QUESTION
I have an Epiphone Coronet is all original except the tremolo tailpiece is missing is this the same part found on Gibson guitar or did Epiphone have there own parts . Any help you can give would really help I never see epiphone parts advertised .
REPLY
Gibson bought Epiphone guitars in the late 1950′s . Up to that point yes Epiphone did manufacture and produce its own guitars . By around 1959 Epiphone guitar now owned by Gibson started to use various parts from some of the Gibson guitars. Gibson still produced some of epiphones unique parts for some of their models by within a few year basically all Epiphone were using Gibson parts Minus the Tailpiece , pickguards and on a few other there Higher models old style tuners were still used.
This being said after 1960 Epiphone Coronets used all the same parts except pickguards. Your guitars parts are 100% interchangeable with a Gibson except for the pick-guard. The parts you are referring to is called a maestro tremolo. This again was used on both Gibson and Epiphone models. When you are looking to buy one you will never see it advertised under Epiphone that is why you are having a problem. You will all ways find it advertised as a Gibson Maestro Vibrato. Remember if your guitar is pre 1965 you have to get the nickel version not the chrome version.
By the early 1970′s Epiphone guitar were made in japan and we are talking about a whole different animal here. This post is talking about American made Gibson and Epiphone guitars not the import lines. Most of those parts are metric and unique only to those models and personally i hate them so i do not know much about them.
I hope this helps just do a search for a Gibson maestro vibrola and you Will find one in a flash and it Will install perfect wit no mods to your Epihpone Coronet. If you have any further questions please e mail me at THE PARTS DRAWER thank you
Jim Pasch