Complete EPI custom setup

[CHall1525]

Just wanted to throw out there to anyone in question about the scraping of the neck, to not worry too much. I just did it to my Epi Les Paul 60's Tribute and am very pleased with the results. Just take your time, and youll get a feel for it pretty quick.

Ill try and put up some before and after pics of how much better it soaked up the oil.

Went ahead and rounded the binding while i was at it. Also a huge help. I did however break the Low E side of my nut by barley widening it haha.. Cheap Nut needs a bone one anyway. Thats another post all together.

Thanks Roman

 

[CharlesSalvacion]

I tried scraping the fretboard in my LP. great results! revealed a cleaner wood, oiled her 2 times & now its darker than the old board. Thanks Roman for the tips!

 

[ThePriest]

Great tutorial, some stellar tips in here, thanks alot! Just did this step by step to my Epi and it plays like a dream now

 

[VVincho]

Thanks Mr. Roman. this is by far one of the most pelpful post tath I´ve ever seen

 

[KUS]

I know this is about the fret upgrade.

All I did was take out the poly .022 capacitor and replace it with a .022 cap from my 1998 Les Paul Standard. It went from flat crap to totally enjoyable playing guitar. I have $1200 1972 SG, LP Standard, high end Strats. Just replacing the cap right off the bat is THE biggest bang for the buck and time.

I will follow out all your upgrade advice but for those who want instant gratification I thought I'd throw this in.

 

[haystack]

I notice a lot of you talking about higher end models than what I have. I just bought the little gig pack version of a Special II from someone and a Cherry 100.

Is work like this recommended for such low end guitars.....probably the best low end guitar that exists though.

I'm thinking of it one of two ways:
1. Its so low end, that even $200 worth of adjustments goes a very long way
2. Its so low end even $1000 worth of adjustments wouldn't do any good

I come from acoustic world for the past 15 years playing rhythm and voice only. This is a fun fun fun new world.

EDIT: I'm extremely handy and I have no problems with any of this work here. And I'm willing to lose the Special II, obviously. So, that's not really a factor.

 

[bzrkrage]

It's less annoying than going out spending the money for a book, or waiting for it to come in the mail.

This is free info, and besides...........it would probably take up 4 pages in a book as well.

Exactly what I needed. Thanks Roman.
I just picked up my first Epi, the sound worked, just not the neck.

Did the sanding & steel wool. Awesome.

Need to gig it a few times to see if I need to do the whole neck treatment.

Was looking online for this, sent straight here. Thanks again.

 

[tpurgatoryt]

Wow, the end result looks stuning and I'm sure it plays amazing!great job!

 

[Roman]

To all the folks that have responded with their own successes..........
I'd like to say thanks.

Makes me feel good to have provided some useful, easy to digest information that people can utilize all or part of to make their own guitars better.

Not all guitarists can afford, or have access to a good repair/ set up guy, so the intent was to put out some info to give people the know how and courage to do things on their own.

Seems like it has helped some of you out.

 

[CycleDude]

To all the folks that have responded with their own successes..........
I'd like to say thanks.

Makes me feel good to have provided some useful, easy to digest information that people can utilize all or part of to make their own guitars better.

Not all guitarists can afford, or have access to a good repair/ set up guy, so the intent was to put out some info to give people the know how and courage to do things on their own.

Seems like it has helped some of you out.

This is awesome, Thank You!

 

[bloodied_fingers]

To all the folks that have responded with their own successes..........
I'd like to say thanks.

Makes me feel good to have provided some useful, easy to digest information that people can utilize all or part of to make their own guitars better.

Not all guitarists can afford, or have access to a good repair/ set up guy, so the intent was to put out some info to give people the know how and courage to do things on their own.

Seems like it has helped some of you out.

I think you have helped out a lot of people. For me the fret filing and such is a bit.. intimidating for now, so I'm going to tackle the fingerboard scraping and see how that goes.

I REALLY appreciate this thread and the youtube video of the scraping is also much appreciated.

I'm going to try the fingerboard scraping and maybe changing the nut on my newly acquired epi LP cherry burst. Someday I'm sure I'll try the rest too, great information and thanks much.

I also didn't see this linked here anywhere, your excellent video: http://youtu.be/Ohl4nofZlIQhttp://youtu.be/Ohl4nofZlIQ

I think anybody wanting to try this should watch it.

 

[RyanStorm]

Wow, when I thought I would learn to setup my own guitar I didn't realize how much more there is to it beyond adjusting the next and new strings!

I am too scared to do that with my new Eppi LP Custom Pro. I will probably just buy a cheaper epiphone to do it to, then if I don't completely ruin the guitar I can do it to my nice Custom Pro.

 

[nicoch]

the youtube link dont work

 

[USNavyChiefRet]

I have a question for you, Roman. I recently purchased an Epiphone Les Paul 1960's Tribute Plus. The problem I'm having is with the "G" & "B" strings. I can tune the guitar using a TC Electronic Polytune and it seems to tune up, however, when I go to play to "G" or "B" strings on the 1st fret they sound terrible. If I try playing a "D" chord it also sounds off key. I can tune the strings, especially the "G", so that the "D" chord sounds good to my ear but when I go back to the tuner it's off (G string). I have been in music for quite some time and can tune within say a cent or two of the correct pitch. It seems to be more the "G" string than the "B". I've changed strings twice since I got the guitar. Initially because the strings that were on it were terribly tarnished and I just replaced them rather than try and clean them up. I know this is hard to determine without having the guitar in front of you but any advice you could give me would certainly help. I'm at the point where I'm going to take it to a Luthier and have it checked out but I thought if there was something I could do or try before doing so that would be great. Thank you.

 

[nitrodc]

If I'm cleaning a fretboard that doesn't have the plastic-y coating on it (can feel the wood and the inlays -- different textures) then should I use a razor blade (for scraping off dirt and such)? I am afraid of scratching/ruining the inlay and possibly the wood.

 

[peterp]

If I'm cleaning a fretboard that doesn't have the plastic-y coating on it (can feel the wood and the inlays -- different textures) then should I use a razor blade (for scraping off dirt and such)? I am afraid of scratching/ruining the inlay and possibly the wood.

There is no need or benefit in scraping if it doesn't have the plastic coating. Naphtha (lighter fluid) is often used to clean the fretboard if it has buildup, followed by a good oil such as Fret Doctor.

 

[mazzith]

I am going to clean up my fret board and frets pretty soon. Thanks a lot for the guide.

The one thing I did to my Les Paul was I found a roller bridge on ebay for it.
When palm muting feels so much better.

 

[eprunier]

You've inspired me to put some time and some money into my Epi. Time to start learning about pickups.

 

[Ultra3]

When I get my epi soon, I'm gonna play around and not put up with any annoying fret buzzing that some people choose to ignore because they don't know how to care for their guitar, but this thread is actually very helpful so thank you very much for sharing all this wonderful information because now it doesn't seem as difficult as you think it would be, obviously I don't want to go over the top but I certainly will have a go at adjusting and fixing anything Thanks again, I really enjoyed reading and learning

 

[JZ06]

This thread is like going to a really good movie you can watch again and again! I have a Zakk Wylde epi which was a train wreck at the beginning, but really plays like butter now. I've bookmarked this thread. Thanks for sharing with us! I really want a white LP but i can't stand the sticky neck syndrome. I see the way around it a little scuff and it's good to go! Thank you for sharing this with us! So informative!! The tip about buffing the frets with cowhide made me SMH! Interesting!!