New(Old) Guitar Day! 1964 Epiphone Coronet.

[imsilly]

I just can't say no to P90s. I really love these Kalamazoo Epiphones, especially those with the funky batwing headstock. They have great styling. I think they are absolute bargains because the woods, pickup and finish is great on them. This thing is so light I'm not joking it doesn't even weight 6lbs, it tipped the scales at 5 lbs 10oz. It practically floats away, so you can guess how resonant it is. More Jangle then the Les Paul Juniors, might be the metal covered p90.

I wish Gibson made Epiphones like they used too.

Again no camera so only phone pictures, but it's not a proper thread without pictures.

Front:



Back:



I will get another one of these as soon as I can find one.

[fenderix]

One of my favourite vintage guitars. Simplicity and power, no frills - not that far from the Tele concept.

Your Coronet seems to be in a very good condition.

Too bad the ones I've been eyeing did cost way too much.

If my memory serves me right, Steve Marriot used one from time to time ...

Congratulations - enjoy your "new" Epi!

[Dan German]

Sweet! Like I need another guitar to lust after...

[Post Toastie]

Very Nice-Did they they come stock with P-90s??

[imsilly]

Yeah all original solders on pickups, caps and pots.

I just love vintage P90s, I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. It's a nice pickup, not as hot as the 50s pickups I've heard in Juniors, but still pretty hot. Sparkly rather then fat and compressed.

[Octave Doctor]

That looks very similar to the one I had back in about 1976, I think I paid about $125.00 for it back then, LOL. It was a nice guitar, sounded good, not neck heavy--one of the few Gibsons I actually liked. Plus it looked cool as hell to show up at a job with a '60 Tele, a '65 Strat and a '64 Coronet.

[metulmykul]

Originally Posted by fenderix

...Simplicity and power, no frills - not that far from the Tele concept...[/i]

I agree entirely. Now if i could only find one tha i could afford!

I'm sure that one day, one of my Teles will be sporting a batwing headstock.

[Poppatwang]

Never should have sold mine.

[bluetele54]

...but I made the mistake of thinking it could come close to a '50's Jr.,which it most definitely is not...I got mine about 14 years ago...

...that said,my Coronet is stunning on it's own...I did upgrade the bridge,as the stock one was messed with previous to my ownership...she has been re-fretted(6105's),and Feiten-ized,and thus has an impeccable intonation...

...I still prefer my Telecasters,but this Epi is a lovely addition to the arsenal...

...love the batwing headstock...

[imsilly]

Originally Posted by bluetele54

I made the mistake of thinking it could come close to a '50's Jr.,which it most definitely is not...

Yeah I love how even though they are practically the same design as a 50s Junior they are not really the same at all soundwise.

It goes to show all those myths about woods, pickup covers, neck thickness and pots have some truth to them.

The guitar still sounds like a P90 guitar (very quite though probably because of the pickup being completely covered in metal), it still sounds like a rock machine like it's Junior Brethren, but the difference in wood depth and alike really alter it's tone. I think it sounds like a spanky and sparkly guitar, rather then a growling and rumbling guitar like my 56 Junior.

I will have to redo the frets. I think they are great overall except for one fret on the high e string that sounds a little buzzy. I was thinking of getting it done with 6105s all over like my telecaster, but in keeping with the vintage specs of the others I might not.

I just love how these Epiphones are great value for money, for a couple of hundred pounds you can pick up an Olympic or Coronet. You get great vintage pickups, outstandly light mahogany (the kind of stuff the Gibson Custom Shop would charge a couple of thousands for and it would still be too heavy) and loverly figured rosewood. I wish I could stumble accross a Crestwood Custom like in this video.

Crestwood Custom

[Mike Eskimo]

Yer now a "batwing brother" to Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman (Aussie Punk legends). He's rocked a Crestwood that he bought from Fred Sonic Smith of the MC5 for 35+ years :




Somebody should make a movie about Deniz. ER doctor, fighter pilot who they stole the nickname "Iceman" from when they were making Top Gun, and punk godfather.


BTW : P90's - how much does the cover (plastic versus metal) affect the tone ?

[imsilly]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Yer now a "batwing brother" to Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman (Aussie Punk legends). He's rocked a Crestwood that he bought from Fred Sonic Smith of the MC5 for 35+ years :




Somebody should make a movie about Deniz. ER doctor, fighter pilot who they stole the nickname "Iceman" from when they were making Top Gun, and punk godfather.


BTW : P90's - how much does the cover (plastic versus metal) affect the tone ?

That is such a cool story I'm gonna look him up. Those Crestwoods are cool, I want one badly.

I read somewhere that the pickup covers where just chrome plated plastic, but they seem to be solid metal. They ring out when you tap them. From what I can tell from comparing them to the P90 in my 56 Les Paul they are different. The metal cover reduces hum a lot (I'm guess that is why they use them) but it also gives them a slightly more chimey sound. It could be more to do with the pickup itself as they seem to be less hot then the 50s P90s.