Epiphone joins forces with country superstar Chris Stapleton for new, US-made signature Frontier acoustic
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Epiphone has teamed up with one of the biggest names in country music, Chris Stapleton, to create a new signature acoustic guitar, the Chris Stapleton Frontier.
Officially part of the company's Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop collection, the Stapleton Frontier is unique for Epiphone in that it will be produced – in a limited run of 300 guitars – at Gibson's acoustic facility in Bozeman, Montana.
You can watch Stapleton discuss the guitar below.
The ornate acoustic features a thermally aged Sitka spruce top, figured maple back and sides, and a rounded C-shaped neck adorned with a 25.5", 12" radius Indian rosewood fretboard sporting 20 "legend large" frets with mother of pearl Slotted Rectangle inlays.
The top and back feature multi-ply binding, while the fretboard boasts single-ply binding. The acoustic is also made with traditional hand scalloped X-bracing.
Sounds on the acoustic-electric guitar come by way of an L.R. Baggs VTC under-saddle pickup, and an L.R. Baggs VTC preamp, and are adjustable via soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls.
Gotoh Keystone tuners, a traditional, belly-up, Indian rosewood bridge, and an adjustable truss rod highlight the six-string's hardware set, with the stunning dual tortoise pickguard – engraved with the classic Frontier lariat and cactus motif – rounding out the spec sheet.
"I always have a goal anytime I'm working with anybody to develop something – what I'm looking for is a really high-quality tool," Stapleton says in the video above. "I'm looking for something that I would use.
"I've used this particular guitar every night that I've played onstage for the last year and a half, and it gets better and better the more I play it."
Given that it's made in America, the Epiphone Chris Stapleton Frontier is certainly not priced like your typical Epiphone, ringing up at $4,999. The guitar comes with a custom hardshell case, sporting a pink interior and tooled exterior, and a certificate of authenticity, and is finished – appropriately – in Frontier Burst.
For more info on the guitar, visit Epiphone.
