Epiphone Les Paul FAQ

[AdrielTimothealovesLps]

btw FB--Fireburst
i think

[The_Sentry]

A log for the fire...

I know a lot of folks here mod and upgrade their guitars (and I'm one of 'em), but between my own labors and what I've read and debated on this site along with a host of others, IMHO as far as Epiphone Les Pauls go, I would rate these modifications in terms of what to do first vs. last, and hopefully if someone is considering upgrading their guitar for any reason...eh, maybe they'll get some use out of this thread.

(and if you have your own beliefs in terms of which mods are the most important, list 'em! )

So, in order....Most important vs. least important mods, and why:

1. Setup: I consider this a mod because it's beyond the original, advertised cost of the guitar. But with a lot of these guitars (especially online orders), it's a necessity if you want a guitar that has good action along with reduced fret buzz. Before considering ANY upgrades, you should get a setup from a professional on your guitar. (Roman Rist covers an extended setup in his thread up top. In most circumstances a truss rod verification, action, and intonation setup should be enough to get you going.)

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Often times when taking your guitar in for a setup, this might be the best time in which to get a new nut for your guitar. Often times the nut will affect how well the guitar stays in tune. I'd highly recommend getting this taken care of during the setup process so you only have to take your guitar in once and be done with it. A typical cost for a custom-cut nut is between 50-75 dollars. A guaranteed result is that your guitar will stay in tune more consistently with other potential benefits of added tone and sustain (see mod number 6... )

2. Straplocks: What? The second most important upgrade? Am I serious? Ummm...yes I am. Prior to even considering anything else, if you play standing up...eh, I'm of the impression these are a must-have, no matter what your favorite brand is. Because of the angle of the post by the neck, the strap tends to have an angle on it...and after nearly dumping my Gibson once, I was convinced that this was a necessity on my Les Paul guitars. (NOTE: I don't have them on my other guitars at all...but I do think they're damn near a necessity for these guitars.)

3. Capacitors: So, you've got your Epi Les Paul, you're jammin' through a good amp...but the sound isn't quite there. Hahahhaah....Note the sign that Dante did when he wrote The Inferno.

A lot of upgrades obviously address tone and sound. The first thing I would change or verify? The capacitors. The stock ones are very, very cheap, and in truth a set of good caps might be all the difference between cleaning up your tone a bit and giving you more control over your tone knobs vs. dealing with a sound you're not quite satisfied with. It's also one of the cheapest upgrades...even with a set of good caps.

4. Potentiometers (pots): Some people might disagree with this, but my thinking is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Nevertheless, changing your import pots on those guitars for some CTS pots or any other brand that makes high quality potentiometers (and upgrading the wiring along the way if you're going to dig that far in) can offer benefits to tone. Bear in mind that no matter what the tweaks, we're still talking about a signal and a ground wire sending the signal from the guitar to the amp, so it goes without saying that the transmission materials used does have an effect. A lot of times these are bumped together because they go hand in hand when someone is rewiring a guitar, but if one had to choose, I give caps the win....but it's still a great upgrade for an Epi. (And the cost to do is not expensive as long as you've got a soldering iron, some decent wire, and caps and pots which could probably be acquired for under 30 dollars for all of the components.)

Bear in mind that if you change your pots, you're going to have to bore out the holes a bit on an Epi LP. My favorite technique is to simply roll up some sandpaper and bore out the holes by hand since the difference isn't that great...yes, it takes longer, but on the upside I don't have to worry about cracking the finish on my guitar with a drill bit.

So, let's say you've rewired it, the pots and caps ain't doin' it for you....if you've gotten to this point, and you're still not certain...then yes....it's time to look at...

5. Pickups: Yup, ranked number 5. I often wonder if boutique pickups are purchased without trying other things first to improve the dynamics and tone quality of these guitars. And often, this is usually the first mod a lot of people make...and it's a great one (pickups have a lot of determination towards the sound that will come out of the amplifier) but I don't think it ranks above wiring. In any case...as far as Epi's go, I've had great luck with Gibson passive pickups in my Plus model, while my Custom got a lot of needed tone from actives. Every person probably has a slightly different idea of what they want, so atypically pickups are best left up to the consumer and their ideal of the best tone possible from an Epi.

