Epiphone is celebrating American roots music in a big way for 2024 with a new Bluegrass Collection that features an Inspired By Gibson Earl Scruggs Golden Deluxe banjo, Mastertone Bowtie Open Back Banjo, Mastertone Classic Banjo, Mandobird, and F-5 Studio Mandolin, as well as the Inspired By Gibson Custom F-5G Mandolin.
The move sees Epiphone further widening its appeal for a variety of musician tastes, needs and budgets – with the Mandobird offering something for the rock-inclined amongst us too.
That Reverse Firebird four-string mandolin (£369) has a solid nato wood body, bolt-on mahogany neck, and Epiphone Firebird pickup. Four Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners assure a quality performance, and it comes with a gig bag too. We want this one, though we don't know how we'll use it yet!
The Earl Scruggs Golden Deluxe Banjo (£1,199) is a replica of the Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone five-string banjo used by the instrument's most influential player of all time. It features a three-ply maple resonator with a figured maple veneer, gold hardware, and a 26.4″ scale figured maple neck with ebony fretboard.
The banjo features hearts, flowers and a Mastertone block inlaid in mother-of-pearl.
The Mastertone Classic Banjo (£929) recreates the Gibson RB-3 Mastertone five-string banjo from the 1930s with a mahogany resonator, a three-ply mahogany rim, and nickel hardware
It features a 26.4″-scale figured mahogany neck, laurel fretboard with Style 3 inlays.
The Mastertone Bowtie Open Back Banjo (£749) is inspired by Gibson’s Mastertone models from the 1950s and '60s. It features a satin-finished mahogany neck, a bound laurel fretboard with Bowtie inlays, and an 11″ Remo Fiberskyn head "for warm, vintage tones."
This one comes with a premium gig bag, while the previous two banjos ship with hard cases.
The two mandolins hit at different price points; the F-5G is a collaboration with Gibson Custom Shop and at £1,379 represents an investment in craftsmanship that honours the original F-5 mandolin designed by Lloyd Loar.
It features all-solid wood construction, with a figured maple back and sides, solid Sitka spruce top, and an ebony fretboard featuring a compound radius. The finish is Cremona Sunburstand it comes with a vintage-style rectangular hardshell case.
The F-5 Studio's price point offers potential wide appeal at £569 and two finish choices of Vintage Sunburst Satin and Red Wine Satin.
Solid maple back and sides, a solid Sitka spruce top, and a maple neck with a laurel fretboard still offer a fine build and Epiphone stresses that the F-5 Studio's thin satin finish helps to enhance its tone. It comes with a premium gig bag.
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