Professional
The Epiphone Professional is another
unusual vintage piece, and not just
because of its relative rarity. The
Professional was produced in the
Gibson era from 1962 to 1966, built in
Kalamazoo, Michigan, and actually came
as a matched guitar and amp set, with
the guitar acting as a controller for the
amp and its built-in effects. The guitar
itself is a lovely double-cutaway semi-
hollowbody with a bank of switches
and knobs on its pickguard, offered in
cherry red or mahogany finishes, with
a single mini-humbucker mounted in
the neck position. It connects to the
dual 7591-powered tube amp (which
was offered in both a 35-watt, 15-inch
speaker version and a 15-watt, 12-
inch speaker version) with a multi-pin
connector. Epiphone produced only
400 or so Professional sets, as the idea
never quite caught on with players.
They are not entirely uncommon today,
and a full set in very good condition can
usually be had for between four and
five thousand dollars.
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