Around the time of his 12th birthday, Anastasios Stathopoulo’s family left their home in Greece and settled in Smyrna – now known as Izmir – a bustling seaport in the Ottoman Empire where his father, Konstantinos, established himself as a lumber merchant. Anastasios observed his father’s trade, learning about different varieties of wood and their unique properties. The family soon established a store in Smyrna selling and repairing lutes, violins, and bouzoukis, and by 1890, Anastasios’ reputation as a luthier was such that he was able to open his own instrument factory.

Epi Stathopoulo was keenly aware that archtop guitars were becoming more popular, and his main competitor was Gibson. 1931 saw the arrival of Epiphone’s Masterbilt line of guitars, featuring seven carved-top archtops, including the De Luxe ($275), Broadway ($175), and the Triumph ($125). It wasn’t hard to see the Gibson L-5’s influence; the Masterbilts had similar f-holes, pegheads, and even a similar name to the Gibson Master Model range. They also stole a significant portion of Gibson’s market share and were much loved by premier musicians of the era.

Ted McCarty orchestrated the purchase of the entire Epiphone company from the Stathopoulo family and revived the brand over the next few years with a new line of instruments. These included the flagship Emperor model and new designs that would later become iconic, such as the Sheraton, the solidbody Coronet, and several flat-top acoustics.

Recorded in 1961, Hooker’s iconic Boom Boom is not simply a blues standard – it also became a pop crossover hit. Covered by numerous acts on the UK R&B circuit in the early 1960s, The Animals had a hit with it in 1965, while Boom Boom’s fingerprints can be heard all over ZZ Top’s 1973 hit La Grange. 2018 saw Epiphone commemorate what would have been Hooker’s 100th birthday with a replica of the Natural-finished 1961 Zephyr that was his main stage and studio guitar throughout the 1960s and early 70s.

With Beatlemania at its height, the band’s fourth and final live performance on The Ed Sullivan Show saw Paul McCartney put his bass to one side, pick up his 1964 Epiphone Texan and take to the stage solo to perform Yesterday along with a prerecorded backing track. Filmed at Studio 50 in New York City in August, when screened on September 12, 1965, the broadcast captured a 60 percent share of the total television audience.

By 1966, The Beatles were evolving at high speed and absorbing a kaleidoscopic array of new influences. Their first psychedelic masterpiece, Revolver, saw Lennon, Harrison, and McCartney all playing Epiphone Casinos to thrilling effect, with Paul’s blazing solo on Taxman a standout moment. In a 1990 Guitar Player interview, McCartney described it as his “first real voyage into feedback.” Lennon’s love affair with his own Casino would continue for the remainder of The Beatles’ recording career, as evidenced by its prominent role in Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary, Get Back.

Thirty years after Revolver, another British pop phenomenon was in full swing. Epiphone instruments were used throughout the sessions for smash-hit albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, and, in 1996, Oasis headlined two epic outdoor shows in England across one August weekend, playing to a record-breaking audience of 250,000. Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs opted for his trusty 1980s Masumoku-built Riviera, while Noel Gallagher used a 1990s USA-made Sheraton for the era-defining performances.

Artist signature models can be polarizing instruments – but not the Jack Casady Bass. Epiphone’s longest-running artist model still in production is also the world’s most popular semi-hollow electric bass. Over the years, it has found its way into the collections of bass players of almost every genre. The culmination of years of experimentation by the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna bassist, the model features the Casady-designed JCB low-impedance pickup and delivers the killer feel and tonal nuances you’d expect from a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s signature four-string.

Sometimes a band comes along like a bolt of lightning and changes the way people dress and style their hair. The Strokes were one such outfit. A sharp-dressed and elegantly disheveled alternative to the baggy skate clothing and frat boy attitudes prevalent in nu-metal, the New York City quintet sounded as lean as they looked. Borrowing heavily from Tom Petty’s American Girl, Last Nite was an indie dancefloor filler driven by Nick Valensi’s scything Epiphone Riviera. He would later be honored with a signature model.

May 2019 saw Lzzy Hale make history as Epiphone’s first-ever female signature artist. The Halestorm star’s signature Explorer sported an Alpine White finish and gold hardware and looked a million dollars while remaining wallet-friendly. “I always feel like a rock star with my Epiphone,” said Lzzy. “I hope anyone who picks it up feels like a rock star, too.”

Gibson’s new owners and management team relaunched Epiphone with a clear focus on reaching ever-growing audiences and a new tagline: “For Every Stage.” New Inspired by Gibson models are equipped with the “Kalamazoo” peghead that was both a callback to a historic Epiphone design and a move closer to Gibson’s “open-book” headstock style – something that the guitar-buying public had been clamoring for since the 1990s.

After three decades away, Epiphone is once again manufacturing guitars in the USA. High-end versions of the Frontier, Texan, and Casino are built with painstaking attention to detail alongside Gibson USA models in the Bozeman and Nashville craftories. These new USA Epiphones were met with rave reviews on launch and continue to see high levels of demand from artists and fans alike.

A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Joan Jett's artistic vision and pioneering spirit have inspired countless musicians of all ages worldwide. Epiphone introduced the Joan Jett Olympic Special based on Joan’s longtime favorite stage guitar, a lightweight, stage-ready powerhouse with all of the essentials you need to rock, with no frills to get in your way.

A partnership with acclaimed musician and songwriter Chris Stapleton, this rare Epiphone acoustic guitar is made in the USA and hand-crafted in the storied Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman, Montana by Gibson’s expert acoustic luthiers.

This unprecedented, limited-edition collection blends Adam’s love of fine art and music, resulting in seven, iconic and unique Les Paul Custom Silverburst masterpieces which feature the artwork of five distinguished visual artists curated by Adam Jones of Tool.

Epiphone offers a collection celebrating classics of the midcentury early-electric era. The hard-rocking Wilshire in Pacific Blue, the semi-hollowbody Sheraton in Cherry, the full-hollowbody Zephyr DeLuxe Regent in Aged Antique Natural, and the classic solid body Crestwood Custom in California Coral.