Moving on...

So, while we're doing this wiring...well, hey, maybe your guitar doesn't stay in tune. Why haven't I addressed this?

Often times tuning issues are related to the nut on the guitar vs. the tuners, and it's a case of the string binding within the nut. This can in most circumstances be overcome with graphite shavings in the nut which should allow for a smoother glide of the strings through said nut. Neverthess, tone conneisseurs often take next to addressing these issues while at the same time getting different components and parts to increase tone and sustain. So, moving on to the next things to consider:

6. Guitar nut: There's a lot of different materials out there. Most people like bone or tusq, but graphite and brass nuts are also considered superior to plastic. In any of these circumstances, if you're considering a nut, get one cut by a pro as a poorly slotted and fitted nut, no matter what it's made out of, will probably make the guitar sound worse, not better. Often times people will replace the nut when getting a setup done...that's not a bad idea at all as this nut will require less maintnenace than a plastic one. But even at that, I do not rank this one as high as the others. It's an important component to the guitar, but as far as tone someone could also argue that as soon as your fretting a note, the nut is out of the equation outside of sympathetic vibration discourse. So, the nut's #6 on my list.

7. Tuners: So, you have a nut, and the thing is still going out of tune? Maybe at that point you should consider tuners, although Grovers have one of the best gear ratios advertised at 18:1. IMHO if the Grovers are not working, you may want to consider going with a locking tuner since you are not dealing with string wrapping at that point. (and yes, if your wraps are not clean, your guitar will probably not stay in tune as well as it should.) I've tried a few brands, (and I will probably try a few more), but the best locking tuners I've found so far in terms of ease of use and installation on an Epi are the Planet Wave locking tuners which have a great gear ratio and clip the string so no tools are required. With a set of these you could probably change out a set of strings in literally less than 5 minutes and be off to the races. It's good stuff. (I also like Sperzels, but they have more of a bling factor to 'em.) The best cheap tuners I've tried for under 40 dollars were a set of Gotoh's that had 16:1 gear ratio. (I'm also interested in the Gibson modern machine heads for non-locking tuners...I suspect they'll have the same gear ratio as standard grovers.) A lot of people like green keys for asthetic reasons IMHO, but bear in mind that these only have an atypical 15:1 gear ratio...but with a good nut (or one that is well-maintained) that should be more than enough to keep your guitar in tune.

Some also state that better tuners increase sustain, but that's a subjective argument IMHO and even with proven results I do not believe that the change is dramatic enough to justify the cost of tuners.

So...you've gone this far...what's left?

8. Bridge: Geez Louise, how much more on this guitar can be modified? Sometimes bridges are changed out for ease of comfort, sometimes for arguments towards better tone and sustain. Although I prefer the Nashville bridges Gibson has vs. the ABR bridges on the Epiphone Tune-o-matics, a bridge should be way, way down on the priority list. The cheapest way to upgrade a bridge would probably be new saddles from Graphtech (I like the string savers), as this would likely cause the least amount of headaches since basic hardware remains the same. Others like Gotoh briges, others still Tonepros, and some have even gone for the 100 dollar Graphtech superbridges which combine their string saddles on a Tonepros II locking bridge. No matter what your poison, just make sure it's metric with the large posts so it fits in there nice and snug. You might also want to make note of your action before doing this, and be prepared to redo your intonation after changing a bridge out.

9. Stop bar: Ranked below the bridge. there's a couples of things to consider with the stop bar: Yes, this is what allows the tone from the wood in your guitar to resonate through the strings via the miracles of sympathetic vibration. And typically, the lower your stop bar, the less resistance there is to that sympathetic vibration. But, on the downside....some argue a lower stop bar will lead to more string wear and tear. My experience: On a stock Epiphone, even if the stop bar is all the way down (which it is in most circumstances on the Epiphones), there is usually enough room to clear the ABR-1 bridge before it meets the saddle. This may not be the case on aftermarket bridges. Players will often compensate for this via top wrapping their strings over the stop bar with the added implication that there is less tension in the strings. Others favor aluminum tailpieces which offer a brighter tone vs. stainless steel or zinc for a slightly different tone.

