Fixing Up a fake Epi les Paul

[mollyconley]

I recently ordered a les paul custom epiphone off ebay and ti turned out to be fake but i kept it anyway and got most of my money backe xcept for shipping. which is pretty awesome. 70$ for a guitar. anyway, i plan to change the stock pick ups to burst bucker pros, get this kit RS Guitarworks Online Store : Pre-Wired Premium Modern Electronics Upgrade Kit- Long Shaft - PWPREMMODKIT-LS
and get it set up by a luthier.
Is it a good combination (pick ups, guitar, electronics kit) and is it worth it even though its fake?
thanks guys

 

[DualAxis]

I recently ordered a les paul custom epiphone off ebay and ti turned out to be fake but i kept it anyway and got most of my money backe xcept for shipping. which is pretty awesome. 70$ for a guitar. anyway, i plan to change the stock pick ups to burst bucker pros, get this kit RS Guitarworks Online Store : Pre-Wired Premium Modern Electronics Upgrade Kit- Long Shaft - PWPREMMODKIT-LS
and get it set up by a luthier.
Is it a good combination (pick ups, guitar, electronics kit) and is it worth it even though its fake?
thanks guys

Since it's fake, I wouldn't bother with it as the fake Epiphones are pretty bad. I'd rather save the money to get yourself a real Epiphone. You can them pretty cheap used or you can get an Agile.

 

[nzo]

I would say get it set up and sleep on the upgrades. You know it's fake, and you can always "upgrade" later. Also, you can always remove any "upgrades" you make in the future and put them in something else later. Get it set up and make it a player. Your only in to it for $70.00, a good set up and you will have a guitar to play for about a hundred bucks. I wouldn't make it a priority for the upgrades though.

TLDR: Have it set it up and play it.

 

[Vigo]

Don't go in any deeper than the $70 on the fake. Take your experience as a partial victory in that you at least got the money back. That extra money should go toward a better guitar down the road.

As for upgrades-- save the money and time for the better guitar you get down the road. Just because an upgrade works for one guitar doesn't mean it will work as well on the next. You want the flexibility of picking your upgrades specifically for the better guitar later, not getting upgrades for a fake now, then rehashing them in a later guitar.

 

[Alligatorbling]

it would make a fine paper weight.

 

[Sinster]

I say go for it... so when you get a real Epiphone you will already have the upgrades in your possession. Just remove them from the "fake".

 

[WantedUser]

I thought about doing this when I got my fake silver burst but I didn't as I could see the point in upgrading something that wont retain any value. If you do do it however, when you get a gibby or a real epi, take the parts from that guitar and put them in the fake and put the upgrades in the gibby/epi... Unless it's a really nice Gibson...

 

[mollyconley]

Alright thanks guys, i think ill upgrade in the meanwhile and wait for the money to buy a real one!

 

[Kezia]

If you like the guitar, regardless if it's a fake or not, go ahead and upgrade it!

 

[07LPStandard]

I didn't click on the link... PC's running slow. But it says long shaft in the hyperlink.

Epiphones DO NOT take long shaft pots, and I suspect that a Chinese fake wouldn't either. You need short shaft pots.

Have an experienced player check the fake out to see if it is of decent quality or not. The wood won't be very good, but as long as it has decent fretwork, a straight neck with a working truss rod, and all-around OK construction it might just do just fine compared to a real Epiphone.

One of the best-playing acoustics I have ever played was a $70 off-brand. It didn't sound great but it played very very nicely. Upgrading the components of your fake might leave you with a pretty decent guitar.

 

[WebGringo]

If you like the guitar, regardless if it's a fake or not, go ahead and upgrade it!

Thats my take as well.

If u like it, if u wanna keep it, and if u enjoy playing it, for sure, dump some cash in it to make it the guitar u want it to be.

But, something i have learned the hard way, sometimes its cheaper to actually buy the guitar u want insted of upgrading.

Stated before, do a decent setup on it first, make a list of what u wanna do, and see if it sums up in a decent way.

Used parts is the way i do it on cheaper guitars, trade with friends and online, and bit by bit i get closer to "my preferences".

*looking around and realizes that all my guitars, regardless of pricerange is somehow modified*

 

[Dolebludger]

I'd have a luthier or very experienced player check out the neck to ensure that the truss rod works. If it doesn't, you've got firewood. Check also that the frets are sufficiently even to allow the action you like without buzz. If the fake passes these tests, set it up to your tastes and play it for a while. See first what exactly you do and do not like about the way it plays/sounds before adding upgrades. That will save you from doing the WRONG upgrades.

 

[andy007]

If it's not too much trouble could you post some close up pictures of the fretboard and the finish on the guitar body? I've never seen a fake up close.

 

[sammyblp]

If it's not too much trouble could you post some close up pictures of the fretboard and the finish on the guitar body? I've never seen a fake up close.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epiphone-les-pauls/31153-fake-epiphone-thread-ii.html

 

[GitFiddle]

I'd take it to a gig and smash the hell out of it at the end of your biggest song of the night.

 

[battweek]

I'd take it to a gig and smash the hell out of it at the end of your biggest song of the night.

+1

 

[Leendrix]

Fixing up a fake Epi is like doing touch ups on a counterfeit dollar bill so it looks more legit. It's worthless. Just leave this guitar as is, and buy a real Epiphone.

 

[GitFiddle]

I really think you need to smash it up and tape the event for all your MLP brothers and sisters.

That would be simply "Revolutionary".

 

[Kezia]

Do you like the guitar? Regardless if it's a fake epi, do you like it?

If so, do as you wish to it.