Epiphone WildKat

Korean made w 2 p-90's 2 volume, 1 tone and a master volume control.
mahogany body with yellow-ish transparent top, bindings on neck, body and around f-holes.
epiphone's vibratrem.
came with non original case.

been playing for 16 years in most situations. live, studio, session, what have you but bought this one mainly for composing/recording.
didn't take long before i used it on every occasion cause YES it delivers!
p-90 pickups has got to be the best of both worlds, fat yet shimmering. sweet yet nasty etc etc.

i've got a sweet spot for brian setzer and living in sweden doesn't exactly make it cheap to get your hands on those gretsch hotrods, average price around $3000, so, fortunately i discovered this one.

factory 012 strings didn't make it easy on me when switching to 010. quite a bit of adjustment needed to get the guitar to carry chords all over the neck again.
the vibratrem produces a great smooth singing "trem" BUT maan it messes up the tune!
i have yet to find a solution to that.
anyone got any tips regarding keeping the vibratrem in tune please drop me a line!!

would use and have used it without backup many times live.
this thing is rock steady, i threw away the 3 way switch at once and put in a gibson one and have never had a single problem with it.

i use this guitar as my first. together with my peavey classic or 5150 II it rocks!

since i'm "allergic" to fenders and single coils in perticular the
p-90's are just perfect to get that crispy clean yet warm mellow
sound that you actually want to hear when playing w single coils.

also use a les paul and a 335, perfect for variation in the studio but when playing live i always end up using this solid wildkat

2002 Korean-made. Laminated, flamed maple top on semi-hollow mahogany body(single cutaway). 2 Alnico-V P90's with individual volume controls, master volume, master tone, and 3-way selector switch. 22 frets on a rosewood (ebony stained?) board. Epiphone Bigsby-style tailpiece. Gotoh tuners. Lots of chrome! Hardshell case was extra.

This guitar is quite well suited for much of the older (60's style) rock and roll, newer country, and rockabilly stuff I play. The P-90's are clean and relatively quiet for single coils, yet can be coaxed into overdrive without much trouble. The neck pickup is bright, but not harsh (not as twangy as my Tele); the neck pickup is pretty smooth and sweet sounding. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe on the rare occasions that I play live dates, and use a Boss ME-30 for compression, delay, and occasional chorus. The only other toy in my setup is an Ernie Ball volume pedal. Another big factor in how this guitar sounds is the body. It's considerably more resonant than a solid body, but not as prone to feedback as some of the full-size hollow bodies I've played. It has a unique voice and it adds to the spectrum of tones I can achieve. So far, the only thing I don't like is the master tone, which when rolled off gets muddy with the neck pickup-not really a big concern for me, though. I mostly do recording with a Boss BR-8, and I had to tweak some COSM (amp modeling) settings especially for this guitar. The P-90's are hot and will overdrive the inputs. Same is true with the Line6 POD. Volume/drive settings which are clean with my Fenders and Rickenbacker are louder and a little distorted with the Wildkat.

I wasn't satisfied with the factory setup. The action was set too low and some fret buzz was obvious. The fifth fret on the high E string went "plink". Once I raised the action just enough to eliminate the buzz, and reset the intonation it was excellent. The neck shape and fretboard radius are very comfortable to me. I may change to a lighter set of strings. The pickups seem to be adjusted fine. I mainly use the Bigsby for the shimmering kind of effect you can get with it-don't do much dive-bombing and so far I haven't had any tuning problems to speak of. The knobs wobble a little, but that doesn't really bother me much, either, and the selector switch has also worked OK. The finish on this guitar (antique natural flame)is outstanding. The binding is flawless-no voids or rough spots. It's a real beauty. The natural mahogany body really compliments the rich amber-colored flamed maple top. Really, the finish is as good or better than many much more expensive guitars I've seen. Considering the price, I won't fault it much for the poor action out of the box. Most players probably tweak the setups to their personal tastes anyway.

Can't really say, since I don't play live much anymore, however it feels solid enough to hold up to regular gigs. The strap buttons are big and secure-feeling. Some reviewers have apparently had problems with the selector switch-I haven't yet. I always take more than one guitar to a gig, primarily for the different sounds. Since I'm just speculating reliability, I'll give it an 8.

Have only communicated with Epiphone via e-mail regarding availability ( I waited over six months for the antique natural finish from Musician's Friend). They always responded promptly with reasonble answers.

