Phil Hilborne on scales

For many, the role that Epiphone plays on the world stage is that of being the subordinate brand to big brothers Gibson – in many ways a similar relationship to the one that Squier has with parent company Fender. This was not always the case, of course; the Epiphone brand has been around for 145 years and only came under the auspices of Gibson in 1957 when company president Ted McCarty took up Epiphone’s offer to buy their complete inventory lock, stock and barrel for $20,000. To begin with, McCarty’s plan was to offer a range of Gibson-made Epiphone instruments to selected shops as a gateway to them becoming fully-fledged Gibson dealers further down the line. Some of the instruments were cheaper than the Gibson-branded equivalents, but surprisingly some were actually more expensive. Epiphone’s flagship Emperor model cost more than Gibson’s top range Byrdland in the early 60s, for instance. But it was the range of solidbody Epiphones that first gave the brand its appeal for late-50s neophytes.

So where does the Wilshire fit into all of this, exactly? Launched in 1959, in terms of price, the Wilshire was pitched in between Epiphone’s pricier Crestwood and cheaper Coronet models. A plain Jane two pickup guitar, the Wilshire, designwise, wasn’t a million miles away from Gibson’s own double cut Les Paul Junior, which had entered the catalogue a year earlier. Where sound is concerned, the Wilshire is known for its snap and punch, its no frills appearance charming the likes of players including Pete Townshend, Johnny Winter and Bruce Springsteen. And if anyone is in any doubt that Epiphones from this period can do the business, we invite you to check out Humble Pie-era Steve Marriot’s guitar tone! Guitarist would like to thank Vintage ‘n’ Rare Guitars, Bath for giving us access to this fascinating instrument. www.vintageandrareguitars.com