Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Andrew W on April 28, 2010, 09:19:07 PM

Title: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: Andrew W on April 28, 2010, 09:19:07 PM
Thanks to the advice I received from the forumites I felt empowered to make a New Vintage Guitar Day decision today and that decision was, "Yes, I will buy this Wilshire", and so here it is:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/4561417714_ffb93364f2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/4561417714/)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/4561418338_53f85b3600.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/4561418338/)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/4560792133_525c1dc034.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_atrocity/4560792133/)

I played for a good 40 minutes in the shop at lunch before mulling my decision over and then deciding in the affirmative.  I've never owned a vintage guitar before but this one was a lot less expensive than the recent Custom Shop reissue so I didn't feel like it was crazy expensive.  It's an astonishingly resonant guitar, it rings for days and you can really feel the vibration through the body.  It's amazingly light too, I've not weighed it yet but it's much lighter than my Strat.  Plugged in the range of tones is very impressive from quite bell-like cleans to a really great AC/DC rhythm tone.  It chugs really well and further up the fret board it sings too when required.  I've not started playing with the tone and volume control combinations yet so I expect to find more tones in it.  Early days of course but my gut feeling is that it's a little belter.  Very happy indeed.

Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Will on April 28, 2010, 09:57:48 PM
I like the control layout, looks like it would be quite comfy
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Philly Q on April 28, 2010, 10:05:16 PM
Love it!  :D
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: dave_mc on April 28, 2010, 11:13:58 PM
sweet!

I've had some GAS for the new reissue (the cheap one with mini-hums like yours, not the £2k one o_O), despite not having tried it :lol: But it looks nice, and I don't have anything with mini-hums, so in GAS world that counts as "need"...

EDIT: just to clarify, I realise yours is not the cheap reissue, I realise yours is a genuine vintage one, which is awesome. My post was a bit ambiguous. I mean I'm considering the cheap reissue. :)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: 38thBeatle on April 28, 2010, 11:15:38 PM
That looks sick ( I think that is the thing that young people say when something looks good).
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: FernandoDuarte on April 29, 2010, 12:34:30 AM
Great that you found a good one, cheaper than the reissues (Gibby guys probably are on crack)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: sgmypod on April 29, 2010, 08:43:56 AM
nice
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: AndyR on April 29, 2010, 08:57:14 AM
Congratulations!

That does have something about it :D

(helped, for me, by the fact that it has possibly my favourite sort of body finish on it... that second pic on the body just looks so righteous...)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: roland_rat on April 29, 2010, 10:23:12 AM
Very nice.  Enjoy :lol:
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Plexi Ken on April 29, 2010, 10:51:48 AM
Very, very cool  :)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: swissguy on April 29, 2010, 11:39:59 AM
a bit off topic...
But I really like those pola shots!! Those pics always have something very special on them... besides being unique...
I have a photographer background...

And, to get back to topic, that is a very nice guitar!! grats!
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: BigB on April 29, 2010, 12:24:32 PM
Mmm, yummy ! I think I'd really like playing this one...

Oh and yes - Happy NVGD Andrew !-)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: th3sku11 on April 29, 2010, 12:54:24 PM
Very classy! Like it a lot. Congratulations! :)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Andrew W on April 29, 2010, 06:34:41 PM
Thanks for all the kind comments everyone!  I'm looking forward to having some free hours at the weekend to really test it out now.  Might try recording something with it if there's time.  Still very excited about the whole situation.
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: blue on April 29, 2010, 10:10:04 PM
that looks very very nice, many congrats, hope you enjoy it! :)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: murraymurray on April 30, 2010, 09:14:51 AM
I was unsure what the acronym meant, though new video game day?

I remember not liking these when i first saw them, but then the style slowly grew on me, now i think theyre pretty cool
so congrats, hope it plays mean
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: SG Thrasher on April 30, 2010, 01:14:38 PM
That looks sick ( I think that is the thing that young people say when something looks good).
'Sweet' or 'Bullet' would have also been accepted.

