Should my new Epiphone look as bad as this?

[Joe_G]

Hi all.

Ok bought a brandnew Epiphone about 2 months ago, now I am just learning how to play and decided to buy what I thought was an half decent guitar to learn with.

I have had nothing but problems with it so far, when I bought it they sent me home with it and I had to retured the next day as It sounded like a bag of spanners, turned out it was backbowed? and needed setting up, which the guy at the store did.

Like I say I have had various problems since, mainly fret buzz and have seemed to spend more time online trying to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it rather than learning how to play.

Now I think I made a big misstake picking my guitar off the lower rack in the store (been through many hands) and not having a good look at it before paying for it.

I have worked out the main cause of the fret buzz, which is now only on the low E string is down to the string being a lot lower in the nut than the rest of them. Also the pickups seem to be set in the body poorly, please see pics below.



Now firstly both pickups seem to be set in the boddy at diferent depths.

The brige pickup seems to stick out a lot higher at the front on one side, so it's kinda set in the body on a weired angle.

To me it just looks very poorly put together. Also when I took it back to the store the second time with the buzzing the guy asked me when I had changed the strings, which I handn't and was told the ones on it are not the factory fitted ones these guitars come with.

I'm just wanting you guys opinions as I'm planning on taking this guitar back and don't want to be fobbed off with.

Thnaks.

Edit to add the picture of the uneven brige pickup..

 

[surfer777]

The neck pickup and bridge pickup are supposed to be at different depths, the neck pickup generally sitting lower than the bridge pickup. If you don't like the sound you can raise or lower the pickup with the screws in the middle of the sides of the pickup rings. You can look up the factory specifications for how high or low they recommend.

As far as the strings go...I don't know what to say about that. If you didn't change the strings, I don't know why the guy helping you would say they weren't factory strings.

It sounds to me like you got a lemon. It looks like you've got a Standard there, and it was probably made in China. The factory in which they are made put out some good ones and some bad ones, and if you've only had problems, it sounds like you may have gotten a bad one. I would recommend taking it back and having them pull a brand new one out of a box and play it. If you have the same problems, either this store got a batch of lame guitars, or you just weren't meant to play a Les Paul. I know a couple of my friends that just can't do a Les Paul, they need to play a Strat. So try playing a different one and see what you think.

 

[Joe_G]

Both metal parts of the pickups are set on an angle, one side of each is more recessed in the plastic suround than the other. are they meant to be?

Hard to show on a photo.

 

[stratdragon92]

just return it or it'll drive you crazy even if they fix it

 

[Skynyrdpicker]

The pickups are normal like that.

The neck probably just needs a good setup.

The problems you're having are quite normal with an Epiphone. I would suggest a good professional setup (an actual tech/luthier) and a new nut (that will help with the buzz).

As much as you might feel that you just payed a lot for your guitar, and you want it to play perfectly (I remember when I bought my first Epiphone I thought the same), those upgrades/tweaks are standard on Asian guitars. Get that taken care of and you'll be much happier with it!

 

[Joe_G]

Cheers guys, well I'm sure the problem with the nut warrants an exchange.

Thanks

 

[stratdragon92]

Due to my shortness many of my guitars are off the "low rack" I actually use it to my advantage and talk the price down. If you don't get a return at least get some money back.

Also, alot of guitars come from the factory with miscut nuts. Or they could've changed the strings in the store and put in a lighter gauge. At this price point unfortunately it seem hard to get a perfect guitar, my Epi had some dings on it and the volume pot for the bridge pickup is wonky. But the guitar feels so good and the body is so resonant I was willing to overlook the flaws as long as I got some money off the price.

 

[The_Sentry]

OP:

Adjust your pickups. It's easy.

1. Get a screwdriver (If I remember correctly, stock Epi pickups use a phillips.)

2. Get a ruler.

3. On the low string (E) Put a 3/16" gap between the top of the pole on the Bottom of the Low E string

4. On the high string (high E). Same thing. 3/16" gap. If it needs some extra kick you can adjust one or both sides to 5/32nd of an inch.

Peace...

 

[msolok]

Both metal parts of the pickups are set on an angle, one side of each is more recessed in the plastic suround than the other. are they meant to be?

Hard to show on a photo.

I understand. That's not a fault at all, but due to the way Humbucker pickups are mounted. Humbuckers are recangular boxes which are held in to the guitar via 2 screws half way up each side. Because of this the pickup is free to wiggle back and forward and won't appear straight in the pocket. Same thing happens with Gibsons.
If you want to stop that from happening (although it's nothing to worry about) put some foam beneath the pickup and that will keep it straight.

