Epiphone WildKat

I just wanted to share this with those who have Epiphone WildKats or are interested:

I liked the appearance of the WildKat and didn't want to spend a lot to try out my first hollow body electric, but the instrument I acquired was unremarkable. It had a nice tiger striped gray finish, but not a neck that I particularly liked, and I never could get the action quite as good as on my other instruments. Recently I had resigned myself to the idea of selling it and trying some other hollow body, but on a whim, I retro-fitted some Seymour Duncan 'Hot P90' pickups to the WildKat. While original pickups were muddy, no highs, and relatively weak, with the new pickup the tone is very organic. I feel that they brought the instrument to life. The Duncan Hot P90s and the WildKat turned out to be a complimentary choice to my ears

How to retro-fit pickups to these goofy non-standard shells? You can de-solder the old pickups from the shells with a soldering gun, enlarge pole piece holes with a drill (carefully & then debur), and finally glue the new ones in with silicone, for example. Alternately, you could mount the pickups by cutting and bending brass sheet metal into a suitable shape, then solder the new pickups in place.

So that's it. Now I may actually hang on to this guitar. :-)

Made in China (like most product now), 22 frets, semi-hollowbodied about the size of a Les Paul, master vol + 2 vol + tone, 2x Alnico V P-90s, Flame Maple body, Rosewood neck, thick cherry finish on thin neck, strings are quite close together compared to Stratocasters, tune-o-matic with Bigsby tremelo, Grover machine heads, no case (got a 335 case and put some padding in as it is significantly smaller than a 335). This guitar is chockerblock with features, especially given the price.

Used with Marshall JMP-1 & Marshall 9200 Dual Mono-Bloc 100w + 100w and 2 x Marshall 1936 (2 x 12") boxes. Only effect is Boss DD-3 Digital Delay short slapback. Noisier than PAF's but quieter than single coils. "Thicker" sound than PAFs, even on the bridge. Perfect for rockabilly/rock'n'roll with some crunch and tone. Not suitable for hard rock mainly as the P-90s are better for more traditional sounds. Can be used acoustically but doesn't have a great deal of natural resonance. Got good natural feedback when I cranked it. Pickups are somewhat "microphonic" which is again perfect for rockabilly/rock'n'roll. Could also be used for jazz, blues etc. - any traditional styles - just not hard rock as the pickups sound a little thicker than the average humbucker and the hollowbody does enhance the microphonics. Also, pickups have a little less top-end than average humbuckers so I kick in the slew rate switch on the Marshalls.

Action was reasonably high (but I have been using stratocasters for over 20 years) straight out of box but easy to fix with Tune-O-Matic. Pickups are fixed position (non-adjustable) but in a suitable position (give the P-90s plenty of distance from the string at the bridge). Scratch under master volume pot (pot covers are made of weak plastic and I broke one trying to take it off). Master volume pot was loose in body when taken out of box - fixed it easily but that's when I noticed the scratch. Stickers say that the P-90s are double waxed but I get the feeling they could squeal if cranked really hard. Pickup selector is noisy similar to most 3-way selections on Epiphones. Buzzes a little at the bridge (but I've only been playing a few days and these sorts of things tend to go away). Finish is stunning - Cherry backed and left hand slides easily up/down the neck. Bigsby clicks a little when used (due to size of nut at base of arm tapping the spring) but stays in tune well - I think this guitar has 10-46 strings but there's no indication of that. Jack is at base of guitar so it's best to get a 90 degree angle jack on your cable.

This guitar is well designed for stage - I'll be using this as my main guitar. It's hard to tell whether the hardware's going to last, however there's not too much that could go wrong really. Pickups have a metallic cover. Machine heads seem to be good quality. Bigsby looks solid - time will tell - it's great having a free-floating tremelo which doesn't cause other strings to go out of tune when bending. Finish is so thick it will never wear away! Replace the strap buttons with lockables. I will never gig without a backup ... but I get the sense you could.

Warranty through local distributor. Haven't tried to use customer support.

