Gibson style Crestwood bass???

[Dave W]

What's wrong with surf guitars and -basses?

Nothing.

To me, the Embassy's problem is balance. The look is fine.

[gearHed289]

Hmmm... The original batwing headstock was cool. This one is just weird. And how about that output jack location? 

[Bionic-Joe]

Actually...it is not a Batwing.....as many misinformed people believe...it is the letter E for Epiphone......Ya heard it from BAZ COOPER First!!!

[nofi]

dramatically stylised E or not, its easier to say batwing.

[gweimer]

dramatically stylised E or not, its easier to say batwing.

[Pilgrim]

What's wrong with surf guitars and -basses?

Nothing whatsoever! 

[exiledarchangel]

What's wrong with surf guitars and -basses?

They can get wet maybe?

[Bionic-Joe]

dramatically stylised E or not, its easier to say batwing.

Whatever. If it makes you feel better, than say batwing. But that doesn't change the fact that it is an E.

[Dave W]

Whatever. If it makes you feel better, than say batwing. But that doesn't change the fact that it is an E.

What's your source for that? Even Epi's own website refers to it as a batwing headstock. It's a widely accepted term in the vintage guitar business. Not saying you're wrong, but unless some historian found an official source who says otherwise, I'm skeptical.

[Bionic-Joe]

My source was my ex-guitar repairman, Joe Campagna. He's been on the road with Survivor, built and repaired many a guitar. H told me that's what it was designed for...the E in Epiphone. He'a an old timer so he has Lot's of knowledge of Fender and Gibson history. He even built some of the first Hamer Guitars when he worked at Wooden Music in the 1970's.

[nofi]

that settles it then. batwing it is! 

[Dave W]

Baz, he could be right, but I sure wouldn't bet the farm on it. You don't know if he got that from a reliable source, and even then, we've even seen some usually reliable sources get things wrong, like Tom Wheeler's claim that the TV finish was named after Les Paul's TV show. And some old-timers remembering things that didn't happen.

Now if Walter Carter had found some historical info to confirm it, I'd consider it closed.

[Bionic-Joe]

that settles it then. batwing it is! 

Who knows...He's in his late 50's

[gweimer]

I got my Embassy from a guy that taught me a lot about the old Epiphones (Larry, from Ax-in-Hand in DeKalb, IL, RIP).  Of all the things he schooled me on, the headstock wasn't one of them.  He never mentioned anything them, but I suspect if there was something special and meaningful about the design, I'd have heard about it.

I'm sticking with batwing!

[Highlander]

I was off in research-mode so put it into this "wording" and could find no mention of anything but "batwing" design, from Epi or Gibson or waaaay down the line sites or mentions - I can find no mention of the "origin" though - that might take longer...

I know it looks like a section of a single bat's wing... but to me it looks more like the classic "gullwing", they way they've been drawn since time immemorial...