With Anastasios, his father, making and selling his instruments downstairs and Epi along with his entire family living upstairs in the same building, the line between work and family life became increasingly blurred. Thus, Epi and Orpheus (‘Orphie’) soon became involved in the family business, which was located at 247 West 42nd Street.Įpi was only 22 when her father Anastasios died. As the eldest son, Epi had the responsibility of keeping the business going. Being a scholar and enthusiast of his father’s work, in order to position himself in the market, he replaced his father’s name on the labels: “A. Stathopoulo” for that of: “The house of Stathopoulo, quality instruments since 1873”. Also, it eliminated most of the old-style mandolins, while also introducing the Recording line of banjos, then the most popular instrument in the United States. Epi Stathopoulo, the great creatorĮpi, as Epaminondas, Stathopoulo’s eldest son, was known, adapted easily to American life. He attended Columbia University and graduated with honors. Years later, in the early 1900s, the Stathopoulo family moved to the United States and settled in Manhattan. Once in America, Anastasios continued his trade in musical instruments. On March 25, 1909, Anastasios filed his first and only patent for an Italian-style mandolin. Here, we see the first similarities to Gibson’s origins, since the first relevant step in Gibson’s history was the patenting of a novel mandolin, although Orville did it a decade earlier. A common brand to find during the decades of 20s and 30s in nightclubs, recording studios and radio broadcasts. Epiphone is synonymous with tradition, craftsmanship, quality and innovation in musical instruments, not just guitars, but mandolins, basses and other musical instruments as well. The history of Epiphone guitars begins with a Greek family, the Stathopoulo, who in 1879 were based in Turkey and then, in search of the American dream, emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. The first guitars and the beginning of the rivalry with Gibsonīrief introduction to the history of Epiphone.The beginnings of the Stathopoulo in luthería.Brief introduction to the history of Epiphone.

John lennon with his epiphone casino