Complete EPI custom setup - Page 3

Roman Rist · 07-31-2008, 08:03 PM

OK, we are wrapping it up now! This thread is almost coming to a close.

I let the Truss Rod settle and she is great.

I set the bridge height to where I wanted it to be.

Here we have a Fender heavy pick slid in under the string at the 12th fret.

wantsa58 · 07-31-2008, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFR

Years ago, I got a bunch of stuff in a garage sale. I am always on the lookout for old tools.

The point is, I do not know where and how much. I am sure you could do a search for some jewelry tool suppliers and come up with something.

As far as Nut files I use an old set the same as the Ibanez factoy used in japan.

Also, you might want to check out some Exacto hobbyist stuff. They have small saws.

Thanks, ill check that out. BTW i just did the razor blade scrape on my 9 year old epi and i could not believe how much crap came off of the board, and i have previously serviced it, just not with a razor. It feels much better now and the board looks much darker.

Hectgore · 07-31-2008, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFR

OK, we are wrapping it up now! This thread is almost coming to a close.

I let the Truss Rod settle and she is great.

I set the bridge height to where I wanted it to be.

Here we have a Fender heavy pick slid in under the string at the 12th fret.

Damn Roman you know how to keep the suspense going!

Just a tip on the camera work,you might want to switch it to macro(little flower setting) and experiment with that.You might get better clarity of smaller items.like the pick.

Are you available for pickup early morning tomorrow 10-11 or is that too early?LA traffic sucks so if your available we can pick up at that time or if your not then i we can arrange some other time.Thanks for the work and the picture documentary of the process itll help alot of people!

Oh yeah Roman does my epi feel a bit too light compared to any other epis you may have handled?It seemed a bit too light to me but im not sure.

Roman Rist · 07-31-2008, 08:16 PM

I did the final nut height adjustments and she is playing pretty sweet!

Except for one thing.................Sticky neck!

We fixed that by sanding it with 400 grit to take off the gloss. Then followed it up with some steel wool.

The back of the neck now has a satiny matte finish and is MUCH smoother to play.

Of course I would not do this unless some one asked.

After steel wool.

As It gets played it will shine up a bit more but will still retain the slinky feel.

Hectgore · 07-31-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hectgore

Damn Roman you know how to keep the suspense going!

Just a tip on the camera work,you might want to switch it to macro(little flower setting) and experiment with that.You might get better clarity of smaller items.like the pick.

Are you available for pickup early morning tomorrow 10-11 or is that too early?LA traffic sucks so if your available we can pick up at that time or if your not then i we can arrange some other time.Thanks for the work and the picture documentary of the process itll help alot of people!

Oh yeah Roman does my epi feel a bit too light compared to any other epis you may have handled?It seemed a bit too light to me but im not sure.

The neck looks AWESOME Roman!

Sinmastah · 07-31-2008, 08:28 PM

Epiphone stinger FTW

Roman Rist · 07-31-2008, 08:28 PM

The last thing. Intonation.

I play the open string........check it on the tuner.

Hit the 12th harmonic.......check it on the tuner

Hit the 12th fret.........check it on the tuner

If sharp, the saddle goes back.
If flat , the saddle goes forward.

On a side note; Epi bridges are not that great. The good news is that the import version of the Gotoh/tonepros is a DIRECT fit.

It is a much better bridge. It is pre notched and you wouldn't even have to install new studs and inserts. Just put it on and set the intonation and action.

Roman Rist · 07-31-2008, 08:32 PM

A little polish and it is time for the glamour shot!

We are done..................till the next edition. pickups and electronics.

And maybe sending it to EGGY for his Epi relicing

Roman Rist · 07-31-2008, 08:33 PM

In closing, She plays great. I would not hesitate to take it to a gig and play it.

We'll see what Hector has to say

Cheers,
Roman

Twentythirdeye · 07-31-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFR

A little polish and it is time for the glamour shot!

We are done..................till the next edition. pickups and electronics.

And maybe sending it to EGGY for his Epi relicing

GREAT JOB! what kind of polish did you use?

Roman Rist · 07-31-2008, 08:58 PM

Car stuff. Maguires.

Hectgore · 07-31-2008, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hectgore

Damn Roman you know how to keep the suspense going!

