The Epiphone Wildkat is a true Epiphone original. It’s an innovative design that merges solid body sustain with classic archtop profile of Epiphone’s heritage. With the Wildkat Black Royale, Epiphone takes a leap forward by combining the best of their own classic archtop designs with the sustain of solidbody guitars for a totally new instrument, the Wildkat Royale.

Epiphone Wildkat Black Royale

The Wildkat Black Royale’s innovative design starts with a solid piece of warm, sustain-rich mahogany that is computer-routed to create an acoustic guitar-like body with a “center block” much like classic ES-style archtops.

Epiphone Black Royale collection

Epiphone Wildkat Black Royale features:

  • Top Material: Laminated Maple
  • 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 “pearloid” Dot Inlays
  • Headstock: Dovewing 3-on-a-side w/Vintage “Epiphone” Metal Badge
  • Bridge Pickup: P-90T Single Coil
  • Neck Pickup: P-90R Single Coil
  • Controls: Master Volume Control, Bridge Volume, Neck Volume, Master Tone, 3-Way Toggle
  • Binding: Neck & Body – Silver Sparkle (1-Ply)
  • Fingerboard Radius: 12″
  • Frets: 22; Medium-Jumbo
  • Bridge: LockTone Tune-o-matic w/Bigsby Tremolo
  • Nut Width: 1-11/16″
  • Hardware: Nickel
  • Machine Heads: Grover™ Kidney; 14:1 Ratio

Could this be our Guitar of the Year for 2012? You decide…

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Join the discussion 8 Comments

  • Ian Mack says:

    There is a white glitter and gold version available. Epi website states neck is of mahogany.
    There is a natural wood yeller version, Epi website states & shows neck of mahogany.
    Online stores sell both, but the yeller one, online has a maple neck (?). I will buy mahogany.
    Seeing as how I am not in a band with Wayne Newton or Elton John, The white glitter & gold is not for me, I live in Texas not Las Vegas.
    So, two months ago I ordered the Wildkat Black Royale from Zzounds.com , where It states “Mahogany neck” and sells for $50 more than the current yeller one.
    Now I visit this site to find your description of the Wildkat Black Royale to have a maple neck. (?)
    I phoned Gibson/Epiphone in Nashville & they can’t answer.
    I’ll probably end up with maple. If so I’ll return it.
    What I would really like is Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Maple Top, Finished in Traditional Tobacco Sunburst, with roller bridge to keep it in tune and….. Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker neck/bridge pickups with individual push/pull volume potentiometer to coil-split each pickup separately.
    If they cold build that, (Hello Epiphone.) I would buy TWO of them. 🙂

     
  • Paul says:

    Hi Ian,
    We always get the information & specs from the manufacturers but in this case the Black Royale version of the Wildkat does not have an official page on the Epiphone/Gibson website. The specs were taken from the Epiphone Wiki website which clearly says “Set Hard Maple neck”. Guitar Planet is not a shop and the guitars are so new when we post them it is possible that some details are inaccurate. Doesn’t look like maple to me in the photos. Are there any luthiers out there who can confirm the neck on the Black Royale Wildkat is maple or mahogany…?

     
  • Ray says:

    Hello. I work for AlumiSonic Inc., a custom shop of fine hand crafted Aluminum and wood Hybrid guitars in the United States. I would have to say that I would follow the specs of the Epiphone more so than I would the specs advertised on a custom shop, or small production run instrument (which can vary per customer order), since the Epiphone line is likely ordered by Gibson in the Qingdao factory in China, in huge quantities to one list of specifications that will likely not vary out of efficiency. Also, the “Maple like” woods in China are cheaper than the Mahogany like woods available. The Fret board wood on this instrument is Rosewood and the neck is gloss black, so the rest must be left up to speculation. Likely they make up for the brightness of the neck shaftwood by other means.

     
  • Ryan says:

    This link shows a picture of the back of the neck and there’s no way to tell if it’s maple or mahogany (just by the picture) cause the whole neck is painted. This description says it’s a mahogany neck though.
    Hope this helps!
    http://www.zzounds.com/item–EPIETBKLTD

     
    • Paul says:

      Thanks Ian. Specs for the Wildkat Black Royale have been updated from the official Epiphone page. We’re going with Mahogany neck now folks 🙂

       
      • Ian Mack says:

        Neck Shape: 1960′s SlimTaper: This also is different than previous spec. 🙂
        I recently purchased a reissue limited edition 1966 Worn Wilshire Tremotone which sports a mahogany “1960′s SlimTaper” neck – This is a thinner/faster neck than the “SlimTaper “D” profile” previously advertised.
        But,….I cannot verify that this Wildkat will be the same neck as the 1966 Worn Wilshire until I have it in my hands.

         

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