Playing for 25 years. Have old Peavey gear (Stereo Chorus 2112), Marshall 2210 JCM 800, lots of Boss FX pedals, Roland GP-16, 2 x 31 band EQ - ditched the lot for the Marshall (JMP-1 pre-amp plus Marshall 9200 100w + 100w with two 2 x 12' Marshall 1936 boxes) and the delay pedal. The JMP-1 is versatile re use of different guitars (Japanese Fender with Dimarzios and Hot Rails, Custom Cargill (Melbourne, Australia) with Dimarzios (2 x single & humbucker with splitter) and (believe it or not) and old Torch with Grovers/Fender pickups.

I'd like to have tried the P-90s - I'm use to them but they are warmer than PAFs but I like the sound. In fact, the guitar "sings" with these pickups/microphonics/high-action rather than "saws" with your average low-action humbuckers.

I would definitely replace this guitar if stolen. I would consider getting a lower end Gretsch but I think you'd be playing for the name rather than the features.

I love the price, construction, finish, playability, features especially given my newfound interest in rock'n'roll/rockabilly. My favourite feature is the semi-hollowbody style - this is the best of both worlds - a Les Paul like body plus its a hollowbody. My second favourite is the price - this is a truly affordable and unique guitar.

I hate the Epiphone signage (the sickle sign), although the headstock has cool retro signage. Some mightn't like the thinner than average distance between strings but I'm rapt with it - this mightn't be the guitar for players with big/fat fingers.

It is "harder" to play than the Stratocasters I have with low action, however that is perfect for the rock'n'roll/rockabilly style I'm playing which is more melodic than other styles I've played. I relied on reviews on this and other sites and I was not disappointed!

This guitar is designed as a more traditional style guitar so don't expect it to be a heavy metal machine. Roll back off the overdrive and enjoy the beautiful dulcette tones.

I got an early model with Gotho tuners. A couple of years into production the WildKat had a price drop, so I went to the store to check out a newer model. It felt very similar, so I am not sure if production year matters. I think it is well built. The paint is way too thick, though. The tremolosystem is unstable and kills tone. It it is a very good idea to block it. You will get a new guitar.
I put a 57 type humbucker i neck position. This works excellent with the knob configuration with master and individual volumes. The humbucker is quieter than the P90, and can be compensated when in combination. You can still adjust the input on the amp standing.
About the neck and fretwork: I think it is decent, like many Epiphones, but it is nowhere near a high-end product. I understand that many people get excitet over the value of this product, but don't have the illusion that this is comparable to anything made by luthiers. The polish on the neck is not the best for fast action.

The sounds I liked the most are Fender amp semi clean. The P90 can push the amp pretty hard and get great tones. This is the big thing with P90 Epi's and the reason I bought it. The pickups are good quality. They don't sound exactly Gibson P90, they are brighter, squeel faster, and perhaps less waxed. You can fix this yourself, I didn't bother. Anyway, I think that the p90's are the decent only pickups which Epiphone makes.
The body is hollow under the pickups, wich give them more vibration. The body is kind of small. I think it sounds like a combination of an Epiphone Les Paul, 335 and Casino. When I first got it, it still had the tremolo, and I thought it was kind of hard to get it to sound acoustic. I tried diffent strings and even with heavy gauge it was a but tame. When I blocked the tremolosystem (picked out the spring and dismounted the arm) it was a lot better. I still think it needs 11's to respond to the heavy wood. For more jazz-like tones, use a wraparound method and let the strings pass over the bar behind the ABR-1.

As i mentioned, the finnish on the back of the neck is an issue for me. I hate this kind of finnish. It forces my patiance and my playing style. I don't get why Epiphone does this to their otherwise nice products.
I saw that the newer tailpieces says "Bingsby" and not "Epiphone". Maybe they have improved this feature. If you want a Bingsby, it will suck a little tone. If you got the "Epiphone" tailpiece, it will certainly suck a lot of tone. Not worth it, so I advise you to lose it.
The controls and switching is ok. You can make subtle improvements if you wish. The pickups are noisy, squeely, dirty, and they should be for their use. The volume control gives many opportunities, especially with two different pickups.
The body finnish is way too thick. I wonder what it would sound like without it. Maybe someday I'll do a John Lennon job on it and sand it down. The figure maple top does not really look like wood flaming. If it is, then it is ruined by the thick finnish.

It is very heavy and the finnish can probably protect me agains gamma-rays, so it also works as a survival utility guitar. Keeps in tune after I got rid of the tremolo.

