Ephiphone guitars are generally considered the budget version of the Gibson variation. Here we have a rare Epi Genesis Custom 1980. Epiphone launched the Genesis Series as 3 related models (GN-CST, GN-DLX, GN-STD) which first appeared in the 1979 Epiphone catalog and were produced in Taiwan until 1981.
In addition to these 3 there were briefly 2 other models on offer during 1981. These were A GN-student model, and a GN-bass. All models of the Genesis (except the bass) were kitted out with black open-coil hum-bucker pickups. It is not known whether the student model guitar “The GN” went into mass production; no examples have been identified. It is rumoured that Genesis guitars were made in Japan, although Gibson maintained that Genesis guitars were made in Taiwan.
The Genesis series was designed by Jim Walker, then Director of Marketing for Gibson. They were initially made in Japan, but due to high cost later manufactured at a factory owned by Pearl Drums in Taiwan. In 2012, Epiphone reissued the model as the Limited Edition Genesis PRO.
Built from a solid mahogany body, solid mahogany set neck, rosewood fretboard, two humbuckers pickups, two volume controls, one master tone control, and a switch for coil tapping. Unlike most Epi models this guitar has an elongated headstock with 3 + 3 tuners, 22 frets, a front-mounted output jack, a TOM bridge, and stop tailpiece.
