After acquiring the Epiphone name and trademark in 1957, Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI, the parent company of Gibson) moved production to Kalamazoo, MI and began production in 1958. Many Epiphone models introduced in the early 1960’s were virtual mirror images of Gibson models; this type of branding opened up new retailers to Gibson made products sold at a slightly lower price and that didn’t compete with other established Gibson dealers.

The FT-79 model designation began life as a New York made Epiphone flat top in 1941, and after the CMI takeover, the Texan designation was added for the 1958 model year. The biggest change was the adaptation of the slop shoulder design which is most identified with Gibson J-45 models. A big difference tonally between the (short scale) J-45 (and natural finished J-50’s) was a result of the Texan being introduced as a long scale guitar. The long scale Texan became a unique model; essentially the first long scale, Gibson made slope shoulder dreadnought model since the Advanced Jumbo was discontinued in 1940. Texans have strong bass response, excellent volume, and thanks to their mahogany back and sides a whole lot of woody, dry tone. I personally rate these guitars as perhaps the finest sounding of all Gibson flat tops.

This lovely natural finished Texan was made in the final year of the ‘short’ headstock design; by 1964, Epiphone guitars were redesigned with a longer, skinnier headstock that distinguished them a bit further from their Gibson branded siblings. A 1964 Texan model is one of the most heard acoustic guitars in history, as Paul McCartney played it (tuned a half step down) for the recording of “Yesterday” in 1965. Paul still owns the same guitar, and has recorded and toured with it for nearly fifty years.

This guitar is priced at $4600 and is now available at New York’s Retrofret. Click here for the original listing.