Never bothered to pay attention to warranties.

The body size is perfect for stage use. Hollowbody P90 guitars are not necessarily the easiest gigging axes. This one has a little better feedback handeling. It is a wonderful guitar that sounds better than it plays, but its shortcomings are not really a big deal. It is a part of the price range and some can be improved. I think it is important that people know what to expect. It is a very good buy, and one of the more useful designs from Epiphone.

Same features as everyone knows about. Semi-hollow body, Mahogany body, Maple top, P-90 pickups, Bigsby-esque vibrato, 1 master tone, 2 individual volumes, 1 master volume, and the worlds thickest polyurethane finish.

Plinky - Very little character -sounds like an average solid body guitar. But the volume controls allow you to maximize it's averageness. careful with your stomp boxes. These pickups would rather squeal than give string feedback. For the most part it's a lot duller than you would expect after reading these reviews. It's not bad - just not what you'd expect with all the "10's" posted in these reviews.

Good -
Finish is well applied on Epiphone's part. No goofs.
The nut and frets are well done also.
I had to set it up when I discarded the 10 gauge strings that came with it for 11's. It was no big deal - just an intonation.

Bad -
Headstock heavy and not balanced.
This thing is HEAVY. 8 Lbs gets a little uncomfortable after playing about an hour.
Saddle for the "A" string buzzes.
Polyurethane finish is too thick (although, indestructible).

I had the pickup selector go out on me mid gig (no output at all). It was easy enough to fix myself. Other than that, it's rock solid. The vibrato has gotten a bad rap here. If you use a little light machine oil on the nut and where the strings go over the saddles then it works well.

Dunno.... It does have a warranty plastered on the ugliest orange sticker known to man, which is inside the upper F hole.

I bought this guitar after reading the glorifying reviews from this site. My local dealer was out of stock, so I purchased one mail order from Musicians Friend. I was really disappointed with the sound of this guitar. It just didn't match the hollow body/rockabilly impression. It sounds like an average SOLID body guitar with very little character. I've since played a demo model at my local dealer to find that my initial impression was correct - it sounds average. I do like the playability, controls, and look of the Wildkat (which makes it usable). I've been playing since 1984 so I've accrued enough gizmos to make this guitar sound good. But, If I just plug it in directly to my amp (Fender Deluxe Reverb) then it sounds like wasted money. So, if you have some COSM effects or a plethora of stomp boxes then this guitar may be for you. If your looking for an honest, stand alone Rockabilly git box then......Move along....This one's not for you.

very nice appeal immediately. I'm a sucker for that "RocknRoll" roots guitar look. I rate it a 10 easily. Bigsbys have the majesty of a white 74 Cadilac Eldorado. Not sporty, but classic. Put that on a maple bookmatched with F-holes, hey that just looks good to me. I'm biased.

The Eiphone licensed Bigsby tremo is pretty sweet. Can add the perfect amount of tremolo. Although, players who are used to hard dives on their Floyd Rose locking tremelo systems might not be suited for a Bigsby.

The P90s are very nice.
This is guitar is perfect for a person who really prefers humbuckers over singel coils. So having said that; in the "Les Paul vs. Stratocaster " generalizations. I think this really appeals to the Les Paul fans more so. If this is what P90s sound like, I've been missing out.

I'm totally amazed by the sound but mostly the versatility. The master volume and independent volume controls (in parallel not in series like the LesPaul) are very useful.

When playing live I use the same amp tone but adjust the volumes to play everything from Beatles Sabath. I hate to admit it, but my LP can't do that.

A welcome weight switch from the Les Paul.

I also own a hollowbody Washburn. It is also light weight but most of the weight is in the neck. The wildkat being a semi-hollow has more of a presence and is balanced very well.

I like the P90s but not being able to pickup heights leaves me feeling a little restrictive is terms of changing the setup.

It does do very nicely playing live. It aslo took a full pint shattering on it and drenching it (note: don't put your guitar rack underneath a window ledge). I qiuckly wiped it up and put it away. A good cleaning and it was back at it the next gig.

I like the finish. I can't tell if it's a photo-finish. Or a real mapel cap. Regardless, it's a nice flame maple, bookmatched honey top.

Grover tuners; Very nice. Always a good sign that guitar has some redeaming qualities.

