mihcmac Posted July 18, 2021 Share Posted July 18, 2021 (edited) I have about 11 electrics and I can't seem to put my new Wilshire down... This thing has a 2 piece body split down the middle with no veneer, a really fast rounded neck that is just so comfortable and then it weighs less than my G400. It Kills my SG's for playability and comfort. I really love the P90 PRO's on this guitar going through some rectifiers. Below is a capture from a stream on FB. The Wilshire and Coronet, the SG Predecessor.. Below the 2020 Coronet, first version built in 58... Edited July 18, 2021 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 People (including Epiphonewiki) keep saying that the Wilshire was introduced in 1959 with a square body and P-90s, but no one has ever been able to prove it with an actual guitar. The first Epiphone solid body electric guitars were the Coronet and Crestwood. They had 1 3/4" thick bodies with square edges and pickguards only over the treble side of the guitar. The Coronet had a wraparound tailpiece (non-intonated) and a single Tone Spectrum pickup. The Crestwood had an ABR-1 bridge and stop bar tailpiece and two Tone Spectrum pickups. The Crestwood Custom was added soon after, with a full-face symmetrical pickguard mounted with two mini humbuckers. It kept the thick, square body and dot inlays. In 1960, they switched to the rounded, thinner 1 3/8" bodies as seen above. The pickguards for each model were essentially the same, symmetrical and covering both halves of the guitar. With old Epiphone factory parts running out, the Coronet got a dogear P-90. The Crestwood Custom used mounting rings for the mini humbuckers and got oval inlays. Earlier models had a standard solid pickguard; the transparent version with racing strip was added the following year. Diminishing Epiphone parts also meant the Coronet switched to a screen printed Epiphone logo, while the higher-end models kept the brass badge for another year or two. The standard Crestwood was discontinued. The Wilshire was introduced in its place, with a pair of soapbar P-90s and the same pickguard shape as the other two, keeping the dot inlays from the Crestwood. The prototype had cream covers on the pickups, as seen in the 1961 Epiphone catalog, but it could have simply been to provide contrast in the black and white image. The current import Wilshire is an mix of 1961 and 1962 specs. The brass badge was used until 1961, but the selector switch location changed in 1962. It's entirely possible that a vintage transitional model exists just like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 19, 2021 Author Share Posted July 19, 2021 (edited) Epiphones own specs on the current Wilshire claim with its first appearance in 1959. https://www.epiphone.com/Guitar/EPIA7D449/Wilshire-P-90/Cherry The No-Nonsense Rocker Returns to Its Original Form From its first appearance in 1959 the Wilshire™ has been one of Epiphone's most successful original solid body electric guitar designs. **************************************************************************************************************************************** I owned a 58 Coronet just like the one below in the 80's, so first came the 58 Coronet and the 58 Crestwood then the 59 Wilshire, notice the sharper edges on the 58 body. The 58 Crestwood below also with the symmetrical body and sharper edges.. My first Epiphone was a 63 Wilshire, like below, that I bought new in 64. With the more modern body and Batwing headstock. But I really do prefer the sound of the P90's on my current Wilshire. Edited July 19, 2021 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 14 hours ago, mihcmac said: Epiphones own specs on the current Wilshire claim with its first appearance in 1959. https://www.epiphone.com/Guitar/EPIA7D449/Wilshire-P-90/Cherry The No-Nonsense Rocker Returns to Its Original Form From its first appearance in 1959 the Wilshire™ has been one of Epiphone's most successful original solid body electric guitar designs. Epiphone also claims the USA Collection Texan is the first American-made Texan since 1970, so they aren't the best at their own history. Gibson Acoustic made Texans in 1994 and 2005. If the Wilshire was made in 1959, one should have turned up by now. I want one to turn up just to see if the specs are as people claim, but no one has found one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 19, 2021 Author Share Posted July 19, 2021 47 minutes ago, pohatu771 said: Epiphone also claims the USA Collection Texan is the first American-made Texan since 1970, so they aren't the best at their own history. Gibson Acoustic made Texans in 1994 and 2005. If the Wilshire was made in 1959, one should have turned up by now. I want one to turn up just to see if the specs are as people claim, but no one has found one. If Epiphone doesn't know when the first models were introduced who would? