Epiphone Wilshire Phant-o-Matic in Antique Ivory

When Epiphone reintroduced the Wilshire body shape into mass production it went down a storm. The Wilshire Phantomatic takes the Epiphone Wilshire craze that bit further by combining some of the most practical features found on any current guitar with Wilshire style!

The Wilshire Phant-o-Matic's SlimTaper 60s style neck is comfortable in the hand and in combination with a rosewood fretboard has plenty of meat and substance leading to a great tone, especially for chunky chordal and rhythmic parts and thick leads.

The Phantomatic really comes into its own thanks to the flexibility of its built in electronics. A 6 position Varitone switch gives you access to a plethora of great tones and a momentary killswitch for rhythmic effects.

Finally, the Phantomatic has a beautiful ivory finish with fingerboard binding and mother-of-pearl inlays to complete a stylish look for this functional guitar.

Here's what Epiphone say about the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic"

Epiphone is proud to announce one of our most anticipated new models, the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" Designed in collaboration with Frank Iero guitarist for multi-platinum band My Chemical Romance, the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" combines an incredible array of features that only Epiphone would dare put in one instrument. The result is one of the smartest and most flexible guitars on the market with all the vintage styling that made Wilshire models a behind-the-scenes favorite of Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Marriot.

Classic Form

Like our classic SG design, the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" features a double cutaway design with a solid Mahogany body. The 24.75" scale Mahogany hand-set neck has a 1960s SlimTaperTM  profile, a rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays, a 12" radius, and a 1-11/16" nut. The neck profile and double cutaway make the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" a perfect guitar for chunking rhythm or cutting leads. The Antique Ivory finish, black single-ply pickguard, and classic form are eye catching to be sure. But what really sets the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" apart from the pack is how it sounds.

Premium Electronics

My Chemical Romance have sold almost 7 million albums worldwide and know a thing or two about what makes a great, reliable, and cutting edge instrument. Working closely together over several years of research and development, Frank Iero and Epiphone strove to make an axe that puts the sound of a dozen guitars at your fingertips. The result is what you make it-a straight ahead awesome rock guitar or something completely new and groundbreaking. The "Phant-o-matic" employs two classic Epiphone pickups, our famous Alnico Classic PlusTM Humbucker in the bridge and an Alnico ClassicTM Humbucker in the neck position. To get the most of the wide tonal possibilities from this pickup arrangement, we've included a mono VariToneTM, much like the one used most famously by blues legend B. B. King.

About the VariTone

The VariToneTM uses a six-way rotary switch which engages 5 pre-set notch filters and a bypass. In position one, the VariToneTM is completely bypassed. As you rotate the rotary switch into positions 2-6, the center frequency of the notch filter shifts from around 1.9kHz down to 130Hz, providing a player with a wide tonal palette unavailable on most other instruments. Positions 2 through 4 offer tonal shaping while still maintaining great clarity. But keep turning and you'll find Positions 5 and 6 shape-shift the Alnico ClassicTM Humbuckers into a single-coil style pickup but without the thin quack usually associated with traditional single coil pickups. Add it all up and between the 6-position VariToneTM circuit and the 3-position toggle switch, you have 18 unique tones available. And if that wasn't enough, Epiphone has included a high quality horn-mounted kill switch which provides an infinite range of staccato on/off effects. A master volume control is mounted with easy access to the VariToneTM rotary switch for quick adjustments. 

Other Premium Features

Like many of our classic solid body electrics, the Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" uses our LockTone Tune-o-Matic/StopBar bridge for tuning and intonation accuracy. Machine heads are nickel Wilkinson vintage style tuners with green keys. And to protect it, Epiphone has included a premium, padded gigbag. Peace of Mind!  As with every Epiphone, every Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" comes with the peace of mind you get from a Limited Lifetime Warranty backed by Gibson Musical Instruments' famous 24/7/365 day Customer Service.  See and hear the groundbreaking Wilshire "Phant-o-matic" today!

About My Chemical Romance

"My Chemical Romance" is a multi-platinum selling alternative rock band with worldwide appeal.  Frank Iero is a guitarist in the band.  Epiphone has been working with MCR and Frank Iero for about 4 years.  Frank (and others in the band) use Epiphone product regularly.  Now, Frank wants Epiphone to make him a customized Wilshire-like guitar that he can use on stage and that we can sell to MCR fans and guitarists.  They have won or been nominated for Best Band, Best Song(s) and Best Video(s) in the USA, Germany, Europe, Italy and Asia.  They have over 46 million MySpace views.

• Over 6.7 million albums sold worldwide
• 2 Platinum albums "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" and "The Black Parade"
• 1 Platinum DVD "Life On The Murder Scene)
• 1 Gold DVD "The Black Parade Is Dead!"
• Over 6.2 million digital tracks sold in US
• Over 46 million MySpace views.
• #1 Webstore out of 80+ Warner Brothers Records webstores for 6 straight years

Specifications

• Body Material: Mahogany
• Neck Material: Mahogany
• Neck Shape: 1960's SlimTaper
• Neck Joint: Glued-In
• Truss Rod: Adjustable
• Truss Rod Cover: 2-Layer (Black/White) with vintage "E" in white
• Scale Length: 24.75"
• Fingerboard Material: Rosewood with mother-of-pearl BLOCK inlays
• Headstock: Clipped Ear 3-on-a-side with vintage "Epiphone" logo in gold
• Bridge Pickup: Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker
• Neck Pickup: Alnico Classic Humbucker

Controls

• Master Volume Control
• 6-Position Rotary VariTone notch filter
• Position-1: Bypass
• Position-2: 5db at 1950hz
• Position-3: 12db at 1100hz
• Position-4: 16db at 620 hz
• Position-5: 18.5db at 360hz
• Position-6: 21db at 120hz
• Momentary KillSwitch
• 3-way pickup selector with black toggle cap

Specifications Continued

• Binding: Fingerboard - Single Ply
• Fingerboard Radius: 12"
• Frets: 22; medium-jumbo
• Bridge: LockTone tune-o-matic/stopbar
• Nut Width: 1-11/16"
• Hardware: Nickel
• Machine Heads: Wilkenson Vintage style with Green Keys
• Pickguard: Black; Single Ply
• Other: Epiphone StrapLocks
• Colors: Antique Ivory
• Includes: Premium Gigbag (940-EPIGIG)