I do depend on it. I do use it at gigs so much that my Les Paul Standard, which I though was the shizzle, has now become my backup guitar to my WildKat.

Strap buttons are ok, but I should put locking straps buttons on it. I think that goes for any guitar you enjoy really.

I've been playing for 17 years and I've owned over 8 guitars. I also own a 97 Les Paul Standard that I covetted for years before getting it. Now, I grab the Wildkat first. It's just more versatile for all songs. A big plus when playing live. The weight is far easier to take than the LP when palying for 2 hours at a stretch.

I would replace it if stolen.

The only thing I would like is the bridge to have locking set screws on either side to keep it stationary when restringing. StewMacDonald offers it as a product and I've always thought that it just makes sense to have that in this style of bridge system.

If it were an actual "Bigsby" tremelo and not a "Epiphone" licensed copy, people would take it more seriously. If Epiphone is trying to establish itself as a quality guitar manufacturer like their parent company, inlcuding a "Bigsby" would be a plus.

OK enough has already been said about this guitar but I must add my comments thinking that this guitar exceeds expectations. I bought the guitar on ebay - transparent black finish, chrome hardware, real Bigsby, no modifications, "never been taken outta the house". I would rate the ebay seller at a 10.

Super clean frets, setup high on 12, but in tune, intonation on the mark someone set it up, this cant' be factory. The P90s are vibrant and microphonic, very live, wow. good gawd these pickups rock. Dial em down and you get that nice jazz thind. I find the middle position with both pickups is the most intersting. The sound is fantastic. The rosewood fretborad is gorgeous. My frets never needed leveling. OK the bigsby. Of course: I bought this guitar for 395 on ebay with the sole intention of putting another 400-500 into a roller bridge, graphtech nut, and serious bigby tuning. INSTEAD: I put a set of ernie ball 11s ion it, and cannot let go of the ax long enough to take it down to have the work done!! Good god this guitar has got some serious mojo and attitude and the p090s just rock your world. I am playing this guitar through a Fender Champ (70s) with no effects. I cannot put the guitar down logn enough to do the work on it that a) I envisioned adn 2) it needs. It sounds too good

It will not stay intune. Welcome to wildkat/bigsby. I will address that issue by installing graphtech nut and roller bridge. The bigsby is gorgeous, if you don't press it too much, then everything goes out. I woud have had the work done last week, but I can't put the guitar down I got the transparent black on ebay $395. Epinphone don't ship that any more, and I am so happy. I cannot believe this guitar is under $500. The frets, fit finish, binding is just AWESOME, and smooth. So gorgeous. Laying on the bed it looks like a $3000 Les Paul black custom with a bigsby until you go -- oh-- that's an ... Ephiphone what??
This is a $500 guitar. Wow. So I will take this from a factory shipped 8 fit/finish t a 10 when i replace all those things...

The transparent black is so nice I have not bothered to try to see the book maching on the maple top - but it is there and probably is ok.

Big note: one reason I bought this guitar is because it is supposed to have a big phat ass Gibson neck on it. My particular guitar has a gorgeous neck but it is more like a 335 or a Telecaster. It is not a fat Gibson neck, but a fast, thin jazz neck. I'm not complaining -- it's gorgeous and althought eh binding/fret bmps arenot the smoothest onearth, it's just SO nice.

Very tough, stays in tune (I put .11 slinkys on immeidately) don't touch the Bigsby, it is awesome. Play the bigsby and ok ,you enter that territory. I put 11s on, intending to have hardware repalacement s done at a guitar center, but, never got there. CAn't put hte ax down -- it just rocks.

Never called Epiphone.

I cannot believe this ax is less than $500. I have a 99 tele and a 56 Gibson vintage jazz box with P90. I was shopping either a Pat Martino or a Johnny A Gibson Custom but saw the Wildkat and got it. What a personality this guitar has. The P90s have a "quack" which when you hit them too hard, is evident. you only do that on guitars you like (heh). I'm rating this a 9 - I'm not wealthy enough to understand what a 10 is.

Semi-hollow body guitar with P-90 single coils pickups and Bigsby tremolow. Guitar quality was okay, similar to many other $400 dollar Epiphones, WildKat over priced at $1200 suggested list price. On sale for around $400 is about right.