Just a tip on the camera work,you might want to switch it to macro(little flower setting) and experiment with that.You might get better clarity of smaller items.like the pick.

Are you available for pickup early morning tomorrow 10-11 or is that too early?LA traffic sucks so if your available we can pick up at that time or if your not then i we can arrange some other time.Thanks for the work and the picture documentary of the process itll help alot of people!

Oh yeah Roman does my epi feel a bit too light compared to any other epis you may have handled?It seemed a bit too light to me but im not sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFR

In closing, She plays great. I would not hesitate to take it to a gig and play it.

We'll see what Hector has to say

Cheers,
Roman

That looks Incredibly nice Roman!Cannot wait to pick it up and see how sweet it plays!idk if any other "tech" would have gone through the trouble of sanding the back of the neck for me.THANKS!

Twentythirdeye · 07-31-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFR

Car stuff. Maguires.

im looking at their website... they have a whole bunch of cleaners

which one specifically? or do you use multiple types?

D4ngerboy · 07-31-2008, 09:10 PM

yeah!!!

ctestdummy · 08-01-2008, 01:06 AM

how much would you charge for that?

alligatorbling · 08-01-2008, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4ngerboy

yeah!!!

at last! someone else on the forum with dark humor!

ScottieS28 · 08-01-2008, 06:35 PM

wow... please do that for my epi lol

D4ngerboy · 08-01-2008, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alligatorbling

at last! someone else on the forum with dark humor!

what do you mean by dark humor?

ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT IM AN EMO!?!?!?!?

im insulted!!!

mikemack · 08-01-2008, 06:59 PM

"Now we take the nut off. First I score a line through the finish. we do not want the nut to take finish along with it when we remove it.

I will tap at the nut with something hard and a hammer. my preferred tool for the tapping is a fret file. "

Great post!

I made that mistake when I changed my nut. I scored it at the fingerboard but not at the top. When I popped it off it it chipped the headstock finish. Lucky for me my TRC hid the damage so I just left it.

Hectgore · 08-01-2008, 09:46 PM

Got the guitar back from roman and boy does it make a difference!

Great job Roman you did an awesome job on this!

If anybody wants to ship there guitar to Roman for a setup i would not hesitate!It plays really well now.May have to get the action a bit higher but ill give lower action time to settle and see if i like it.

The bone nut and the sanded neck made the BIGGEST difference and i cannot stress it enough.If your thinking about sanding your neck just do it,it feels ALOT better and alot smoother to run through it.I liked it so much i may even sand the whole body out for the satin finish!Thats just thinknig in the future though im not doing it till i upgrade everything i want and see how it looks glossy.besides it gets rid of those damn fingerprints!

Good job i give Roman a A+++ but its expected

Will be giving Roman a visit later on to set up my carvin and will be paynig a visit anytime i buy a new guitar.heh my guitars already all mudged up from playing it haha but thats just cause of the glossy black!xD

On a side note they sell REALLY (IMO) good burgers across the street from the shop.We stop buy right after visiting Roman and were very satisfied.

jkinnison90 · 08-01-2008, 11:03 PM

awesome. your guitar looks great. glad you're enjoying her as well.

Hectgore · 08-01-2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkinnison90

awesome. your guitar looks great. glad you're enjoying her as well.

Thanks just goes to show Epis or any other guitar can feel just as good as higher end guitars,but i bet you guys already know that :P

Muck Fe · 08-02-2008, 12:21 AM

You're a lucky man Hectgore, not only did Roman make a good guitar great, we also got to see how it's done. Wish we all had access to someone like Roman, sadly luthiers like him are very thin on the ground especially round here!! Oh well, this thread has at least given me the confidence to have a go at it myself.

Congrats Hectgore on a great guitar and Roman for a job well done.

Rick.

Hectgore · 08-02-2008, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muck Fe

You're a lucky man Hectgore, not only did Roman make a good guitar great, we also got to see how it's done. Wish we all had access to someone like Roman, sadly luthiers like him are very thin on the ground especially round here!! Oh well, this thread has at least given me the confidence to have a go at it myself.

Congrats Hectgore on a great guitar and Roman for a job well done.

Rick.

Thanks alot!Guitar plays great,wish there was a bunch of roman clones running around so everyone had easy access to him

I was also very interested in how Roman works on his setups so it was nice to have a documentary of the process.

