epiphone began in 1873, in smyrna, ottoman empire (now i̇zmir, turkey), where greek founder anastasios stathopoulos made his own fiddles and lutes (oud, laouto). stathopoulo moved to the united states in 1903 and continued to make his original instruments, as well as mandolins, from a factory at 35-37 36th street in long island city, queens, new york. anastasios died in 1915, and his son, epaminondas ("epi"), took over. after two years, the company became known as the house of stathopoulo. just after the end of world war i, the company started to make banjos. the company produced its recording line of banjos in 1924 and, four years later, took on the name of the epiphone banjo company. it produced its first guitars in 1928. after epi died in 1943, control of the company went to his brothers, orphie and frixo. in 1951, a four-month-long strike precipitated a relocation of epiphone from new york city to philadelphia. in 1957 the company was acquired by gibson.