Epiphone 6830 Deluxe Jumbo Acoustic

david osbourne of gibson tells me this dates from 1970 and was among the first epiphones to be made in japan rather than the u.s. gibson factory in kalamazoo.the natural spruce top may be solid or laminate but it does have rosewood laminate back and sides. the black pickguard does not carry the "e" logo.the 3 piece mahogany neck and headstock carries mother of pearl inlaid block fingerboard markers, mop headstock logo and ornate mop tuner buttons.the fretboard has a 0 fret and the bridge is height adjustable.the soundhole has an intricate patterned rosette.the neck has an ultra slim profile similar to an electric model and is bolted into a block inside the body and has a laminated black/white 4 pt neck plate which says "made in japan".there are no markings on the 3pt laminated truss rod cover.

i play springsteen,van morrison,soul standards for house parties etc and fingerpicking blues for my own amusement.it has a lovely mellow voice with great projection, yet retains a tight accurate tone without unwanted overtones, very similar to my 79 gibson j-50 deluxe in this respect, although possibly a little brighter.

the guitar looks stunning,especially after 30 years. i have only had it for one.when i got it the adjustable action was set very low and i found a little bit of buzzing on the second frets.i raised the action a little and now its fine.it is still low as it is, but with a proper set up to the truss rod and maybe a fret dress i'm sure this would go as low as any electric. i use 10 guage ernie ball earthwood strings.one of the tuning pegs is tight and i fear for the ornate mop button.my only criticism is that the laminate/veneer back and sides look a bit dated now - reminds me of a kichen table my mum had in the 70's!

this guitar looks great and seems very solid. i have seen a couple of the later series that have cracked tops near the neck join, but i'm sure this is caused by overeager amatuer adjustment. mine certainly looks solid enough.i would be reluctant to gig this in case it got damaged but i'm sure it would do a great job

i contacted david osbourne via the gibson website and he was fantastic!! very fast replies with genuine interest and enthusiasm.quite frankly i was amazed.

i bought my fist guitar in 1972,age 13. it was a clunky old spanish job and i remember being entranced by my mates big brothers guitar- an epiphone acoustic with block mop inlays.isworw one day to have one, but they are not common over here and i was seduced by a yamaha fg180 i could buy off the shelf on credit age 17.but i never went int a music shop without shooting a quick glance at the s/h acoustics. it took me another 25 years but i tracked one down. it has not disappointed...it sits comfortably along side my gibson acoustic,les paul heritage 80 standard and 70's strats and tele in my music room, is double dead locked every night nd is going nowhere!!