A 1966 Epiphone Al Caiola Custom semi-hollobody electric guitar, serial #542515, in a walnut finish and owned and played by Randy Bachman, who has sold 40 million records worldwide as a member of The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and as a solo artist.

Alexander “Al” Caiola (1920-2016) was a studio guitarist and composer who worked with a number of the greats including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Gleason, Herbie Hancock, Simon & Garfunkel, Barbara Streisand, and many others.

Epiphone offered his signature model from 1963-1969, one which featured a number of non-standard features for the brand. Among them were the Fender-like scale length of 25.5 inches, a 2-way selector for neck or bridge pickups (both cannot be used at the same time), and an on-board Tone Expression circuit which allows the player to select different values for its Varitone-like filter. This all adds up to a stand-out entry among Epiphone’s offerings at the time, and a very versatile one at that.

Guitar has been modified. For one, the original output jack located on the treble-side lower bout has been taken out of the circuit, with an acoustic-style barrel jack added through the tailpiece mount. This jack is fully functional.

Includes black hardshell case with light blue interior, Epiphone manual, a used set of strings, and an original strap button and screw.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Randy Bachman

Guitars & Instruments, Randy Bachman