Gibson Epiphone Nouveau Spotlight

I have been wondering about this guitar. I have the exact same unit save mine is entirely black (which looks cool too). I love mine. Its a bit heavy though and I do find it hard on the shoulder to work an entire gig with just this guitar. With Gibsons flat wound nickel strings the action and sustain are second to none and although it was difficult to find a case for it, I do like the extra long neck.

I can't remember where but I seem to recall hearing about this line as being some sort of test bed Gibson used to determine the location of a future manufacturing facility. If I can substantiate this I'll send more info besides mere hearsay.

Just out of curiosity, although it is none of my business, do you mind telling me what yours cost you? I got mine for $200 and an eight ball of crystal meth(which I don't do but its a long story...).

Curtis Bailey

Thanks Curtis. I recall paying between $200-250 for this in 1988.

I've got one that is almost identical to yours except mine has a Steinberger bridge. I love it! I'll take a spotlight over a les paul or Paul Reed Smith any day!

Yesterday I bought a Gibson Nouveau for my granddaughter (graduation present). It was on consignment at a guitar shop. The serial # is 7810890 model NV6. I'm having a hard time finding any info. The varying inlay on the finger board seems to correspond to chords. It is a straight dreadnaught acoustic. I found 1 thread that said BB King asked for this guitar. ?? and that only 139 were made. Any info would sure be nice. It seems to have been manufactured in 1986. Thanks, Nana Susan

I have an Epiphone Spotlight similar to the first one in this thread, except the maple cap on mine is a heavy quilt pattern, rather than tiger stripe. I use a wide strap, and it doesn't feel that heavy. It's strictly stock.
I haven't felt the need to change the electronics. I like the built-in coil tap. I bought it around 1990 at Daddy's Junky Music. It has the tone and response of a guitar costing much more. If I found another one t a reasonable price, I would buy it in a New York Minute.

I had a previous Epiphone, a '62 Olympic with a mini hum and a DiMarzio Super Distortion, three on a side headstock, replaced tuners. This has been passed on to a student.

I have an Epiphone Spotlight as well. Mine is all white (pearl finish) with the Steinberger bridge. I've owned it for about 20 years. I bought it used at a little shop in Reading Ohio called "The Musical Instrument Exchange" or "TMIE". It was on consignment and I paid $170 for it with a hardshell Gibson Les Paul case. This has been my main guitar since I purchased it and I have gigged with it countless times.

The only complaint I have is the bridge. I'm not a "soloist" per say so I've never used the tremolo much and mostly I just keep it locked but this has to be one of the worst tremolos ever. It has deteriorated over time and looks pretty rough. The fine tuners are real touchy and it takes some patience to get it tuned up. Fortunately I have had no trouble with the posts bending as I have read elsewhere. I have had to shim a saddle and dress them to alleviate the occasional breaking string during live sets.

The rest of the guitar is beautiful. It has the EMG Selects with the coil tap and plays like a dream. I've never had it set up. It played awesome when I bought it and it still plays as well today. There are a few rough spots on a couple frets and I've considered having them dressed as well. Very minor stuff though.

I love this guitar and wouldn't part with it for anything, we've got lot's of history together and I really have never considered buying another guitar to replace it since I purchased it. I'm still running through the only amp I ever bought as well an Old Blue Sparkle Ampeg SS140C running stereo through a Holmes 4x12 cab. It sounds awesome. Nice sustain and real meaty low end. The neck position pickup has that warm LP sound that just makes you have to rip a few bluesy licks when you switch it on.

Recently my wife bought me an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and it is on the verge of taking over as my main axe. For the price the Epi LP custom is a sweet buy. It plays really nice and sounds fat and sweet as well. I get guitar guilt and wind up going back to the Spotlight from time to time still. I nearly purchased a second Spotlight recently that was black but the same set up as mine. My wife threatened to kill me and then divorce me and not necessarily in that order. :)

Love this guitar. The one pictured above is a beauty too. I'd kind of like to play and hear one with the strat style bridge as the tremolo has been the source of a few headaches over the years and you can forget about finding parts for it.

