Epiphone Zenith Classic, Masterbilt Century Collection - Vintage Natural

In addition to my gigging with an instrumental surf band (oh, Fender is it!), I also play bass with an ukulele group.

I have been introducing less Hawaiian songs and instruments to the uke group, but most members prefer hulas.

I also have an acoustic guitar duet with the guitarist from the surf band. Either two acoustic guitars or one guitar and one acoustic/electric bass.

I have been organizing a junk band (jug band with no jug) around washboard, kazoo, harmonica, guitar, ukulele, accordion, and U-bass. Each member plays more than one instrument so we can switch off (a lot). So far, on guitar, I have been using my Yamaha flat top. Here's an early photo I used while putting together the Uke Stompers:

http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws....1c7d5ac8de.jpg

One thing... before I took up guitar, a cousin of mine was taking guitar lessons, using a 1950's Gibson arch-top acoustic (sunburst). I never heard him play it -- he resented guitar lessons the way some kids resent piano or violin lessons. But, my, that was a pretty guitar.

So I bought an arch top acoustic (with an under bridge pickup).

A while ago, I saw where Epiphone was adding archtops to their Masterbilt collection. Three... a 15" Olympic, a 16" Zenith, and a 17" Deluxe. I listened to YouTube videos and thought the Zenith was the balance of chime and thud I wanted.

I could find no one anywhere near me who would bring one in. I waited nearly a year. On line, Sam Ash and a few others would show them, but they were always out of stock. A buddy had ordered a guitar from Sweetwater, and recommended the quality of their product, service, and shipment. So I asked to alerted when they received a Zenith for sale. (I prefer non-sunburst to sunburst, and they offered a natural.)

Two weeks ago I got the email and I ordered it. They sent photos of the instrument (not a sample instrument, but the one with the serial number they were shipping me).

http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws....dec02e000a.jpg

http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws....cb72fa7fdf.jpg

http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws....78fddc6603.jpg

Upon receipt, I tuned it up, and (as I figured) I did not care for the roundwound bronze strings. I replaced them with an appropriate set of flatwounds and finished the set up.

http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws....ea560c405f.jpg

I am so pleased with the playability, the tone, and the looks of this axe... cannot wait for duet practice tomorrow.

You sound busy!

That Masterbuilt is a fine looking guitar. Congrats.

I love the flame-maple lam sides, vintage crown tuner-buttons, and MOP banner on the head-stock. Very nice fiddle, man!

And yes... Sweetwater rocks in so many ways. They're my go-to for most my gear and seeing actual pics of the instrument that you're buying, is just the icing on the cake.

PS: I'll bet that your band is a lot of fun to watch and listen to.

Enjoy the new plank, brother!

I wish I was as busy as I sound.

The bands are odd. The surf band is a trio. I normally play bass, but the guitarist also plays bass, so if we play three sets, the middle one I play guitar. While Jim does Dick Dale and other retro surf, I am old enough to know that three hours of surf music is difficult to not become monotonous and that all surfer stomps were filled with jazz, Latino rock, R&B, and other big band stuff with a surf beat. So my set has Watermelon Man, Green Onions, Pink Panther, Peter Gunn, Summertime, some Link Wray, and other less traditional retro surf. The problem is the drummer. He is among the most talented but relatively undisciplined drummers I have ever worked with. He loves to play loud and fast, which would be fine if he played better loud and fast, but then he forgets to listen to us. When we play outside with monster amps, he can hear us and follows us while driving us, but in a small club, he drives people out of the place due to the volume. When he plays at normal tempo and volume, he is beautifully over-the-top. But he prefers loud and fast.

Which is why Jim and I play acoustic without drums when we get an indoor gig.

The uke group is 90% amateurs who can only straight strum, but sing like angels. I croak, so I play bass and try to keep the rhythm right for the hula sistas.

The Uke Stompers play good time rock and roll (think Lovin' Spoonful) using non-rock instruments. Imagine the Christmas Jug Band playing rock and roll without the Christmas standards. We get lots of offers for ukulele kanikapilas. The folkies laugh at us, as do the rockers, but both laugh with us, too. The ukesters cringe at the accordion, but laugh with us about the washboard and kazoos.

Lots of rehearsals, but none get more than four or five gigs a year. When we play, we are loved, and always get asked back... next year. Not next month. I'd love to be gigging at least three times a month. I guess I'll need to join a band which attracts single women to drink in bars, so the guys will buy them the drinks in hopes of scoring. Those bands play every night of the week. But I grow tired of white guy blues-rock bands. There's only so much you can do with Mustang Sally.

And the jazz bands are so serious about their melody-less noodling. Play the head, then everyone takes a verse and chorus of mindless improvisation then end on the head again.

So tomorrow (now today) afternoon, and next Friday, too, I take the new archtop and my acoustic bass to Jim and we put together two sets of What in the Blues Blazes.

http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws....8eadf771a5.jpg

Here's the second tune at our first gig, a few years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwdy1MUYZbE