Can anyone date/identify this?

[blueonyou]

Hey all.

Had this nice 12 string for 20 years and never been able to identify it’s age, curiosity is killing me and wonder if there’s any experts out there.

Label suggests Japanese but serial number is not one that’s recognised anywhere nor a stamped number on one of the braces.

Either way it’s a lovely guitar I’d just like to understand its history!

 

[Fullmoon 1971]

Based on the label and the Michigan notation, My best guess would be the Mid 70's - mid 80's. Epiphones were being made in by Matsumoku under licence in Japan at that time as the label indicates. My dad had one when I going up and I know he got his around 1977 (my parents divorced in 78 and he already had this guitar)

 

[Davis Sharp]

Welcome to Epi-Talk. Here's the Epi wiki archive page on acoustics. It might take you some time to go through it. I don't see any shortcuts like "12-string."

http://grin.bplaced.net/EpiWiki2/index/Acoustic_Guitars.html

 

[blueonyou]

Hey thanks interesting read but no mention of an FR212! Puzzling

 

[RR-Ramblers]

What a beautiful guitar. Early 1970's Japan Epiphone. I have a '72 Riviera MIJ

Try here, might be this one, scroll down:

http://grin.bplaced.net/EpiWiki2/index/FT-Series.html

FT-160 Texan 12-String​

Epiphone FT-160 Texan 12-String


Epiphone FT-160 Texan 12-String

• 1972-1979
• Model FT-160
• 12-string guitar
• Square-shoulder dreadnought body style
• Made in Japan

Body:

• Laminated spruce top
• Mahogany back & sides

Neck:

• Bolt-on 3-piece neck
• Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
• Double-dot inlays at 7th & 12th frets
• 25.5" scale

Binding:

• Multi-ply body binding
• Multi-ply 3-ring rosette

Hardware:

• Chrome hardware
• Plate-mounted tuners
• Black pickguard
• Adjustable rosewood bridge

Colors:

• Natural
• Sunburst

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

I tried to date it once, but it said it had to wash its hair that night.

 

[blueonyou]

What a beautiful guitar. Early 1970's Japan Epiphone. I have a '72 Riviera MIJ

Try here, might be this one, scroll down:

http://grin.bplaced.net/EpiWiki2/index/FT-Series.html

FT-160 Texan 12-String​

Epiphone FT-160 Texan 12-String


Epiphone FT-160 Texan 12-String

• 1972-1979
• Model FT-160
• 12-string guitar
• Square-shoulder dreadnought body style
• Made in Japan

Body:

• Laminated spruce top
• Mahogany back & sides

Neck:

• Bolt-on 3-piece neck
• Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
• Double-dot inlays at 7th & 12th frets
• 25.5" scale

Binding:

• Multi-ply body binding
• Multi-ply 3-ring rosette

Hardware:

• Chrome hardware
• Plate-mounted tuners
• Black pickguard
• Adjustable rosewood bridge

Colors:

• Natural
• Sunburst

Sadly it’s not that one, defo no mahogany

 

[blueonyou]

At least it doesn’t look like mahogany

Doesn’t have the neck plate and the headstock is different too, honestly it’s baffling there’s more than one in existence according to google, at least 2 more have cropped up over the years with the same weird model number and another owner has posted on the Gibson forum the same question to no avail!