1949 Epiphone Broadway Vintage Archtop Guitar Blonde w/ DeArmond Rythm Chief 1000 Pickup & Case

Up for sale, a 1949 Epiphone Broadway in excellent condition and in perfect working order, outfitted with a DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000 floating pickup assembly. Emblematic of the elevated quality of Epiphone’s New York-era output, the Broadway stood toe to toe with Gibson’s upscale archtops of the era. Featuring carved tonewoods throughout, a full 17 3/8“ lower bout width, premium block and vine inlay, and gold-plated hardware, this Broadway is a jazzbox capable of dishing out an exquisite range of tones.

This Broadway features a bookmatched hand-carved and graduated spruce top, a solid, hand-carved maple back and curly maple rims, a cherry neck with a three-ply walnut/maple centerstripe, and a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The generous lower bout width and full 25 1/2" scale length ensure terrific natural projection and midrange-forward cut. The DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000 (original, not reissue) is widely celebrated as one of the best archtop pickups of all time, yielding a percussive, sparkling quality that captures the dynamism and full-bodied tone of the Broadway. Toggling the Rhythm button on the Rhythm Chief’s control box engages a slightly more focused, acoustic-like tone with tightened lows. This Broadway weighs 6lbs 1oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-52 flatwound nickel strings and easy-playing action.

Neck Specs:

• -Wood: Cherry (walnut/maple 3-ply centerstripe)
• -Shape: Substantial soft V, measuring .930” 1st fret, 1.015” 9th fret
• -Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood, mother of pearl block inlay
• -Frets: Medium, refret, no wear
• -Scale Length: 25 1/2”
• -Nut: 1 11/16” (replacement)
• -Headstock: Floral inlay and script logo
• -Tuners: Gold-plated “E” Epsilon-stamped, 16:1 ratio

Body Specs:

• -Wood: Spruce, Maple
• -Pickups: DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000
• -Controls: Volume, Tone, Rhythm button
• -Hardware: Frequensator tailpiece (replacement), Brazilian rosewood bridge with maple base
• -Plastics: Bound tortoise pickguard, DeArmond bell knobs
• -Serialization: Five-digit stamp dates to ‘49 (“New York” label)

The neck has been professionally reset, meeting the body at an ideal angle for decades of future viability; there is a small binding repair at the heel, and a tiny repaired split at the upper mounting screw for the pickguard (beneath the fretboard extension). The gloss Blonde (Natural) nitro lacquer finish exhibits subtle vertical checking on top and highlights the curly figuring in the maple, particularly dynamic on the rims. This is a well-kept example, with cosmetic wear limited to mild buckle scuffing central to the back, some small dings on top, and a few tiny marks on all rims consistent with decades of careful usage. The lacquer on the neck profile is smooth and clean.

A modern TKL black tolex hardshell case is included.