the stock pickups in mine sounded very muddy. I gave them a good go but couldn’t stand them. A good set of pickups really helps the feel of the special in terms of dynamics and expression
I’ve got the Epiphone SG Special with the same pickups and wiring, changing them is the last thing on my mind with that guitar. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with them, sounds every bit as good as good as my ‘77 Les Paul Special and my ‘55 Les Paul Junior.
I updated pots and pickups in my Epiphone Les Paul limited edition standard years ago-to this day, it plays as good if not better than other more expensive guitars I own.
Wow... Now, take this for what it's worth, coming from someone who has only been modding his guitars for maybe 2 years. In this one video, Zach provided more helpful tips and tricks than I have picked up in those 2 years. The chopstick and the Cap leg bend are going to save me a good 15-30 minutes of work, and closer to an hour of muffled swearing and stress the next time I upgrade one of my instruments.
Great video Zach ! I modded one of these too. I kept all the electronic, rounded frets, replaced plastic nut for bone, replaced the bridge for a tonepros with adjustable saddles (I’m picky with tuning😅), remove all the finish, shaped the neck for a slimmer profile and sprayed it with black nitro. I finally gave it a heavy relic look ! This is one of the best guitar in my possession : light, resonant and easy to play, with a great tone ! These epiphone series are great for experimenting with mods 😊
Bad intonation is a pet peeve of mine but it's all the players preference at the end of the day. Some can hide it with high level playing and tasteful technique.
@@18JR78I agree, it’s possible to hide bad intonation playing single note lines, but when it comes to play chords in the higher register of the neck things are getting more problematic. It also depends on the ear accuracy and the tolerance of the player.
My favorite Les Paul, light, honest and straight guitar, like a Tele. I’ve got the ‘57 reissue Gibson custom shop Special, pricey but a world of feeling and tone different than the Gibson regular one and of course the Epiphone version. Thanks for the video!
cool video and nice upgrades. as long as you are not spending the difference of buying the USA Gibson. When I sold Gibson and Fender in the early 2000's, Mexican made Fenders were around $350-$400. An American Strat in black was $799 at that time. With a hardshell and better overall quality then (Mexi Fenders have gone up big time in quality since) Guys would say to me "I am not paying $800 for a strat. Then they would put new pick ups, new harness, tuners even different pick guards. So their $400 Fender now cost as much or more than buying the American Standard. I know prices have changed, but I think the USA Gibson is around $1700 so I am sure you are nowhere near that with the upgrades. My former bandmate had this guitar. We tracked with it. Stock, no mods and it sounded fantastic! Enjoy
I own an Epiphone LP Special just like this - bought it a year ago for $359.00 on sale. I love it! Best value I've ever realized I think, lol. Big question I have, is how much did the components for this upgrade cost? I'm a bit lazy, and could figure it out, but thought I'd ask anyway. Been thinking of upgrading the pickups - all else seems to suit my needs as it sits otherwise. Cheers - Big Mike
the pickups themselves will definitely get you close to $300 alone. All these mod components probably totaled close to $500, so the modifications exceed the price of the guitar itself. Hope that helped
Why are you so upset? 😂. The guy gives you entertainment , useful information and you proceed to make a pessimistic comment that adds nothing to the guitar community. Lmfao.
@@18JR78 You’re upset I called out this garbage vid. They’re everywhere. Not upset myself over the crap info passed around between neophytes. It’s a funny joke. My comment yesterday on an actual luthiers video: Mark Stutman is awesome. Nice shout-out. Looks like the heat probes got glued to the side of the pocket because the angle was the same.
I do this with each new guitar I get, a year or so after my first tune-up I need to revisit the fret ends, maybe I missed some or have a little fretboard shrinkage. My Indian Laurel was much darker than the ads Epiphone was running, I used lemon oil, which keeps them nice and dark.
Like how u did the cardboard to mark the pot placement. Ill do tht nxt time . U reccomended a hakko soldering station to me long time ago . Got it and still love it . Boys n girls whatever Zach says , do it . Hats off to u sir .