I didn't realize what a rare piece this was until recently, but I do know first hand why they are so loved! Nice work from Korea and Gibson!

God bless!

WOW.. i found it.. i have one of these too. I LOVE it now i know
more about it.

what is it worth.

Terry in Hawaii

I have one also, spalted maple top, vibrato tail piece, EMG Selects. Purchased in 1998 or so from a music store in Dayton, Ohio. I had the tailpiece blocked, makes it easier to stay in tune. The guitar did not come with a wiggle bar, so I could not use the vibrato anyways. This guitar is presently for sale.

i have one, paid 300 back in 1989 and still have it. i removed the steinberger tremolo unit and replaced it with a fixed bridge out of a guild s25. the hole the tremolo left, i fabricate a wood then patched it. i also replaced the pickups with 2 dimarzio humbuckers. loved the sound :)

I have almost the same spotlight as yours with the exception the neck thru is not visible from the front, I purchased mine back in 88 or 89 in Niles Illinois. Had I known that it would be such a limited run at the time I would not have modified it the way I have. I have added a single coil dimarzio in the middle position and had it outfitted with a fishman powerbridge to simulate acoustic tones. These mods make for a very versatile ax. The thing that pulled me to it initially was appearance but after playing it, the feel of the fretboard and the natural sustain, even unplugged, were the deal closers. I believe I paid right around $300 for it brand new and at this point would not sell it for any price.

I got one in a trip i made to the states back in 1992. I was trying to buy a Les Paul (used because of the low budget) and saw it. Payed 300 for it and I still have it. For years i had been looking for info. I did not know even the model. So thanks for your excellent post.
The sound in this guitar is excellent, i like it even more than Les Paul. However the bridge pickup broke and I replaced it with a Gibson Humbucker. And also replaced that extrange tremolo bridge that kept braking strings with a Les Paul bridge. It is still my principal guitar and would not sell it ever.
Dario, from Argentina.

I need to know how many of these guitars were made. Mine is exactly like the pictures.

I have a CMT like the one pictured above. Mine is stock with the exception of the EMG pick ups. I still have them, but removed them in favor of PRS Dragons. My nephew plays a PRS and when I showed the Spotlight to him, he realized why PRS laid a Cease and Desist order on Gibson. I paid 300 for mine on Ebay about 5 years ago. When I got it, the original sales slip was in the case. It was bought in 1988 at a music store in Louisiana for $388. I love this guitar!

I just bought one of these type guitars a few days ago in crossville, tn. The only difference i can see between mine and yours is that it has Burled maple for a top and and tarnished(age induced) stainles pickups as well as SS control knobs with a built in coil spliter. I was also informed that the one i have was cut and assembled in the U.S.A. as a prototype for NAMM. Looking for any info on this guitar available.

Hey all, great reading about these guitars. I have actually just located one of these that I haven't checked out yet but I can probably get it for around 250-275. Just wondering if anyone has a take on whether it would be worth picking as I am looking for a main guitar here. The sentimentality is nice, but I'm gonna need to play this thing!

thanks a lot!

Hi, I personally own four (yeah you read right) of these wonderful guitars, all steinberger tremolos. I have two black ones, a red, and a white. I'm looking for a CMT. Anyone know of any forsale? I'd love one with the steinberger (I have found a way to mod these so they don't bend the posts!) I would take one with the other tremolo as well.
Thanks! I'll send pics to whomever wants them.

Lance, I own an Epiphone Spotlight with SB trem its CMT and ive had it since about 2000. I dont want to sell it was my first guitar but, im interested in how you modded yours?.Maybe we can exchange pics. Mine was bought at a pawn shop in NC for 250USD and came with Gibson hardcase. Pretty interesting the stories around this guitar id like to know how many were made.

