Epiphone WildKat

Official bigsby, Grover tuners, Alnico P90's, mahogany body, bound body and neck, fitted hard case.
I really like the control set up, 1 volume pot for each pickup, 1 tone and 1 master volume.
For the price you pay, you get a whole lot of guitar.

The alnico P90's sound great for most styles, its got great tone, just don't use to much gain or the pickups become microphonic, if you want metal go get a jackson or something equally gay.
This is still a versatile guitar, can sound mellow and cuts through a band without sounding harsh.
Fit the guitar with gauge 11's (or heavier), that sorts out tuning problems associated with bigsbys.
I play a mixture of styles, blues punk indie stoner rock reggae.
Live, I play through a fender twin and use either a rat or a jekyll & hyde.
At home I generally don't bother with an amp, the guitar sound good unplugged.

Action was good from factory set up, only needed slight adjustment when I fitted heavier strings.
Overall I'm very impressed with the quality of the finish, aged binding is a nice touch, some minor imperfections in the paint work, but not really noticeable
This is a cool looking guitar.

The wildkat feels very solid for a semihollow guitar, I haven't had any problems yet, all the hardwear seems to be good quality. I gig without backup all the time.

Never needed them.

Overall I highly recommend this guitar, Its smaller than most hollow bodied guitars, kinda like an oversized Les Paul. It's got a nice weight and balance. This isn't your run of the mill gibson copy, it's a great guitar in its own right. Try one out if you get the chance, or just go out and buy one, you won't regret it.
Before I bought this I tried out a gretsch electromatic, the Wildkat is an all round better guitar, the gretsch felt too cheap and sounded too thin, the wildkats got more balls.
If it were lost or stolen I'd sell one of my redundent guitars and get another.

Mine is a 2006 ( i guess -- just bought it) Made in Korea. My first Korean guitar. Not bad either. It's got a laminate Transparent white quilted Maple Top (really nice) with Gold Hdwre and mahogony sides and back. You can feel the quality of the wood is just so so, but it sure is pretty. Gotta remember, this ain't no $2500 ES175.. thats why I bought it! The neck is a meaty "C" shape which helps sustain but its not a thin thrasher style neck. And forget playing above "A" octave. The cutaway design makes playing the last 4 frets REALLY HARD. Its got passive, highly microphonic (more on this later) P-90 style pups, Master volume which is excellent, Bigsby trem (more on this too), Grovers, adjustable tune-o-matic bridge.. actually a lot of nice features. The cutaway design and pups are the only reasons I give it a 7 instead of 9.

Its a really cool vibe. I'm a '54 classic myself so I been around for all the rock n'roll from the get-go. I like an axe that you can pull the notes out of. Thats what playin guitar is about..makin her talk without the need of anything but your fingers. The pups at low to medium gain are actually better then what I expected from a $400 guitar.

The big problem is *microphonics*. Kick in an overdrive pedal and here's where you get what you pay for. OUCH. Its not feedback, its squeal. If you play out in a R&R band and want to use this as your axe, you either POT the pups ( drop 'em in a bucket of hot wax for 20 minutes like I did) or get potted replacements. Potting cost me $4.00 in Wax and fixed 90% of the squeal. As long as I don't stand right in front of the amp with major gain cranked up I can get controlled Feedback like I should! I'm gonna have to replace Godsmack with Stevie Ray -- awww break my heart! :)

That being said, its got a 'mellow spank' and articulation to it when clean but will cut and bite when thru a Rat or Tube Screamer. The master volume is great. Lets you keep the individual vol. pots for each pup wide open for max tone but lower the volume. Like a volume pedal. Its not any noisier the other P-90's. The Treble pup has a nice bite -- not harsh which was a nice surprise. I played it last night at practice thru my '76 Princeton Reverb on about 5 and it had a nice amount front end overdrive when clean and when I kicked in the RAT it sang like a bird. The front pup is a little muddy by itself but it will be a good jazz tone. The Middle position was real nice for rock and roll rhythm cause it is more open them the front pup by itself.

About the Bigsby---the headstock on this baby is Wide and this creates a wide angle form the nut to the tuner causing like a 30 degree angle at the G and D strings. This causes the string to NOT return to its normal postion after trem work. I will definitely replace the nut with a graphite one or reshape the string channels cause the sucker will NOT stay in tune. After I used the trem, I had to stretch the strings (like when you put a new set on) to get it back in tune which tells you its the nut hangin' up. I put some graphite on the nut and it worked fine--- for a little while! Get a grahite Nut from Graphtech Labs.