In my experience? Since the Epi is metric and most aftermarket vendors make tailpieces in standard sizes out of special materials, it's probably more trouble than it's worth. You should get more than enough tone through a standard stop bar.

10. Other components: If you're on Step 10 then one might argue that you really didn't like much about the stock parts on that Epiphone. Hahahahaha.....I've personally never had any issues with either input jacks or tone selector switches, but these are often replaced as well during a wiring retrofit with new pots and caps. But to be honest...I really can't see replacing these unless they stop functioning. Sure, it's part of the signal and ground, but most replacement parts do not offer THAT much greater benefit to spending extra money on said components. I would eschew this if someone is willing to purchase an entire harness and save themselves some pain and suffering, but IMHO these are the least important upgrades on the Epiphone, next to....

11. Miscellaneous hardware and pickguard: We all have our preferences, but most of us realize this is cosmetic and towards addressing the cosmetics of your guitar. (Queues pickguard thread....)

And that's about it. Once you've reached this point your basically down to the neck and body. Some go this far...others don't.

In summation...that's how I'd rank these upgrades and mods in terms of importance to the playability and tone of your guitar. Comments are welcome....(and if you have a better list...let's see it! )

[longandwindingroadstar]

I have small hands and would prefer a neck that isn't too chunky. Today I looked at a brand new Epi LP Studio, and I liked it... except the neck was very thick. (I often play an Ibanez Roadstar, souped up, so I'm used to a thinner, 25.5 scale.) Are there Epi LPs that have thinner necks than the studio?

Also, I understand that new Epiphone LPs are Mahogany bodies, better than the older models. Do you know when they started with the Mahogany on the Epi LPs? Thanks.

[Sinmastah]

They always used mahagoney, but recently they have been using less and less mahagony, and more alder and cheaper mahagony. If you want a thin neck get an SG.

[longandwindingroadstar]

Originally Posted by Sinmastah

They always used mahagoney, but recently they have been using less and less mahagony, and more alder and cheaper mahagony. If you want a thin neck get an SG.

Thanks for the info. about the wood used. I guess the guy at the store was trying to impress me with how awesome the new models were, and I'm an easy target!

I kinda like the traditional LP looks as opposed to the SG... I understand the LP Ultra has a thin neck. It's a little pricey for me, but maybe I should save up for it... It might feel more comfortable for me, since I'm not used to the heavy LP.

[longandwindingroadstar]

Okay... so I did a trade-in at the local GC, combined with a good coupon I had... and came home on a great deal with a 2008 Epiphone LP Standard (plain top) honey burst. The neck is a little thicker than I'm used to, but not bad -- especially with the shorter scale than I'm used to. It kinda evens out. You can see it in my new avatar (along with my old Ibanez Roadstar -- didn't want the older sibling to be jealous of the new baby!).

[Telechamp]

Does anyone know what stock pickups came with the '96 (Korean) Epi Les Paul Standard Plus Top?

Thanks ~

[Sinmastah]

Alnico V's? No idea really, you might be able to tell by taking them out and looking.

[Telechamp]

Yeah, that would be the best way to do it, but I think if I were to do that, I might just go ahead and replace them. The stock pups (I'm assuming they're stock - I just bought it used) are OK, but the neck pup is a little muddy. Bridge seems nice and hot though..

I've been told SD Jazz for neck and SD JB for bridge are good replacements, but know there are many others out there that would work, too.. I don't hate the stock ones, I just think I might be able to do better.. (??)

[Sinmastah]

Go for it, I replaced the Pups in my Elitist and they are MIA.

[qwank]

Originally Posted by Telechamp

Does anyone know what stock pickups came with the '96 (Korean) Epi Les Paul Standard Plus Top?

Thanks ~

these might still have the really cheap pickups with no markings on them. i THINK they went to the better ones in 98 or 99

[Telechamp]

Great.... So the word is that the early-mid 90's Epi Les Paul's pickups were not exactly top of the line then, huh?..

I guess I can live with these pups for awhile, but will probably replace them at some point.

[Telechamp]

Originally Posted by Sinmastah

Go for it, I replaced the Pups in my Elitist and they are MIA.

