1969 Epiphone/Gibson FT-30 "Caballero"

I apologize in advance for telling you folks what some of you already know and others of you don’t want to know, but it’s stuff which anybody who is considering bidding on this guitar ought to know, so here goes:

Gibson introduced the LG-1 in April of 1943 as a kind of junior partner to the famous J-45, with the same solid spruce top and solid mahogany back, sides, and neck. It had full body binding, a simple one-stripe rosette, a rosewood bridge, a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlay, a blackface headstock with a screened or decal logo and three-on-a-plate nickel tuners, and a tortoise pickguard. Its smaller dimensions (14 1/8” lower bout, with a 24 ¾” scale) allowed Gibson to use straight-across ladder bracing on the top as well as the back, and to use a single piece mahogany back with no center seam. In 1958 Gibson introduced the LG-0, with similar specs but with a solid mahogany top and certain economies (such as the infamous plastic bridge used on both models from 1962 to 1966).

However, in 1958 Gibson also acquired the Epiphone trademark and equipment, lock, stock, and barrel, and as the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars says, “It was decided that Epiphone would be re-established as a first-rate guitar manufacturer, so that Gibson’s parent company, CMI, could offer a product comparable in every way to Gibson....Gibson was (in effect) competing with itself,” selling virtually identical models of guitar. All were built at the Gibson plant in Kalamazoo to the same high standards, in many cases by the same designers and craftsmen, but with different labels and model numbers. While this situation only lasted until 1969, when most Epiphone production was shifted abroad, the Epiphone guitars produced during this period look and perform almost exactly like their Gibson counterparts, and are therefore highly prized by players and collectors alike.

The Kalamazoo era is when this particular guitar was made: the label designates it as an Epiphone FT-30 Caballero, but it is the spitting image of the Gibson LG-0 described above. The serial number (583713) suggests that in the somewhat unreliable Gibson “system” it was produced in 1969. It no longer has the tortoise pickguard which the Blue Book says was introduced with no logo in 1961, and the abominable plastic bridge is also gone, replaced with an adjustable rosewood bridge and saddle. Regardless, you can tell at a glance—as well as with a chord or two—that the DNA of this guitar is 98% Gibson; it looks like an LG-0, plays and sounds like an LG-0, and is a truly cool little instrument.

I hope that you’re still with me—perhaps thinking that if it’s really like a 1969 Gibson, this thing’s worth serious consideration, and you’re right. Structurally, it is in good condition; any known issues have been professionally resolved, although there is some slight bellying behind the bridge. The bridge has been re-set, a top crack below the bridge has been glued and cleated, and the action has been set up at a very comfortable level of a hair more than 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. The 3-on-a-strip tuners have been upgraded to modern Kluson-style tuners which work fine. A ¼” hole has been plugged in the bass side, where there apparently was a strap pin installed and removed by a previous owner, and the end pin is clearly a replacement.

Cosmetically, it is in good shape: the original ivoroid binding on the top looks great, and the headstock has only the corner dings expected after over fifty years. As I assume the pictures indicate, the finish has vintage crazing all over, plus a number of dings and bruises. It looks like a well-cared-for guitar, a remarkable example of 1960s American guitar-making at its best. The aged and seasoned woods are thoroughly opened up, and it sounds great, stronger than my Guild D-25, for example. If crazing indeed “lets the sound out,” as my luthier says, then I guess that explains the unexpectedly big sound this little classic produces!

The case is an excellent heavily-padded gig bag which is in good shape, inside and out. It has five (!) zippered pockets, a Velcro headstock strap, and a detachable carrying strap. It fits the smaller shape of the FT-30 quite well, and affords excellent light-weight protection for this quality vintage instrument. However, if you like this little guy as much as I think you will, you may want to invest in a hard shell case for it.

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this vintage guitar, so its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it.

Thank you for your interest in this cool guitar.