Custom made pickguard for Epiphone Les Paul Special II

[Crescentos]

I am making a custom made pickguard for my Epiphone Les Paul Special II.

Would you share your impressions with me?

60DEB0D7-457D-4F1D-AF2C-EACC38A7AB14

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

07CBF598-70F3-48B3-91A6-62707AD3F0C8

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

95D77D2E-3BAA-4673-B6B9-6B6D6355EDF6

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

6C890871-3F28-4551-82C5-5222E305343E

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

 

[charlie chitlins]

Here's mine

 

[slug_maine]

I am making a custom made pickguard for my Epiphone Les Paul Special II.

Would you share your impressions with me?

60DEB0D7-457D-4F1D-AF2C-EACC38A7AB14

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

07CBF598-70F3-48B3-91A6-62707AD3F0C8

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

95D77D2E-3BAA-4673-B6B9-6B6D6355EDF6

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

6C890871-3F28-4551-82C5-5222E305343E

• Crescentos
• Dec 10, 2018

I think I like the one in the middle best, like it better without the part that wraps around the knob.

 

[Crescentos]

Here's mine
View attachment 346561

Awesome design, but I dont think it would look good on my pickups, yours are p90s?

 

[charlie chitlins]

Awesome design, but I dont think it would look good on my pickups, yours are p90s?

Yup. P90s.
And I take no credit for the design.
I stole it right from Gibson.

 

[wildhawk1]

Here's mine
View attachment 346561

Excellent!

Look at the wear on that guitar people. Special II's are the reason I'd never pay the crazy price for a Jr.

One of the best Gibson ever made IMHO.

Good to see someone ignores the price as a deciding factor on what makes a great guitar.

 

[Crescentos]

Yup. P90s.
And I take no credit for the design.
I stole it right from Gibson.

You had to modify the cavities for those pickups right?

 

[charlie chitlins]

Excellent!

Look at the wear on that guitar people. Special II's are the reason I'd never pay the crazy price for a Jr.

One of the best Gibson ever made IMHO.

Good to see someone ignores the price as a deciding factor on what makes a great guitar.

This guitar is my go-to around-the-house plinker. It hangs on the wall. Goes out to Blues jams, gets tossed in the trunk for vacation, goes to festival gigs where keeping an eye on equipment and weather are iffy, and makes it to most gigs as a backup, but, frankly, I love it so much, that night's #1 ('69 Tele, '65 Firebird, '67 Rick 335...)often gets put down and the Epi comes out for a set.... or 2.

 

[charlie chitlins]

You had to modify the cavities for those pickups right?

Nope.
This one's called a Special I P90
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/doorbusters?icid=215088
Killer guitar

 

[slug_maine]

Nope.
This one's called a Special I P90
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/doorbusters?icid=215088
Killer guitar

Think I might grab one, thanks.

 

[charlie chitlins]

Think I might grab one, thanks.

Best guitar money you can spend, IMO.

 

[slug_maine]

Best guitar money you can spend, IMO.

Ordered one today. Showed in stock and ready to ship......then I get an email, OUT OF STOCK expected to ship 5/19. Think you put a run on them Charlie.

 

[charlie chitlins]

The black and red ones are often around. When the TVY ones pop up, folks jump on them.

 

[ricksepilp]

I have a black one. Swapped in a set of GFS Dream 90's, Vintage Grover tuners and a Tusq nut. I keep going back to it over and over, it's my go to for a while now.

 

[slug_maine]

The black and red ones are often around. When the TVY ones pop up, folks jump on them.

Wednesday they said it was back ordered until May, Thursday they said it shipped. Is your pickguard bakelite and did you replace the tuners?

 

[charlie chitlins]

The pickguard is regular B/W/B plastic cut from an old Tele one with hogged out holes I had around.
I replaced the tuners with repro "tulip" ones, but just because I had them around. I don't think it needed them, aside from the originals looked a little corny.
I'm not totally sure if the bridge is in slightly the wrong place or if the spacing is wrong. The string-to-string spacing was right, but everything was cheated toward the bass side. I cut slots in the bridge to even out the spacing, but the slots don't line up with the holes in the bridge, so some strings exit the hole and go at a fairly sharp angle to the side, to their slot.
It's one of those stupid things...it PLAYED fine, but every time I LOOKED at it, the high E was too far from the edge of the fretboard.

 

[slug_maine]

The pickguard is regular B/W/B plastic cut from an old Tele one with hogged out holes I had around.
I replaced the tuners with repro "tulip" ones, but just because I had them around. I don't think it needed them, aside from the originals looked a little corny.
I'm not totally sure if the bridge is in slightly the wrong place or if the spacing is wrong. The string-to-string spacing was right, but everything was cheated toward the bass side. I cut slots in the bridge to even out the spacing, but the slots don't line up with the holes in the bridge, so some strings exit the hole and go at a fairly sharp angle to the side, to their slot.
It's one of those stupid things...it PLAYED fine, but every time I LOOKED at it, the high E was too far from the edge of the fretboard.

Did you have a template for the pickguard or freehand it? The finish wear on yours, is that natural or did you help it along? I like the look either way.

 

[charlie chitlins]

I freehanded it.
If you like, I could pop it off, trace it and mail it to you.
The arm wear is about half real.
I also put this guitar to a buffing wheel because I wanted it to shine like God intended. The poly finish is crazy durable, so there was a bit of a learning curve (you should see the back!).
I did burn an edge with the wheel because the finish was so thin there from arm wear, but I cleaned it up with some sandpaper and further buffing.

 

[Eddie 70]

I think the bottom one looks best. Nice work.

 

[Crescentos]

What materials would you recommend if not backelite?