Pennyman Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Just picked this up today in Seoul. She's a Wildkat, made in Unsung, Korea, Jan. 2007. I first saw her when I visited here back in February, but didn't have the cash at the time. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and decided that if it was still here on my next time through, I'd have to get it. $550 incl. hard-shell case. (Now, they didn't have the proper case for it, so they set me up with this one and some foam pieces for extra padding. She's nice and tight in there, which is rather essential since she's crossing the Pacific with me on Sunday!) I just love the colour and the flame, the way it shifts and changes in the light; it looks way better in person, though. And I'm totally digging the Bigbsy action! The P-90s sounded great in the shop - can't wait to get her home, plug 'er in, and rock out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyGibson Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Very pretty. How does she sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoop Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Great looking 'Kat. Interesting that the inside of it seems to be finished in black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old_Ampeg_Guy Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 HNGD, Pennyman! That's a pretty guitar. OAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Great looking 'Kat. Interesting that the inside of it seems to be finished in black. I agree. Beautiful looking guitar. One other observation. The case doesn't seem to fit the guitar. I noticed that they had some extra foam pads added in to hold the guitar in the case. Didn't they have an authentic Epiphone case made to fit the Kat? The case is definitely not the correct one. But if the guitar is authentic and you're happy with it, that's what counts. Edit...Nevermind; I just re-read your entry and you mentioned that the case wasn't the one for the Kat. One other observation, though. The Trem on yours is the Epiphone version. Is that because it's a an "Epiphone Limited Edition Custom Shop" version of the guitar? Because I noticed on the Epiphone Musical Instrument website that the Trem is a Bigsby, not an Epiphone like yours has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 So, of course, you'll be using your new 'kat to play some sweet Seoul music? (They sound great doing Steve Cropper style licks!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpfan Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Very cool! Love the color! HNGD to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Nice, I'm glad you found you one and that Orange is my second favorite "Kat" color after mine Looks awesome. Check Ebay occasionally for the proper case. That's where I got mine from. About $100 including shipping (don't know if they will ship to BC but it's worth a shot. The proper case is nice and protects the "Kat" very well. Sorry I blew it on the Montreal trip, I could have brought it along no problem, oh well........ Have fun with yer Kitty ........................................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Great looking 'Kat. Interesting that the inside of it seems to be finished in black. Shielding Paint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Nice' date=' I'm glad you found you one and that Orange is my second favorite "Kat" color after mine [biggrin'] Looks awesome. Check Ebay occasionally for the proper case. That's where I got mine from. About $100 including shipping (don't know if they will ship to BC but it's worth a shot. The proper case is nice and protects the "Kat" very well. Sorry I blew it on the Montreal trip, I could have brought it along no problem, oh well........ Have fun with yer Kitty ........................................... Sledge, they are all second to yours!!! Congrats on the new Kat, Pennyman! Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Yeow! That guitar looks hot, Hot, HOT in that color!!! Congrats! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mud guy Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Shielding Paint? I love it and will have one someday...are they all painted inside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Sledge' date=' they are all second to yours!!![cool'] Congrats on the new Kat, Pennyman! Sheila It's still waiting for you Sheila............................ Oh yea Pennyman and any other Kat lovers, last time I restrung the Kat I went with a set with a wound G string. I really like them and it (the g string) seems to stay in tune better too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennyman Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 @ Paul P -> The trem is a Bigsby, Epiphone got it licensed out with their logo on it. I don't think the newer ones have the Epi logo anymore. @ Sledge -> Yeah, it was a toss-up. Either I was going to buy this one here or take another shot at yours, but once I tried it out, I couldn't walk away! I do hope you find a good home for yours. BTW, I do have a set of replacement strings with a wound G, those'll be going on next week after I get "back home". Oh, and as for the loose-fitting case. I've traveled overseas and cross-Canada with guitars several times, and I actually think having a slightly oversized case and stuffing it with foam, socks, towels, whatever, is really the way to go. I've never had a problem until the one time I took an acoustic cross-Canada in a "proper" case, no extra padding, and it came back with a chunk of the finish broken off the lower bout. No other physical damage, but I didn't even notice it for a few days, so there was no chance of making a claim against the airline. I'm not sure if the interior paint is for shielding or just cosmetics, but it sure helps to make the f-holes "pop" against the orange. She's a beaut, all right - thanks for the feedback! I'll check in again next week after I've had a chance to jam with her properly and I'll let you know how she really handles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 @ Paul P -> The trem is a Bigsby' date=' Epiphone got it licensed out with their logo on it. I don't think the newer ones have the Epi logo anymore. @ Sledge -> Yeah, it was a toss-up. Either I was going to buy this one here or take another shot at yours, but once I tried it out, I couldn't walk away! I do hope you find a good home for yours. BTW, I do have a set of replacement strings with a wound G, those'll be going on next week after I get "back home". Oh, and as for the loose-fitting case. I've traveled