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 Collectors and guitar historians. Since the ledger including 1959 is famously missing, Gibson can't prove that Wilshires were shipped that year. The only proof would be an actual guitar that indicates 1959 according to the 1953-early 1961 Kalamazoo serial number format. They didn't even publish an Epiphone catalog until 1961, and that includes a round-body Wilshire with cream pickups. I don't know if the prototype included them or if it was just changed for better contrast in the black and white photo. Even a 1960 is harder to find than a 1961 or 1962. I'd love to be wrong. If a square-bodied Wilshire existed at the same time as the Crestwood, it would have to have different features, but the evolution of the Coronet and Crestwood Custom seems unlikely. A P-90-equipped Wilshire would fall between the Crestwood (with Tone Spectrum) and Crestwood Custom (with mini hum buckers) in features, which doesn't make any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 19, 2021 Author Share Posted July 19, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, pohatu771 said: Collectors and guitar historians. Since the ledger including 1959 is famously missing, Gibson can't prove that Wilshires were shipped that year. The only proof would be an actual guitar that indicates 1959 according to the 1953-early 1961 Kalamazoo serial number format. They didn't even publish an Epiphone catalog until 1961, and that includes a round-body Wilshire with cream pickups. I don't know if the prototype included them or if it was just changed for better contrast in the black and white photo. Even a 1960 is harder to find than a 1961 or 1962. I'd love to be wrong. If a square-bodied Wilshire existed at the same time as the Crestwood, it would have to have different features, but the evolution of the Coronet and Crestwood Custom seems unlikely. A P-90-equipped Wilshire would fall between the Crestwood (with Tone Spectrum) and Crestwood Custom (with mini hum buckers) in features, which doesn't make any sense. The authority is Epiphone, they are the holder of their history. I don't care to argue... I am just here to talk about the new Wilshire and how brilliant the current configuration is. Starting in 62 I have owned lots of guitars over the years and in my current collection I have only kept the best, they are all exceptional. So when I finally found an affordable new Wilshire, I have been captivated by it. Because I have had several original older Wilshire/Coronet's that were rode hard and put away wet, requiring lots of work to make them playable. My 2020 model played really well right out of the box and 10 months later its still doing very well. All of my axes are setup with P90's which makes tweaking my tube amps for fat single coils easy and usually quite different from settings for humbuckings. The only guitar I have for monster playability that really compares, is my LP Jr DC, but its getting old. I will probably have to get another Wilshire in Black...... Edited July 20, 2021 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richey88 Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Just pre-ordered a black Wilshire! Love the P90’s (have ‘em in my SG Classic worn). CANNOT WAIT! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, richey88 said: Just pre-ordered a black Wilshire! Love the P90’s (have ‘em in my SG Classic worn). CANNOT WAIT! The SG Classic Worn with 2-P90's is a very good choice, it also has a LockTone™ ABR Bridge and stop bar, set neck and Epiphone Deluxe Ivory Button tuners (Gibson/Kluson Style) like the Wilshire. I think the SG Classic is a lot of Guitar for the money and I think these will make very good companions.. Epiphones current P90 collection.. Edited July 23, 2021 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 24, 2021 Author Share Posted July 24, 2021 (edited) I found some new information that the first Wilshire was manufactured in 1959 but was not sold to the public until 1960. Below are 1960's and notice the unusual position of the 3-Way switch and input jack, which was changed in 62.. A very bright image of my 2020 in the sun below looks bright red but is actually trans cherry with controls laid out more like a 62. The originals had a one piece mahogany body where mine is two piece mahogany split down the middle which makes for a very nice grain pattern, with no veneer. Edited July 25, 2021 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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