Many found the P-90's to their liking but for me I felt they were too muddy. I have had other guitars with P-90's and like the fat sound they get but the WildKat just seemed muddy and lacking in tone. I tried it with various tube and solid state amps and over all disliked the sound.

Action was a bit high but over-all it played satisfactoraly, pickups cannot be adjusted for hieght, finish was flawed on the neck (probably why the guitar was sold at discount) but the rest of the guitar was finished nicely. Frets were okay, similar to $400 Epiphones, tuning pegs were a little rough.

Guitar seems built well and should hold up fine to regulare use. Nothing stood out as being cheap.

Never used them

Okay cheap guitar but falls flat in tone department, stuck within a small range of tone and can be quite muddy.

Light stained flame top with a super shiny finish, sort of a big les paul style body. Tune-O-Matic bridge with Epiphone Bigsby (newer models have a genuine Bigsby). Grover tuners and medium frets. 2 chrome dog ear P-90's, 2 independent volume controls with master volume, one tone control and your usual Gibson style 3 way switch. Cool embossed Epiphone nameplate on headstock.

I play mostly classic rock, early metal, punk and blues. The Wildkat fits the bill everything, probably not for metal though. I have never owned a hollow or semi-hollow body guitar before or anything with a Bigsby, but this thing had a great buy it now price, so I figured what the hey. The best word to describe the sound is MEATY! This guitar sounds great clean and really good overdriven through a Marshall 15 and a silverface Fender Twin. Lots of bottom end and midrange punch. I swapped the .038 tone cap for a sprague orange drop .022 a few days after I got the guitar. I will probably put the .038 back in as some of the highs were lost. The P-90's sound great, not particularly noisy at normal volumes, but you can get some serious "screach" with overdrive at higher volumes. Dip 'em in wax if it's a problem. I have played plenty of P-90 guitars, and these pickups are keepers. I personally like the master volume control. All of the electronics look high quality to me, no scratchy pots and no problems with the 3 way switch here.

I'm gonna go with a "7" here (though it is a 9 now, after some work). I got mine used but I still had to file the nut a good bit to get everything right. The bridge pickup was screwed on slightly crooked, I will fix that later. The finish and flame top are very shiny. This guitar CAN be an awesome axe BUT you have to spend a few bucks and do a little work on the Bigsby to get it to stay in tune. It CAN be done, more on that later...

I would definitely gig this, but always carry a back up. Hardware seems quality, finish looks quite durable and the guitar feels solid overall. Straplocks are the first thing to add to all my electric guitars. I beleive this one will last a very long time.

N/A

I have been playing about 20 years. Had to sell all my Gibson's, can't afford them right now. I currently own an Eastwood Stormbird, a Takamine G series Acoustic, the Wildkat, a silverface Fender Twin, a solid state 15 watt Marshall and an Epiphone Valve Junior head. This is a great guitar at a great price. The main problem is the Bigsby. Mine wouldn't stay in tune even if I DIDN'T use the Bigsby. I think the problem is the string angle is too steep at the back of the bridge with the roller on. It had intonation problems as well. Here's how I fixed this and made this guitar play GREAT!!! The first modification to do is GET RID OF THE ROLLER BEHIND THE BRIDGE!!!! Loosen the strings, Remove the snapring on the side closest to the volume knobs, and pull the thing out upwards, then throw it in your parts box. This will give the strings an almost straight shot from the end of the Bigsby to the bridge. I also invested $23 in a new set of Graph-Tech saddles. I ended up having to turn the bridge around to where the screws faced the Bigsby, as the Graph-Tech's are shorter and the strings were hitting the screws. A little filing on the saddles and this thing stays in tune damn near perfectly. Intonation is spot on now too. Now I like everything about this guitar. I can't put it down!!! I'm giving it a "9" overall, after the modifications. I would definitely track another one down if it came up missing. The only other thing I would like to share is, Kids, if you are still playing with .009's, do yourself a favor and throw some 11's on your axe (or at least 10's) and find out what your guitar should sound like!!!

Got mine used from a pawn shop. It's the turquoise color, and I like the color. Mine has the "official" bigsby. Never had a Bigsby before and when I put strings on it it was really tough(I hate to re-string any of the guitars I have). It has the grovers and whover had it beofre I did must have hardly played, it was really like new when I cleaned it up. Has the P-90's which sound good. I like the bound fretboard and body-it looks quality for the price. Can't tell where it was made, but probably it was Korea.

