Epiphone guitars in the 1980s

Through the 1980s, Norlin Corporation (ECL) and Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024) controlled the Epiphone name, and 3 plants built it: Matsumoku, Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically) and Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified).^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]}

6 eras touch the 1980s across 3 lines. The version changed in 1984, 1986 and 1987. A guitar from either side of those years can be a different Epiphone.

Year by year

Year	Controlled by	Built at	Changed
1980	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
1981	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
1982	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
1983	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
1984	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku, Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified)^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}	yes
1985	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku, Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified)^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
1986	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Matsumoku, Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified)^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 4, 5]}	yes
1987	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified), Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically)^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 5, 13]}	yes
1988	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified), Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically)^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 5, 13]}
1989	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified), Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically)^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 5, 13]}

Eras in the 1980s

Line	Years	Controlled by	Built at	Grade
Epiphone Japan	1970–1986	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Matsumoku	community^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}
Epiphone Japan	1986–1987	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Matsumoku	community^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 4, 5]}
Epiphone Japan	1987–2018	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	No plant on record	community^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]}
Epiphone Japan special models	1987–2018	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Japan special-model builder (Epiphone; FujiGen named generically)	unverified^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 5, 13]}
Epiphone Korea	1984–1986	Norlin Corporation (ECL)	Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified)	community^{[1, 2, 3, 5]}
Epiphone Korea	1986–2002	Gibson Guitar Corp. / Gibson Brands, Inc. (2013) / Gibson, Inc. (2024)	Samick Korea (Epiphone; city unverified)	community^{[1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 5]}

Other brands in the 1980s

Epiphone, year by year

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Sources

Every numbered marker on this page points here: the document, its grade and the passages relied on. An era is computed, so it cites the facts it was derived from. A fact marked “no source” has no claim attached yet.

1
Wikipedia: wiki/Gibson (guitar company)graded community
- "Gibson was owned by Norlin Corporation from 1969 to 1986"Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
- "acquired by a group led by Henry Juszkiewicz and David H. Berryman"Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
2
Epiphone history 1957-present (Gibson era) - Blue Book of Guitar Valuesgraded secondary
- in the last few days of 1969, ECL bought CMIEpiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
- When Gibson was sold to Henry Juszkiewicz, David Berryman, and Gary Zebrowski in 1986Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
3
more info about norlingraded community
- In December of 1969, E.C.L. Industries, Inc. took control of CMI.Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
4
Wikipedia: wiki/Epiphone 5102T / EA 250graded community
- "started importing Epiphone-branded instruments from the Matsumoku company in 1970"Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
5
fandom: wiki/Epiphonegraded community
- After Matsumoku closed in 1987Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
- "a few special models still made in Japan"Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
- "Samick began building Epiphones in 1984… The Korean factory stopped making Epiphones in 2002."Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
6
Gibson Brands requested court protection from its creditors (May 1, 2018)graded secondary
- "Gibson Brands requested court protection from its creditors"Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
7
Gibson Brands chapter 11 docket: Notice of Effective Dategraded secondary
- "November 1 2018 Effective Date - Notice of Effe[ctive Date]"Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
8
Docket index, In re Gibson Brands, Inc. (Notice of Effective Date)graded primary
- Notice of Effective Date Notice of (I) Entry of Confirmation Order, (II) Occurrence of Effective DateEpiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
9
Gibson Brands Plan of Reorganization Confirmedgraded primary
- the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has confirmed the Company's plan of reorganization.Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
10
Gibson Guitars Names New Leadership And Exit From Bankruptcygraded secondary
- the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) will assume majority ownership control of Gibson.Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
11
TTAB Cancellation No. 92084591, filing 4 (Delaware certificate of amendment, Gibson Brands, Inc. to Gibson, Inc.)graded primary
- CHANGING ITS NAME FROM "GIBSON BRANDS, INC." TO "GIBSON, INC."Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
12
Gibson Guitar Corp. Company Historygraded secondary
- new owners took over in 1986, Henry Juszkiewicz and David Berryman, who bought the company for $5 million.Epiphone in the 1980s: owners and plants
13
Wikipedia: wiki/FUJIGENgraded community

See something wrong, or know a better source?