Epiphone KOA

samzadgan

anyone seen the new LPC's...these look beautiful! 

I have no idea what KOA is, and how thick the top is, but visually it's one of the best Epi's I've seen...i almost forgive the horrible headstock shape on these ones.

Elx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_koa

Jack_

I was in the market for an acoustic recently and I tried quite a few exotic wood guitars, and none of them sounded as good as they looked.

usedtobe

Wouldn't matter as much on an electric, though, surely..?

WezV

Koa is a great wood.  Like slightly brighter mahogany.  It's the traditional wood for ukes.  Easy to work and has a great golden shimmer even when lightly figured.

WezV

I would assume a veneer on an epiphone

Jack_

usedtobe said:

Wouldn't matter as much on an electric, though, surely..?

True, didn't realise we were talking electrics, will probably have an impact on the Epi Wildkat though.

WezV

hmm - looks pretty plain koa too me.  Just a brown guitar.  Still veneer i reckon, like the koa models.  And the wildkat will definitely be veneer with little effect on tone




good Koa looks like this


an actual gibson version

WezV

or how about an unfigured slightly knotty, but solid and nicer coloured charvel

StormshadowGuitars

A couple of Stormshadow Koa guitars, all different colours & grades

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/StormshadowGuitars/SS0004_Top_zpsp7beilra.jpg
http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/StormshadowGuitars/SS0031_Top2_zps9vl758h6.jpg
http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/StormshadowGuitars/SS0036-Front_zpsr9dkfwyx.jpg
http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/StormshadowGuitars/SS0032_Front_zpsanjds6ct.jpg

lustycourtier

Look like my nans chest of drawers 

Exorcist

My neck through all KOA solidbody is the best sounding guitar I own or have played. I would love another, just to see if it was a fluke or if they all have 'that' quality to the sound. 

Sassafras

Some of those look good enough to eat. Like toffee or peanut brittle. The top one looks like a huge mint humbug.

thermionic

WezV said:

hmm - looks pretty plain koa too me.  Just a brown guitar.  Still veneer i reckon, like the koa models.  And the wildkat will definitely be veneer with little effect on tone

The blurb on the Epi website definitely says top. A few of their Les Pauls have maple tops (under a flame veneer) now so I'm inclined to believe them when they say it's a Koa top. There doesn't seem to be a veneer on the back either, which is a change.

Also the Wildkat appears to be a carved koa top glued to a routed-out body, rather than 5-ply laminate.

samzadgan

Wow that Gibson one is beautiful...

but it as far as Epi's go, quality and veneer vs top aside, I think these are some of the best looking guitars they've made

WezV

thermionic said:

WezV said:

hmm - looks pretty plain koa too me.  Just a brown guitar.  Still veneer i reckon, like the koa models.  And the wildkat will definitely be veneer with little effect on tone

The blurb on the Epi website definitely says top. A few of their Les Pauls have maple tops (under a flame veneer) now so I'm inclined to believe them when they say it's a Koa top. There doesn't seem to be a veneer on the back either, which is a change.

Also the Wildkat appears to be a carved koa top glued to a routed-out body, rather than 5-ply laminate.

I think that's highly unlikely.  But I am not being judgemental about the process.  Every 335 is ply and it doesn't stop it being a good guitar.  I own an epi les Paul with the maple veneer over solid maple.  The availability and expense of Koa, even plain Koa would make the same process prohibitive.  

The word "top" alone does not tell you anything about thickness

look at the epiphone korina models as another example.  All just veneer for the look of korina.... Edit: apparently not all 

Benson

There's a lovely Koa topped Suhr for sale here ...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/70586/fs-suhr-modern-guitar-guitar-dealer-select-edition-12-oh-wow#latest

Jack_

Benson said:

There's a lovely Koa topped Suhr for sale here ...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/70586/fs-suhr-modern-guitar-guitar-dealer-select-edition-12-oh-wow#latest

Nice segue. 8/10

I agree with Wez, as Koa goes, I think the Epi's have some pretty ordinary tops, that barely look like Koa.

Dopesick

Good lord those Stormshadow guitars look incredible. I bet they cost a few body parts though.

thermionic

WezV said:

thermionic said:

WezV said:

hmm - looks pretty plain koa too me.  Just a brown guitar.  Still veneer i reckon, like the koa models.  And the wildkat will definitely be veneer with little effect on tone

The blurb on the Epi website definitely says top. A few of their Les Pauls have maple tops (under a flame veneer) now so I'm inclined to believe them when they say it's a Koa top. There doesn't seem to be a veneer on the back either, which is a change.

Also the Wildkat appears to be a carved koa top glued to a routed-out body, rather than 5-ply laminate.

I think that's highly unlikely.  But I am not being judgemental about the process.  Every 335 is ply and it doesn't stop it being a good guitar.  I own an epi les Paul with the maple veneer over solid maple.  The availability and expense of Koa, even plain Koa would make the same process prohibitive.  

The word "top" alone does not tell you anything about thickness

From the Epi website:

"The Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Wildkat KOA’s innovative design has a similar profile to renowned Epiphone archtops but is made smaller for easier travel. The Wildkat KOA features a solid KOA top and a Mahogany body in a beautiful Natural finish that’s computer-routed to create a perfectly tuned acoustic guitar-like body but with a “center block” just like the Sheraton II PRO and ES-335."

In general though, it's right to be suspicious about how low-end guitars based on expensive instruments are described, but they tend to do it by omitting things (like not mentioning the word "top" in the models that have a top of sort of wood under a maple veneer, or saying "mahogany body" when they mean a body made of many pieces of mahogany glued together and hidden under a back veneer).

WezV

Fair enough.  I am not sure it's worthy of debate. lets agree they could be solid Koa, but epiphones definition of solid Koa may be different to yours or mine.


i looked at the korina ones again earlier and it seems some were veneer over another wood , some were veneer over multiple blocks of korina, some were proper 2-piece body blanks.  I assume they were all made at different times and price points