Great review! I started as a bass player myself last year and found I needed some grounding in guitar to serve as a harmonic foundation, if that makes sense. I reviewed everything and listened to many videos and ultimately chose this model. I like the idea of the pickup cover, so I may spring for that. That feature is a nice touch on higher price models with the dog ear covers over the p90 pickups. The soap bar style chrome covers over the 700t captures a bit of the look of the Epiphone hollow body guitars. Again, thanks for a great post.
Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes a small modification like that can make all the difference, and it also means your ideal looking guitar isn't as out-of-reach as it seems.
I modified my Epiphone as well. The reason the Gstring goes sharp maybe/speculation is nut binding and 14 degree headstock, I think it needs to be a 17 degree headstock angle and a graphtech nut. Phil McKnight says the gibsons have a flaw
I am one of those people, the Gibson lp junior Is a stripped down no nonsense version of the standard Les Paul, it has a p90 which gives it a cutting sound. I own an epi aswell
And that's cool too, like I say, each to their own when it comes to guitars, the beauty of it is that there is so much choice and everybody has a different outlook.
My first guitar was an Epi LP 100, same light weight body. Sold it years ago but now yearning for another to play on..... Thinking of an Epi LP J or a Special ii.......
+Alan Franks The JR is a great option, but for the price it might be worth considering the Special II, I recently acquired the Slash model brand new for £130 with all the accessories and a built in tuner, plus the necks are a little slimmer for ease of playing. I'll be doing a review on it soon so keep an eye out for it!
Great review mate. I'm still learning and the Junior has been a great guitar to start with. on a side-note: I stumbled across the "Rockburn" Stratocaster when I first started looking for my first instrument. I believe it retails for around £80. just wondering if you have any insight on the brand / guitar. could qualify for the series perhaps? Again, cheers.
Cheers bud, the Junior was my first guitar and it's worth holding onto as you upgrade. The Rockburn stuff is a little hit and miss, and to be honest when you're looking at Strat copies it's usually worth going the extra £20 and getting a Squier, even the Affinity series is better than most of the off brand Strats, but every now and then you get a gem, I'd recommend trying some in shops and avoid buying cheap online. Are there any model types you're particularly after? As for Rockburn, I bought a Les Paul copy once for £40, no regrets. Perfectly solid, great tone. I'll do that for my next video, keep an eye on the channel, will likely be next week.
Cheers for the reply. To be honest I'm still very happy with my Junior for the future as I continue to learn. Like you mentioned, When I'm ready upgrade I'll certainly go to a independent shop. I asked about the Rockburn since they seem readily available on some the of the big online retail shops. Interested to hear how some of the pro / established guitarists rate them.
I'm in the process of editing the video as we speak, should be up tonight. Unfortunately very few established guitarists are willing to play Rockburns due to their marketing as a budget brand, and even fewer are going to try one if you ask them. The one I own is quite good though, more in depth analysis is on it's way...
Just a quick note on going sharp or flat: Apart from one Tokai SG Custom (which goes all flat across all strings) ALL my guitars tend to go sharp rather than flat after a while when not in use. Some also do thatwhen being played. Irrespective of season, outside wheather, heating period etc. (They usually sit in the living room or bedroom all the time.) Never understood that either...
Intonation problems only arise from the bridge piece you use, which is why I ditched the original solid bridge and opted for an adjustable one. The trapeze only acts like an anchor for the ball ends of the strings, so it makes no difference to the intonation. Be aware that it is going to create resonant harmonics that weren't there originally, not great for recording but adds a new voice to your playing.
Surfin' Mutants Pizza Party it's one I made. It's not too difficult but it does require a bit of patience. I simply traced around the original, cut it with a hacksaw, filed down the curved and then sanded the edges. If you use proper pickguard or scratchplate blanks they're much easier to cut and work with than regular Perspex or acrylic.
Not got a clue, I was under the impression the Gibson truss covers were added after purchase. It’s more likely to be down to the year of production that creates a difference to the wood used, such as the likelihood of rosewood no longer being used for the fretboards in the future. Apart from that, they should all be mahogany bodies and necks as far as I know.
Excellent review. For $100 you really get a lot of guitar! So there is tons of value here. My only gripe is the high gloss finish makes the neck sticky.
In those situations I always use 0000 gauge wire wool or some dry ultra fine "wet'n'dry" paper, but just remember not to go nuts, a couple of passes down the neck is all it takes to produce a satin finish. A review on the equally great value Special II is on its way this week so keep your eyes peeled!
There was actually a satin black version with all black hardware (and a satin neck) which I was lucky enough to get off eBay for EUR 60. It bears the (rather ridiculous) "Custom Shop" Limited Edition stamp on the back. No idea when it was made though... ;-) And to be honest: I have never seen a second one. (I think it have seen a satin white one some time ago though.)
