From Rivals to Bedfellows: the Story behind Epiphone

Every guitarist knows Epiphone, Gibson’s “little brother” brand for beginners and people who can’t afford The Real Thing(TM).

Or at least that is a common view of the brand. In actuality, Epiphone does make more budget-friendly guitars, but they also make high-quality, unique instrument models, and some guitarists even prefer the feel of Epiphone over their Gibson counterparts.

A 1945 Epiphone archtop guitar.

One thing remains true, however: Gibson and its budget brand Epiphone share a lot of commonalities. Epiphone has its own versions of Les Pauls, SGs, and 335s. The brands have worked together to create a guitar empire and have quality instruments at every conceivable price point.

But things weren’t always so cozy between Epiphone and its parent company Gibson. In fact, for the first half of the 20th century, they were fierce rivals.

Anastasios Stathopoulos, Greek instrument maker

Epiphone can trace its roots back almost 150 years to the town of Smyrna, Turkey. It was there in 1873 that the Greek immigrant Anastasios Stathopoulos first set up shop, making and selling lutes, violins, and traditional Greek instruments.

Stathopoulos continued to grow his instrument shop until the turn of the century. By that time, the government…