As for the setup, sounds more like you need a good fret level and setup done. This will fix any uneven frets and make sure they aren't causing any issues. Many guitars need a fret level after being purchased. It's not so much a defect as a setup issue.

 

[morats8up]

The pickups don't look too bad but, The action looks to be fairly high in the pictures to me. Of course, My eye's are getting old.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

action looks high, neck pickup looks low.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

None of those are "problems". They can all be addressed inside of 30 minutes with a couple of screwdrivers and some careful listening.

If I were you I'd leave the neck pickup lower than the bridge pickup. That section of string has more amplitude (wider vibrational pattern, generating more energy in the neck-pickup) and having them perfectly level physically will usually result in imbalance sonically.

In short, most new guitars will need a setup to meet your personal preferences, because the manufacturer cannot be expected to do that for every customer for obvious reasons.

 

[LPBrad]

Joe,
I just picked up a LP Standard this week and had the same buzzing noise. I wasnt able to lower the action where I wanted it because of this. I did some searching on these forums and found that a lot of people were saying this noise actually comes from the little wire that goes across the bridge. The solutions I saw ranged from buying a new bridge to putting some fingernail polish (clear if you have it) over the entire wire on the bridge.

I decided to buy a new bridge but tested the fingernail polish trick before doing so, and it worked! I was able to get the action right afterwards and it's playing a lot better.

Another issue I was having was the guitar was not staying in tune, especially the G string. I found info on putting graphite shavings in the nut slots to help with this. I've only had this in place since last night, and I put new strings on at the same time, so we'll see how that works out, but I'm pretty confident it will work. It seems to be staying in tune a lot better now though.

 

[Surveyor]

If you are serious about playing guitar, it would be well worth some money to find a luthier who will go through the setup process with you. Only you will be able to setup your guitar so it feels right to you. This is neither hard nor rocket science, but can be intimidating at first. This will also give you the opportunity to have the frets and nut checked out and any deficiencies properly addressed.

I would also suggest changing out the strings. Old strings can cause problems with tuning and adversely affect the tone of a guitar.

 

[Jody]

I don't see anything thats wrong with it...( craftsmanship I mean)
Just lacks a setup is all... Any guitar has those issues, no matter what brand it is...

 

[LPBR]

Such problems sucks, specially when you are just starting learning to play. It may really cause a lot of frustration.

Anyway, if it would me, I would walk in the store where you bought the guitar and would talk to them exactly what is going on. Don't forget to mention all your frustration. Tell them that you are learning and how it is being a hard time for you because the guitar issues. Then - don't ask - REQUIRE them to fix it to a decent set up. If they cannot (or don't want) to do that, simply ask for your money back and buy another guitar at another store.

The only thing that I would NOT do at this moment would to bring the guitar to a luthier other than the store one, as the seller can claim a warranty loss due to a non-authorized technician mess with the instrument.

Good luck!

 

[GitFiddle]

When looking at the pickup heights, remember that they are adjusted while holding the string(s) down at the uppermost fret. From that perspective, they may be set more accurately than you think. Sometimes pickups will be adjusted a little lower on the bigger string side to balance the relative volume of each string.

Pickup heights can be adjusted and tweaked very easily with the screws at each end of the pickup. They can then be further adjusted by individual pole pieces.

Seeing how a pickup is mounted inside may help in understanding the adjustments.

 

[sidious911]

I actually see what your talking about with the bridge pickup, one if mine does it too. The pickups actually is leaned slightly backwards in reference to the pickup ring (which is what is holding it).

My issue that cause this is the springs between the pickup arm and the bracket. Depending on the spring size, they can be under a fair amount of pressure, and if they are resting uneven on the arm, it'll cause that to happen

 

[Skynyrdpicker]

Such problems sucks, specially when you are just starting learning to play. It may really cause a lot of frustration.

Anyway, if it would me, I would walk in the store where you bought the guitar and would talk to them exactly what is going on. Don't forget to mention all your frustration. Tell them that you are learning and how it is being a hard time for you because the guitar issues. Then - don't ask - REQUIRE them to fix it to a decent set up. If they cannot (or don't want) to do that, simply ask for your money back and buy another guitar at another store.

The only thing that I would NOT do at this moment would to bring the guitar to a luthier other than the store one, as the seller can claim a warranty loss due to a non-authorized technician mess with the instrument.

Good luck!

I'm not hating, but all the guitar needs is a setup... The OP doesn't have to storm back into the store and be a prick.

 

[River]

All normal as far as I can see, Epi or otherwise. I like my neck pickups lower than that - much lower.

Someone at the shop should be happy to explain these things to you. Insisting they "fix" them may not go real well.