Prior to its acquisition by Gibson, Epiphone had been based in New York, so it was only natural that New York-based guitarist Al Caiola would become Epi’s first signature artist of the 1960s.

Caiola began his career after WWII as a staff musician for CBS radio, and through the 1950s he played numerous recording sessions in Manhattan. He became one of the best-known guitarists in America in 1961, when his recording of the theme song from the film “The Magnificent Seven” hit the Top 40 of the pop charts, followed by his Top 20 single of the theme from the TV show Bonanza.

Within two years Caiola had his own Epiphone signature model, which featured a 25.5-inch scale length (most Gibsons and Epis were 24.75 inches) and five tone switches. This model was unique among Gibsons and Epis of the period in that it had only a single humbucker (a mini, as all Epis had).

It became the Caiola Custom, when the Caiola Standard, a plainer version with two single-coil pickups, appeared in 1966.