Designed in collaboration with Frank Iero, guitarist for multi-platinum band My Chemical Romance, the
Epiphone Wilshire Phant-O-Matic Electric Guitar 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 guitars a behind-the-scenes favorite of Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Marriot.
Epiphone Wilshire Phant-O-Matic Electric Guitar Features
- Designed in collaboration with Frank Iero, guitarist for My Chemical Romance
- Double cutaway design with a solid Mahogany body
- Mahogany hand-set neck with a 1960s SlimTaper profile
- Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker and Alnico Classic Humbucker
- Six-way rotary VariTone switch for a huge range of tones
- Horn-mounted kill switch which provides an infinite range of staccato on/off effects
- LockTone Tune-o-Matic/StopBar bridge for tuning and intonation accuracy
- Nickel Wilkenson vintage style tuners with green keys
- Premium, padded gigbag included
Body and Neck
Like their classic SG design, Epiphone’s Wilshire Phant-O-Matic features a double cutaway design with a solid Mahogany body. The 24.75 inch scale Mahogany hand-set neck has a 1960s SlimTaper profile, a rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays, a 12 inch radius, and a 1-11/16 inch 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 EpiphoneWilshire Phant-O-Matic apart from the pack is how it sounds.
Premium Electronics
The Phant-O-Matic employs two classic Epiphone pickups, their famous Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker in the bridge and an Alnico Classic Humbucker in the neck position. To get the most of the wide tonal possibilities from this pickup arrangement, Epiphone has included a mono VariTone, much like the one used most famously by blues legend B. B. King.
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 a guitar 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.
About the VariTone
The VariTone in the Wilshire Phant-O-Matic uses a six-way rotary switch which engages 5 pre-set notch filters and a bypass. In position one, the VariTone 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 Classic 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 VariTone 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 VariTone rotary switch for quick adjustments.