third place by the Tudor).
16 3/8 inches wide, it featured a spruce top, solid walnut sides and a laminated walnut back. Details included three-segment or regular f-holes, an asymetrical headstock with ‘banner’ style logo and an ebony fingerboard with a rounded end and four-point star-shaped inlays. Hardware was nickel-plated. In 1934, the model was upgraded with a carved walnut back and gold-plated hardware. The fingerboard, which was now rosewood, had a square end and pearl block inlays, while the headstock carried a ‘vine’ inlay and a large block-letter logo.
Though the guitar pictured here has a 1934 serial number (7262), it displays a mix of features including old-style headstock inlays, a rounded end rosewood fingerboard and pearl block position markers.
1934 Epiphone Masterbilt Broadway
Images courtesy of Folkway Music