EPIPHONE CRESTWOOD CUSTOM
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FEBRUARY 2021 GUITARIST
reviewEPIPHONE CORONET, WILSHIRE & CRESTWOOD CUSTOM
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. We don’t know what
genus of mahogany this is, but it’s stated
as that fabled guitar tonewood in the spec,
while the fingerboard is Indian laurel.
Also known as Indian walnut, this timber
(which other makers, not least Gretsch,
have also employed in certain recent
models) is grown in both that country and
Myanmar and is not on the CITES list of
endangered species. With its dark streaky
lines on a medium-brown background it
looks like a super alternative to the scarcer
rosewood. The body is centre-jointed
while the glued-in neck is a single piece,
save for the added headstock wings that
you’ll find even on Custom Shop Gibsons.
So, no scarf joints or stacked heels here.
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1. The Coronet’s simple
symmetrical design is
incredibly appealing,
helping to make it one
of our favourite vintage
guitar designs
2. Indian laurel is the
fi ngerboard material. It’s
an excellent alternative
to rosewood and looks
the part, too. Frets are
medium jumbo and the
dots pearloid plastic
3. The pickguards on
all three Epiphones
feature the stylised ‘E’
that appeared on most
of the brand’s models
during the ‘golden era’.
It rather reminds us of
the Gretsch ‘G’ and is a
cool visual touch
4. Epiphone has fi tted its
P-90 Pro in ‘dog-ear’
format to the Coronet,
as well as an intonation
compensated Lightning
Bar bridge/tailpiece
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GIT468.rev_epi.indd 83 18/12/2020 11:39