Nice review! I like what you did to this guitar! I wanted to know the name or model of that tailpiece and about the pickup cover, have you had to solder the cover to the base of the pickup?
Hi, cheers for getting involved! The tailpiece is called a trapeze, and you can usually get a couple of variations, namely this one and a more basic one that doesn't have the scrolled metal work in the centre. They're all over eBay and the cheaper Chinese websites so quite easy to find. I did plan to solder the pickup cover to the baseplate, but it was such a tight fit it wasn't necessary. I'll be upgrading the pickup soon for one from Epiphones Extreme series which has a cool logo etched into the nickel, I'll probably put up a video of the operation when I get round to it.
I modded similarly on a Epiphone Jr. and love the sound! I was wondering if you thought that the tuners and nut sounded fine and thus didn't replace them, but i found that the stock tuners on mine were very weak and lost tension while tuning quite easily. My guitar tech friend made a Corian nut for me too hahaha which looks cool, but anyway, thanks again for the video. :)
Lemonpi3 cheers for the support! I haven't changed the tuners because I'm relatively content with their performance for the amount of use this guitar gets. The G tends to go a little sharp, but since I've been rubbing graphite into the nut slots it's been more stable.
It's not much different in terms of width and length, it's mostly down to the depth. A regular Les Paul has a heavy contour on the front, which adds up to an inch to the centre of the body. Hope that helps.
mdl497 not at all, for the most part the Junior is happy with the stock bridge. I just felt that I would prefer to have the option to intonate the saddles separately for fine adjustments. I did have to grind the saddles down to keep the action low, so it was a lot of work for not much difference. The only noticeable thing now is that I can play past the 12th fret without it going out of tune.
Great review! I started as a bass player myself last year and found I needed some grounding in guitar to serve as a harmonic foundation, if that makes sense. I reviewed everything and listened to many videos and ultimately chose this model. I like the idea of the pickup cover, so I may spring for that. That feature is a nice touch on higher price models with the dog ear covers over the p90 pickups. The soap bar style chrome covers over the 700t captures a bit of the look of the Epiphone hollow body guitars. Again, thanks for a great post.
Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes a small modification like that can make all the difference, and it also means your ideal looking guitar isn't as out-of-reach as it seems.
One possible cause of apparent 3rd string sharpness is the jumbo frets. If you squeeze hard on the low end, you can bend the note slightly.
I modified my Epiphone as well. The reason the Gstring goes sharp maybe/speculation is nut binding and 14 degree headstock,
I think it needs to be a 17 degree headstock angle and a graphtech nut. Phil McKnight says the gibsons have a flaw
I am one of those people, the Gibson lp junior Is a stripped down no nonsense version of the standard Les Paul, it has a p90 which gives it a cutting sound. I own an epi aswell
And that's cool too, like I say, each to their own when it comes to guitars, the beauty of it is that there is so much choice and everybody has a different outlook.
My first guitar was an Epi LP 100, same light weight body. Sold it years ago but now yearning for another to play on..... Thinking of an Epi LP J or a Special ii.......
+Alan Franks The JR is a great option, but for the price it might be worth considering the Special II, I recently acquired the Slash model brand new for £130 with all the accessories and a built in tuner, plus the necks are a little slimmer for ease of playing. I'll be doing a review on it soon so keep an eye out for it!
Grear review thanks
Great review mate. I'm still learning and the Junior has been a great guitar to start with.
on a side-note: I stumbled across the "Rockburn" Stratocaster when I first started looking for my first instrument. I believe it retails for around £80.
just wondering if you have any insight on the brand / guitar. could qualify for the series perhaps?
Again, cheers.
Cheers bud, the Junior was my first guitar and it's worth holding onto as you upgrade.
The Rockburn stuff is a little hit and miss, and to be honest when you're looking at Strat copies it's usually worth going the extra £20 and getting a Squier, even the Affinity series is better than most of the off brand Strats, but every now and then you get a gem, I'd recommend trying some in shops and avoid buying cheap online. Are there any model types you're particularly after?
As for Rockburn, I bought a Les Paul copy once for £40, no regrets. Perfectly solid, great tone. I'll do that for my next video, keep an eye on the channel, will likely be next week.
Cheers for the reply.
To be honest I'm still very happy with my Junior for the future as I continue to learn. Like you mentioned, When I'm ready upgrade I'll certainly go to a independent shop.
I asked about the Rockburn since they seem readily available on some the of the big online retail shops. Interested to hear how some of the pro / established guitarists rate them.
I'm in the process of editing the video as we speak, should be up tonight.
