There is a long and winding history when it comes to Epiphone musical instruments which all started over 130 years ago by the son of a Greek timber merchant named Anastasios Stathopoulo. He later had a son named Epimanondas who took over his father's business after he died. The business was names after Epimanondas by adding "Epi" and a deviation of the Greek word meaning "sound". Today Epiphone is a very well-respected manufacturer of instruments.
The Epiphone company were primarily makers of banjos until Epimanondas wanted to venture out in order to have some change in the company so it would be able to stay open. He created a series of guitars that actually did not do well. Through the years, the guitar was getting closer to perfection when other manufacturers started to make their own types of guitars. The Gibson corporation was a large rival to Epiphone and each company kept trying to outdo each other with the new guitars that they created.
When Epimanondas died, the company went to his younger brothers who could not get along and run the company together. One brother left, leaving the whole company on the other brother's shoulders. Due to the competition of Gibson and Fender, Epiphone could no longer stay afloat and created a union with Gibson.
The guitars that were created by the Gibson-Epiphone union were called Gibson-made Epiphones. Many dealers who sold the Gibson guitars did not like the new name because they thought the quality of the guitar would be mis-construed by the buyers. Gibson separated their business into two basic sections which included the original Gibson and Epiphone supplying versions of Gibsons. Now, players can have a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar as well as an Epiphone Les Paul.
Author: Robert W. Walker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
