1968 Epiphone Texan FT-79 Vintage Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1968 Epiphone Texan FT79 in perfect working order, professionally maintained for optimal performance, complete with a hardshell case. Unlike the various reissue models, this is a genuine vintage Texan, manufactured by Gibson in the USA at their Kalamazoo factory and crafted right alongside Gibson's J-50, with identical body dimensions. Tonewoods include a solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, with a one-piece mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard.What sets the Texan apart (and truly makes it more akin to a Gibson AJ) is the full 25 1/2" scale length, which puts extra tension on the solid spruce top and yields an incredibly powerful sound. The instrument has excellent projection and punch, with the benefit of decades of use tempering the top for a noticeably open and responsive sound. Strummed chords are bold and vibrant, and this Texan offers a certain bell-like, sweet upper midrange that cuts through a mix and records very well. We’ve had this Texan professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar, dialed in with 12-53 strings and easy-playing action.The one-piece mahogany neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with ample shoulder and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .840” deep at the 1st fret and .955” at the 9th. The rosewood fretboard features pearloid trapezoid inlay and stock medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have plenty of meat; with wear beneath all strings on frets 1-5, including notable grooves beneath the wound strings, and fainter wear extending to fret 8. This guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2” scale with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The new hand-carved bone nut measures 1 9/16” in width. The headstock features the distinctive elongated '60s Epiphone shape with pearl Epiphone text and central headstock inlay, as well as the stock Epsilon silkscreened truss rod cover. The original double line Kluson Deluxe tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with original, evenly yellowed buttons. There is a small “2” stamped above the serial number, noting a Factory Second for some small finish flaw imperceptible after a half century.The rosewood bridge is a new carved replacement with the correct belly-down orientation for ‘68, sitting flush with the top on all edges. The neck has been reset in the guitar’s lifetime; the current neck set is ideal, and the original adjustable rosewood saddle allows for notably low action which currently sits at 7/64” on the bass side and 5/64” on the treble side, measured at the 12th fret. The original white plastic bridge pins are present, as is the transparent red tortoise pickguard with Epsilon badge. The original blue serialized Epiphone label is visible through the soundhole, matching the serial number stamped on the back of the headstockThe original gloss nitro lacquer finish is framed by deeply ambered body binding, with heavy lacquer checking on top and fainter checking on the sides. The center seam on the back has been reglued in two areas, with an additional slender repaired back crack just to the treble side of the seam. Further wear is limited to some dings and finish scratches on the body as a whole. The neck profile has a notably smooth gloss finish. This instrument has a very slight smell of cigarette smoke, only noticeable at close range and not present in the new case.A brown tolex hardshell case with green plush interior is included.