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2009 Epiphone FT-112 Bard 'Oh, Pretty Woman', Roy Orbison

That opening and repeated riff, so recognisable, so iconic, so no surprise that Epiphone decided to put out a signature model of the original FT-112 Bard that Roy Orbison played on "Oh, Pretty Woman". A big 12-string sound - and while you won't be able to resist playing that riff, a beautiful player for any song that demands the chime of a 12-string acoustic!

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I can't claim to have been there when "Oh, Pretty Woman" was released in 1964.  It took me until the mid-70s to discover the song.  And, with limited channels available to start a musical education, only then by chance.  Yes, for the latest releases, there was Top Of The Pops, Radio 1, or (for the rebels) Radio Caroline.  But if you wanted to explore what came before, there was only one way - rifle through your parents' record collection.  Some duffers (later inevitably to become guilty pleasures), and some immediate gems.  And crowning that pile K-Tel's magnificent "25 Rockin' & Rollin' Greats". 

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If you grew up in the 60s and 70s, you knew K-Tel.  They pretty much invented the compilation album, and can rightly claim to have led the way for "Now That's What I Call Music" in the 80s, and Spotify, or any of the streamers, in the 00s.  K-Tel is still going today, given the significant back catalogue they built up as they negotiated the publishing rights to the artists they featured - "Original Hits, Original Stars".  Which is abundantly clear from "25 Rockin' & Rollin' Greats" - every song an absolute banger.  You'd want the album just for the first three tracks - "Rock Around The Clock", "Shakin' All Over" and "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - and there are 22 more with pedigree to match.  It's hard to believe that "Oh, Pretty Woman" only makes it to track 11 on the B-side . . . Mind you, in the days of vinyl, not a track was left unlistened to, nor left unrepeated.

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So, I got to hear that riff - and it never leaves you.  It's a standard 12-bar blues riff, made unique by that staggered intro and that 2nd interval F# at the top.  You hear it, and it can only be this song.  So recognisable, Epiphone were bold enough to launch not just a Roy Orbison signature guitar, but an 'Oh, Pretty Woman' signature guitar.  Roy Orbison's widow Barbara says it best:  "As a young brilliant guitar player growing up in West Texas, Roy would have never dreamt that he would one day have his own Epiphone signature guitar named after him. Roy wrote 'Oh Pretty Woman' on his Epiphone 12-string acoustic guitar which features one of the most instantly recognizable rock n' roll guitar riffs and has remained iconic and fresh to this day. I hope the next generation of artists will feel inspired to write another great rock n' roll song thanks to the Epiphone signature Roy Orbison 12 string acoustic guitar."  And that is exactly what it's all about - the passing of the baton, the inspiration for the next generation.  All it needs now is you.

See & Hear It In Action
  • Mr Tambourine Man on an Oh,Pretty Woman FT-112 Bard:  Maybe because it was a Limited Edition, there aren't that many demos of the Oh,,Pretty Woman FG-112 Bard.  But hats off to Simon Hemmings, who has pretty much cornered the market on his.  This one a note-perfect rendition of Mr Tambourine Man,.  Start there and then check out his equally brilliant renditions of Queen's '39 and The Rolling Stones' Wild Horses..
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Not just that riff, but any big and bold 12-string song - be the first!

Specification

Make

Epiphone

Model

FT-112 Bard 'Oh, Pretty Woman'

Colour

Natural

Year

2009

Serial  Number

0908171269

Number of Frets

20

Fretboard

Rosewood, Unbound

Neck

1-piece Mahogany

Body

Spruce Top; Mahogany Back & Sides

Tuners

Vintage-style Wilkinson Deluxe 6-in-Line, chrome, cream butterbean knobs

Bridge

Reverse Belly 12-string Bridge, Rosewood

Scale Length

25.5"

Full Length

42.625"

Further Information:

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  • The FT-112 Bard is a child of the 60s - and the elder sibling of two 12-strings that rounded off the Epiphone acoustic range for the decade, the Serenader being the younger model.  Roy Orbison got his Bard in 1962, the same year as it launched to the market.  But by 1970, Epiphone stopped producing it.  In fact, they stopped producing anything that we now recognise as the classic Epiphone line-up from the 60s.  That's got nothing to do with the guitars and all to do with Gibson's decision to transfer all Epiphone production to Japan.  Early-70s production in Japan bore no resemblance to the models that had made Epiphone great.  And It took over a decade and a move of production to Korea for some of those treasured models from the 60s to get their first reissued builds.​

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  • As far as I know, the Bard has only ever been reissued as this Limited Edition "Oh, Pretty Woman" model, with a short run starting in November 2009.  That's a shame, because it's a classic square-shouldered dreadnought, built alongside Gibson's pricier B-45-12, most likely in the same factory - so it shares a very similar spec.  Check out Noel Gallagher's 1963 B-45-12-N if you'd like to cross-compare.

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  • And Epiphone have done a great job of reproducing the original, with a beautiful and high quality build.  The template's the original 1962 Bard, with rosewood board, mahogany neck, solid spruce top, and solid mahogany back and sides, period-correct 6-on-a-plate Wilkinson repro tuners, and that big reverse belly rosewood bridge,  There's even a period correct blue soundhole label.  Don't be fooled by what's written on it though.  An original blue label would have had Kalamazoo, Michigan as its place of manufacture, not Nashville, Tennessee, which only opened in 1984.  And, even that location is no more than a tip of the hat to the present day.  The Bard was actually built by Epiphone's Chinese operation - and none the worse for that.​​​

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  • It plays beautifully and sounds great, balanced across all 12 strings, with the higher octave notes ringing through clearly.  A lovely low set-up, making it as easy for picking as for strumming.  And, once you've got past that riff, a whole songbook of classic 12-string songs awaits, Just as you'd wish.  A perfect 12-string, just "the kind I'd like to meet."

Sources & Links
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