The sound is rich, mid-rangy compared to the others I have. Pots a little scratchy. I plan to spray some tuner/cleaner in them soon. I use a Univox combo amp with a 12" speaker tp practice (it's all tube-old and vintage) and it sounds good with the Wildkat. Im use a Sovtek that I had hot rodded (new pots, a master volume-and other upgrades) on stage. It has 50 watts and when cranked-it smokes.

When I first got it, I had to set the intonation for 11's I put on it. Was not out much. A problem I found was 2 slightly high frets on 2 string locations. I took my files to them, polished them out and now the action is as good as any of my guitars. I don't like doing this, but for the money tis cost, it's all you should expect. I raised the neck PU by placing thin pieces of cork underneath the screws that hold the PU on. It is now closer to the strings and sounds fuller-you can't see the cork either. Binding is good, finish thick and rich.

I will use it live, but will carry a backup in case a string breaks-the Bigsby is tought to string. Two screws were stripped and I had to put toothpicks in the holes to get a good grip for the screws-another quality issue.

Don't expect I'll use it....

Been playing 35 years or so. I own A Taylor acoustic 4 Ibanez Les Pauls with set necks (the lawsuit ones-excellent guitars-my main ones). A Samick San 450 (very nice) An Ibanez L-5 copy jazz box (another lawsuit one also excellent), and 2 Squirer stat copies both made in japan-also excellent quality. I like the fat neck on the Wildkat-real comfortable to play, and the fit and finish is good. I also like the sound. Not sure I'd replace it if it was stolen. Overall the Wildkat is a good guitar-it feels and sounds good-just some quality issues I have with mine-high frets, etc.

I have the transparent black finish. Not my first choice (it's hard to see the wood grain) but it was used and the price was right. I think mine is a couple years old.

Nice big neck, extremely comfortable to play. Everything else is mentioned by others (dual P90's, bigsby, etc). Exactly what I wanted.

Sounded ok in the store, but once I got it home and put some 11's on it the thing came alive. I think it had 9's on it, what a shame, the previous owner probably never knew what this could sound like.

The rhythm pickup is outstanding to my ears. It's got a nice deep tone that works great for bassy rhythmic blues riffs (think Black Keys). The treble pickup is the "billy" part of the "rockabilly", gets a good sharp tone with the tone knob in the middle.

I don't understand why this is but the sound of this guitar is somewhat similar to the midrange Gretsch models I played before I bought it.

I play this mainly thru an Epi Valve Jr.

Bought it used so I don't have an opinion of the factory setup. The previous owner wasn't a fan of the bigsby so the spring is still really tough. This makes it a little hard to use (a buddy's Gretsch is much looser, much easier to use).

It looks like mine was put to use, has quite a bit of scratches on the top (I assume from wild picking technique) but is structurally perfect and all the hardware is in great shape.

My only complaint is the master volume knob is scratchy.

Seems to be built well.

Stays in tune unless the bigsby is exercised. I bought some graphite nut lube and lubed up the nut and bridge with minor success. My saddles have been worn by the wound strings so they don't slip and slide, they grab on the strings. I believe this is the root of my tuning problems. Roller bridge wouldn't hurt. The tuning problems are definitely minor anyways.

No cause so far.

Eh... 10 years or so. I've got a 50's Harmony archtop, a resonator guitar, and a couple miscellaneous other guitars.

I think I would replace it if stolen. I love the sound, and it's just really comfortable and suitable for what I want to play. And it's just totally different from your average strat, LP, or Ibanez axe.

I compared this mainly with the Gretsch line, the other Epi's, and a couple Artcores. Gretsch definitely has some nicer guitars but for 1/4 the price the Wildkat is the only guitar that would do.

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!

transparent finish,semi-hollow, bigsby tremolo, grover tuners, cheapo p-90s, finished neck. good looking, not to tough to set up. mine came set up pretty well from G.C. I especially like the smaller body. Blows away all but the best of the new Gretsch guitars. You could go with the Gibson ES-135 for similar sound and features, but you'd spend at least 2 or 3 times as much. Truth be told this isn't my main guitar. I have a couple of modded strats and a tele. The Wildkat is usually my back up. If I wanted to use a semi-hollow for my main instrument I would probably spend the extra money and go with the ES-135.

