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Newbie - Help ID a Vintage Epiphone


DeanPDX

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Greetings. I was wondering if anybody could help me ID this Epiphone guitar that was gifted to me by a friend. I know it's older (I believe somebody gave it to my friend in the 70s/80s and it was already beat up / old at that time which leads my to believe it's one of the original 60s-ish Epiphones). I looked up the usual suspects like Wilshire, Coronet, etc., but I can't quite figure out what it is.

 

Here's a gallery with images of it:

 

https://imgur.com/a/hUE21r6

 

As you can see, it has the batwing headstock and "custom" on the truss rod cover. The inlays look like they were installed aftermarket. I don't even know what that tremolo is but it seems cheap. Where the paint has chipped off, the wood looks dark. I'm not sure if that means it's a dark wood or if somebody spray painted a stained wood. Tuners are clearly aftermarket. I can post more images if I missed something.

 

Anyway, I like the way it plays and the pickups sound great. I'm tempted to put some money in to restoring it but I'd like to at least know what it is before I do that since it needs a lot of work. I might just take it down to my guitar tech and ask them what they think. Any info would be appreciated.

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Greetings. I was wondering if anybody could help me ID this Epiphone guitar that was gifted to me by a friend. I know it's older (I believe somebody gave it to my friend in the 70s/80s and it was already beat up / old at that time which leads my to believe it's one of the original 60s-ish Epiphones). I looked up the usual suspects like Wilshire, Coronet, etc., but I can't quite figure out what it is.

 

Here's a gallery with images of it:

 

https://imgur.com/a/hUE21r6

 

As you can see, it has the batwing headstock and "custom" on the truss rod cover. The inlays look like they were installed aftermarket. I don't even know what that tremolo is but it seems cheap. Where the paint has chipped off, the wood looks dark. I'm not sure if that means it's a dark wood or if somebody spray painted a stained wood. Tuners are clearly aftermarket. I can post more images if I missed something.

 

Anyway, I like the way it plays and the pickups sound great. I'm tempted to put some money in to restoring it but I'd like to at least know what it is before I do that since it needs a lot of work. I might just take it down to my guitar tech and ask them what they think. Any info would be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Codes from the back of the pots (if they are original) will give a clue to year of manufacture as they were typically used up with in a few months of manufacture. I am leaning towards a mid 60's Crestwood. (I am by no means an expert or anything remotely similar)

 

The trem is something Gibson was using early/mid 60's, never seen those inlays, but could have been ordered that way or modded, as you mention tuners are replacement. Be kinda cool to see the back of those pups too. Not sure about the paint.

 

Since its functional I wouldn't personally restore it, maybe just give a good set up and keep playing.

 

 

 

Johnny.

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Codes from the back of the pots (if they are original) will give a clue to year of manufacture as they were typically used up with in a few months of manufacture. I am leaning towards a mid 60's Crestwood. (I am by no means an expert or anything remotely similar)

 

The trem is something Gibson was using early/mid 60's, never seen those inlays, but could have been ordered that way or modded, as you mention tuners are replacement. Be kinda cool to see the back of those pups too. Not sure about the paint.

 

Since its functional I wouldn't personally restore it, maybe just give a good set up and keep playing.

 

 

 

Johnny.

 

Thank you. I will pull the pick guard off and check the pots/pups and post pictures.

 

Yeah - I think I might get it set up and just keep playing it as-is. It's old and beat up but it has a kind of magic to it all the same.

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OK I took the pick guard and pickups off here are more pics:

 

https://imgur.com/a/G27i2Wp

 

As you can see, nary a date in sight. That pick guard hadn't been removed in a WHILE though.

 

 

 

I was hoping to be able to read the codes on the backs of the pots better. Can you make out the the numbers on the back, before the 500k? Appears as though solder is covering some of the numbers on some of the pots and dust etc in the pick is making others hard for me to see. If you can see them, we can maybe date the pots and if they are original to the guitar ball park the date of the build.

 

for example if the code on the back was 1376511 it would be a cts pot from the 11th week of 1965.

 

Johnny

 

 

Edit; found something similar on reverb

 

https://reverb.com/item/15979261-epiphone-crestwood-wilshire-1965-cherry-original-vintage-kalamazoo-usa

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Interesting to see with the full humbuckers, as far as I know almost all epis from the 60s came with mini hums or p90.

Could be a transition from the crestwood to the et290 maybe? Which had bolt on neck and different head stock.

I'm just purely guessing by the way.

What ever it is, it's class!

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Interesting to see with the full humbuckers, as far as I know almost all epis from the 60s came with mini hums or p90.

Could be a transition from the crestwood to the et290 maybe? Which had bolt on neck and different head stock.

I'm just purely guessing by the way.

What ever it is, it's class!

Am I missing something? Aren't those mini humbuckers?

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Interesting to see with the full humbuckers, as far as I know almost all epis from the 60s came with mini hums or p90.

Could be a transition from the crestwood to the et290 maybe? Which had bolt on neck and different head stock.

I'm just purely guessing by the way.

What ever it is, it's class!

 

The inlays are very different too and they don't appear to be after market. I did see one out there with the same humbuckers but it had the oval inlays. I wonder if this on is actually "custom" made.

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Interesting to see with the full humbuckers, as far as I know almost all epis from the 60s came with mini hums or p90.

Could be a transition from the crestwood to the et290 maybe? Which had bolt on neck and different head stock.

I'm just purely guessing by the way.

What ever it is, it's class!

 

 

Wasn’t uncommon in the days of ol’ to route for humbuckers, a few Les Paul Deluxes suffered the same fate.

 

Although combined with the inlays, I think this one was ordered like this.

 

Johnny

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Wasn’t uncommon in the days of ol’ to route for humbuckers, a few Les Paul Deluxes suffered the same fate.

 

Although combined with the inlays, I think this one was ordered like this.

 

Johnny

 

That was my first thought, but from the second set of pics you can just see what looks like a bit of the bridge pickup route and it looks 'factory

But so do the inlays, so I think you could be correct, maybe a custom order.

Looks like it should be cherry from one of the chips?

Could be repainted by who ever did the pickups and inlays.

So many questions!

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That was my first thought, but from the second set of pics you can just see what looks like a bit of the bridge pickup route and it looks 'factory

But so do the inlays, so I think you could be correct, maybe a custom order.

Looks like it should be cherry from one of the chips?

Could be repainted by who ever did the pickups and inlays.

So many questions!

 

Agree too that it was prob cherry at the start of its life, the black looks pretty old too.

 

It’s very intriguing for sure, lots of mojo

 

Johnny

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The inlays are very different too and they don't appear to be after market. I did see one out there with the same humbuckers but it had the oval inlays. I wonder if this on is actually "custom" made.

 

 

I’m really starting to think so, this things had me digging pretty deep through the webs and such.

Interesting

 

Johnny

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am so jealous, I have been trying to score an affordable one of these for a long time.. The early Crestwood's, Wilshire's and Coronet's had a lot variation in models including an Olympic, this Custom looks pretty high end with the inlays, Maestro Tremolo and possibly upgraded full sized humbuckers.. Note that some of the early Japan models with bolt on necks had fake mini buckers with a single coil inside, so they weren't really humbucker's and squealed easily. This one is beautiful the way it is, I would just keep it playable and enjoy it. I would give it a 10 Kool rating...[thumbup]

 

This is guitar the OP has.

 

KJTiyJw.jpg

 

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