review GIBSON 2019 LES PAUL STANDARD ’50S & ’60S, CLASSIC & TRIBUTE Crest Of A Wave Epiphone’s trio of ‘Junior’ style reissues look fantastic. But with their entry-level prices, can they really impress a gnarled old Guitarist reviewer? Let’s find out! Words Neville Marten Photography Olly Curtis 80 GUITARIST FEBRUARY 2021 GIT468.rev_epi.
EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE CRESTWOOD GIBSON 2019 LES PAUL STANDARD ’50S &&’60S, CLASSIC &CUSTOM TRIBUTE review FEBRUARY 2021 GUITARIST GIT468.rev_epi.
review EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM £349, £399 & £489 CONTACT L et’s get the obvious out of the way right here: these are some of the coolest-looking electric guitars ever made. There’s no debating that fact, so let’s quickly move on… The Coronet, Wilshire and Crestwood were released in 1958 (Crestwood) and 1959 (Wilshire and Coronet) as Epiphone’s answer to the Gibson Les Paul Junior and Special.
VIDEO DEMO EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM http://bit.ly/guitaristextra review 2 3 1 same double-cutaway body, they’ve been designed as specific propositions in their own right, each one bringing something specific to the table. Going from bottom to top of the range, we begin with the delightfully basic Coronet. Checking the spec on Epiphone’s website it’s clear that, despite these instruments’ entry-level price points, the company has not stinted with the quality of materials or parts.
review EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM 5. On the Wilshire we find a pair of Epiphone P-90 Pros; these are powerful and fruity sounding and here they are black ‘soapbar’ style. Note the single-ply faux-tortoise pickguard and ‘E’ logo 6. The Wilshire’s bridge and tailpiece follow the Gibson norm. Epiphone calls this tune-o-matic the LockTone. Two volumes and tones sit with the three-way toggle and jack socket 6 5 There’s a real sense of purpose to these simple designs.
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM review 7 7. The great Steve Marriott played an Epiphone Crestwood with Humble Pie. Our Chinese-made reissue retains all the original’s coolness, with great sounds and a vibrato that works! 8. Epiphone used the short three-a-side headstock for these reissues, rather than the ‘batwing’ design found on later models.
review EPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM UNDER THE HOOD 9 A peek at the ‘busy’ innards of the Crestwood Custom I t’s always interesting to see how the innards of any guitar stack up when compared with the more obvious external build quality. Here’s the control cavity of our Crestwood Custom. There’s a lot crammed into this small space: four pots (quality CTS), plus the toggle switch and output jack. We’d say it looks ‘busy’ rather than untidy.
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra 10 11 and Brazilian rosewood marvels, but modern-day versions of 60-year-old Epiphone entry models using today’s available materials. That Epiphone has done it so well, and employed such greatsounding pickups and even bothered with quality pots and nut material, is a testament to the brand’s clear desire to get it right.