Yeah, I'm sure I will change out the pups at some point. I'm going to play it for awhile and see what these pickups sound like w/ different settings, amps, etc., but I'm pretty sure that I'll swap them out. It sounds pretty muddy on my Fenders (HRDx, Champ), nice with the Marshall VS100.. I need to try it out on a tube Marshall. Looking at the DSL401 now.

It's a nice axe other than the pickups. Love the action. Seems to stay in tune even with the old Kluson green tulip-head tuners (which I like the look of..), and the honeyburst flame top is amazing! Just had it set up, new selector switch, new jack. Now plays/feels great..

[aoresteen]

Hum, no mention of the Epiphone Les Paul Deluxe models - my favorite as I have two!

Shouldn't they be added to the model list?

[Sinmastah]

Well it's not really a model that many people know of, and they seem to be rare. If I added every model of LP to the list, it would go on for quite a bit, which why I limited it to current production non-sig models.

[aoresteen]

OK, that makes sense. I didn't realize that you were listing current production models.

Thanks!

[dribblinaxemurderer]

Originally Posted by Sinmastah

Go for it, I replaced the Pups in my Elitist and they are MIA.

I'm looking to change the pickups in my epi lp black beauty to SD alnico pro II's but am unsure of which pup to put in the middle position. You can get one for the neck position and one for the bridge but obviously not one for the middle. Any ideas would be much appreciated (sorry for my ignorance but I'm kind of new to all this!!).

[Sinmastah]

Might want to ask around in the tonefreaks section.

[Zhaed]

Originally Posted by Telechamp

I've been told SD Jazz for neck and SD JB for bridge are good replacement...

Absolutely... I been using a Jazz and JB in my HSH Talon for years before I bought my Epi Studio. I love them so much that I went ahead and purchased a second Jazz and JB the same day I purchased my Studio and immediately installed them afterward. Course there's a huge tonal difference between an alder Fender and a mahogany Epi... one difference I do not regretat all.

The factory pups aren't horrible mind you, a good sound without having to sink another $150 (usd) or so for replacements. Unfortunately in the case of my studio, I knew the stock pups weren't coil tapped. Something I was looking for to get more tonal variety.

As for the price, it's an amazing story, I just may share it some day here.

[Hawkeye]

4. Capacitors: So, you've got your Epi Les Paul, you're jammin' through a good amp...but the sound isn't quite there. Hahahhaah....Note the sign that Dante did when he wrote The Inferno.

A lot of upgrades obviously address tone and sound. The first thing I would change or verify? The capacitors. The stock ones are very, very cheap, and in truth a set of good caps might be all the difference between cleaning up your tone a bit and giving you more control over your tone knobs vs. dealing with a sound you're not quite satisfied with. It's also one of the cheapest upgrades...even with a set of good caps.

5. Potentiometers (pots): Some people might disagree with this, but my thinking is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Nevertheless, changing your import pots on those guitars for some CTS pots or any other brand that makes high quality potentiometers (and upgrading the wiring along the way if you're going to dig that far in) can offer benefits to tone. Bear in mind that no matter what the tweaks, we're still talking about a signal and a ground wire sending the signal from the guitar to the amp, so it goes without saying that the transmission materials used does have an effect. A lot of times these are bumped together because they go hand in hand when someone is rewiring a guitar, but if one had to choose, I give caps the win....but it's still a great upgrade for an Epi. (And the cost to do is not expensive as long as you've got a soldering iron, some decent wire, and caps and pots which could probably be acquired for under 30 dollars for all of the components.)

Bear in mind that if you change your pots, you're going to have to bore out the holes a bit on an Epi LP. My favorite technique is to simply roll up some sandpaper and bore out the holes by hand since the difference isn't that great...yes, it takes longer, but on the upside I don't have to worry about cracking the finish on my guitar with a drill bit.

6. Pickups: Yup, ranked number 5. I often wonder if boutique pickups are purchased without trying other things first to improve the dynamics and tone quality of these guitars. And often, this is usually the first mod a lot of people make...and it's a great one (pickups have a lot of determination towards the sound that will come out of the amplifier) but I don't think it ranks above wiring. In any case...as far as Epi's go, I've had great luck with Gibson passive pickups in my Plus model, while my Custom got a lot of needed tone from actives. Every person probably has a slightly different idea of what they want, so atypically pickups are best left up to the consumer and their ideal of the best tone possible from an Epi.

