Marcus King has a new signature model with Epiphone. Sure, he’s gotten behind self-branded instruments before – but this one is different. Personal, even.
“The El Dorado was the first guitar I have a memory of,” he says. “My dad gave it to me. It’s the first guitar that I remember strumming and being enthralled by.”
He says that the same footprint is in his new model. “When you play it, there’s an emotion to it. Some guitars have that and some do not. If you play 10 they’re all going to sound different. It depends on what the player is looking for. But there’s ample opportunity to find what they’re looking for with this guitar.”
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King’s El Dorado signature is yet another step up for Epiphone, a once budget-focused company that’s been dabbling in an increased range of higher quality, yet still affordable, curios.
“It’s exciting to see a company like Epiphone do this,” King says, nodding to the company’s signature models with Dave Grohl and Joe Bonamassa, and its bang-on rendition of Peter Green’s Greeny.
There’s a lot of your personal history tied into your signature El Dorado acoustic.
Absolutely. I moved to Nashville in 2018. When I was packing up my guitars I mentioned to my dad, “I wish I still had my first guitar.” It was just one he’d had around for years, and then given to somebody. I assumed I’d never see it again.
So I was surprised when he came to visit me in East Nashville, and brought the El Dorado as a housewarming gift. I’d just acquired a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado – so those two happenings influenced me to name my [2020] album El Dorado.
Did you modify the original?
Before I took it on the road I took it to my friend Christy Carter at Carter Vintage Guitars. Christy personally put that Opry-style guard on there, just because I wanted a little Nashville flair. And there are some embellishments on there… You can see the South Carolina shape, mother-of-pearl inlay, and the Tennessee stars.
What was the trick to injecting the soul of that guitar into the signature model we’re seeing now?
Man, I just trusted Gibson to put together the best-sounding guitar they thought possible, you know? It sounds awfully good to me. But I’ve never put that much thought into what goes into the assembly process – other than, “How does the damn thing sound?”
There’s a lot of options out in acoustics. What sets the El Dorado apart?
It’s a hell of a looker! People see that guitar and they remember it. When I moved to Nashville, the words of my grandfather echoed in my ears: “Leave a lasting impression – make people remember you.” They may not remember your name, but they’ll remember that Cadillac parked outside, and that beautiful-looking guitar.
Are there additional signature guitars in the works with Gibson and Epiphone?
I don’t know how much I can get into it, but there have been some discussions. I’ve always got some ideas.
Elsewhere, you’ve switched from Orange, with whom you had a signature amp, to Marshall. What brought that on?
I really enjoyed working with Orange, but it was just time to try something new – I saw my buddy Eddie 9V playing through a Marshall, and it just sounded so damn good! I was really inspired to get back to that Allman Brothers influence. We tried some of the new products from Marshall, and I was just really excited about it.
Is there a signature model in the works with Marshall?
I’ve had my dad’s Plexi head out with me. I think it’s from 1970, and it’s a great-sounding head. He modified it and put the master volume in the back, and I’ve been playing that. I’d definitely be interested if Marshall wanted to do an amplifier with me. I’ve got some ideas.
What sort of ideas?
I like a little bit more compression in what the amplifier is giving me. I also prefer 10-inch speakers because there’s more of an attack. I think the 10-inch just suits my playing style, and it’s what I like to hear. But I also have some 12s up there; I like the combination of 10s and 12s. I’ve tried just about every configuration one could try.
Gear aside, you lost a good friend in Brent Hinds not long ago.
Brent Hinds was passionate about playing. But he was also sometimes like, ‘Let’s go do something else!’
Man, I had Brent in my life for the better part of a decade. We became really good friends really quickly. And something indicative of his character is that anybody who knew him knew that if you were going to be friends with Brent, you knew it very quickly!
And we did become really good friends really quickly. He was a groomsman at my wedding, and just a good friend to talk to. He was a brother.
He was so passionate about his craft – and very unique as a player. Did you take anything away from his style and incorporate it into yours?
I loved how Brent was passionate about playing. But he was also sometimes like, “Oh, man, fuck it. Dude, let’s go do something else!” We never really spent much time talking about playing per se, but every now and then we’d nerd out about a Mark Knopfler solo.
We’d sit outside, get really stoned, and nerd out about a solo or two. But his playing style and his ability to bring chicken pickin’ into the metal realm, I was always really inspired by that. He also had a really good sense of melody, and was just a beautiful composer.
Not long ago, you had the chance to play Rory Gallagher’s Telecaster and Jeff Beck’s Yardburst. What was that like?
I’ve played the guitars of people I’ve looked up to. It feels like getting a visit from your heroes
It’s always a heavy experience – it’s like there’s someone showing up, rather than an object, you know? I had the opportunity to play Jerry Garcia’s Tiger guitar and his Travis Bean model. And I played Freddie King’s 335 too.
I’ve had so many opportunities to play the guitars of people I’ve looked up to, and it always feels like there’s a little bit of the DNA still left on the instrument. It feels like you’re getting a visit from your heroes. You can feel the soul, if you’re open to it.
What’s next for you?
We’re gonna be touring up until the top of October, and then we’ll be back in the studio because I’ve been writing a bunch. I’ve got a lot of songs built up, so I’m excited to see what magic we can create.
