mhammer
12-06-2007, 04:14 PM
I had a gorgeous blond Epiphone Windsor (estimates were between 1957 and 61) stolen from my apartment locker in 1987 in Victoria BC. While it was insured for more than I paid for it, it was insured for less than it was worth. More importantly, I'd just like to retrieve it.
How will you know you have seen it?
The Epi Windsor was a single cutaway semi-acoustic with a floating bridge; a "jazz" guitar essentially, and very similar to a Gibson ES-125 (the "George Thorogood" guitar). This one was blond front, sides and back, with a dark caramel neck and black-painted headstock. It has 3 screw holes where the old triangular Epiphone faceplate was but nothing identifying beyond that. The most distinctive thing about an Epi Windsor was the large oval fret-markers. We're talking BIG ovals at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 12th, etc.
This one was also distinctive in that I had wound/made a pair of humbuckers for it (it normally came with a single New Yorker pickup, but I gave that to Mark Knopfler) with smooth gold-plated DiMarzio pickup covers (i.e., no holes) and creme mounting rings (I told you she was gorgeous). Pickup selector was a mini-toggle with a flat bat-style handle and there was a simple two control complement with the old gold-style Gibson "speed" knobs. This one also had a Bigsby. I made a custom pickguard for it with tortoise-shell pickguard material I bought from Gibson, and creme binding along the edge of the pickguard.
So, blond semi, pair of gold smooth humbuckers, tiny selector switch, only 2 controls, tortoise-shell pickguard, and a Bigsy. Memorize those details and if you see her, or even remember seeing her at some point in the last 20 years, let me know.
My guess is she's in rough shape because the soft vinyl case probably made it look like it was a rifle to whoever stole it, so they didn't take it BECAUSE it was a guitar. I filed a police report so it probably never appeared in the immediate vicinity, but sat somewhere else before maybe appearing in another jurisdiction. Damn, I miss that neck.
How will you know you have seen it?
The Epi Windsor was a single cutaway semi-acoustic with a floating bridge; a "jazz" guitar essentially, and very similar to a Gibson ES-125 (the "George Thorogood" guitar). This one was blond front, sides and back, with a dark caramel neck and black-painted headstock. It has 3 screw holes where the old triangular Epiphone faceplate was but nothing identifying beyond that. The most distinctive thing about an Epi Windsor was the large oval fret-markers. We're talking BIG ovals at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 12th, etc.
This one was also distinctive in that I had wound/made a pair of humbuckers for it (it normally came with a single New Yorker pickup, but I gave that to Mark Knopfler) with smooth gold-plated DiMarzio pickup covers (i.e., no holes) and creme mounting rings (I told you she was gorgeous). Pickup selector was a mini-toggle with a flat bat-style handle and there was a simple two control complement with the old gold-style Gibson "speed" knobs. This one also had a Bigsby. I made a custom pickguard for it with tortoise-shell pickguard material I bought from Gibson, and creme binding along the edge of the pickguard.
So, blond semi, pair of gold smooth humbuckers, tiny selector switch, only 2 controls, tortoise-shell pickguard, and a Bigsy. Memorize those details and if you see her, or even remember seeing her at some point in the last 20 years, let me know.
My guess is she's in rough shape because the soft vinyl case probably made it look like it was a rifle to whoever stole it, so they didn't take it BECAUSE it was a guitar. I filed a police report so it probably never appeared in the immediate vicinity, but sat somewhere else before maybe appearing in another jurisdiction. Damn, I miss that neck.