Steve Howe collaborated and recorded with Paul Sutin, owner of the Dinemec and Paul Sutin Production studios, on numerous projects and several albums, and during one of his visits to the Dinemec studio, Steve Howe gave Paul his Epiphone Broadway Masterbilt, an exceptional original guitar from 1933 that Steve Howe owned for decades. This superb and rare guitar belonged to Steve Howe since the mid 70’s after he purchased it at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, and spent then some time in Paul Sutin’s collection, and comes with a certificate signed by Steve Howe. The guitar itself is discretely signed by Steve Howe at the back of the headstock, in black felt tip pen.

We no longer present Steve Howe, but yet a little history on this magnificent Epiphone Broadway instrument is not a luxury. The Epiphone Broadway is a compact Archtop, slightly over 16”, introduced in 1931 in the Masterbilt series, and was the second highest-end instrument in the line, behind the De Luxe. Until 1954, when Epiphone quietly discontinued the original Broadway, approximately 2100 instruments were produced, including a tiny portion of Masterbilt models. This instrument has specifications that span the years and models, thus the headstock with the logo script and the design of the wine inlay, the “Segmented F Holes” soundholes and especially the slightly opaque sunburst finish are typical of the years 1933-1934, but the key block markers with a marker in the 1st fret only appeared in 1935-1936. The body is made of walnut with a carved solid spruce top. The mahogany neck with 3piece centerstripes has a rosewood fingerboard and this beautiful instrument comes with its original Plush-Lined hardcase.

This superb guitar remains in perfect condition. Only the tuners have been changed with non-original Grovers. The bridge and the trapeze are original, as is obviously the finish. Some dents and scratches on the body, but no damage or cracks. A discrete centerseam hairline is visible under the trapeze. The neck is perfect, the frets in excellent condition, and the sunburst finish unique to these years gives it a splendid appearance. Low action and fast neck for this fabulous instrument. This beauty is a fantastic player and gives a unique and loud acoustic archtop tone, with a lot of midrange and perfect balance. It’s a superb guitar, easy to play and definitely among the best Archtop one can find. Comes with its original, premium Plush-Lined hardcase and a certificate signed from Steve Howe.