charlie brown Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Spent the better part of today, at my dealer's (E.M. Shorts), in Wichita. Had to get some things repaired, and wanted to look around, while I waited. Besides, they're a great bunch of guys, there. Anyway...I had a chance to (finally) check out some of the newer Epiphones, as well as Fenders, PRS, Gibson (of course), and others. One of the more interesting "try outs" was the Worn Wilshire (faded cherry) with Tremotone. Played exceptionally well, balanced, with a very nice/comfortable neck, and great fret work, too. The mini-humbuckers, were great sounding...but, the guitar unplugged was "alive!" I tried a much more expensive Gibson (faded) Les Paul Studio, that was like a dead "brick," unplugged, by comparison. I even had one of the luthiers, try the two out, as well...and even he was surprised, by the amazing difference, in unplugged resonance. They had several of the Worn Wilshires, and they were all, quite lively! Played a Epi Dot Royale, too. Nice guitar...fit, finish, tone, and playability. Saw, and demo'd some great Gibby's, too. (A Kid, in a candy store...Smile) Saw one of my "bucket list" guitars, also! It was very hard, to see that, and not be able to purchase it, at this time! But...I'll just have to start saving, more and more, I guess? So, it was a fun day, in "Fantasy Land!" Oh, and they had several '61 Casino's, in stock...with and without Tremtones. They were quite nice, as well. Anyway...just thought I'd share that bit of information, experience. Cheers, CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Cheers CB. this is great info for me. I live in the higlands of Scotland ands my local store doesn't stock Gibby and Epi and neither do the 2 music stores 40 miles away in the nearest city the next nearest city is Aberdeen which is 60 miles away, it has 2 or 3 music stores...so far i have only found one of them and it didn't stock Gibbys and epis either . They all had a nice display of Fenders, Ibanez, PRS, and some randoms. So to hear a first hand account of how some of these guitars sound and felt from an Epi' forum member whos opinions I respect is great. There must a reason the none of the stores here don't have Gibbys and Epis??? . are gibson making it difficult for small independant stores to stock their guitars in the UK. I probably have to travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow to find a store with Les pauls in it. tut tut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 For those living remote from Gibson dealers, it can sometimes be OK to order(with some caution) over the internet I have had good experience with GAK...2 separate orders for Gibsons over a 3yr period Both arrived pristine and perfectly set up Generally though, I prefer to deal face to face.... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_edward Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Cheers CB. this is great info for me. I live in the higlands of Scotland ands my local store doesn't stock Gibby and Epi and neither do the 2 music stores 40 miles away in the nearest city the next nearest city is Aberdeen which is 60 miles away, it has 2 or 3 music stores...so far i have only found one of them and it didn't stock Gibbys and epis either . They all had a nice display of Fenders, Ibanez, PRS, and some randoms. So to hear a first hand account of how some of these guitars sound and felt from an Epi' forum member whos opinions I respect is great. There must a reason the none of the stores here don't have Gibbys and Epis??? . are gibson making it difficult for small independant stores to stock their guitars in the UK. I probably have to travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow to find a store with Les pauls in it. tut tut. In Canada Gibson (through their distributor, Yorkville) make it almost impossible to be a Gibson dealer. It works on a system where as a distributor you have to take a certain amount of guitars monthly (inc. all the silly "guitars of the month" and other nonsense they come up with). You have little to no choice in what they send you, and regardless of sales you have to pay your account on time - this makes a situation where few if any real business people are interested in investing. They also have "protected areas" for their dealers and that means dealers in sparsely populated areas have huge territories protected by the distributor. An Epi dealership (in Canada at least) is done through the same distributor but with less stringent rules, but it's still a PITA and therefore outside the large cities there are few dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 In Canada Gibson (through their distributor, Yorkville) make it almost impossible to be a Gibson dealer. It works on a system where as a distributor you have to take a certain amount of guitars monthly (inc. all the silly "guitars of the month" and other nonsense they come up with). You have little to no choice in what they send you, and regardless of sales