At first, these were Gibson-derived instruments (basically rebadged Gibsons or new models based closely on existing Gibson designs, as opposed to the models Epiphone had been making in New York and Philadelphia when they were located there). Gibson bought the Epiphone brand name and some of their manufacturing tooling and parts inventory in 1957, and began making Epiphone branded guitars shortly after in the Gibson factory on Parsons street, and later an adjacent building.

They were made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by Gibson.