Wilshire
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In 1957 in an effort to bolster their stand up bass business Gibson purchased their arch rival the Epiphone Guitar Company and moved production to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Along with the sought after bass tooling Gibson acquired access to many storied models and a brand name with a history of quality and prestige. With plans to expand retail distribution by differentiating Epiphone dealers from Gibson dealers, Gibson began production of a new line of "Kalamazoo-made and designed" Epiphones in 1959. For over a decade from 1959 through early 1970 Epiphone solid body guitars and basses were produced in limited numbers right along side some of the greatest Gibson's of all time. These Epiphone guitars represented some of the highest quality and best sounding instruments of their generation. They provided unique shapes, pickup arrangements, and tonal signatures not seen on comparable Gibson models of the day. First released in 1960 the Wilshire featured two P90 pickups, a 3 on a side headstock and a solid mahogany body and one piece neck. It was designed to compete with the popular Fender Stratocaster in terms of upper fret access, light-weight and playability. It is little surprise given its Kalamazoo origins that this guitar would share many features with its Gibson cousin the Les Paul Jr. However unlike the Les Paul Jr. the '62 Epiphone Wilshire provided two P90 pickups and an intonatable bridge. This arrangement offered an extremely functional and versatile alternative. With an original MSRP of $210, production of the 1962 Wilshire SB-432 was limited to only 180 guitars. The Crestwood, Coronet, Olympic and Wilshire guitars are often confused with the ET-Series, which were a Japanese-made amalgamation of the older, American-made Epiphone body shapes and designs. |
Contents |
Models
Wilshire
- Model SB432
- 1959-1970
Body:
- Mahogany body
- 1.75" deep Symmetrical body with squared edges (1959-1962)
- 1.375" deep Asymmetrical body with rounded edges (1963-1970)
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Open-book style with 3x3 tuners and pealoid logo (1959-1962)
- Batwing headstock 6-in-a-row with gold silkscreen logo (1963-1970)
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Soapbar P-90 pickups (1959-1962)
- Mini humbuckers (1963-1970)
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge
- Symmetrical pickguard (1959-1962)
- Asymmetrical pickguard (1963-1970)
- Stopbar tailpiece (1959-1970)
- Optional Maestro Vibrato (1959-1965)
Colors:
- Ebony
- Cherry
- Sunburst
- Red Fox
- Iverness Green
- White
Wilshire 12-string
- Model SB432-12
- 1966-1968
Body:
- Mahogany body
- Asymmetrical with rounded edges
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Batwing headstock 6-in-a-row with gold silkscreen logo
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Mini humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware:
- Asymmetrical pickguard
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Reflector knobs
- Plate-mounted tuners
Colors:
- Cherry
Wilshire (Matsumoku, Japan)
- Japan Domestic Market only
- 1975-1979
Body:
- Double cutaway maple body
Neck:
- Set maple neck with volute
- Rosewood fingerboard with block inlays
- Elongated headstock with black veneer
- 3-screw center-dip truss cover
Binding:
- Single-ply neck
Electronics:
- Two humbucker pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone control
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Die-cast tuners with Epsilon "E" stamp on back
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Cherry Sunburst
- Natural
See Also:
Wilshire II
- 1982-1986
- Made in Japan
Body:
- Asymmetrical double cutaway body style
- Maple body
Neck:
- Bolt-on maple neck
- Maple fingerboard with dot inlays
- batwing headstock
- 25.5" scale
- 22 frets
Electronics:
- 2 humbucker pickups
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Vintage style tremolo
Colors:
- Red (RE)
Wilshire III
- 1982-1986
- Made in Japan
Body:
- Asymmetrical double cutaway body style
- Maple body
Neck:
- Bolt-on maple neck
- Maple fingerboard with dot inlays
- batwing headstock
- 20 frets
- 25.5" scale
Electronics:
- 3 single coil pickups
- 1 Vol. 1 Tonoe controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome Hardware
- Vintage style tremolo
Colors:
- Trans Black (TB)
Wilshire PRO
- 2006
- 2013 (TS)
Body:
- Asymmetrical mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck with SlimTaper "D" profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with block inlays
- 12" fingerboard radius
- Batwing headstock with body-colored beveling
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Alnico Classic 4 & Classic Plus 4 humbucker pickups
- Coil-splittable pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Premium die-cast tuners
- LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Ebony (EB)
- Alpine White (AW)
- Cherry (CH)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Pelham Blue (PE)
- Aged Pelham (AP)
- TV-Silver (TS)
1966 Wilshire Reissue
- 1966 Wilshire Reissue 2009-Current
- 1966 Wilshire Reissue with Tremtone 2011-Current
Body:
- Asymmetrical mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck with 1960's SlimTaper profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Batwing headstock with 6-in-a-row tuners
- 12" fretboard radius
- 24.75" scale length
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- NYT Mini-humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware (2009-2010)
- Nickel hardware (2011-Current)
- Tune-o-Matic Bridge with Stopbar Tailpiece (2009-2010)
- Redesigned Tremotone bridge with Stopbar Tailpiece (2011-Current)
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Aged Cherry (AC)
- Worn Cherry (WC)
- Worn Black (WK)
WIlshire Phantomatic
- 2011-Current
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck with 1960's SlimTaper profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays
- 12" fingerboard radius
- Clipped Ear headstock with vintage "Epiphone" logo in gold
- 2-Layer Truss Rod Cover with vintage "E" in white
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Binding:
- Single-ply neck
Electronics:
- Alnico Classic & Classic Plus humbucker pickups
- Master Volume Control
- 6-Position Rotary VariTone notch filter
- Momentary KillSwitch
- 3-way pickup selector with black toggle cap
Varitone Controls
- Position-1: Bypass
- Position-2: 5db at 1950hz
- Position-3: 12db at 1100hz
- Position-4: 16db at 620 hz
- Position-5: 18.5db at 360hz
- Position-6: 21db at 120hz
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Wilkinson Vintage style tuners with Green Keys
- LockTone tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- 1-ply black pickguard
- Epiphone straplocks
Colors
- Antique Ivory (AI)
- Emerald Green (EG) with racing stripes
Includes
- Signed Certificate of Authenticity
- Binder with certificate and photo of Frank Iero
- Premium gigbag
1962 Wilshire Custom Historic USA Reissue
- 2009
- Made In Nashville, TN. USA
- Limited to 100 models worldwide
Body:
- Authentic unit base with 1960's construction
- 1-piece Peruvian Mahogany symmetrical body
Neck:
- 1-piece set Peruvian Mahogany neck
- 17 degree headstock with 3-on-a-side tuner configuration
- Madagascar Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays
- 12" fingerboard radius with original 1960's rounded neck profile
- 22 medium-jumbo frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 soapbar P-90's with adjustable pole pieces
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way Selector Switch
- CTS potentiometers
- Switchcraft toggle switch and output jack
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Vintage Kluson tuners with plastic buttons
- ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Imitation Tortoise pickguard with foil "E" logo
- Black reflector knobs
Historic USA collection Includes:
- Original Style Hard Case
- Numbered Certificate of Authenticity in leatherette binder
- Vintage-style Coiled Guitar Cord
- Commemorative Picks
- Commemorative T-Shirt
- 1962-style Thin Leather Strap
Colors:
- Cherry (CH)
- Alpine White (AW)
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