you have to pay your account on time - this makes a situation where few if any real business people are interested in investing. They also have "protected areas" for their dealers and that means dealers in sparsely populated areas have huge territories protected by the distributor. An Epi dealership (in Canada at least) is done through the same distributor but with less stringent rules, but it's still a PITA and therefore outside the large cities there are few dealers. That certainly explains a lot, there must be a similar situation here in the UK. It sucks...I can't just walk into a guitar shop and try out LPs or compare a Wilshire to an SG or just go and have a perv at the Gibby guitar porn. All 3 of my Epi elctic guitar were bought second hand, coincidently each one was exactly £100. I'm sure that the majority of folks have positive experiences of buying online, But I would much rather hold it, play it, hear it, feel it, and get the vibe for the individual instrument before parting with my hard earned cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordy01 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Just to follow up and confirm what James Edward said. There are 5 or 6 fairly large music stores here in Edmonton, AB Canada. At this point there are only 2 who carry Gibson/Epi product. Long & McQuade is one. The other is called Avenue Guitars, and they have been around for a long time, so they probably have some kind of "Grandfather" deal going, as they are one of the smallest shops. Neil, I'm with you on that. Gotta hold it and play it before I buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 My dealer, the afore mentioned E.M. Shorts, is a small, family owned, guitar store, attached to their band/orchestra instrument business. The guitar store part, has been around, since (at least) the 1960's. So, they've had a long history, with Gibson/Epiphone. For such a small shop, they have a very good stock, of Gibson/Eiphone (among other brands). But, they too, are at Gibson's mercy, when it comes to requirements, and in stock, to keep the dealership. Still, they must be doing something right, that way, as they manage to maintain a decent stock. And, in today's climate, of Big Box "Superstores," that's an achievment! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougg330 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 CB, did you play the '61 Casino? They look fantastic, but I have yet to hear a report from someone who has actually played one. Go ahead - make my day. Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 CB, did you play the '61 Casino? They look fantastic, but I have yet to hear a report from someone who has actually played one. Go ahead - make my day. Thx Well, I did noodle around on one, that didn't have the "Tremtone," but the standard trapeze tailpiece. It was a nice playing, and sounding Casino...but, I didn't notice any appreciable difference, between it, and the "Inspired By" versions...tone or playability wise. The "looks" are, of course, a bit different, with the black pick-up covers, different pickguard, and wider headstock, with "badge" name plate. But (to me), it's just another, and interesting version, of the wonderful Casino model. The body, of the one I played, was plenty "lively," unplugged, and had the familiar Casino "growl," plugged in. It did seem a (tiny) bit mellower...but, that might have been my imagination??? I wondered, at the time, if the pickup covers might have had some effect, that way? On my next trip up (to get my repaired Texan), I'll try to give it more time, and testing...if at all possible, and I can break myself away, long enough, from one of my "bucket list" guitars, that they tempt me with, every time I'm in there! (Smile) But, first impression was a favorable one! ;>) CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Saw one of my "bucket list" guitars, also! Itwas very hard, to see that, and not be able to purchase it, at this time! But...I'll just have to start saving, more and more, I guess? So, dare I ask: which guitars are on your bucket-list (because, as I recall, you have a wonderful collection - Fenders, Ricks, Gibbys, etc...Gretches, too?) I guess I'm curious as to what you'd like to get your hands on. Myself: I'd love to have a Rickenbacker 660/6 in midnight blue, sometime before I leave this mortal coil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 So, dare I ask: which guitars are on your bucket-list (because, as I recall, you have a wonderful collection - Fenders, Ricks, Gibbys, etc...Gretches, too?) I guess I'm curious as to what you'd like to get your hands on. Myself: I'd love to have a Rickenbacker 660/6 in midnight blue, sometime before I leave this mortal coil... Yeah, I love, and feel very foturnate, with what I have, already..for sure. But, there's always that one or two more, that one would love to own. These, are mine: Big Sigh.... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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