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.
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.
“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.