Muck Fe · 08-02-2008, 12:31 AM

Amen to that Hectgore.

Rick.

El_Greco · 08-02-2008, 03:52 PM

This has got to be one of the best threads I've seen so far here, many thnx Roman,
shows a lot about you taking time to help so much, not everyone would do it. Again thnx.

Hectgore · 08-03-2008, 04:01 AM

hey Roman heres a question.When i change the strings i may want to go to 10-52 territory ,think there called low top heavy bottoms or something.Would this hurt my intonation or neck bow?
Another question,what strings did you string my epi with?

sasquatch · 08-04-2008, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hectgore

hey Roman heres a question.When i change the strings i may want to go to 10-52 territory ,think there called low top heavy bottoms or something.Would this hurt my intonation or neck bow?
Another question,what strings did you string my epi with?

Wow.
Awesome work.
The Loc-Tone bridges aren't as bad as the older ones but those Gotoh imports can't be beat. Best $30 spent.

Hectgore · 08-04-2008, 01:01 AM

Yeah im gonna be switching the bridge out soon,which gotoh should i be looking at?

Roman Rist · 08-04-2008, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hectgore

hey Roman heres a question.When i change the strings i may want to go to 10-52 territory ,think there called low top heavy bottoms or something.Would this hurt my intonation or neck bow?
Another question,what strings did you string my epi with?

You will be fine

and if you need any tweeks, bring it in, I'll do it free of charge.
D'adarrio .10 to .46

07-31-2008, 08:03 PM	#61 (permalink)
Roman Rist Master Luthier V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LA Posts: 3,616 Thanks: 17 Thanked 156 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup OK, we are wrapping it up now! This thread is almost coming to a close. I let the Truss Rod settle and she is great. I set the bridge height to where I wanted it to be. Here we have a Fender heavy pick slid in under the string at the 12th fret. __________________ Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players

07-31-2008, 08:16 PM	#64 (permalink)
Roman Rist Master Luthier V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LA Posts: 3,616 Thanks: 17 Thanked 156 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup I did the final nut height adjustments and she is playing pretty sweet! Except for one thing.................Sticky neck! We fixed that by sanding it with 400 grit to take off the gloss. Then followed it up with some steel wool. The back of the neck now has a satiny matte finish and is MUCH smoother to play. Of course I would not do this unless some one asked. After steel wool. As It gets played it will shine up a bit more but will still retain the slinky feel. __________________ Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players

07-31-2008, 08:28 PM	#66 (permalink)
Sinmastah Epi Verification Expert Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Minnesota. Posts: 7,920 Thanks: 7 Thanked 227 Times in 41 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup Epiphone stinger FTW __________________ Epiphone Elitist SG Faded Cherry (Tone Mojo'd and WB'd) Faded Cherry Epiphone SG G-400 Flamed Cherry SunBurst Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top Fender Mexi Oly White Strat Squier Natural Vintage M Jazz bass Peavey Classic 50 SG's FTW

07-31-2008, 08:28 PM	#67 (permalink)
Roman Rist Master Luthier V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LA Posts: 3,616 Thanks: 17 Thanked 156 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup The last thing. Intonation. I play the open string........check it on the tuner. Hit the 12th harmonic.......check it on the tuner Hit the 12th fret.........check it on the tuner If sharp, the saddle goes back. If flat , the saddle goes forward. On a side note; Epi bridges are not that great. The good news is that the import version of the Gotoh/tonepros is a DIRECT fit. It is a much better bridge. It is pre notched and you wouldn't even have to install new studs and inserts. Just put it on and set the intonation and action. __________________ Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players

07-31-2008, 08:32 PM	#68 (permalink)
Roman Rist Master Luthier V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LA Posts: 3,616 Thanks: 17 Thanked 156 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup A little polish and it is time for the glamour shot! We are done..................till the next edition. pickups and electronics. And maybe sending it to EGGY for his Epi relicing __________________ Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players

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07-31-2008, 08:33 PM	#69 (permalink)
Roman Rist Master Luthier V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LA Posts: 3,616 Thanks: 17 Thanked 156 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup In closing, She plays great. I would not hesitate to take it to a gig and play it. We'll see what Hector has to say Cheers, Roman __________________ Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players

07-31-2008, 08:58 PM	#71 (permalink)
Roman Rist Master Luthier V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LA Posts: 3,616 Thanks: 17 Thanked 156 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup Car stuff. Maguires. __________________ Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players

08-01-2008, 01:06 AM	#75 (permalink)
ctestdummy Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: ct Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup how much would you charge for that?

