Elitist Series (Japan)
http://www2.epiphone.com/elitist
The Elitist Series was made at the Terada and Fuji-gen factories in Japan. Originally called the Elite Series, Epiphone was forced to change the name because of a conflict with an Ovation line of guitars already bearing the Elite moniker. The same Terada and Fuji-Gen guitar factories that made all of the Orville by Gibson and Orville guitars were used to make the Gibson/Yamano Gakki Epiphone Elite and Epiphone Elitist series with the Terada guitar factory mostly making the semi acoustic models and the Fuji-Gen guitar factory mostly making the solid body models The Elitist guitars were made to very high specifications. Most of the parts were made in Japan but some parts were made in other countries, including the USA and Germany. These guitars cost more than twice as much as a standard Epiphone guitar. The Elitist series was discontinued in 2008, with the exception of the Casino model. The Epiphone Elitist Series includes features such as real Abalone and Pearl inlays, bone nuts and saddles, hand-rubbed finishes, USA strings and meticulous adjustment and set-up. Japanese Domestic Market Elitists use the Gibson-style open-book headstock instead of the Tombstone-shaped headstock. The Epiphone Elitist guitars are not related to the Epiphone Les Paul Elite, which is a Korean-made semi-hollow guitar similar to the Les Paul-ES. |
See Also:
- Elitist Electrics
- Elitist Archtops
- Elitist Archtops (Japan)
- Elitist Acoustics
- Elitist Acoustics (Japan)
- Elitist Basses
Contents |
SG
Elitist '61 SG Reissue (Japan)
- 2003-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with Trapezoid inlays
- Gibson-style Open-Book headstock
- 2-screw truss rod cover
- 24.75" Scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- USA Classic Pickups
- 2. Vol 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Black reflector knobs
- Hard case included
Colors
- Cherry (CH)
- Ebony (EB)
- Worn Brown (WB)
- Worn Cherry (WC)
Les Paul
Elitist Les Paul Studio (Japan)
- 2003-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Maple cap
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Gibson-style Open-Book headstock
- 2-screw truss rod cover
- 24.75" Scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA Classic Pickups
- 2. Vol 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Speed knobs
Includes:
- Hard case
Colors
- Worn Cherry (WC)
- Ebony (EB)
- Arctic White (AW)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Elitist 1950's Les Paul Standard Plaintop (Japan)
- 2003-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Maple cap
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
- Gibson-style Open-Book headstock
- 2-screw truss rod cover
- 24.75" Scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA Classic Pickups
- 2. Vol 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Speed knobs
Includes:
- Hard case
Colors
- Faded Cherryburst (FC)
- Honeyburst (HB)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Ebony (EB)
Elitist 1950's Les Paul Standard Flametop (Japan)
- 2003-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Flame Maple cap
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
- Gibson-style Open-Book headstock
- 2-screw truss rod cover
- 24.75" Scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA Classic Pickups
- 2. Vol 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Speed knobs
Includes:
- Hard case
Colors
- Faded Cherryburst (FC)
- Honeyburst (HB)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Elitist Les Paul '57 Gold Top (Japan)
- 2003-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Maple cap
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
- Gibson-style Open-Book headstock
- 2-screw truss rod cover
- 24.75" Scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA Classic Pickups
- 2. Vol 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Speed knobs
Includes:
- Hard case
Colors
- Metallic Gold (MG)
Elitist 1960's Les Paul Custom (Japan)
- 2003-2005
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with blockinlays
- Gibson-style Open-Book headstock with split-diamond inlay
- 2-screw truss rod cover
- 24.75" Scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA Classic Pickups
- 2. Vol 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- 24k gold hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Speed knobs
Includes:
- Hard case
Colors
- Worn Red (WR)
- Ebony (EB)
- Arctic White (AW)
Elitist Tak Matsumoto Les Paul (Japan)
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched AAA quilt maple top
- Faded Cherry back & neck
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with SlimTaper profile
- Dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with real Abalone trapezoid inlays
- Open-book headstock with gold "Les Paul" script
- 2-screw, 2-ply truss rod cover with "Tak Matsumoto" engraving
- Bone nut
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Black binding
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- Gibson Burstbucker 2 & 3 zebra pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Gotoh green-key tuners
- ABR-1 with stopbar tailpiece
- Gold bell knobs
Colors:
- Takburst (TK)
Includes:
- Epiphone hardcase with Tak Matsumoto signature silkscreen
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