I've been playing for thirty-something years. Other guitars:Fender American Std. Strat, American Std. Tele, Rickenbacker 330/6, Danelectro U2 Baritone, Martin D-19, and an inexpensive nylon string acoustic-electric. The Wildkat overall is a well-made, beautifully finished, fun, good playing guitar that can cover a variety of styles well. I like the tones it produces-different from any of my other guitars. I missed out on the DeArmond T-400 ( I didn't know they were being discontinued),so I started looking at the Wildkat. I bought it based on good reviews, inexpensive price, and good looks. I'd want another if it were lost or stolen. The Wildkat is a great value, and if your style is anywhere in the realm of country, rockabilly, roots rock, even blues, I'd recommend it highly.

Made in Korea, 2001?, Antique Natural (VERY NICE),...
10 b/c it's got what it's suppose to have.

Deep, powerful sound. I like it for everything including high gain, classic rock tones, and low clean tones. It does them all very well, however, I have a Strat to cover what this one can't.
(Love the Angus Young SG sound I get out of it.)

I found the stock pups too undefined so I had custom ones made by SK Guitar Specialties and I don't think I'll ever take them out. Very high, clean output which allows me to use the guitar for the high gain stuff. But on the neck pup this thing could still pass for a bass.

8 b/c I didn't like the stock pups too much.

Amazing craftsmanship for any guitar manufacturer; kudos Epiphone. The wood quality is tops. Like someone mentioned, the rosewood looks like ebony. Everything fits perfectly, except the vol./tone knobs are cheap and wobbly. Not that they're gonna fall off , they just wobble when you turn them. Also, the p/u selector was noisy. More on that below.
Oh, and the nut is plastic; should be replaced with bone or brass or something.

The worst thing about Epiphone is that they can put together such a beautiful, classy guitar and the electronics are crap. Cheap wires, cheap parts. As I've mentioned, I replaced the pups which allowed me to rewire/resolder some parts voluntarily. The toggle switch needed to be replaced after a few hours of playing.
Now that I've been through the guts myself I'm confident in using it anytime , anywhere but if you're not comfortable doing this kind of work then make sure you have access to the dealer you buy it from.
I should mention that I never use the trem bar; throws it right out of tune so I just point it downwards and keep my hands off! It looks cool though.
Great big strap buttons is a plus.
I would NEVER gig without a backup.

6 for the unreliable, crappy electronics (although it is inexpensive fix).

Don't know.

personal info.- I'm 26, have 3 other guitars, two amps, and have played for ~10 years.
I have had a love/hate relationship with this guitar, i.e., the craftsmanship is awesome and crap at the same time. However, for the time and money it took to "upgrade" I still feel like I got a deal. This guitar is a "looker" that had to be made into a "player". Like everything else I own, I would not necessarily buy this again. I would just enjoy looking.
Two BIG pluses: this is a unique sounding and unique (beautiful!) looking guitar.
8 out of the box but with a few hours of work and less than a couple hundred bucks it's a big TEN.

Mfg April 2000, in Korea,bought new a few mnths ago, 3/4 size Archtop, single cutaway,turquois finish,maple top, mahogony sides and back, set neck, with a soild center block, (like an ES-335), 22 frets ,rosewood board,two P-90 single coil pickups,a volume for each pkup, plus one tone, and a master volume,and a 3 way pkup selector. tune-o-matic bridge, Gotoh tuners, imitation Bigsby vibrato by Epiphone,neck/ scale is typical Gibson. Hard case is additional.

I play oldies rock and newer country,this guitar suits my style(but not quite as twangy as a strat),I use a Fender Vibrolux Reverb reissue amp w/ the treble on 8,thru a delay,chorus,and tube screamer(when you want distortion), the P-90's sound great,not noisy, and distort easily,it has a full sound,on the board pkup,and medium bright but not super bright on the bridge pkup,I like the master volume ,w/ separate pkup volumes , for a variety of different sounds.

The factory set up was ok, but it came w/ very heavy strings,I put on 9/42 Elixar strings, adjusted the neck relief,(due to changing to a lighter gauge strings), set the intonation, raised the bridge slightly,adjusted the pkup screws to 3/64 height, plays great w/ this setup,the Epi vibrato is ok, but does go slightly out of tune, the fit and finish are outstanding, and the action is very fast, a few chrome flaws,and the pkup selector makes noise sometimes.

The finish is very good and shiny,the paint seems thick, a few minor flaws,nice binding,construction seems good for a set neck instrument,heavy strap buttons,I'd say the guitar will withstand live playing,it seems dependable, and I'd gig without a backup. I've been using for several mnths now, and no problems.