A bit of supplementary advice... Don't jump to conclusions regarding a tone issue until you've explored all the easiest options.

Case in point: I read in one of those "Ask a Guitar Tech" things in Guitar World (I think the guy's name is Matt Bruck), anyway, the guy asks, "My neck pickup doesn't have as much output as the bridge pickup, what's wrong?"

The tech advises him to replace his toggle switch. WTF? The guy could've simply adjusted his pickup height and/or pole-piece height, and that might've done it.

[Sinmastah]

Uhm, well this is all assuming you have done the set up. I am pretty sure adjusting the pickup height won't increase how good your pots sound, or how efficient your tone knobs will be,

[purevilpleasure]

Originally Posted by RMC1

Hi Guys,i have already posted this in another thread,as a reply to an inquiry,but i thought maybe it would be a good idea to post it as a thread,for future reference.

SI = Samick - Origin - Indonesia
S = Samick - Origin - Korea
SJ = Saejun - Origin - China
SM = Samil - Origin - Samil,Korea
U = Unsung - Origin - Korea
UC = Unsung - Origin - China
Z = Zaozhuang saehan - Origin - China
J = T Terada - Origin - Japan
O = Choice - Origin - Korea
P/R = Peerless - Origin - Korea
FN/N = Fine Guitars - Origin - Korea
I = Saein - Origin - Korea
K = Korea Ins - Origin - Korea
F = Fujigen - Origin - Japan
EE = Qingdao - Origin - China
EA = Qingdao - Origin - China
MC = Muse - Origin - China
DW = Daewon Origin - China
B = Bohemia Musico - Origin - Czech Republic

Here, now it's stickied.

[#1guitarman]

.....AW= Arctic White....

[djwilbanks]

Originally Posted by RMC1

SI = Samick - Origin - Indonesia
S = Samick - Origin - Korea
SJ = Saejun - Origin - China
SM = Samil - Origin - Samil,Korea
U = Unsung - Origin - Korea
UC = Unsung - Origin - China
Z = Zaozhuang saehan - Origin - China
J = T Terada - Origin - Japan
O = Choice - Origin - Korea
P/R = Peerless - Origin - Korea
F (Pre 1998) FN/N = Fine Guitars - Origin - Korea
I = Saein - Origin - Korea
K = Korea Ins - Origin - Korea
F (1998 and newer)= Fujigen - Origin - Japan
EE = Qingdao - Origin - China
EA = Qingdao - Origin - China
MC = Muse - Origin - China
DW = Daewon Origin - China
B = Bohemia Musico - Origin - Czech Republic

Updated! Remember folks, an F serial does not immediately mean MIJ.

[#1guitarman]

Yes Sir! this is one fine thread for us Epi players out here, lotta info/low cost...made just for Guitar Players!...SINMASTEH : THANK YOU!!

[LPGoth]

i have a question. what does the label "B-Stock" mean?

[The Guitarist]

its a guitar that's usually in working order, but there's some sort of problem or blemmish in the asthetics, finish etc. But they usually work perfectly and come at a lower price if you dont mind a less than perfect finish.

[pugachev]

hey guys,

i was recently in the market for a gibson les paul traditional but I couldnt justify the price. My question is, is there any different, other than looks, between the elitist les paul custom and the regular epi elitists? None of the local shops carry these where I live and I wanted to know if these were better than gibson studios. I often hear they are, but my frist guitar, an epi standard, was just a horrible guitar. I think I just got unlucky on that though.

[Sinmastah]

The difference between the Elitist Standard and Custom are the same between Epi Standard and Custom.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by surfer777

This may seem pointless to you guys but when I was first on the forums I had no clue what this all meant:

HCSB--Heritage Cherry Sunburst
HB--Honeyburst
VS--Vintage Sunburst
TA--Transparent Amber

I don't think I missed any colors that really get abbreviated...hope this helps someone!

FWIW, I found this yesterday. Australian Music Imports - Epiphone Finishes