It also sounds KILLER with a glass slide like Duane!

The guitar finish was Excellent! No orange peel anywhere, subtle yet beautiful quilt top (i sound like a commercial).
It came with 9's and I play 11's so I swapped 'em out fast. Action was lower then I like (think slide) so I guess it was good from the factory. Strings lined up perfectly above the pup screws. as good as my ES335. The nut has sharp edges.

Problems:
The input jack was totally screwed up. The nut is TOO BIG for the threads and it won't tighten. By the time I was done playing, the nut and washer had come off and the jack was floating in the guitar! Come on epiphone..I will replace this.

Neck is straight but two frets (the 18th and 19th fret) had deep file marks that could be felt when bending. I filed them out but again, poor quality control.

The Toggle seems a little frail but should be good for a bunch of years unless I abuse it. Grovers are always good. Gold plating always fades and oxidizes so I expect it.The POTS feel on the cheap side too but I also expected that from a $400 guitar. Whats important is that the Neck is straight and set in, the intonation is on the money, fretwork (overall) is acceptable and the visual appearance (finish) is beautiful... in that order.

I like to work on my stuff so I can always replace electronics or re-fret.

playing since 1963 -- seriously since 1969. I own a '69 SG (my first love). I have a '74 strat, Les Paul w/Tom Holms pups (unbelievable sound), ES335, Tele, PRS Custom 22, Carvin home made strat, Taylor CE-414, Gibson J50 Deluxe, '75 Fender Super Reverb, 68 Princeton, '78 Marshall 50W, '68 Bassman head, Line 6 Flextone...you end up with a lot of sh_t after 35 years! I wanted a semi-hollow body to play out in the bars (My ES335 is too nice for that) so I got the WildKat. EVERYONE plays Pauls or Strats or PRS..etc so I wanted something different. To my pleasant surprise, this sucker produces! You REALLY have to address the microphonic pups to use in a cover Rock and Roll band. If your in a Blues/Jazz/Rockabilly band, they are fine as is.

This is a 2004 Wildkat in that yellowish maple birdseye finish, looks really nice and is pretty flawless. Bigsby looks realy cool on and works well. Comes with P-90's.

P-90's sound great when played through a clean amp or a slightly overdriven one, nice bluesy sound which works on most styles. With the gained turned up a bit more starts to sound good for modern punky stuff, think american idiot.

They cut through really well when playing with a band, sound great compared next to a humbuckered les paul, has a crisp fresh sound to them.

The neck pickup seems a little quieter though than the bridge one.

Fitted some 11-56 slinkys which really bring out the big sound in it when the guitar is overdriven

Neck is very similar to my gibson les paul custom and has really good feel The body is quite light and about the same size as a les paul...... you can see where this is going.... its basically a semi-acoustic les paul with P-90's and a bigsby.

Action seems to be quite high when I got it, lowered it and fitted a set of 11-56 slinkys and its feels good.

Selector switch feels a bit fragile, could be due to being used, but have replaced.

Build quality seems good, bigsby stays in tune with a reasonable amount of abuse. Would gig with it but wouldn't use it live for too many consecutive songs when abusing the bigsby as the tuning wonders. It will be nice to swop between this and my LP

Never had to contact them

I really like it, bought it as a spare to compliment my les paul but find myself using it more. Was looking for P-90 les paul but saw this and was really taken with it.

Great when played unplugged. Even better when plugged into a nicely OD amp. Works well for rhythm and lead playing.

Its basically a semi-acoustic les paul with P-90's and a bigsby.


If stolen would replace

Features pretty well covered by previous reviews. Natural maple top, real Grovers and licensed Bigsby. Could use locking tuners and a roller bridge.

Good for older rock, blues and rockabilly; I can't see it as a metal guitar, I would think the feedback would kill you. The p-90s have a full , rich tone. A lot of reviewers have mentioned that it's like a mini Gretsch. Having had four Gretsches I'll let you in on a little secret- get a Snarling Dogs Very-tone pedal. On the country/rockabilly settings you'll have your Gretsch.

This was the second WildKat I tried. The first, shortly after they came on he market was terrible; this one was perfect out of the box. the finish and setup were right on. I guess it pays to try different ones to make sure that the quality is there.

I've already played it live, worked great. Bring a backup - if you break a string on a Bigsby-equipped guitar you'll be busy for a while. (Of course this is where locking tuners would help).

