vomer Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Sorry if this has been discussed already, 'search' wouldn't work for me and I haven't been here for a while, new baby. Wondering if there can be any justification for buying a Wilshire at an insane financial time. But darling, just look at it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsForrest Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I don't know how the distribution works on the other side of the pond but here in the states the Wilshire 66 isn't due in until next month some time. They are available from the big stores on a pre-order basis only. I think the Wilshire is a slick looking guitar and I can't wait to get my hands on one. If only Epiphone was more consistent with manufacturing quality I would very likely have one on order now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 www.andertons.co.uk/ (Andertons in Guildford, Surrey) show stock arriving on 20th October. Available colours will be aged cherry, worn cherry and worn black. My justification for buying is that they are offering it at £269.99 with a free ritter gig bag. I haven't found any other UK dealer offering an earlier date of delivery (or the free gig bag). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 I asked as I saw two on ebay.co.uk from an Irish seller at £229. The listing has ended now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsForrest Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Was it one of the white Wilshires you saw on ebay? If you saw an auction for the newer worn or black 66, it was probably a pre-sale with delivery next month. The white Wilshire also comes in a player's pack with the amp and all. Those have been available for a year or more but the one that I'm more interested in is the new Worn Wilshire. They have different pickups, different body finish, different hardware finish and different neck detail right off the bat. The good thing about the white ones is that they are ~$100 cheaper than the new version. In the states, at least as far as I've found, the special run version with the full-sized humbuckers is only available in white. Either one is pretty fairly priced. You should be able to set aside a few bucks for one without endangering the kid's college fund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 i think i'd go for the hb version and put mini hums in if i wanted. you can't do that the other way round. how close are these to an sg or g400? does anyone no if we are talking luan/ meranti? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 i think i'd go for the hb version and put mini hums in if i wanted. you can't do that the other way round.how close are these to an sg or g400? does anyone no if we are talking luan/ meranti? How would that work? Surely it would be easier to go from mini HB's to full size HB's as you would only (ONLY!!!) have to rout larger holes. The other way round would leave quite a gap around the mini HB's where the larger one were removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 If I was to get one it would be the mini-humbucker version. Probably worn brown or cherry. To go from regulars to minis to you would need to custom make a pickup ring so the cavity wouldn't show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathole Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I pre-ordered a cherry 66 wilshire from sweetwater music about 3 weeks ago..supposed to be ready to ship in October I think--It is supposed to have the mini HB's from what I can find out--I have an original 64 cherry wilshire and I just had to have the re-issue to hang up by the original. can't wait!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman345 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 If I was to get one it would be the mini-humbucker version. Probably worn brown or cherry. To go from regulars to minis to you would need to custom make a pickup ring so the cavity wouldn't show. I owned a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe w/ mini's in the '70's. Gibson decided to use up the remaining Epi "New York" mini's in the Deluxe's after the NY Epi factory closed down. I recently read that the Deluxe's were actually routed for P-90's, so they fashioned mounting rings for the mini's from P-90 covers. I wonder if it would work to do the same with the cover for a regular HB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 "How would that work?" it's easier just let the gap show (i don't care for a gap, i have that on my g400 with 2 gfs mini birds.) or buy a custom ring. one guy on ebay makes them, i could make some too i'm sure. i think he just uses flat black plastic. those options are easier than taking a router to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 prolife: I don't know if it would work, but you can get pickup rings, if that is what they call them, for the firebird style of minis. I don't know if they are big enough to cover the cavity, but then if you don't care, I guess it doesn't matter. bluesman: You're right. I turned my '56 Goldtop into a Deluxe. I pulled out the P90s and put minis in it. I love the change. Pic is in my Avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Sorry paru for slow reply- yes they were minis, in Worn Cherry. I was instantly GASsed- buckers or the other colours didn't do it for me. jc, that's a sweet look- what are the minis and how does she sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 yes i'm lucky to have a lp deluxe copy (by vintage) also my g400 also has firebird pickups (mini birds by gfs) in it. they are both cool. i'm not too bothered about looks. after all my cheaper guitars are in a 7 rack thingy neck to my bed that does add some dings when i'm tired and not carefull. still my best ones are in cases... i swap pickups all the time to try things out so i need that ability without messing about too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Mini-humbuckers are awesome! They're like a humbucker in smoothness, but some more "Spank," similar to that, of a P-90. They're especially effective, in the neck position, as they tend not to muddy up, like full size "buckers" can (sometimes) do. I have a '76 Gibson LP Deluxe, and an Epiphone (Korean) Riviera, as well as a AIUSA Sheraton II, that all have Mini's! Great sounding guitars, all! I'm pretty safe in saying a '66 Wilshire will be mine, in the near future, as well. ;>) CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerome_travis Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I think I read some forum where it was said that the NY mini hums were the worst of the epi lot - can this be substantiated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Well, I have both...Gibson (AIUSA Sheraton II, and '76 LP Deluxe), and Epiphone...(Korean Riviera). There is a slight difference, but it is NOT (I repeat) NOT drastic. In fact, prior to getting my Gibson LP Deluxe mini's wax potted, I couldn't use the guitar, as it had gone mircophonic, as older Mini's do. The new ones, including Epi's have the wax potting as a standard feature. So, my experience is, that Epi mini's are really nice, to even "great!" Other's experiences, and opinions, may vary. Even so, it's an easy "fix," or mod...should you feel the need to do so. Cheers, CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRS11 Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 What is the verdict? is it like an old Epi or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmitron Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Er.. No, I don't think so. It's like saying an Epiphone Les Paul is like an old Gibson LP. Same formula different doses. But it does not mean it's a bad guitar. IMHO I think it's a good deal, you get what you pay for. The wilshire'66 do the job pretty well at low volume, or for home studio purpose but failed on a cranked amp, rehearsals etc. Not sure where it comes from. Pickups ? Wood? But during test session, it lost all the sparkle, the crisp and grit that made me fall for the 1967 Wilshire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teegar Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Been away for a while, but here's a late weigh-in on the Wilshire '66 reissue. The guitar itself (my example anyway) seems very well-built. Got it back in March from Musician's friend on sale for $320. Long neck tenon, good joints, neck's good, frets are good, very little to complain about for fit and finish. Worn cherry is the way to go, nice red color; aged cherry just looks like a weak brown stain, and black is OK if you like that. Acoustically, unplugged that is, it sounds very nice and just vibrates in your hands My problem was with the electronics. I guess I just never had cheap pickups before, and the wiring was not a top-notch job. For the price, I didn't care. I put Seymour Duncan Antiquity II minihumbuckers in, and new Alpha pots, Gotoh switch and jack, new wires. Sounds much better; before it had a bad hum (from a bad ground), and the pickups (again, my example) just sounded weak. Now it's much fuller, richer - but, I went for the independent volume wiring and that led to problems with treble loss when you lower the volume pots. I plan to re-wire to conventional scheme this weekend, and will post on the sound. For now, I love the look and feel, and I'm getting to the tone, and it was an inexpensive experiment. They're just cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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