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The Epiphone Frontier was manufactured by the Gibson company in Kalamazoo, MI from 1958 until 1969. This model was a continuation of the Epiphone made FT-110 which also featured flame Maple back and sides. The Gibson made version introduced the square shoulder design for Gibson in 1958. In 1962, Gibson introduced the Dove which was based off of this guitar but with the bird motif. In 1963, Gibson added the cacti and lariat relief graphic onto the pickguard of the Frontier.
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The time that I had with my first Frontier was all too short so I was ecstatic when I got this one in. I purchased it with a broken and loose bridge as well as a damaged nut. Gibson had the bad habit of gluing bridges right on top of the finish during this time period. Glue has an easier time of staying put if the joint holds wood to wood instead of wood to finish.
I dropped it off at my luthier’s place (Burn’s Repair) because I know I can trust him for a professional repair. The bridge had split into two pieces because of the weak spot in line with the bridge pins. Jason glued the bridge back together so that the repair was almost invisible. If you’re not looking for the repair then you won’t find it. There was one spot next to the saddle that showed signs of a previous attempt at repair. Jason removed the old glue and glued it tight. The nut slots had been cut down too low so Jason decided it was time for a new bone nut. The new nut is gorgeous and perfectly cut and installed.
The resulting guitar is a dream to behold. I don’t usually like to refer to guitars in such flowery language but I believe this one deserves it. The Maple back and sides and long scale length perfectly balance out the 60s build. The tone is low and rumbly when it wants to be. The highs are crisp and well pronounced. It has good volume but likely won’t overpower a singer/songwriter.