I called Gibson/Epiphone 2 times since I purchased the guitar. First time to confirm that the salesperson mailed the wrong case, and the second time to find out the recommended height between the pkup polepieces and the string.( I'm pretty particular about having everything set up properly).Both times the tech on the phone was very helpful, with an immediate answer.Warranty is one year.

I've playing guitar for 35 years,I own 15 other guitars, Fenders,Ricks,Gretsch,Gibson,etc(vintage 1968 to present),2 fender and 2 vox amps,I would buy another Wildkat if mine were lost or stolen,I like this guitar's size,and fast neck,no hates, I compared this to a used Howard Roberts Fusion, I liked this guitar more,a little more twang and less jazz sound, I may change the Epi vibrato to a Bigsby Unit. Great value for the money.

As basic as it gets... Volume, tone and a three way toggle switch. Comes stock with an Epiphone Bigsby knockoff, however, mine is a stamped "2nd" and it's been replaced with a trapezoid non-trem tailpiece. I also replaced the tuners with sperzels (whether they neede to be or not). No frills... but who needs 'em?

I play power pop, rock, and alt roots rock, and the Wildkat has a real fat full sound. No reason to replace these pickups at all. I'm using it through a '71 Ampeg VT40, with various effects and it sings! Smooth sounding leads and lots of sustain (although I'm not sure if having the stock bridge would affect that).

Was set up well by the store I purchased it from. Finish looks real good (aside from a few markings where the fake Bigsby used to be, but only noticable close up). Pickup selector is iffy and needs to be replaced or resoldered, but no big deal.

This guitar is a workhorse! I'd feel safe using it without a backup, though I always have others laying around. Solid...

Not sure. I emailed them to ask why the Bigsby type tailpiece was replaced with the trapezoid piece (like so many other "2nd" stamped Wildkats that were popping up on eBay at the time) , and I was told that they had no knowledge of that. I just think they didn't want to deal with the "2nd's" crowd. They did respond pretty quick though, so that must count for something...

I've been playing for 15 years and have owned, and still own a lot of great guitars. This is my favorite. It's simple and dependable (aside from the lousy pickup selector). If it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it with another Wildkat right away. I got this one cheap, but for the going rate of $450-500, it's worth it.

2001 Korean made. Alnico V p-90 chrome pickups. 22 fret rosewood fingerboard. mahogany small semi hollow body. Translucent Black finish is immaculate. There are some chrome palting flaws on one pickup, but for the price i paid, i can live with it. Solid maple top, 3 way pu switch. Gotoh tuners, Bigsby style tremolo. Very smooth neck finish and good low action.

This is the guitar i have always wanted. I only played acustic guitars for my own enjoyment and i have 20 years experience. The Wildkat has a deep clear sound perfect for the blues ans jazz i enjoy playing. I am using a vintage Ampeg tube filled amp of unknown wattage. The sound has a very dynamic range and good sustain. Awesome sound!

The set up was ok, nothing great, there was a problem with the 3 through 5th frets where they were not bound properly and the 1st string would actually get stuck underneath the fret during a few heavy bends. I fixed it myself rather than part with it while i got a replacement. I fixed it in a few minutes. The chrome plating was not perfect on one pickup. There were several sharp edges along the f holes that i filed away easily.

This is a very solid guitar. I see no reason to worry about the durability of this heavy duty guitar. I would definatly repace this guitar if it was lost or stolen. And i would get the black again.

i have no experience so far with the factory.

I have been playing on and off for over 20 years and have a 1978 Yamaha acustic. I love the playability of the Wildkat and the excellent tone. It plays easily and effortlessly (compared to my Yami anyway.) I always wanted a semi hollow body in the Gretch design but with a family i found the Epiphone fit my wants as a musician and my need to budget my money perfectly. I highly recommend anyone this fine instrument. Maybe someday i will get my Gretsch but i hardly think so, i am THAT happy with my Kat!

2001 semi hollow with maple top and mahogany sides back and neck. Mine is turquoise has p-90's and a bigsby copy trem. All hardware is chrome tuners are gotoh. Korean made and as described in greater detail in previous posts.

Sounds great for the blues that I play. Can be warm without any harshness or fat. No noise from the pick-ups or swith or pots. Very versatile. I do not play any high gain, but would imagine the semi-hollow construction would be unsuitable for this. Cannot match an old gretsch or gibson, but definately sounds better than comparably priced D'Armonds.

