Olympic
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In 1957 in an effort to bolster their stand up bass business Gibson purchased their arch rival the Epiphone Guitar Company and moved production to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Along with the sought after bass tooling Gibson acquired access to many storied models and a brand name with a history of quality and prestige. With plans to expand retail distribution by differentiating Epiphone dealers from Gibson dealers, Gibson began production of a new line of "Kalamazoo-made and designed" Epiphones in 1959. For over a decade from 1959 through early 1970 Epiphone solid body guitars and basses were produced in limited numbers right along side some of the greatest Gibson's of all time. These Epiphone guitars represented some of the highest quality and best sounding instruments of their generation. They provided unique shapes, pickup arrangements, and tonal signatures not seen on comparable Gibson models of the day.
The Olympic, Crestwood, Coronet and Wilshire guitars are often confused with the ET-Series, which were a Japanese-made amalgamation of the older Epiphone body shapes and designs. |
Contents |
Models
Olympic
- Model SB722
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Single-cut LP-style body (1960-1962)
- Asymmetrical Coronet style body (1963-1970)
Neck:
- Set Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Melody Maker-style 3x3 headstock (1960-1962)
- Open-book style 3x3 headstock (1963-1964)
- Batwing 6-in-a-row headstock (1965-1970)
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- One Single-coil pickup
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Wraparound bridge or Maestro Vibrola
- Celluloid Tortoise pickguard (1960-1962)
- White pickguard (1963-1970)
Colors:
- Sunburst
- Cherry
Olympic Double
- Model SB722D
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Single-cut LP-style body (1960-1962)
- Asymmetrical Coronet style body (1963-1970)
Neck:
- Set Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Melody Maker-style 3x3 headstock (1960-1962)
- Open-book style 3x3 headstock (1963-1964)
- Batwing 6-in-a-row headstock (1965-1970)
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 Single-coil pickup
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Wraparound bridge or Maestro Vibrola
- Celluloid Tortoise pickguard (1960-1962)
- White pickguard (1963-1970)
Colors:
- Sunburst
- Cherry
Olympic Special
- 1962-1970
- Model SB721
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Symmetrical body (1962-1964)
- Asymmetrical body (1965-1970)
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Melody Maker style headstock
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- One Single-coil pickup
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Celluloid Tortoise pickguard
- Wraparound bridge or Maestro Vibrola
Colors:
- Sunburst
Olympic 3/4
- Model SB722¾
- 1960-1963
Body:
- Single cutaway
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set one-piece mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 19 frets
- Melody Maker style headstock
- 22.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- One Single-coil pickup
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Celluloid Tortoise pickguard
- Wraparound bridge
Colors:
- Sunburst
Olympic (Japan)
- Japan Domestic Market only
- 1975-1979
Models:
- Olympic
- Olympic Custom
Body:
- Double cutaway
- Maple body
- Deep German carve
Neck:
- Set maple neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 3-screw center-dip truss cover
- 24 frets
Electronics:
- Two humbucker pickups
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone control
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Adjustable wraparound bridge
- Optional tune-o-matic bridge with tremolo tailpiece (Olympic Custom)
- Die-cast tunerss
- Black speed knobs with pointers
Colors:
- Blonde
- Walnut
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