1948 or 1949 Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent Archtop Electric Guitar – Double Pickup

1948 or 1949 Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent Archtop Electric Guitar – Double Pickup

This is a 1948 or 1949 Epiphone Deluxe Regent archtop electric guitar, with a double pickup setup. This is a rare model for a couple of reasons. In 1947, Epiphone started experimenting with the type of pickup we see on this guitar. Only a very small handful of instruments started getting this pickup in 1948 and 1949. The type of pickup is the Tone Spectrum. Later in late 1949 or 1950, the Tone Spectrum was phased out and replaced by the New York Broadway pickup, which is the most common pickup to find on these guitars. The other thing that makes this guitar relatively scarce, is that it has two pickups.

The orange – blonde color is original. The gloss on the guitar body has been refinished, there are newer (1960s) wiring components added (see condition report), and it shows signs of usage over the course of its 74 years. That being said, it looks awesome, sounds as cool as you want it to, and has the right vibe. You cannot look at this guitar in person and feel anything other than “wow, that’s a great looking guitar.”

It looks big in person, that’s because it is. The body is wider than other Zephyrs. It has a presence about it.

The five-part construction neck is very playable. It is narrow and thin. There is an elegance to its construction. It is straight enough that I do not believe it will require any adjustments. I say this because I have spent hours playing the guitar, and it is nothing but enjoyable to play on.

The Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent really represents such a wonderful time in guitar history. This is the period of Jazz and Blues. Guitars were still in transition from acoustic to electrification. You can see that transition right here in this instrument. The Regent model (Regen means it has a cutaway) was a sister to the non-regent model (no cutaway). Some guitars from this period had pickups, and others did not, i.e. the Epiphone Triumph.

In 1957, Gibson bought Epiphone and it all changed for the company. Over time, Epiphone took a backseat to Gibson’s star power. Prior to 1957, Epiphone was one of the top-of-the-line guitar makers in the United States. That legacy is apparent in this guitar.

There is a video on my GoldenPickups website that provides an overview of the guitar. I mention some information about the electrical parts on the video about them being all original. Since I made that video, the condition report below is more accurate based on what I found.

Condition Report:
The guitar is 74 years old, so it is bound to have some things worth mentioning. It appears that it was well used and loved and has a slow history of evolving some parts, as mentioned below. I took my time to try and document as much as I can about the condition.

Finish:

  • The finish is not original on the body. The neck and headstock appear to be with an all original finish. The orange-blonde color is original.
  • The guitar sound board was painted gold and then later painted red. I am guessing this was done in the 1960s to make it look more modern. Evidence of the red and gold paint are still present under the tortoise-shell plates. The reason for the guess on when it was painted, is that it appears that’s also when some of the wiring, switches and pots were replaced.
  • There are several minor scratches or surface cracks between the pickups, near where the pickguard would be. They do not seem to be through the top board or feel weak. They appear to be cosmetic.
  • At some point the guitar top sound board was stripped of the paint, and then later refinished. Today, it has a warm original color with a subtle glossy appearance on all sides. It looks beautiful.
  • The bindings are all original and show some signs of minor wear. There is some ambering of their color, which looks nice.
  • The inlay in the headstock and fretboard are in very good condition.

Hardware:

  • Pickguard is missing.
  • The tuners are all original and work very well.
  • The frets are in decent shape with some wear.
  • The tailpiece is original and shows some signs of tarnish and wear to the finish.
  • The wooden bridge is original and is in very good condition. There is a minor chip near the foot.
  • The tortoise shell plates around the controls are in very good condition. I haven’t seen any other example of a Zephyr with tortoise-shell plates, so they may or may not be original, although they appear to be from the 1940s.
  • Volume/tone knobs were likely replaced in the mid 1960s based on the style of knobs on there now, and that they do not show up in any other examples of Zephyrs from that time.

Wiring/Electrical Parts:

  • Uncertain if the master volume (the one without the tortoise shell plate) and three-way switch next to it are original. They may be original, or they could have been added in the 1960s.
  • The neck pickup is original with original wire leads coming off of it. It was rewired/connected to the wiring. It works and sounds great.
  • The bridge pickup is original but was missing one of the wires and the black wax was also missing. A wire was rigged to the side of the copper-wound wire and connected to the guitar wiring. It works and sounds great. The pickup ring is not original, and was made by me out of maple. It is nearly impossible to find vintage pickup rings that look just like the original. It had to be made in order to connect the pickup to the guitar. Half of the original pickup ring is included with the guitar.
  • There is a more modern (1960s or later) master switch at the tail of the guitar (visible as the rectangular switch). This appears to be a replacement to a switch that was originally there.
  • The wiring looks to be half replaced and half original.
  • One of the pots appears to be from the 1940s era or later, and the others appear to be later (1960s or later). They will need to be cleaned but they do work.
  • There occasionally is a slight humming/buzzing sound when the bridge pickup is selected.

Structural Integrity:

  • The neck is fairly straight and there is a truss rod, which I have not adjusted because it doesn’t seem to need it.
  • The body does not have any cracks that affect integrity or sound. There is one crack that seems repaired, because the side around it feels strong and not weak. This is at the top of the guitar along its side (see picture.) There is a hairline crack along both sides of the neck above the heal. It was repaired and looks completely sound. There is no weakness in the neck at all.

FREE SHIPPING (fully insured) is available on this item.