I play in a greaser rock and roll/r&b band. We do everything from jump blues to hillbilly bop to proto-soul. The Wildkat has the look and the p-90s/semi-hollow combo gives a pretty good variety of sounds that are well suited for the music that I play. Bare in mind that I aspire for pretty raw 50s-ish guitar tones like you hear on old Sun,Chess,King,Federal etc records. I use a Fender Reverb Deluxe reissue or a Fender Pro Jr depending on the venue. I do use pedals: A Boss TU-2>Guyatone ST-2>Jauernig Luxury Drive>Tech 21 Double drive>Voodoo Labs MicroVibe>Danelectro Dan Echo. When I use the Pro Jr I lose the double drive, add a Boss TR-2 tremolo and Fender 62 reissue reverb tank.

Yeah I like gear.

The p-90s can be a bit noisy, but every guitar with p-90s that I've ever played are noisy. So are my fenders for that matter.
A little noise comes part in parcel if you're going for the kind of sound that I like. If your going to use the Bigsby I'd recommend a graphite nut or using some nut sauce.

no complaints. The construction on this is good. If you can get this for less than $400 and it is in good shape then you are getting a heck of a lot of instrument for your money.

I play aggressively and we do long sets. I've used this all night. This thing can take it. I always have at least one backup. I don't think I'd ever do a gig on any guitar without one, but a less aggressive player could definately do so.

never dealt with them. I have had 3 epiphones- a dot 335, a 56 goldtop and the wildkat. I've never had any issues with any of them.

I've been playing guitar for about 5 years. I have quite a few guitars, pedals and the 2 amps that I've named above. I like variety so I sell and trade stuff regularly. The only guitars that I'd not consider dumping are my strats and my tele and the danelectro guitarlin that my gal bought me. I wish that it didn't have a finished neck --I'm a Fender guy really. I'd take some steel wool to it, but I may trade or sell it someday and it doesn't really bother me that much. It's a fun guitar. I enjoy it, it's well made, looks and sounds great. I ain't married to it though.

Initially I bought this guitar just for its appealing look and because I liked to own a guitar with P90 pickups. Now I've owned it for almost one year and I observed it under any points of view.
Maybe its made of more narrow pieces of wood (the back and the sides of the body) compared with Gibsons' and expansive guitars , but I have to say that they are very good assembled and very finished in every details everything works fine, just one little note : the bigsby arm tends to loose its solidity with the mechanism and sometime its necessary to screw up the screw-nut. The small body is very comfortable to keep in your legs during practicing.

Taking it in your hands ... you'll immediately get a great feeling with this guitar, the P90 pickups are amazing and very usable in every their combination. Their "compressed" sound combined with the single coil brightness gives you a great compact distorted sound or a glassy sound when in the clean channel ... I use it with a Fender twin amp and the system works perfectly. Great sustain...
Really it is a very usable guitar , not less than my Gibson ES175D.!!!
And its price is tiny!!! I have to say that also in acoustic it sound nice ... the body vibrates very well with the strings vibrations. Surprisingly for a semi hollow and small bodied guitar!

Everithing is fine ... a very solid (and heavy) guitar (even if small bodied) ... I tried to low down the action alot ... and I partially managed in it ... I got a "low action" without buzzs , not a "very low action" ... but for the rest I met the same problem for my Gibson, so I guess I were asking for a too low action ;)

It got much better when I changed strings ... it is wonderful with ErnieBall regula slinky .10 set (the one with yellow-green package)

Until now ...it works fine !

I didn't need any customer support

Its an amazing guitar for its price!! In fact I'am buying also an AlleyKat ...the same mechanic but different pickups ... its a very well built guitar I think (and I'am a guitar collector that own many guitars)

Made in November of '03 (bought at Daddy's Junky Warehouse sale for $320, because it has a postage-stamp-sized stain under the finish on the upper bass bout).

Flamed Antique Natural top with Mahogany sides and back, Grover tuners, Bigsby, and "Designed-by-Gibson" P90s.

Everything you need.

Very good to excellent P90 tone. The sound brightened up considerably when the polepieces were raised and balanced, as is typical with P90s and other pickups.