overseas and cross-Canada with guitars several times, and I actually think having a slightly oversized case and stuffing it with foam, socks, towels, whatever, is really the way to go. I've never had a problem until the one time I took an acoustic cross-Canada in a "proper" case, no extra padding, and it came back with a chunk of the finish broken off the lower bout. No other physical damage, but I didn't even notice it for a few days, so there was no chance of making a claim against the airline. :P I'm not sure if the interior paint is for shielding or just cosmetics, but it sure helps to make the f-holes "pop" against the orange. She's a beaut, all right - thanks for the feedback! I'll check in again next week after I've had a chance to jam with her properly and I'll let you know how she really handles! Pennyman, It all sounds good to me, now. Thanks for your clarifications and best of luck with your new Kat. Yours is a beautiful color. I have three Cats of my own (notice without the "K"). If I give their whammy bar a tug, they give a growl, but not the same as your Kat with the "K"...sorry; couldn't resist the play on words. Enjoy your new Kat my fellow guitar player. Let us know how "she" sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 ................I'm not sure if the interior paint is for shielding or just cosmetics' date=' but it sure helps to make the f-holes "pop" against the orange.[/quote'] Must be a "Kat" thing. My Kat is the same and so is this AlleyKat that someone here owns I believe. I love that Alleykat btw, dare I say it........... maybe even more than my Kat.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennyman Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 This has probably been posted here before, but just for kicks and giggles, here's a pic of a 'Kat in progress: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Hmmm... A semi-semi-hollow body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennyman Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 As promised, here’s the update on the Wildkat I picked up a couple of weeks ago. So far, I’m really digging it! It’s not without flaws and it’s going to need some work fairly soon, but overall I’m pretty damn happy with it. I’ve never played with a Bigsby before, so it’s hard to keep away from it! Fit and finish is really, really good. There's a slight bit of paint run on the side of the neck right where the neck joins the body, but that's about it. (lol - just after I typed this, I picked it up to take a closer look and the silver "volume" disc fell off one of the knobs! ) Got together with a couple of friends last night for a marathon 6-hour session, and she handled herself quite well. The three of us switch off between guitar, bass, and drums from time to time, and my friend who owns an ’89 Gibson Custom left that aside and played the ‘Kat instead. For a semi-hollow, it’s surprisingly heavy, over 8.5 pounds. The body is 3-piece mahogany, routed with CNC machine, leaving a solid block for the bridge/Bigsby to attach. Nice tone acoustically, good sustain. The bridge pickup is a dream, I couldn’t be much happier with the tone I’m getting out of it. Clear and chimey cleans, just enough grit when pushed a little harder, but it’s not a guitar for real heavy gain / hard rock-metal. Which is fine, we tend to be somewhat mellower than that anyway. The neck pup is a different story, though – it’s OK for some rockabilly / country style flatpicking, but overall it’s just a little too muddy for my tastes. I may look at getting that replaced later on down the road, but so far I haven’t been able to find any chrome-covered dog-ears. I wonder if I sent the existing pup to a pickup maker if they’d be able to make a new pup and use the existing cover… (?) Tuning is a bit of an issue. I’ve got some GraphTech saddles on order, and will be getting a custom-cut bone nut sometime in the next few weeks. The setup seems pretty good as is, but I’ll have the luthier give it a once-over anyway. We’ll see if that helps at all. Failing that, I may have to consider a roller bridge at some point. Other than that, no sharp fret ends, no loose frets, intonation seems really good, action is nicely set... Oh yeah, I've got a complete wiring harness on the way – new pots, switch, and a .033 Gudeman PIO cap. Can’t wait to get that sucker installed! I’m playing through a Vox VT30 (which I just picked up yesterday), and it seems to be a great combination. Love the reverb on it, especially with that bridge pup – great for ska / light reggae rhythms, cuts right through everything without being harsh, just kind of melts through it all. Pure ear butter. And, of course, here’s a couple of pics to fuel that GAS… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 drool, drool, drool. Now I want one too ;-) HNGD - it's a beauty. Notes ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Glad you like it, yea mine needed work too, the bone nut was a big improvement. Also my fingerboard wasn't true. In order to level the frets some of the frets would have become very thin on one side. So he removed the frets and trued the board first then re-fretted it. You're lucky no sharp fret ends, as that's what my initial complaint was and my luthier found the rest giving it his once over. That's why I've said I'll put mine up against any new Kat, I've played a couple new ones locally and they don't compare to one that's been done right. That said it's still a damn cool guitar and worth the effort IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennyman Posted July 8, 2010 Author Share Posted July 8, 2010 Second Update! I just got a new wiring harness from MLP member "Jonesy" (www.tonemojo.com); braided wiring, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack/ switch. Did the install myself (pat on the back, big guy!) umm... with no small amount of cussing, mind you - going through the bridge route & f-holes is a real pain.... Anyway - That 60 Hz "P-90 Hum" is GONE! Just... *gone*. I don't know if it's the pots or the braided wiring, or some combination, but it's as quiet as a humbucker now. And no, I didn't do anything to reverse polarity or flip the magnets, either. Next up, I've really got to send it to a luthier for a bone nut and proper setup, maybe a roller bridge, but I just can't seem to let her go, even if it's only for a couple of days! So, folks, if you're fed up with that P-90 hum, you might want to try a new wiring harness, it just might be the ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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