The guitar set up definately needs some fine tuning. Intonation and action were a little out of wack, and as everyone else has mentioned the strings are unneccessarily heavy. The construction quality is very good. Paint is as good as it will be on any guitar in this price range. Mine has a hairline flaw where the neck/fingerboard sit into the body. The binding gives it a more upscale look, but is very inconsistant around the f-holes. Inside of f-holes are a little rough, though this is only noticable up close. The fret seatings are also inconsistant. Some are not completely set in leaving a small gap between the fretwire and the board. This makes for some buzz occaissionally, but is fairly easy to live with (not to mention the expense of having the frets redone).

As I previously mentioned the construction of this guitar is very good. I think this guitar would with stand all but the harshest treatment. The paint is laid on thick and smooth, and after almost a year and no pick-guard does not show any pick scratches. I would never use anything with out a "plan b" but I doubt that this guitar would require a back-up except for untimely string changes.

I called with a few questions and the responses were always useful and direct. Same goes for e-mail with them.

I have been playing for a year and have a strat that was built specifically for me. If stolen or lost I am not sure I would replace this immediately, but I certainly enjoy owning and playing this one. I get many compliments on this guitars appearance, it is very unique. I wish I had played more guitars before buying this one, I would especially like to compare it to the Gibson blueshawk. I like the gibson necks and this one has the same feel. I wish they had used the real bigsby instead on the copy. the steal on the real ones is much higher quality and mine does have a rough spot on one edge. This is the guitar I learned on, and it has been unbeatable for that. However as I am sure you are aware, once you can play a few notes, one guitar will never satisfy all your needs. Definatey worth the money spent.

Epiphone Wildkat made in Korea probably 2000. 22 frets. Mahogany body (semi-acoustic LP-like)with laminated maple top and mapel neck with rosewood. 3-way selector, master and two volyme, one tone control. Two microphones p-90 S/H. Translucent black (tiger maple underneath).
Tune-O-Matic as well as Bigsby. Locking tuners Gotoh. Thin neck. Gig bag and strap included.

The Wildkat is A GUITAR. Even though I play blues and jazz as well as Rolling Stones and CCR etc it will play anything. I use an original Fender Twin mid-70 and an Earth Revival top with Celestions, and most important home made guitar cables that does not look in anything. No extra gear. The Wildkat can be just a Wildkat and you must be able to tame it. Just as it is noisy, just as a raw diamond you have to cut it right, but it will be quit in another setting. It produces a complete sound register and the varitions have no limit. You may have as much feedback as you want, but you must handle the guitar if you won't. It's a killer!

The guitar was set up with e11-strings. Action the way I want it; good tone no disturbing string sounds. Balanced sound and no pickup adjustment neccessary. The flaws to recognize are two; adjustment of the tuners and probably the lower end selector has to be changed. I must have had luck or..?? 1977 I bought a new Fender Telecaster and I had to have the frets thorougly adjusted, as well as the bridge and .....

I will depend on it on any gig as stand alone guitar. The strap buttons, hardware, and tuning are durable, I've experienced. In the long run I expect it to last as any other well crafted guitar.

No experince, although one year garantee from shop (Swedish legal system) as well as warranty from Epiphone hopefully will prove to be enough. By the way, I feel safe beeing inte legal profession.

I am in the late 40es, and have been playing for more than 30 years, but never as a professional. I have an incredible Gibson Les Paul Custom (sadly and safely looked in), a wonderful 64 Fender Stratocaster (sadly and safely looked in), a Korean GTX (Strata-copy) with true 1957 sound (it is rough) and an acoustic 1979 Takamine f-360 S. The Wildkat represents a type of guitar I've been wanting since late 1960. Also, not to forget, it represents memories of two friends 30 years ago, one same age that was a genius in music, one that did go other ways in life. A guitar is always something more than an instrument, you know. Beeing just a guitar it must however be able to produce guitar sounds, not be "electrical". The Wildkat gives you more than you ever will be able to handle, just with an amplifier, without any equipment, whatsover.

Made in 2000 in Korea, semi-hollow with p-90s, with a bigsby style tremola, tuners are gotoh.

I love the blues with a hint of jazz. This guitar is perfect for lay back delta style without too much drive. I use a Hot Rod Deluxe with it without any overdrive as I like the natural breakup on the clean channel. The sound is fat and thick which is exactly what I was looking for. Not the best for pig sqeals, more BB sounding. I like the middle middle position most of the time. The farther up the neck I go, I find I like the neck pickup more.

