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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.
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 was imposing high taxes on Greeks in Turkey, which made life difficult for Anastasios and his family.
In 1903, he decided to move his family to America, and soon after moving to New York City, he reopened his shop in his new country. In addition to lutes and violins, they began to make mandolins, which were in high demand at the time.
Epi takes the helm
Unfortunately, after 12 years in New York, Anastasios died, leaving the business in the hands of his 22-year-old son Epimanondas, or Epi for short. Thankfully, Epi was a natural businessman and knew his father’s business well.
Soon after Epi took control, the company began to focus itself on manufacturing banjos, which were starting to grow in popularity in the 1920s. By 1928, the business had gone all-in, renaming itself the “Epiphone Banjo Company” and later just “Epiphone.” Epi had taken his own name and added the Greek…
