Top London dealers are reporting a growing demand for old semi-acoustic Hofners and Gretsches (recently all but valueless in every sphere expect the remoter regions of the Country market), and these guitars are now regularly appearing on The Tube and other programmes, as newer bands discover the attractions of this once all-conquering style of guitar.īut if you can't find (or don't like) secondhand guitars, how about the new market? The top Japanese makers (including Aria, Ibanez, Westone, Yamaha and others) all offer interesting semis, often at reasonable prices - but how about Epiphone, whose pedigree and history as a part of Gibson should enable them to turn out something really interesting?įor some years now Epiphones have been produced for Gibson in Japan. But fashions in guitars change as fast as hem-lines, and now the semi is on the up once again.
Two or three years ago you'd have been hard-pressed to have got much more than milk bottle tops in exchange for your beloved old semi-acoustic.
