Epiphone has unveiled Marcus King’s latest signature guitar – a recreation of his beloved childhood acoustic guitar.
King was a youngster when his father gifted him an Epiphone El Dorado acoustic. It’s been his trusty sidekick ever since, and now it’s getting the signature treatment.
The six-string has already been immortalized by King, who named his 2020 record after the vintage dreadnought. Now, Gibson’s affordable arm is taking that legacy to a new level.
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The Marcus King El Dorado endeavors to bottle the spirit of the original with solid rosewood back and sides, and a solid spruce top. Epiphone claims its woods will open with age, meaning it will hopefully sound more expressive day by day.
The body is accented with four-ply top binding and single-ply back binding, while a C-profile mahogany neck gets a traditional dovetail joint. At the other end, there’s a bone nut, Epiphone Deluxe tuners with metal buttons, and a mother-of-pearl bedazzled headstock that draws on 1970s styling.
Elsewhere, the electro-acoustic features a three-ply bound rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets and rounded-corner mother-of-pearl block inlays.
It also has an L.R. Baggs Element Bronze under-saddle pickup and preamp with soundhole-mounted Volume and Tone controls. The guitar does not ship with a 9V battery to power its pickup.
Lastly, in honor of King’s lineage, its belly-down rosewood bridge is fitted with a compensated bone saddle and black pins. Look closely, and you’ll see nods to South Carolina’s silhouette and Tennessee’s Tri-Star emblem. The pickguard has also been designed to resemble King’s valued companion closely.
“This guitar means the world to me,” King says. “My first El Dorado was a gift from my father, and it carried me through some of the earliest and most important moments of my musical journey.
(Image credit: Epiphone)
“It has always represented family, home, and the songs that shaped me. Partnering with Epiphone to share that feeling with players around the world is an incredible honor, and I hope this guitar inspires people to write their own stories for years to come.”
The Epiphone Marcus King El Dorado is available in Antique Natural. It is priced at $999 and ships with a hardshell case.
It follows his ES-345 signature model and a signature Orange amp.
See Epiphone for more.
