Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Plus (2012) RAVE N' REVIEW

[Wolf204]

I could not bare to be separated from my new guitar anymore, so I took a 2hrs bus ride in order to go get it before friday. It plays great now, neck is adjusted properly, frets are leveled and polished and strings are as low as they can get, even too low for my taste, will need to raise them a bit by myself. Luthier said that he had hard time leveling the frets, because the fretboard was not shaped properly, it is uneven, resulting in him having to file some frets a lot, while others not at all. He said that he could not fix that without replacing all the frets, but that in his opinion it is not necessary at the moment. It is an issue, but not a major one. He says that i should play it like it is, and when i wear down the frets enough to have them replaced, he will sand the fretboard properly before replacing them. He charged me 30e, because the pot didnt need replacing, and Im pretty happy now with my guitar. Had to jump through some hoops to get here, but it was worth it.

 

[Unsung Heroes]

Congrats Wolf - enjoy!!!

 

[Eddie 70]

Good news. To me, it sounds like a great deal on a set up.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Luthier said that he had hard time leveling the frets, because the fretboard was not shaped properly, it is uneven, resulting in him having to file some frets a lot, while others not at all. He said that he could not fix that without replacing all the frets, but that in his opinion it is not necessary at the moment. It is an issue, but not a major one.

Sounds like the fretboard "bump" that some Epi LP's have where the fretboard meets the body. My PlusTop has it to some extent too.

 

[redcoats1976]

just wondering...what is the relief on low e at the 12th fret? i replaced the nut on mine and putzed around with doing a setup on it but havent touched the frets.

 

[sgguitarzz]

Reviving this old thread.

The Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Plus is their best version of Les Paul. It does have upgraded parts, Gibson 57/57+ pickups etc. I bought mine about 9 months or so ago. It is a very nice guitar for $600 especially including the case. However it is still not comparable to a good Gibson Les Paul IMHO. I did not like the sound of the pickups and the sweep on the volume/tone controls left much to be desired. Basically just okay for me. After thinking about it and doing some research I decided it would be worth putting a few dollars into this guitar to improve the sound and playability and I actually just got the guitar back yesterday from my tech. I ended up doing the following:

1 - replaced the pickups with a Dimarzo SD in the bridge and 36th Anniversary PAF in the neck - great combination and compliment each other so well

2 - replaced the bridge and tailpiece with Gotoh parts
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,..._Bushings.html

https://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges...l?keyword=5740

3 - replaced the electronics with a pre-wired Les Paul assembly from Martinsixstrings
https://www.martinsixstringcustoms.c.../prod_125.html

4 - replaced the speed knobs with the bell top knobs
https://www.martinsixstringcustoms.c...product_id=231

5 - I had bought a new nut as well but my tech said there is nothing wrong with the nut on there.

It is like a different guitar and quite a few steps up from where it was. Plays great, the sound is full bodied and strong, the sweep on the knobs is smoother and gradual as it should be now. My tech said he thought one of the best upgrades we did was the Gotoh bridge and tailpiece. Much improved from the stock Epiphone. I am sure the 57/57+ pickups are nice pickups but they just sounded kind of generic and blah to me. I am used to Dimarzio SD's which I have on my SG so I guess I am used to that sound. I have only played it at home and the real test will be next week at a gig but for now I am very happy. It also now even looks better .

 

[Unsung Heroes]

the sweep on the knobs is smoother and gradual as it should be now

What taper did you decide works best for you..? Different tapers for volume & tone..?

 

[IRG]

Reviving this old thread.

The Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Plus is their best version of Les Paul. It does have upgraded parts, Gibson 57/57+ pickups etc. I bought mine about 9 months or so ago. It is a very nice guitar for $600 especially including the case. However it is still not comparable to a good Gibson Les Paul IMHO. I did not like the sound of the pickups and the sweep on the volume/tone controls left much to be desired. Basically just okay for me. After thinking about it and doing some research I decided it would be worth putting a few dollars into this guitar to improve the sound and playability and I actually just got the guitar back yesterday from my tech. I ended up doing the following:

1 - replaced the pickups with a Dimarzo SD in the bridge and 36th Anniversary PAF in the neck - great combination and compliment each other so well

2 - replaced the bridge and tailpiece with Gotoh parts
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,..._Bushings.html

https://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges...l?keyword=5740

3 - replaced the electronics with a pre-wired Les Paul assembly from Martinsixstrings
https://www.martinsixstringcustoms.c.../prod_125.html

4 - replaced the speed knobs with the bell top knobs
https://www.martinsixstringcustoms.c...product_id=231

5 - I had bought a new nut as well but my tech said there is nothing wrong with the nut on there.

It is like a different guitar and quite a few steps up from where it was. Plays great, the sound is full bodied and strong, the sweep on the knobs is smoother and gradual as it should be now. My tech said he thought one of the best upgrades we did was the Gotoh bridge and tailpiece. Much improved from the stock Epiphone. I am sure the 57/57+ pickups are nice pickups but they just sounded kind of generic and blah to me. I am used to Dimarzio SD's which I have on my SG so I guess I am used to that sound. I have only played it at home and the real test will be next week at a gig but for now I am very happy. It also now even looks better .

Te Gotoh links didn't work for me, is it this bridge/tailpiece? STEWMAC.COM : Pictures of Gotoh 510 Bridge & Tailpiece

I'm thinking of doing the same on my Tribute. I'll check out that wiring option too, thanks for sharing.
Edit - the Martin Six Strings links didn't work for me either. I'm in Chrome, maybe that's the problem?

 

[sgguitarzz]

What taper did you decide works best for you..? Different tapers for volume & tone..?

I don't know what settings but the new pots taper is much more gradual and useable whereas before the sweep went from nothing to everything by number 4.

 

[sgguitarzz]

Te Gotoh links didn't work for me, is it this bridge/tailpiece? STEWMAC.COM : Pictures of Gotoh 510 Bridge & Tailpiece

I'm thinking of doing the same on my Tribute. I'll check out that wiring option too, thanks for sharing.
Edit - the Martin Six Strings links didn't work for me either. I'm in Chrome, maybe that's the problem?

I am sorry the links didn't work.

1 -Gotoh 1511-N - tuneamatic bridge
STEWMAC.COM : Gotoh Tune-o-matic Bridge with Studs/Bushings

2 - 5740-N - Stop Tailpiece
https://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridge...toh_Aluminum_Stop_Tailpiece.html?keyword=5740

3 - Prewired Les Paul Dual Coil Split Harness
https://www.martinsixstringcustoms....s-paula-dual-coil-split-harness/prod_125.html

I found alot of info on the harness right here at this site. Its very important that when you get whatever hardware you decide on that you select metric sizes because its Epiphone.