1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

guppypuppy2

New member
Hi. Is that guiotar really actualy made out of the same karona wood that the originals were? and or the Gibson reissues in the 80's?? just curious. thanks ron
 
Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

If I had to venture a guess I'd say no. Same type maybe. Same grade, I doubt it. They'd have been a lot more expensive if it was the same type and same grade.
 
Re: 1998 epiphone korina 58 V reissue question?

Re: 1998 epiphone korina 58 V reissue question?

Simple answer is no. Korina is a word used to descripe a finish Gibson came up with in the late '50s IIRC. That is the tip of the info on these guitars and these woods. Limba is a more correct name for the wood used by Gibber and others. The school of thought seems to be those Epis have a Limba veneer over Asian Mahogany or Basswood.
 
Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

+1

Up close, through the translucent varnish, you can see the edge of the veneers and the spread of blocks that makes up the remaining body thickness.

If you want a handsome Vee on a budget, consider the Hamer XT Vector in Cherry Sunburst. Upgrade the pickups and controls later.
 
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Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

On a side note I had a really beautiful '58 style V from Dillion that was a piece limba body if you are looking for something like that. Wasn't crazy money either, if you look around you can find them. The new ones don't appear to be the same construction, mine was made around '05/'06.
 
Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

Buddy of mine had one of the Epi Explorers,you could see the pieces from the side,but the top & back were laminates...

Thank God mine's Black!!!
 
Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

Korina was a trade name that Gibson applied to a wood that is properly known as Limba.

The good stuff has an appearance that is unmistakable. If you want the look of the wood used in Fifties Gibsons, check out PRS or the Fender Custom Shop. If you need to ask the price, you cannot afford them.

The PRS SE Korina models are made from solid tone wood but it is not of the quality used in the American instruments.
 
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Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

According to Epiphone's product description page, Korina is just the tone of the barnish used to coat that series of guitar.
Body and Neck are just mahogany.
I've got same axe and, that's what I've read.
Anyway, it sounds awesome and looks gorgeus so... who in the hell cares about the name?.
 
Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

Korina is a color
Limba is the wood

The Epi could be anything....but is certainly not real korina/limba. But they are fantastic guitars in general, the 58 V's
 
Re: 1998 epiphone karona 58 V reissue question?

Back around 1996, when I bought my "korina" body/neck blanks from Gilmer Exotic Woods, I don't recall ever hearing or seeing the term "limba" anywhere. I don't recall seeing "black limba" either, which is currently the main type of "limba" that Gilmer has in stock. From reading their product descriptions, "white limba" is, and I quote:

"Also known in the guitar trade as Korina"

I suppose they had to make a distinction between limba and korina when they started doing epiphone knock offs of the 50s Vs and explorers? The change in name may have also been brought about to help importers market "black" limba...as it is the same species as "korina", but looks different. Just speculating here...
 
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