Greg send me an email at lancejames22@gmail.com

Hi Lance,

I also have three Spotlights (had two pearl and one disappeared?), one pearl and two as shown in the pics above. One has a Steinberger trem the other on a Fender like trem.
I am currently selling the one with the Steinberger trem on Craigs list.
What does CMT stand for? I must be getting too old for this hobby.
Let me know if you are interested.

Robbert

hi Robert. CMT refers to the finish -- Curled Maple Top.

Robert, if you are still selling one let me know. Thanks

I have one exactly like this one in the pictures. Bone stock, bought it from a friend, this thing sounds great just the way it is. After finding out how rare they are, that's the way it'll stay. The EMG Selects sound pretty good, even the coil tap gives a decent tone. This is a keeper for me, not a high dollar guitar,but a gem of one in any case. Thanks for putting the information out there Scott.

HI,i have what i believe is a spotlight , but is more like a super strat, 24 fret ebonol finger board explorer head stock ,2 single coil emg's and 1 coil tapped humbuker emg , through neck but with a stop tail bridge ! painted red trust me to have something different , plays really well though, can any body shed any light on this beast, the date stamp on neck reads 300688 .

Okay well I just bought a fifth spotlight, sanded down, plan to stain the guitar and complete the damn sting, anyway Nigel email me a pic of your guitar, I think I own a guitar like which u speak of. I dig 80s guitars!

Nigel, send me a pic of your guitar and I'll give u a hand with it. It sounds like either S900, or a X1000. Check either on google, let me know...

I've got the same guitar. I had no idea what it's model was called or anything else about it. A friend gave it to my wife as a gift years ago. I love it. I also have a japanese jaguar and a mexican strat, both of which are pretty nice, but this one is definitely my favorite. Thanks for posting this!

i have one myself, got from my grandpa for my first guitar in 87, or 88 but i still have it today, my is a deep red arch top wit emg selects , it has no serial numbers or model numbers, i sold it back about 20 yrs ago an came acrossed just a few days ago an bought it back, like it was suppose to be mine(lol)...was interested in tryin to find info on it, thanks for the post, this thing is even better then i remember, the tone, sound, sustain an everthing is great, i own a les paul 6 string an have a les paul epiphone 7 string an i play this over both of them, just one question, is this one of the true american built gibsons from the 80's...i have the stienberger tremlo witch is nice a little touchy but i love the locking part of it for different tunings, but over all it is a badass guitar

there are no serial numbers on mine plus there is no model name just says gibson epiphone, emg selects stienberger tremlo 24 frets arch top neck thru
with the check mark pearl inlays candy wine red is the color never been modified, still org.

Thanks for all the dope on this guitar. I have had one for about 20 years and it looks identical to the pics (curly maple with mahogany back) except has the Steinberger tremolo bridge. As mentioned above my Steinberger bridge posts have bent and don't seem to be repairable. The bridge has given me fits and sucked all the joy out of this beautiful guitar. I have not found anyone who has input on repairing this bridge, and have not been able to find a replacement. Any thoughts on repairs, or replacing with the bridge shown on your guitar Jim (Foutz) (what kind of bridge is it?) would make my day and let me pull this thing out of retirement. Any thoughts, advice, input would be appreciated. Send to danandkathi@sbcglobal.net

Thanks...Dan V.

unbelievable sustain, tone. other guitarists seem to drop what they are doing and come wandering over to the spotlight in some kind of trance... sounds unbelievable on a crate and a marshall combo. very rare to find one on ebay, think i have seen 2 in the last 14 months in the uk.

