unusual 69 Olympic

['Scales]

Hi all,

 

I just found the forum - its terrific. I'm an Epi fan and hope very much someone will have the missing pieces of knowledge to help me understand exactly what I am considering buying - I realise its not going to be worth big $$$ - that's cool, its more about knowing the story behind the guitar.

 

The guitar is essentially exactly the same as this one: http://www.gbase.com/gear/epiphone-coronet-1969-sunburst (minor cosmetic detail changes only)

 

...so as I said - I know roughly what its worth! - I can guarantee the one in that link however is not the actual guitar in question, though the serial number is also a '69 and to all intents its the same model - factory fitted single mini-humbucker, unusual black pickguard, same sunburst etc etc.

 

So the factory made at least 2 of them! this would have been the last year of production at Gibson and relatively few Olympics were made that year - so does anyone know the story of how these mini-humbuckered 'oddballs' came to be produced and in what quantity? Apart from the mini HB, and designing a different pickguard (though I'm not sure why) they also moved the jack plug to below the knobs...

 

A mystery? or maybe not - please let me know if you have any information oon these.

Cheers!

[jfine]

Wow, that's different! Is it an Olympic or an Olympic Special? The regular Olympic had the same body shape as the Crestwood and Wilshire, but with Melody Maker pickup(s), while the Special was basically a Melody Maker in shape as well. Around '68-'69 is when Gibson changed the Melody Maker from the double-cutaway slab-Les Paul shape to the SG shape, with a briefly-produced slab variant made around '66. This has to reflect that change in the Epiphone line. Got to be really rare--I've never seen one!

[Whitmore Willy]

Scales,

 

Welcome to the forum!!!

I don't have an exact answer to your question....But...

Hope this helps:

 

There were four guitars in the 60's that used that body style.

Coronet, Crestwood, Olympic and (the now reproduced) Wilshire.

 

The body style was uniquely Gibson and many, though not all, had the bat-wing headstock.

The following links are available thanks to one of the members, (RTH)

Hope this gets you started on your "info quest".

 

Coronet:

http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/Coronet

 

Crestwood:

http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/Crestwood

 

Olympic:

http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/Olympic

 

Wilshire:

http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/Wilshire

 

Hope others are more help,

 

Willy

 

Edit: Jfine must have been posting while I was typing.

I owned an early 60's Olympic. I bought it new when I was teenager.

The differences that J is pointing out between the "Specials" and the others is 100% spot on.

[RobinTheHood]

The weird thing here is that neither the Olympic or Coronet had mini humbuckers in them at any point. My only guess is that this is a non-production model. Maybe a prototype or a show guitar.

[tweed2]

And a fine how-d-do to you, sir. Welcome. Here's your forum-warming present. +1

['Scales]

Thanks guys,

 

I knew this would be a tough one!

 

It is the Wilshire/Coronet/Crestwood/Olympic (not Special) shape with the sculpted back and all access to electrics via the pickguard. It is the Batwing headstock with klusons.

 

My guitar tech is a really knowledgeable guy on history and has heaps of information on major brands but we are left thinking that maybe right at the end of the production in 69 they were either using up some parts or just trying a few new ideas? - I lean towards the latter on the basis that they put on a completely unique (and without much style!) pickguard and changed the jack position and the sunburst.

 

Quite frankly if it wasn't for the one sold by Rivingtons' I'd think it was just a special someone had put together, but again its not the Rivington one and its exactly the same, so absolutely must have been a (tiny) producion run.