Epiphone celebrates 150th anniversary with Stapleton guitar model
Special Photo: Epiphone
From staff reports
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — This year marks the 150th anniversary of Epiphone, a leading innovator in instrument design. By leveraging its past and leaning into the future, Epiphone has now set the stage for the next era of sound for present and future generations.
Epiphone recently announced a partnership with acclaimed musician and songwriter, Chris Stapleton, with the new Epiphone Chris Stapleton Frontier. A rare Epiphone acoustic guitar, made in the USA and hand-crafted in the storied Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman, Mon., by Gibson’s acoustic luthiers. The Chris Stapleton Frontier from Epiphone is now available worldwide at authorized Epiphone dealers, and on www.epiphone.com.
“Epiphone has done an incredible job of getting every detail as it should be on this instrument, and I can tell you first-hand it’s stageworthy and will get the job done at any venue you want to play in,” Stapleton said in a news release. “It’s a work of art that does the work.”
“It’s an honor to have Chris join our family as a signature artist to represent and celebrate the 150th anniversary of Epiphone,” Beth Heidt, vice president of Cultural Influence at Gibson Brands-Global. “He continues to inspire and push boundaries through his incredible artistry.”
This USA-built Epiphone Frontier is the perfect partner for Stapleton’s distinctive and soulful voice. The Chris Stapleton Frontier features a thermally aged Sitka spruce top, figured maple back and sides, and double-engraved pickguards with the iconic Frontier lariat design and cactus motif. The Epiphone Chris Stapleton Frontier comes with its own custom hardshell case with pink interior and an intricate tooled exterior. Only 300 guitars will be crafted for this special limited-edition run.
Kentucky-born Stapleton is an eight-time Grammy, 15-time CMA and 10-time ACM Award-winner and one of America’s most respected and beloved musicians. Most recently, he was named CMA Male Vocalist of the Year for the sixth time, setting the record for the most wins ever in the category. Stapleton’s most recent album, “Starting Over,” also recently won Best Country Album at the 67th annual Grammys as well as earning Album of the Year honors at both the 54th annual CMA Awards and the 56th ACM Awards. The record follows Stapleton’s pair of platinum-certified releases from 2017, “From a Room: Volume 1” and “From A Room: Volume 2,” as well as his five-time platinum breakthrough solo debut album, “Traveller.”
The FT-110 debuted in 1939 and it was renamed the Frontier after Gibson acquired Epiphone in 1958. It was the first square-shouldered dreadnought made in Gibson’s Kalamazoo, Mich., factory, predating the Dove and Hummingbird models. The Frontier acquired its iconic Rope & Cactus pickguard in 1961 and it was made until 1970, returning for a few select limited runs in the 1990s and 2000s and eventually returning to the core lineup in 2019.
At the literal frontier between country and rock ‘n’ roll, the Frontier was an integral part of both Tom Petty’s classic album “Damn the Torpedoes,” as wells as, Noel Gallagher’s epic playing on Oasis’ second album “What’s The Story Morning Glory.” Other well-known Frontier players include Sheryl Crow, Graham Parsons, Mick Taylor, Bones Owens, and Greene Wall, among others.
For the latest music and news on Chris Stapleton, visit: www.chrisstapleton.com.
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