Very nice guitar, I've been gassing for one of these since I saw the Phil X video of that '65.
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Andrew W on April 30, 2010, 01:29:35 PM
Very nice guitar, I've been gassing for one of these since I saw the Phil X video of that '65.
That video was the one that broke the camel's back for me and made decide to get one should one turn up at price that was right.  Dangerous place the internet, dangerous place.
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Roobubba on April 30, 2010, 01:46:17 PM
I like this a lot, really classy guitar!

Roo
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Philly Q on April 30, 2010, 02:22:12 PM
I like this a lot, really classy guitar!

You surprise me Roo, I thought you were more of a modernist!
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Roobubba on May 01, 2010, 05:24:54 PM
I like this a lot, really classy guitar!

You surprise me Roo, I thought you were more of a modernist!

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have one myself, like. :)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Andrew W on May 01, 2010, 09:51:06 PM
I've been doing some detective work (all right, using Google a lot) to try and date the little brute.  I think it's a late '64 or early '65 example for the reasons below.  If any more knowledgeable forumites can spot holes in my thinking it'd be great if you could let me know.  All of the "information" below comes from various sites on the internet so there could be multiple bum steers.  Anyway this is my reasoning:


Does this seem right to people?  I'm interested in finding out as much as I can about the guitar because I'd love to know what was happening in the world when it was made and what kind of things its first owner might have been playing on it.  I think I may be over-sentimental. :)

I was going to take some better photos this afternoon but then apocalypse started, the light went and the rain came so bang went that idea.  I'll try again tomorrow.
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Roobubba on May 04, 2010, 12:51:01 PM
I've been doing some detective work (all right, using Google a lot) to try and date the little brute.  I think it's a late '64 or early '65 example for the reasons below.  If any more knowledgeable forumites can spot holes in my thinking it'd be great if you could let me know.  All of the "information" below comes from various sites on the internet so there could be multiple bum steers.  Anyway this is my reasoning:

  • The body has no belly cut at the back which was added during 1965
  • It has mini-humbuckers not P90s, making it 1964 or later
  • It looks like it started out life with the maestro vibrola unit which was not offered from 1966 on
  • Bat-wing headstock means 1964ish at the earliest
  • It has the asymetrical body shape which was introduced in 1964

Does this seem right to people?  I'm interested in finding out as much as I can about the guitar because I'd love to know what was happening in the world when it was made and what kind of things its first owner might have been playing on it.  I think I may be over-sentimental. :)

I was going to take some better photos this afternoon but then apocalypse started, the light went and the rain came so bang went that idea.  I'll try again tomorrow.

I wouldn't dig too much into the first owner's musical tastes. If you find out he/she'd been playing the Beatles on it, you'd have to burn that mother$%&#er. And the guitar, too.

And that would be a shame, because it does look quite nice! :)
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: FernandoDuarte on May 05, 2010, 12:00:17 AM
Don't be that serious with the guitar Roo, because....


because...




"She loves you YEAH YEAH YEAH"
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Andrew W on May 08, 2010, 09:59:55 PM
I vaguely promised to try and record something and I had a few spare minutes this evening when I got in from work so I did a quick demo.  The Wilshire's plugged into a TS 808 with the level high, the overdrive low and the tone at twelve o'clock.  The pedal is plugged into the Cornell Romany and that's it.  I really need to set some time aside to try and do some proper recording with mic placement and the whole bit but work commitments mean that's not likely until mid summer.  The sound's on the video is not great quality as it's recorded by my Canon Ixus but it gives an idea of the sound.  I'm really getting into these mini-humbuckers and I'd love to put some in another guitar.  Perhaps Tim will one day make some...