08-01-2008, 06:35 PM	#77 (permalink)
ScottieS28 Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 81 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup wow... please do that for my epi lol __________________ Les Paul Ultra

08-01-2008, 06:59 PM	#79 (permalink)
mikemack Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Maine Posts: 1,519 Thanks: 41 Thanked 40 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup "Now we take the nut off. First I score a line through the finish. we do not want the nut to take finish along with it when we remove it. I will tap at the nut with something hard and a hammer. my preferred tool for the tapping is a fret file. " Great post! I made that mistake when I changed my nut. I scored it at the fingerboard but not at the top. When I popped it off it it chipped the headstock finish. Lucky for me my TRC hid the damage so I just left it.

08-01-2008, 09:46 PM	#80 (permalink)
Hectgore Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 478 Thanks: 6 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup Got the guitar back from roman and boy does it make a difference! Great job Roman you did an awesome job on this! If anybody wants to ship there guitar to Roman for a setup i would not hesitate!It plays really well now.May have to get the action a bit higher but ill give lower action time to settle and see if i like it. The bone nut and the sanded neck made the BIGGEST difference and i cannot stress it enough.If your thinking about sanding your neck just do it,it feels ALOT better and alot smoother to run through it.I liked it so much i may even sand the whole body out for the satin finish!Thats just thinknig in the future though im not doing it till i upgrade everything i want and see how it looks glossy.besides it gets rid of those damn fingerprints! Good job i give Roman a A+++ but its expected Will be giving Roman a visit later on to set up my carvin and will be paynig a visit anytime i buy a new guitar.heh my guitars already all mudged up from playing it haha but thats just cause of the glossy black!xD On a side note they sell REALLY (IMO) good burgers across the street from the shop.We stop buy right after visiting Roman and were very satisfied. __________________

08-01-2008, 11:03 PM	#81 (permalink)
jkinnison90 Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nelsonville, Ohio Posts: 1,379 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup awesome. your guitar looks great. glad you're enjoying her as well. __________________ 2003 Epiphone Les Paul Standard - Heritage Cherry Sunburst

08-02-2008, 12:21 AM	#83 (permalink)
Muck Fe Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,544 Thanks: 31 Thanked 123 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup You're a lucky man Hectgore, not only did Roman make a good guitar great, we also got to see how it's done. Wish we all had access to someone like Roman, sadly luthiers like him are very thin on the ground especially round here!! Oh well, this thread has at least given me the confidence to have a go at it myself. Congrats Hectgore on a great guitar and Roman for a job well done. Rick. __________________ Consumer Advice: Any and all comments made by me are of a dubious nature and should be taken with a big ole grain of salt. Now sporting one less Epiphone guitar and slinging two new Gibson Guitars. Last edited by Muck Fe; 08-02-2008 at 12:22 AM. Reason: Spelling

08-02-2008, 12:31 AM	#85 (permalink)
Muck Fe Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,544 Thanks: 31 Thanked 123 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup Amen to that Hectgore. Rick. __________________ Consumer Advice: Any and all comments made by me are of a dubious nature and should be taken with a big ole grain of salt. Now sporting one less Epiphone guitar and slinging two new Gibson Guitars.

08-02-2008, 03:52 PM	#86 (permalink)
El_Greco Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Greece/Germany Posts: 555 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup This has got to be one of the best threads I've seen so far here, many thnx Roman, shows a lot about you taking time to help so much, not everyone would do it. Again thnx. __________________ They took the bar!! THEY TOOK THE WHOLE F***ING BAR!!!

08-03-2008, 04:01 AM	#87 (permalink)
Hectgore Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 478 Thanks: 6 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup hey Roman heres a question.When i change the strings i may want to go to 10-52 territory ,think there called low top heavy bottoms or something.Would this hurt my intonation or neck bow? Another question,what strings did you string my epi with? __________________

08-04-2008, 01:01 AM	#89 (permalink)
Hectgore Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 478 Thanks: 6 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Complete EPI custom setup Yeah im gonna be switching the bridge out soon,which gotoh should i be looking at? __________________

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