Unfortunately very few established guitarists are willing to play Rockburns due to their marketing as a budget brand, and even fewer are going to try one if you ask them.
The one I own is quite good though, more in depth analysis is on it's way...
Just a quick note on going sharp or flat: Apart from one Tokai SG Custom (which goes all flat across all strings) ALL my guitars tend to go sharp rather than flat after a while when not in use. Some also do thatwhen being played. Irrespective of season, outside wheather, heating period etc. (They usually sit in the living room or bedroom all the time.) Never understood that either...
I have a newer guitar same model and my g also tends to go sharp when I play. So odd
Cool mod m8. Any intonation issues when you added the trapeze tailpiece thing?
Thinking of grabbing a cheapo LP junior and doing this.
Intonation problems only arise from the bridge piece you use, which is why I ditched the original solid bridge and opted for an adjustable one. The trapeze only acts like an anchor for the ball ends of the strings, so it makes no difference to the intonation. Be aware that it is going to create resonant harmonics that weren't there originally, not great for recording but adds a new voice to your playing.
Is the pickguard custom or did you buy it online? I can only find pickguards for the non-humbucker junior...
Surfin' Mutants Pizza Party it's one I made. It's not too difficult but it does require a bit of patience. I simply traced around the original, cut it with a hacksaw, filed down the curved and then sanded the edges. If you use proper pickguard or scratchplate blanks they're much easier to cut and work with than regular Perspex or acrylic.
Alright thanks dude!
Surfin' Mutants Pizza Party no worries, it's what I'm here for.
Any differences between woods on the ones that have a 'Gibson' truss rod cover and the ones have the epiphone 'E'?
Not got a clue, I was under the impression the Gibson truss covers were added after purchase. It’s more likely to be down to the year of production that creates a difference to the wood used, such as the likelihood of rosewood no longer being used for the fretboards in the future. Apart from that, they should all be mahogany bodies and necks as far as I know.
sounds nice :)
Jesse Liang Music cheers, like I say, great little instrument for the price.
Excellent review. For $100 you really get a lot of guitar! So there is tons of value here. My only gripe is the high gloss finish makes the neck sticky.
In those situations I always use 0000 gauge wire wool or some dry ultra fine "wet'n'dry" paper, but just remember not to go nuts, a couple of passes down the neck is all it takes to produce a satin finish. A review on the equally great value Special II is on its way this week so keep your eyes peeled!
There was actually a satin black version with all black hardware (and a satin neck) which I was lucky enough to get off eBay for EUR 60. It bears the (rather ridiculous) "Custom Shop" Limited Edition stamp on the back. No idea when it was made though... ;-) And to be honest: I have never seen a second one. (I think it have seen a satin white one some time ago though.)
Nice review! I like what you did to this guitar! I wanted to know the name or model of that tailpiece and about the pickup cover, have you had to solder the cover to the base of the pickup?
Hi, cheers for getting involved! The tailpiece is called a trapeze, and you can usually get a couple of variations, namely this one and a more basic one that doesn't have the scrolled metal work in the centre. They're all over eBay and the cheaper Chinese websites so quite easy to find. I did plan to solder the pickup cover to the baseplate, but it was such a tight fit it wasn't necessary. I'll be upgrading the pickup soon for one from Epiphones Extreme series which has a cool logo etched into the nickel, I'll probably put up a video of the operation when I get round to it.
I modded similarly on a Epiphone Jr. and love the sound! I was wondering if you thought that the tuners and nut sounded fine and thus didn't replace them, but i found that the stock tuners on mine were very weak and lost tension while tuning quite easily. My guitar tech friend made a Corian nut for me too hahaha which looks cool, but anyway, thanks again for the video. :)
Lemonpi3 cheers for the support! I haven't changed the tuners because I'm relatively content with their performance for the amount of use this guitar gets. The G tends to go a little sharp, but since I've been rubbing graphite into the nut slots it's been more stable.
can you post the link of parts in amazon?
do you happen to know how much smaller this guitar is compared to a regular Les Paul?
It's not much different in terms of width and length, it's mostly down to the depth. A regular Les Paul has a heavy contour on the front, which adds up to an inch to the centre of the body. Hope that helps.
it is essential to change the bridge?
mdl497 not at all, for the most part the Junior is happy with the stock bridge. I just felt that I would prefer to have the option to intonate the saddles separately for fine adjustments. I did have to grind the saddles down to keep the action low, so it was a lot of work for not much difference. The only noticeable thing now is that I can play past the 12th fret without it going out of tune.
Where did you get the tailpiece?
I think this one was from a Chinese website called Suntek, but they’re readily available on eBay these days.
had to stop watching/listening.. too many er and erms...
It was my first time presenting a video, I didn’t really know what I was doing.