Dimensions:


  • Overall length: 43 3/4 “
  • Body width: 17 1/2″
  • Fretboard length: 17 3/4″
  • Nut width (neck width at narrowest point near top): 43.5mm / 1.72″
  • Body depth: 4 1/2″
  • Action height at 12th fret (between top of fret and bottom of Low E) 2.67mm / 7/64″

Dexterity:


  • Right Handed

Description

This is a 1948 or 1949 Epiphone Deluxe Regent archtop electric guitar, with a double pickup setup. This is a rare model for a couple of reasons. In 1947, Epiphone started experimenting with the type of pickup we see on this guitar. Only a very small handful of instruments started getting this pickup in 1948 and 1949. The type of pickup is the Tone Spectrum. Later in late 1949 or 1950, the Tone Spectrum was phased out and replaced by the New York Broadway pickup, which is the most common pickup to find on these guitars. The other thing that makes this guitar relatively scarce, is that it has two pickups.

The orange – blonde color is original. The gloss on the guitar body has been refinished, there are newer (1960s) wiring components added (see condition report), and it shows signs of usage over the course of its 74 years. That being said, it looks awesome, sounds as cool as you want it to, and has the right vibe. You cannot look at this guitar in person and feel anything other than “wow, that’s a great looking guitar.”

It looks big in person, that’s because it is. The body is wider than other Zephyrs. It has a presence about it.

The five-part construction neck is very playable. It is narrow and thin. There is an elegance to its construction. It is straight enough that I do not believe it will require any adjustments. I say this because I have spent hours playing the guitar, and it is nothing but enjoyable to play on.

The Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent really represents such a wonderful time in guitar history. This is the period of Jazz and Blues. Guitars were still in transition from acoustic to electrification. You can see that transition right here in this instrument. The Regent model (Regen means it has a cutaway) was a sister to the non-regent model (no cutaway). Some guitars from this period had pickups, and others did not, i.e. the Epiphone Triumph.

In 1957, Gibson bought Epiphone and it all changed for the company. Over time, Epiphone took a backseat to Gibson’s star power. Prior to 1957, Epiphone was one of the top-of-the-line guitar makers in the United States. That legacy is apparent in this guitar.

There is a video on my GoldenPickups website that provides an overview of the guitar. I mention some information about the electrical parts on the video about them being all original. Since I made that video, the condition report below is more accurate based on what I found.

Condition Report:
The guitar is 74 years old, so it is bound to have some things worth mentioning. It appears that it was well used and loved and has a slow history of evolving some parts, as mentioned below. I took my time to try and document as much as I can about the condition.

Finish:

  • The finish is not original on the body. The neck and headstock appear to be with an all original finish. The orange-blonde color is original.
  • The guitar sound board was painted gold and then later painted red. I am guessing this was done in the 1960s to make it look more modern. Evidence of the red and gold paint are still present under the tortoise-shell plates. The reason for the guess on when it was painted, is that it appears that’s also when some of the wiring, switches and pots were replaced.
  • There are several minor scratches or surface cracks between the pickups, near where the pickguard would be. They do not seem to be through the top board or feel weak. They appear to be cosmetic.
  • At some point the guitar top sound board was stripped of the paint, and then later refinished. Today, it has a warm original color with a subtle glossy appearance on all sides. It looks beautiful.
  • The bindings are all original and show some signs of minor wear. There is some ambering of their color, which looks nice.
  • The inlay in the headstock and fretboard are in very good condition.

Hardware:

  • Pickguard is missing.
  • The tuners are all original and work very well.
  • The frets are in decent shape with some wear.
  • The tailpiece is original and shows some signs of tarnish and wear to the finish.
  • The wooden bridge is original and is in very good condition. There is a minor chip near the foot.
  • The tortoise shell plates around the controls are in very good condition. I haven’t seen any other example of a Zephyr with tortoise-shell plates, so they may or may not be original, although they appear to be from the 1940s.
  • Volume/tone knobs were likely replaced in the mid 1960s based on the style of knobs on there now, and that they do not show up in any other examples of Zephyrs from that time.

Wiring/Electrical Parts:

  • Uncertain if the master volume (the one without the tortoise shell plate) and three-way switch next to it are original. They may be original, or they could have been added in the 1960s.
  • The neck pickup is original with original wire leads coming off of it. It was rewired/connected to the wiring. It works and sounds great.
  • The bridge pickup is original but was missing one of the wires and the black wax was also missing. A wire was rigged to the side of the copper-wound wire and connected to the guitar wiring. It works and sounds great. The pickup ring is not original, and was made by me out of maple. It is nearly impossible to find vintage pickup rings that look just like the original. It had to be made in order to connect the pickup to the guitar. Half of the original pickup ring is included with the guitar.
  • There is a more modern (1960s or later) master switch at the tail of the guitar (visible as the rectangular switch). This appears to be a replacement to a switch that was originally there.
  • The wiring looks to be half replaced and half original.
  • One of the pots appears to be from the 1940s era or later, and the others appear to be later (1960s or later). They will need to be cleaned but they do work.
  • There occasionally is a slight humming/buzzing sound when the bridge pickup is selected.

Structural Integrity:

  • The neck is fairly straight and there is a truss rod, which I have not adjusted because it doesn’t seem to need it.
  • The body does not have any cracks that affect integrity or sound. There is one crack that seems repaired, because the side around it feels strong and not weak. This is at the top of the guitar along its side (see picture.) There is a hairline crack along both sides of the neck above the heal. It was repaired and looks completely sound. There is no weakness in the neck at all.

FREE SHIPPING (fully insured) is available on this item.

Dimensions:


  • Overall length: 43 3/4 “
  • Body width: 17 1/2″
  • Fretboard length: 17 3/4″
  • Nut width (neck width at narrowest point near top): 43.5mm / 1.72″
  • Body depth: 4 1/2″
  • Action height at 12th fret (between top of fret and bottom of Low E) 2.67mm / 7/64″

Dexterity:


  • Right Handed

Additional information

Brand

Epiphone
Model

Zephyr Deluxe Regent
Year

1949

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