I picked up a white (pearl) one at a pawn shop for $119. Didn't know what it was but I knew it looked different, had a set neck, EMG's and a Steinberger trem. Did a lot of research to identify it. Hoping to get the parts to fix the trem soon. Without them the intonation is off...

http://www.myrareguitars.com/1988-epiphone-spotlight-electric-guitar

About the Steinberger KB Trems on some...
http://web.me.com/be_em/Bernds_Guitar_Pages/The_Steinberger_KB_Trem.html

Great! I've been looking for decent info on this guitar since I got mine 6 or 7 years ago. And the Steinberger info in the post is also very helpful. Was there ever a hard case sold with these? I got mine from a guy who had it in a gig bag.

Yeah, it came with a "hard case", but it is thin and cheeply made.

Hi,
I can buy the same guitar for about 250 euro's. Can someone tell me if that is a decent price?
I have never seen this guitar in the Netherlands and I think it's a collector?
Am I right?

I am considering putting my SpotLight CMT up for sale. She hasn't seen that much action so she's still in really good condition. She's all Original with the EMG Selects. My email address is stephen64@comcast.net

250 euros (about 340 US $) sounds pretty good, depending on the shape on the guitar.

I don't know who told you all this but the construction, EMG Selects and the ebanol fretboard are a dead giveaway that this guitar was built in the Cort factory.
During the late 80's, Cort built this same model for Washburn.

Sorry.

SDF writes: That's a good theory "Insider". Did the Washburn Cort Guitars also come with the Gibson/Epiphone branding? If not, Sorry.

Sorry, this is not a "theory".

My first gig in the Music Products Industry was with Washburn from '86 t0'89. During this time both Washburn and Gibson were moving their Asian production from Japan to Korea. Washburn from Kasuga and Gibson from Aria. Both ended up at Cort.
One of my responsibilities at Washburn as resident luthier was to help oversee the transition. This, of course, meant spending time at the Cort factory in Incheon. Anyone who visits high-volume Asian production facilities will attest to the fact that you see a LOT of different headstocks going down the line at the same time.
The Washburn RS8V and the Epiphone PRS copy shared the same line in the same factory.
No, the Washburn Cort guitars didn't come with Epiphone branding any more than the Cort strats made on the same line as the Fender strats come with Fender branding.

Thanks for that info, Insider.

I own a Nouveau F style mandolin, bought on eBay about 15 years ago for $1200. Extremely high quality; good sound and a nice neck; I've seen 2 others since (both selling for more then I paid). The PRS clones you are describing are about identical to what Hohner had for sale at about the same time; I used to be a dealer. There were many other similar lines; the reason I chose Hohner was their customer service was excellent. I could get parts from them; just try that with any other imported ANYTHING.

Scott,
On a comment that I sent before I made an error. I thought that Gibson had acquired Steinberger in the late 80's. My bad. On the Gibson site they said it was "97". However, I stand by my suggestion that the parts used on the Spotlight were either Steinberger parts or were shared by Steinberger guitars. For example: Ed invented the finger board material and obviously the bridge was Steinberger. Steinberger guitars had business problems from the start. They were obviously selling parts and patents to other guitar companies.
To Insider: I think your right on about Epiphone using Cort. Here is why. I think Epiphone used Samick until the factory burned down in the mid 80's. They needed a manufacturer in Korea. Hence, Cort could have been the choice. There is a striking resemblanse between the Spotlight and the Washburn RS-8V. Also, has anyone ever wondered why Epiphone just put a sticker on that says "Korea"? It could have been because they made quick a decision to go with Cort. The Spotlight was an expensive guitar at the time. Just using a sticker come on? Now in my opinion, the RS-8V is not as nice of a guitar as the Spotlight. The Wasburn had a maple set neck v.s. the Spotlight mahogany neck through construction. And the Spotlights electronics were better(coil tap, full size pick up switch etc...). However, the body blanks look identical. The pick ups, finger board and tuners are the same. Washburn probably chose not to use the KB bridge. They chose the Floyd Rose style intead but that bridge had it's problems also. The truth is many guitar companies back then used the same parts and they still do.
M. Gagnon