Elitist Series
http://www2.epiphone.com/elitist
The Elitist Series was made at the Terada and Fuji-gen factories in Japan. Originally called the Elite Series, Epiphone was forced to change the name because of a conflict with an Ovation line of guitars already bearing the Elite moniker. The same Terada and Fuji-Gen guitar factories that made all of the Orville by Gibson and Orville guitars were used to make the Gibson/Yamano Gakki Epiphone Elite and Epiphone Elitist series with the Terada guitar factory mostly making the semi acoustic models and the Fuji-Gen guitar factory mostly making the solid body models The Elitist guitars were made to very high specifications. Most of the parts were made in Japan but some parts were made in other countries, including the USA and Germany. These guitars cost more than twice as much as a standard Epiphone guitar. The Elitist series was discontinued in 2008, with the exception of the Casino model. The Epiphone Elitist Series includes features such as real Abalone and Pearl inlays, bone nuts and saddles, hand-rubbed finishes, USA strings and meticulous adjustment and set-up. Japanese Domestic Market Elitists use the Gibson-style open-book headstock instead of the Tombstone-shaped headstock. The Epiphone Elitist guitars are not related to the Epiphone Les Paul Elite, which is a Korean-made semi-hollow guitar similar to the Les Paul-ES. |
See Also:
- Elitist Electrics (Japan)
- Elitist Archtops
- Elitist Archtops (Japan)
- Elitist Acoustics
- Elitist Acoustics (Japan)
- Elitist Basses
Contents |
Elitist SG
Elitist '61 SG
- 2002-2008
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched mahogany top
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with real Mother of Pearl trapezoid inlays
- Tombstone headstock with pearl holly inlay
- 2-screw, 2-ply truss rod cover with "Gibson" or "Elitist" engraving
- Bone nut
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply neck
Electronics:
- USA 50SR & 60ST pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- 4-ply black/white pickguard
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Cherry (CH)
- Ebony (EB)
- Worn Cherry (WC)
Elitist Les Paul
Elitist Les Paul Studio
- 2003-2006
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched maple top
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Tombstone headstock with gold "Les Paul" script
- 2-ply truss rod cover with "Elitist" or "Gibson" engraving
- Bone nut
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- USA 50SR & 60ST pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Raised black pickguard
- Black speed knobs
Colors:
- Wine Red (WR)
- Alpine White (AW)
- Ebony (EB)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Elitist Les Paul Standard
- 2002-2008
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched maple top
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
- Tombstone headstock with gold "Les Paul" script
- 2-ply truss rod cover with "Elitist" or "Gibson" engraving
- Bone nut
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA 50SR & 60ST pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Raised white pickguard
- Gold speed knobs
Colors:
- Ebony (EB)
- Faded Cherryburst (FC)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Honeyburst (HB)
Elitist Les Paul Standard Plus
- 2002-2008
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched flame maple top
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
- Tombstone headstock with gold "Les Paul" script
- 2-ply truss rod cover with "Elitist" or "Gibson" engraving
- Bone nut
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA 50SR & 60ST pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Raised white pickguard
- Gold speed knobs
Colors:
- Faded Cherryburst (FC)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Elitist Les Paul Custom
- 2002-2008
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched maple top
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with block inlays
- Tombstone headstock with split-diamond inlay
- 2-ply truss rod cover with "Elitist" or "Gibson" engraving
- Bone nut
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- 7-ply body binding
- 5-ply headstock binding
- 1-ply neck binding
Electronics:
- USA 50SR & 60ST pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- 24K Gold Hardware
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- 3-ply raised black pickguard
- Gold speed knobs
Colors:
- Ebony (EB)
- Alpine White (AW)
- Wine Red (WR)
Elitist Les Paul '57 Gold Top
- 2002-2008
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched flame maple top
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays
- Tombstone headstock with gold "Les Paul" script
- 2-ply truss rod cover with "Elitist" or "Gibson" engraving
- Bone nut
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- USA 50SR & 60ST pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Raised white pickguard
- Gold speed knobs
Colors:
- Metallic Gold (MG)
Jay Jay French Elitist Les Paul Standard
- 2004-2005
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched maple top
Binding:
- Single-ply body & neck
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with SlimTaper profile
- Dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with real Mother of Pearl dot inlays
- Tombstone headstock with "TS" screenprinted logo
- 2-screw, 2-ply truss rod cover with "Jay Jay French Les Paul Standard" engraving
- Bone nut
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Gibson Burstbucker 2&3 pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Cream pickup & selector rings
- Die-cast Grover tuners
- Amber bell knobs
- No pickguard
Colors:
- Twisted Pinkburst
See Also:
Elitist Tak Matsumoto Les Paul
Body:
- Book-matched African Mahogany body
- Book-matched AAA quilt maple top
- Faded Cherry back & neck
Neck:
- 1-piece set mahogany neck with SlimTaper profile
- Dovetail neckjoint
- Rosewood fingerboard with real Abalone trapezoid inlays
- Tombstone headstock with gold "Les Paul" script
- 2-screw, 2-ply truss rod cover with "Tak Matsumoto" engraving
- Bone nut
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Black binding
- Single-ply body & neck
Electronics:
- Gibson Burstbucker 2 & 3 zebra pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Die-cast Gotoh green-key tuners
- ABR-1 with stopbar tailpiece
- Gold bell knobs
Colors:
- Takburst (TK)
Includes:
- Epiphone hardcase with Tak Matsumoto signature silkscreen
See Also:
Electrics | Archtops | Acoustics | Basses | Bluegrass | Amplifiers | Promotional Guitars