Setup was ok but there was some fret buzz I had to remedy. I had to replace the pickup selector. I choose a Gibson three way. I'm planning on swapping out the pickups for some Gibson P-90's, no real good reason for this except that I'm a fuss pot about tone. And if I can possibly make this axe sound better, even fractionally so, I'm going for it. The finish was as good as any of the upper brands. The woods are solid, but lower end. This does not bother me though, I'm mean its a $500 guitar and worth every penny but I'm not going to run with a false fantasy that its as good as a Gibson. My friend just bought a Gibson LP classic. The quality of wood and craftsmanship is awesome, but he paid 2200 for it and I'm happy for him.

With the gibson selector switch, I feel confident with it for gigs. the hardware is equal to most middle of the road stuff. The finish I have to say is nice - turqoise my favorite color and nice buff job too. Strap buttons are nice and beefy. Wouldn't gig without a backup even if I had a PRS. What if some drunk buzzard vomits on your pickups and shorts them out?

Never had to deal with them for a problem. They'll bullshit with you for a while though.

I've been playing for 28 years - too long to sound as crappy as I do, but its my right to keep sounding like shit. If lost or stolen, I would get the same thing. I love the tone and looks for a Korean made guitar. I also own a Tacoma DR12, and a Carin Bolt (nice axe) A few things I'd like to say about Gibson/Epiphone. I realize that most players realize that Gibson engineer's Epiphone and owns it. Somehow though, a few uninformed souls are saying "Epiphones are better than Gibsons for the money and have equal quality control" Common folks, wake up! Gibson was good enough to have some cool budget guitars made for us not so rich folks. We don't have to slam well crafted high quality instruments to appreciate the good playings ones we end up with. As far as good playing instruments go. Most brands now days are built pretty well because of computer controls. So just buy what you like and play it.

Semi-hollow body, single cutaway 6-string. Probably manufacturered in 2000, bought in 2001. Korean made guitar with some First World features and workmanship. Binding on body and around f holes. It has a laminated flame maple top, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard. 24 frets, set neck. Master volume, master tone, independent volume (2) and two Alnico VP-90 PUs. Three position "Treble/Rhythm" switch for playing bridge, neck, or both PUs. Chrome sealed Gotoh tuners. Usually comes with a Bigsby tremolo with the Epiphone "E" on it. Mine was adapted at the factory with a trapeze floating bridge instead of the bigsby. (Some guitars had faulty bigsbys, so factory replaced them with the floating bridge). Fine with me since I got it for a song as a "used" guitar on the internet. I don't do Blitzkrieg divebombing or a lot of surf music anyway. Wildkats come in three finishes, Antique natural (mine) which has a nice maple yellow top, translucent black (can see flame maple grain), and a painted turquoise finish (no grain seen). Many good features on a reasonably priced guitar.

I've only used it with my 50 watt practice amp at home and through the 16 channel board at my church (Bose speakers). Sounds very good with the usual effects; chorus, reverb, distortions, played through a BOSS effects pedal. It is not good for high gain use. The VP-90 PUs are quiet in all 3 switch positions. The guitar is not a screamer although it will hold it's own for any rock lead. If you play Hendrix, you probably play a Strat anyway. Best for jazz, blues, rockabilly, ska, and anywhere that you'd consider a more expensive semi-hollow. Nice, fat sound.

The guitar was set-up well with middle-low action. The 09 strings that came with it are a little to "slinky" for me so I may move up a step (I'm primarily an acoustic player). The finish and bright chrome hardware are impressive-one fellow guitarist called it "sexy". He's getting the translucent black Wildkat after seeming mine. The cream colored binding on the body and f holes give the guitar a finished look found in guitars costing much more. Noticed a small discoloration in the binding in one of the f holes (very small), and the two tone knobs were slightly off center (a little "wobble"). All in all, a fine looking and nicely built guitar.

I've had the guitar for two weeks so we'll see how it holds up. But the guitar feels substantial. The tuners are solid as are the PUs. It is not a lightweight guitar-there is real wood in there! This is NOT a Hollywood breakaway guitar used in cowboy fight scenes. The strap buttons are large and beefy. Too early to tell, but I will be depending on it since its my only electric.

Don't know. Haven't had to deal with Epiphone about anything.

I've been acoustic guitar for 25 years. I have a Takamine bought in 1976. If it were lost or stolen, I'd try to replace it, but I don't think I'd get a better deal than the one I got. Suggested retail is $800 on the Wildkat so I doubt I could get it for close to the same priceI bought it for. It is a beautiful looking guitar with a full, fat semi-hollow sound. It even sounds good unplugged although it doesn't put out the volume the largerhollow bodies. Hard to beat the quality for the price.