Epiphone Embassy Bass project - anyone seen them in colors besides cherry ?

bostonguitarrepair · February 25, 2008, 03:09:34 PM

My old Epiphone Embassy is about due for a finish - after languishing in its case for the last decade or so.

Its currently stripped bare but complete - everything is there and in very good condition.

My question is - has anyone seen Embassies in some of the custom colors that Epiphone used on their Newport basses, Coronets, Wilshires, etc - because the base sure would be cool in something like Sunset Yellow or Orange or Metallic Green !! But I'd like to also do it in something that's historically accurate.

Anyone have pics - distant memories - Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick had a yellow one a few years ago, but I was told by his guitar tech that they weren't sure if it was a refin or not.

Krishna

gweimer · February 25, 2008, 04:12:04 PM

Here's my famous story....

When I was first learning to play, the local music store had two basses. One was $100, the other was $135. I couldn't afford the "expensive" one. I went with the cheaper Vox Mark IV. Horrible bass, but I learned on it.

15 or so basses later, I found a bass I loved. It was the Epiphone Embassy that used to be Tom Petersson's, AND also Jon Brandt.

The expensive bass I passed up? It was a green Epiphone Embassy. I've never seen one since. Newports, yes, but never an Embassy.

Barklessdog · February 25, 2008, 04:15:31 PM

I have seen Blue & green Newports, but not Embassies

Bass VI · February 25, 2008, 08:32:58 PM

If I remember correctly Cashs' bass player used a black Embassy at Folsom prison ( although I'm sure Epi didn't list that as an option ) not sure if Epi did it for him or he had it refinished for the " man in black " vibe.
Jules site has a catologue showing three custom colors a blue ( not pelham ) a yellow and coral, hard to tell from the scan if the Embassy shown is coral or cherry red. I believe " silver fox " green over a silver/gray filled mahog was an original color beside the much more common cherry. I think Peterssons' looked like TV yellow.
I havn't decided a color for my Embassy ( off-again on-again ) project.

Scott

gweimer · February 25, 2008, 08:52:25 PM

We just debated the Johnny Cash bass - it was definitely a Newport.

Tom Petersson brought this one out for the 25th Anniversary shows

bostonguitarrepair · February 25, 2008, 11:58:09 PM

Yeah thats the one I saw Petersson playing - a few years ago at Avalon in Boston - and his tech at the time said they were trying to figure out if it was a refin or not.

Sounds like the yellow was an option - believe the color was called Sunset Yellow in the Epi catalogs circa 1966.

uwe · February 26, 2008, 03:21:28 AM

Does it really matter if the Embassy came in seafoam green or not? We're talking about a refin here, it will not be an original fin no matter what you do, but using a fin we know from Newports on an Embassy is certainly period correct and catches the vibe. And it looks better than the cherry, the Epi Newport's and Embassy's very much "modern sixties" look just goes better with a classic car color from that time rather than the cherry which will forever be identified with Gibson.

No one here (or anywhere else) will be able to rule out that a seafoam green Embassy escaped Kalamazoo, with the hundreds or more that were built it would be extremely unlikely given that the bodies of Embassies and Newports were identical and you see seafoam green Newports galore.

Uwe

OVERDRIVEN66 · February 26, 2008, 11:49:32 AM

I would think that Pelham Blue would be a color the Embassy would have been available in, but I'm not sure. P-Blue was a hugely popular Gibson/Epiphone color in the 60's. I remember seeing an Inverness Green one a long time ago but no other colors except cherry.

Bass VI · February 26, 2008, 11:06:04 PM

Quote from: gweimer on February 25, 2008, 08:52:25 PM
We just debated the Johnny Cash bass - it was definitely a Newport

That's right, but it was Black!

I'm with Uwe on this one

any of the Gibby custom colors would work and could have ! As is the only colors I've ever seen one in ( besides Uwes' Charcoal Frost ) are cherry and silver fox. Tonys' ( Overdriven66 ) suggestion of Pelham blue would look outstaning IMHO.

S.

Chris P. · February 27, 2008, 09:52:11 AM

I'm with Uwe too. Do what you like.

EvilLordJuju · February 28, 2008, 06:00:39 AM

These are the custom colours originally offered. I've never seen one that I was certain was original though.

Reminds me of those colours they put on the SG reissue. You can see the other Epiphone catalogues I have here http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/catalogues.php#epiphone

uwe · February 28, 2008, 06:19:34 AM

But that can't be right for all the years of production, Jules, because we've all seen those many seafoam green Newports and if this catalogue was believed then they were never available in anything but coral, pelham blue and that buttery color.

Chris P. · February 28, 2008, 08:23:04 AM

Pelham Blue + aged yellowed clear coating = green?

eb2 · February 28, 2008, 09:25:13 AM

I'm with Chris P - they aren't seafoam green, like a Fender seafoam where the original pigment was an aqua color. The ones that appear metalic green are probably the blue where the topcoats have yellowed out (either naturally or "speeded up" by reacting to the auto paint under it) which causes them to go green. The Blue was - I suspect - a mixed metallic, as opposed to the Sparkling Burgundy of EB2/ES335/Trini Lopez fame. That was regular old SG Cherry sprayed over an opaque silver base. In short I would bet a couple of rubles that the two Newports (the green and blue) in Barkless Dog's wall of wonder photo - started life as the same blue color, or really close. This blue turning to green phenomenon is fairly well known in Fender circles, as well as instances where two of the same color (say Lake Placid Blue for instance) have reacted over time differently - one being almost the same as when new and one changing so much that you would never believe they were the same. Why that happens is hard to call - it could be storage or it could be chemical. It could be the chemical happened right off the bat in the factory, and they sent them out anyway. Which sounds like something Gibson would do as a lot of the color coats were to sell seconds as first grade. Sometimes hidden areas - in control routs or under guards or parts - don't change, but sometimes they do. So, again, I would venture - and maybe some of our reranch and vintage Fender friends could bear this out - the many green Epi and Gibson basses actually started life 40 odd years ago as blue.

gweimer · February 28, 2008, 09:52:58 AM

To re-iterate - the green Embassy I saw was back about 1970, so it was only a few years old then. I have to think that it was the Inverness Green that was offered. Why it was in the music store by me is interesting. This was a little music store that was mostly doing lessons and sheet music. There were a whole 2 basses in the whole store.