E-mailed the company to see if I could use my strap the T-Bone Walker stle (ie to the headstock). Had an answer the next day saying it shouldn't be any problem. Pretty smooth.

Playing and tinkering for 40 years, have owned over 40 guitars. Currently have a Carvin AE185, 'Classic 50's Strat, Gretsch Electromatic hollowbody, Fender Resonator bass and Martin Acoustic.This one has the features and the tone. I do find it heavier than I like for such a small guitar. One problem with the size is if you draw a triangle from the bridge to the master volume to the pickup switch you'll find that you have a pretty small picking/strumming surface. It's still a keeper.

2004 model according to serial #. No need to repeat features, other than to say it is a cool ax with it's own vibe and a Bigsby and that P-90 sound.

Love the tone, neck pup is a bit dark, but has a smokey jazzy vibe. Thing sings with both pups engaged, and with sep vols. you can get all those in-between sounds. Pups are pretty good, I'd be interested in Duncan's, but not dying to change them. Master vol. is a cool idea, I seldom use. I play though a bunch of analog effects into either a Mesa Boogie Nomad or a Fender Blues Deluxe, depending on my mood and the gig. It never sounds over-trebly. Pots are quiet, but very stiff. 3-way selector is surprisingly ok and does not need replacement.

Here's the disappointment of this machine, but my fault for buying without actually playing. Apparently it is a Friday-guitar.. Most screws were stripped, as bore holes were over-size. Truss rod cover too long and bent up at nut, and screws in at odd angles. Neck pickup OFF-CENTER over 1/8 inch. Bigsby handle floppy-loose. Output jack plate bent away from body. Bridge radius doesn't match neck. Body full of polishing compound. Pickup screw shanks too long.
Action is OK after intonating, could be lower, but not bad. Finish is perfect, 'natural', a bit yellow but nicely done. Frets fit and are pretty smooth, nut cut well. Guitar is a bit headstock-heavy, like a Sheraton. Tuners are smooth, say Grover on them, but seem like they may be licensed perhaps... as does Bigsby.
I am not anal about my guitars, and all this is easily remedied, but.. it's an almost-new guitar!!! and it seems you should not have to super-glue toothpicks in a new guitar!!!
I would NOT buy one of these mail-order... Play it first.

I don't find it delicate. My first Bigsby, and once it stabilizes it seems to stay in tune faily well as long as you don't flog it. Heavier strings (EB 11's) make it sing nicely. I don't expect the hardware to look new forever on an inexpensive guitar. I expect to have to keep an eye on the screws, etc. Like any other gigging machine..

Never dealt with Epi/Gibson except for email, sometimes answered, sometimes not. Typical.

I take the 'finishing' work as Zen... That said, I love this little ax, enjoy it's tone and playing it and looking at it... Own 10+ guitars, playing about 10 years seriously, gig occasionally... I'll keep it..

Features already stated in prior reviews.

Great full sound with the P-90's;sounds great through a Fender Prosonic with a touch of tube reverb. I play in an oldies/classic rock band and this works just fine. Note:the P-90's have more drive than Strat or Tele single coils, you can get a decent AC/DC like crunch. Fantastic open clean sound.

I bought this used off ebay so it needed a set-up. Now it is very sweet with XL110's and a tightened up Bigsby. Great intonation and action.

I haven't really put it to the test yet. I bought it last fall when my gigging season was winding down.

Great value if you can get a good price. If you can get past the 'made in Korea' thing it may balance out your collection. Other electrics I have: 2000 American Natural Ash Tele,1991 Deluxe Strat Plus,1991 Ibanez RG550 with Dimarzio pups.

2005 Natural Semi-Hollow Body Archtop. Made in Korea. The top I believe is laminate. 1 Master volume, 2 volume pots (one for each pickup) and one single tone pot. Alnico-P90's, 3 way selector, Real Grover tuners and a real Bigsby trem.

My style is whatever I feel like playing. Mostly Blues. I play through a Fender Blues Junior sometimes with a Digi RP-80. Pickups are noisy as hell at any volume setting above 5 but easily workable. You can get anything from clean to chunky to serious drive out of this guitar. I dont like the way the Bigsby has the strings slide across flat areas rather than rollers. I always feel like a string is about to pop, as well you can hear it if you divebomb the trem, the cracking noise of the strings I mean.

GC setup was really good. Pickups were adjusted perfectly. My friendly neighborhood luthier didnt have to change anything. There were no flaws with this guitar, it came dang near perfect.