Anyway, here's the video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4eG-DEEu8c) Don't worry Roo, no matter how I temped I was to do a Beatles tune, I resisted and you can't see my Tele in frame at all. :)

EDIT: I've done another video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bELxxdFcKkQ) to show some cleaner tones and the different pickup combinations.
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: FernandoDuarte on May 09, 2010, 11:10:53 PM
Sounds really good! Nice mustache!
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: Andrew W on May 09, 2010, 11:17:41 PM
Sounds really good! Nice mustache!
Thanks and thanks! :)
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: _tom_ on May 09, 2010, 11:24:11 PM
I've always liked the odd/quirky look of those guitars, sounds good in the vid as well :)
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: 38thBeatle on May 10, 2010, 06:27:46 AM
Thats a sweet bullet .
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: martinw on May 10, 2010, 08:32:51 AM
I've been doing some detective work (all right, using Google a lot) to try and date the little brute.  I think it's a late '64 or early '65 example for the reasons below.  If any more knowledgeable forumites can spot holes in my thinking it'd be great if you could let me know.  All of the "information" below comes from various sites on the internet so there could be multiple bum steers.  Anyway this is my reasoning:
Have the pots got a code on them? That often helps.
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Andrew W on May 10, 2010, 09:00:02 AM
I've been doing some detective work (all right, using Google a lot) to try and date the little brute.  I think it's a late '64 or early '65 example for the reasons below.  If any more knowledgeable forumites can spot holes in my thinking it'd be great if you could let me know.  All of the "information" below comes from various sites on the internet so there could be multiple bum steers.  Anyway this is my reasoning:
Have the pots got a code on them? That often helps.
That's a good point, thanks. I haven't opened it up yet.  I'll have a look when it's time to change the strings.
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: jpfamps on May 10, 2010, 11:41:28 AM
According to the Gruhn book this spec Wiltshire was made from 1963 to 1970.

I would measure the width at the nut. If it's 42/3 mm then it will be the earlier spec so that would date the guitar to 1965 or earlier. If it's 40 mm then it will be 1965 or later.

I do like the minhumbuckers.
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: Andrew W on May 10, 2010, 12:06:19 PM
According to the Gruhn book this spec Wiltshire was made from 1963 to 1970.

I would measure the width at the nut. If it's 42/3 mm then it will be the earlier spec so that would date the guitar to 1965 or earlier. If it's 40 mm then it will be 1965 or later.

I do like the minhumbuckers.
That's great info, thanks. I shall dig out my Vernier calipers as soon as I get home!

EDIT: And the answer is....40mm so it's 1965 at the earliest.  I'm tempted to say 1965 is probably the date then because of the holes for the Vibrola which, as far as I can tell from online sources (pinch of salt), was not offered after 1965.  I can't imagine anyone retro-fitting a Maestro Vibrola but there are some weird people out there I guess...
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Tellboy on May 11, 2010, 09:45:37 AM
Have the pots got a code on them? That often helps.

As Martin said the pots can often help determining when the guitar was manufactured.

(http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af175/Tellboy/1963%20Gibson%20SG%20Standard/CTSPots6333.jpg)

This is one of the pots from my SG which I always thought was a made in 1964. The 1376333 code on the pot means that the pot was manufactured by CTS (137) in August 1963 (week 33 in 1963). Also the tuners can help - the double ring, single line Klusons on the SG were used from 1961 - 1963.  (Apparently my SG just missed being a Les Paul/SG and is being restored to it's original glory after I managed to find all the original hardware (Pat.No pickups, Kluson tuners etc) and this guy  http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/restoration.htm (http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/restoration.htm) )
Title: Re: NVGD
Post by: Tellboy on May 11, 2010, 03:34:00 PM
and this guy  http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/restoration.htm (http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/restoration.htm) )

He also makes very tasty relic guitars............... http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/relicd%20page.htm (http://www.3rguitars.co.uk/relicd%20page.htm)
Title: Re: NVGD - Mid 60's Epiphone Wilshire. Now with added clips!
Post by: bucketshred on May 11, 2010, 03:43:49 PM
Wow, very nice :)