The tone quality really jumped when I replaced the aged (blackened) strings with 11-50s.

Nice fat P90 sound, ballsy on the neck pickup lower strings (no mud). No need to change the pickups out.

I found out the (unpotted) P90s squeal when switching effects. This is not normally a problem for me, since I don't use overdrive, but I may pot the pickups anyway, to eliminate any microphonics.

Excepting the one blemish, was virtually perfect (I lowered the nut on the top two strings a bit). Neck is arrow-straight, fret ends smooth (actually rounded). Bridge was properly located and nut spacing correct (unlike a Casino I tried recently).

Solid design (that's why it weighs 8 pounds), including hardware. Tuning is stable, even with Bigsby use.

With it's large "sustain soundpost," it's rugged (top is 3/16", but still sounds like a hollowbody).

The neck didn't move when changing from 10-46s to 11-50s. Very unusual.

No experience with this guitar. My experience with Gibson has been very good overall (mostly excellent; a little bad).

Interested me in a retro way, but ended up sucking.

Decent for clean, reverbish, complex chording, no way for singing leads, forget it. No 3 dimensional sound here, unless howling, hollowbody feedback is your thing. Think bassman, twin or deluxe fender gain structure and this may work for you if your into the Cliff Gallup twang...but it doesn't twang like a Gretch, twangs like a Korean import of sub-standard material put together with skilled mass workers. P90's and bigsby would appear to be aimed at early rock primalness a al' Link Wray. The use of the Bigsby knocks this guit promptly out of tune. May work for the Peter Gunn theme ad-nauseum. If you can figure out the trick this pony may work. But play lot's of em' cause their cranking these things out like Hundai's, and remember, Buddy Holly played a Strat.

Action was blah, no spring to the strings, setup poor, fretted out at 10th fret and buzzed someplaces. I raised the action to be even across the board and it helped a little...at least it buzzed out evenly. The rest of the workmanship was pretty darn good. I think solid wood materials other than laminates make a huge difference in a instrument. The thing strums loud because it's semi-hollowbody, but due to poor materials makes no difference when amplified. The p90's hum like a substation and grind quite well, overdriving my 65 champ with ease. It still can't help the laminate materials the thing is construted of. Save your hard-won rockabilly money for a Setzer Gretch or Gibson.

Unknown, took it back.

N/A

Solid body rockers, beware. This thing is for clean, low-to-no gain situations. Being primarily a skanking strat rthythm player and gary moore type searing soloist, I was looking for something different. I either lack the skills or don't have time, patience or extra $$$ to make this work for me.

Bigsby tailpiece, p-90, i think the body is made of mahogny and the top is made of maple. A very good finish which makes the guitar look much more expensive. My wildcat has a original bigsby, not one of those epiphone ones. The features on this guitar are just great. I give it a 9 because of the tuners which tend to get out of tune quite quikly.

The sound of this guitar is just great. I play mine through a kustom tube 12a and juse a zoom707, and even through this crappy equipment the guitar sounds great. I have also tried it through a cube 30(with one of my friends.
I am 16 years old now, and this is my second guitar. I used to have a squier strat, and the diferense between them are just scary. I play mostly rock. Zeppelin and pink floyd kind of stuff, but i've also started to get interested in jazz, and this guitar suits me perfectly. It has a very fine clean sound, and good overdrive sound. But it is not really that good at playing metal, but im tired of that kind of musik anyway.

I hated the way the guitar was setup wen i bought it. The intonation was terrible, and it just didnt feel right to play on it. I was this close not to buy this gutiar because of that, but the sound was just so great and it looked so good. So i bought it, and read a lot on the net about how to set up the guitar. The first thing i did was to change the strings to 0.11 and then adjusted the truss rod so the neck did not have any relief(f?) then i lowered the action til the verge of fret buzing, and then adjusted the intonaton, and that did it. The guitar is now so comfortably and set up, in my point of view, perfectly. the finish was also breathtaking. i Give it a 6 fore the way it was when i bought it, but it is a 10 now!

I don't really know, ive only had it for 7 months but it looks as if it will last some time.

never dealt with them

I am not really that experienced when it comes to guitars. I'm only 16 after all, but this guitar is truly great.