I have not done it yet, (use it playing live) but lets hope it stands up. Personally I think it will. I think the hardware is pretty good, the P90's, grovers and bigsby are all quality you would expect on a much more expensive axe. I WOULD NOT gig without a backup with this or any other guitar.

Warranty page on thier website only went to 2005. Jan 10th I called Epiphone to let them know I couldnt register my warranty because of that (had to leave a message). The next night I recieved a call back and they promptly sent me the registration form and now Im getting all sorts of catalogs from Gibson.

I have been playing for about 30 years. Have had some decent guitars and some crappy jobs,this ranks right up there with my better guitars. If it were stolen or lost I would probably by a Gretsch the next time around. But dont get me wrong, I really really like this guitar and you cannot beat it for the price. One of the things I love about this guitar other than the sounds that eminate from it) is the fact that its beautiful. You wont be embarrased to carry this and play anywhere. I dont hate anything about it. My favorite feature is the Bigsby. I compared it to the Artcores (close to the same) and the Oskar Schmidts. Only buy the OS if you have little cash, but the OE30 is definitly worth it, but no where near the quality of this axe. I wish it had a pickguard.

2006 model, epiphoe WildKat Limited Edition Custom Shop, Transparent White, Gold hardware, double vacuum wax potted p-90s, grover tuners, Bigsby vibrato, master volume. i agree with a previous reviewer's observation that the guitar "has a delicate nature". but, since i installed flatwound 12s on her, she is ready to be man-handled.

By now, you know the major specs, produces Gibsonesque tones, maybe a bit brighter, Epiphone Custom Shop wax-potted pickups are standard in the Limited Edition Custom Shop, definately Gibson quality, quiet operation, no feedback. Bigsby is OK if strung normally (strings under the 1st roller). but, functions alot better avoiding the 1st roller, and connecting to the 2nd pivoting roller only. Stays in tune alot better with the heavier flatwounds, and avoiding the 1st Bigsby roller; intonation is improved as well. i wish that the non-microphonic p-90s had more brightness and jangle.

Transparent White finished top, with mild tiger striping underneath, back and sides are a light Lavender!; with dark cream ninding; a very unique color scheme; has a pinkish (flesh) hue; a bit feminine looking, but still very classy; flawless fit and finish; beautiful guitar. You can tell someone at the factory set this baby up; out of the box action was very good; intonation spot on; straight neck; good frets.

seems very durable.

no past experience

Been playing about 37 years; owened many guitars; great guitar for the money. i expected to spend more $ for a fret dress, new electrionics, etc. but she is fine as is (for now). i may replace pups later for more jangle and twang.

Bought it new in a Nerwegian guitar shop. Quite an expencive guitar comparing it to US prices.
Made in 2001 in Korea, 21 frets two volum and one tone, and one main volume, 3 way selector and a Epi Bigsby. Two P-90 singel coil picups that sounds great. And the body.. Small size body wich fit me well.

Perfect for blues jazz and all kind of music. But not good for heavy metal. To much feedback in the hollowbody.
The sound is warm and colourfull. I normally use a Roland Cube 30-60.

The guitar was well set up from the factory. Had to lower the action a little. And of cause, the 3 way selector and one of the potmeters had to be changed. Too bad Epi dos`nt put in better electronics.

The onely problem with the guitar is i will not stay tuned if you bend the strings. I have 0.11 strings and it seems to me that it would be better witn 0.9 /0.10. I would use this great guitar on a gig - oh yeah !! I would give it a 9 or 10 but gives it 8 for not staying in tune.

n.a.

I have been playing for more than 40 years. From badminton racket to strat, Byrdland. I saw the guitar in the shop and fell in love. Is the prettiest guitar ever made, (bengalic tiger),and I miss her. Sold her by mistake a few months ago. I want to by a new Wildkat, and will proparbly get one sooner or later.I now play a Birdland, and it a great guitar too. I lowe the size and sound of the Wildkat, and have nothing negative to say. If you get a Wildkat keep it. Change the potmeters and selector to better quality and you have a guitar for ever.

No brainer pro solution. Gretsch is way overpriced

Rockabilly, R&R, Blues. Subtle sounds far to complex for the metalheads!

For #255 in the UK secondhand with the quality on show here it is criminal to have such versatilty and a case with this level of pure vintage vibe. Unless you can find a DeArmond Starfire Special you cannot beat this guitar for those essential pre-sixties sounds.

Feels fine but has a delicate nature

Find a good local luthier and develop your relationship. It will pay mojo dividends. Multi nationals are not good once they have your dollars.

A superstar in a world of blandola!