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wirshire or sg


bill67

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You need to provide a lot more info.

Can you define play ability? I don't know what you mean by that.

What kind of SG? Epiphone makes several different models.

There is also more than one Wilshire model.

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Brad brought up a cupla good points.

 

Here's another: I do not like, nor am I comfortable with an LP or Strat - not to mention a number of other instruments. As a result, I have to work a little harder on some guitars than with others 'cuz they just don't "fit." That's regardless of cost, "quality" or whatever, because it's the shape.

 

Oddly since I seem to be most comfortable with 16" lower bout full archtops, I am quite comfortable with the SG. I've never played a Wilshire, so I can't say.

 

Although I'm not one to suggest some sort of "magic" in one instrument compared to another, I'm utterly convinced that how and what one plays, and the player's physical geometry compared to the guitar, are what makes one picker comfortable and another picker less comfortable.

 

So... I'd say give both shapes a try at least in a store. Nothing against "mail order," but if you're unsure...

 

m

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Equal priced guitar ,is the sound much difference they have the same pickups, I guess I mean easy of play with less finger pressure. I'm looking at the new silver tv models for $300.With push pull for single coil too.

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"Ease of play with less finger pressure" has many variations.

 

There's setup, string choice... to an extent neck shape and the degree of curve of the fingerboard called "radius."

 

There's also technique involved, and certainly the geometry of the player.

 

My personal perfect example is that to me, the Dot/ES335 seems to have a longer neck and narrower nut than, say, the SG. There is no measurable difference on the nut or the "scale" of the neck, but the shape of the guitar body changes the geometry of the player to the guitar.

 

I have an old 1950s archtop that still plays very nicely with certain techniques - but has a neck like a baseball bat.

 

I've never played the Wilshire, but I find the SG the only comfortable solidbody guitar I've played.

 

Play then, pay your money and take your choice.

 

m

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[thumbup] They are both very nice Bill. I'd lean to the Wilshire because its a bit different, but they probably will sound very similar as I assume the pickups will be the same and probably spaced about the same distance from the bridge. The necks are probably much the same too in regards to ease of playing.

 

Just double check if the Wilshire has full sized hum-bucker pickups or mini-humbuckers. I prefer mini's but the full size ones will seem louder/powerful - some of these reissues had mini's and some had regular hum-buckers I think.

 

Other than that, you might as well choose the one you like the look of more as it will make you want to play it more.

 

Both these guitars can be prone to the neck/headstock wanting to drop down toward the floor if you have slim nylon strap in my experience, so I'd suggest you might like to buy a wider leather strap if you don't already have one - that's all it takes to fix the problem.

 

Good luck!

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I happen to own both an SG and a Wilshire. Here are the differences I see:

 

-Size: SG body is longer and slightly thicker, though width is about the same.

-Contours: They're both flattops, which is what I like about both of them, but the SG has a round-body bevel while the Wilshire has rounded edges and a tummy cut on the back.

-Neck-body joint: The SG neck joins the body at the 19th fret, whereas the Wilshire neck joins the body at the 22nd fret. Also, the Wilshire cutaways fan out wider than the SG cutaways.

-Neck/Headstock: The neck contour is about the same. The headstock on the SG is standard Gibson 3 tuners to a side, while the Wilshire has all six in a row like on a Fender.

 

So let's weigh the qualities of each guitar.

 

SG: More ergonomic body because of the bevel. Heavier body.

 

Wilshire: Much better tuning stability (because of the headstock design IMO). More comfortable to play on upper frets because of the neck joint and because the wide cutaway provides more space than on the SG. Lighter body.

 

These two models are my two favorite guitar models of all time. That being said, I give the edge to the Wilshire over my SG - and my SG is a Gibson, not an Epiphone. I've owned an Epiphone G400 before, though.

 

PS: Also since you mention that the Wilshire is in silver, that tells me it is the Wilshire Pro model with full-size Probucker humbuckers. The Worn '66 Wilshire is a cool variation, with a thinner neck and mini humbuckers. (Check out some MC5 for a good idea of how that model sounds).

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I have had several SG's, Epiphone, Gibson and even an "other" and I have had a Wilshire with mini humbuckers for over a year now. They are very different guitars...but if you were to just have one of them, try a Wilshire. Very comfortable and an easy, fast neck with very interesting and versatile sounds from the mini's...There is a video of the late Johnny Winter playing a '60's Wilshire somewhere and I will post it here if I can find it. I found it...

 

 

My Wilshire is very similar to Johnny's old one and I LOVE the sounds I get from it, although I lack Johnny's genius...Even I sound good on it.

You can find a used Wilshire pretty easily at many of the big chains - in fact, if you are near to a big chain, they might have one that you can play and see for yourself.

 

enjoy your search.

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Congrats Bill.

Not a model I'm familiar with - given SG's weren't made in the 50's I assume its a take on what they'd have been like if they had.

An SG Junior from the 60's with a P90 is a guitar I'd like to own.

 

Enjoy the SG [thumbup]

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I ordered a Gibson SG 50s Tribute today it has P-90s pickups.

 

I had no idea they were making one set up like that. My SG is custom built, but probably similar. It has a 50's style electronics setup with Seymour Duncan P-Rails, which are P-90-based, but switchable to humbucker and single coil. Should be a sweet guitar! What color?

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  • 5 months later...

I happen to own both an SG and a Wilshire. Here are the differences I see:

 

-Size: SG body is longer and slightly thicker, though width is about the same.

-Contours: They're both flattops, which is what I like about both of them, but the SG has a round-body bevel while the Wilshire has rounded edges and a tummy cut on the back.

-Neck-body joint: The SG neck joins the body at the 19th fret, whereas the Wilshire neck joins the body at the 22nd fret. Also, the Wilshire cutaways fan out wider than the SG cutaways.

-Neck/Headstock: The neck contour is about the same. The headstock on the SG is standard Gibson 3 tuners to a side, while the Wilshire has all six in a row like on a Fender.

 

So let's weigh the qualities of each guitar.

 

SG: More ergonomic body because of the bevel. Heavier body.

 

Wilshire: Much better tuning stability (because of the headstock design IMO). More comfortable to play on upper frets because of the neck joint and because the wide cutaway provides more space than on the SG. Lighter body.

 

These two models are my two favorite guitar models of all time. That being said, I give the edge to the Wilshire over my SG - and my SG is a Gibson, not an Epiphone. I've owned an Epiphone G400 before, though.

 

PS: Also since you mention that the Wilshire is in silver, that tells me it is the Wilshire Pro model with full-size Probucker humbuckers. The Worn '66 Wilshire is a cool variation, with a thinner neck and mini humbuckers. (Check out some MC5 for a good idea of how that model sounds).

 

The Wilshire TV Silver comes with ALNICO Classic Pro humbuckers not Probuckers. I have one and, I've checked out the back of the pups. Great guitar. It has a nice thick sound through a Marshall DSL5C. I like to play with the bridge pickup coil tapped.

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I used to own a G400 (epi SG). I loved the sound it made, I loved the neck on it. However I didn't really like the feel of the slab body but ultimately (even though the neck join is on a higher fret) I found upper fret access difficult because the narrow/tight cutaway... I used to either catch the heel of my hand on the lower horn or I'd have to remember to smoosh my hand closer in towards the neck.

So despite really liking the guitar it was the first one to go to the pawn shop when money was tight.

 

I think Milod was really on the money when he was talking about how different people just fit certain geometries or ergonomics better (or worse) than others do.

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