Super video. Fret rounding was great - don’t see that in many videos. Totally changing out the pots and wiring and telling what they are and where you got them was on point. In fact, the whole wiring portion of this was good. Auto-focus is a blessing and a curse, haha.
Bought a fairly expensive pedal last year and got it home to find out it was defective. Brought it back and noticed a Special on sale so I think for the pedal return and 30 bux I was out the door with it. I own all Gibsons but until I buy it’s big brother these are great! Unlike my grammar and sentence structure sorry. I do have a yellow Jr Gibson single though. That thing is a beast!
Have the epiphone and love it as is. An amazing guitar for the money right out of the box. It took a while to make the transition from worshipping the name on the head stock to getting real value for my investment.
Great guitar...amongst the very best for the cash! I actually dont really like the pickups though, dunno if thats just me but i think i'll be swapping mine out at some point :)
Very cool video. I have an original 1956 Gibson Les Paul Special, as well as a 2019 Gibson USA Les Paul Special. It's interesting to see the differences, especially how different the original TV yellow finish from the 50's is compared to Gibson's "modern" recreation of it. Slightly better on the custom shop's i've seen but still not perfect. Maybe one day they will get it perfect. I love these Epiphone's as well. I had one but never thought of modding it before I sold it. You may have inspired me to find another haha. I ordered some cool parts from the link in the thumbnail. Great video!
Interesting video. It would have been even more interesting if you'd done a sound demo before your mods to show how the mods improved the sound. Interesting choice of pickups. I think I would have gone for Lollars as he's the Godfather of P90s 😉
I came to the comments to say this exact same thing. A really simple A/B comparison would've been a no-brainer IMHO. Raises a lot of questions about the "MASSIVE tone upgrade" of so many mods... 🤔 And ultimately, what would a mod like this cost if you don't have a workshop set up to do it yourself? Hopefully the channel folks respond.
Yeah I totally agree. I used to rip my guitars apart in the 1970's and 80's and change everything, but now I really wonder how much difference it all makes. One thing I've always found odd about these particular Les Pauls is them not having a bridge with intonation -- it's like everybody obsesses about intonation and tuning EXCEPT with these particular guitars like it's not supposed to matter which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it.
I just bought one of these in new condition....this guitar stock as a rock is very nice. I will end up changing the pickuops but truthfully these are pretty nice as is...The frets are not bad either but they do need a little round over but as is they are fine.The tuners are nice...it plays great honestly.....
Nice. I did a similar project on an 2011 Epi LP Jr. - Hanging in our local shop, I kept playing it and it felt great in my hands. Single P90 up-grade, premium wiring loom, nut and Kluson style vintage tuners with white buttons - gotta have the white buttons. Great little guitar now.
Great video. I want to do a project like this sometime. As soon as I saw a chopstick I got hungry. Watched your video, then ordered some Sushi..... Cheers!
You did a great job of being thorough and keeping it fun. This covered about everything that’s easy to do at home except setup and there’s plenty of videos on that. Everything you did except the pickups are pretty cheap upgrades that make most guitars better. That Epi had surprisingly nice pots and jack. Low end Fenders and my old Epi Les Paul had ALPS clones and the flimsiest jacks I’ve ever seen. Such a weird corner to cut… maybe $5… but everyone has to make their money I guess. I got into this stuff from buying inexpensive guitars like this. Now I’m better at working on them than playing them 😂. But I still love watching people work. There’s not 1 right way to do anything and I pick up ideas most of the time.
I did all of these upgrades but the #1 upgrade not done here was a set of Gibson Deluxe White Button Tuner Set. Made tuning stable. I also shielded the pickup and control cavity, Bone nut and Vitamin Q caps instead of MOJO but both are PIO caps.
Cut a bone nut cause the ones Epiphone uses binds up. Then change them awful crappy tuners. Now we got a gorgeous playing, staying in tune guitar for gigging and playing live. Love the video Bro...
Love fralin pickups. I did an electronic/pickup upgrade with them in my Revstar and really brought the guitar to life. Thanks for sharing the process of making a good guitar great!!! Really enjoyed the tool recs
I used them too. I put a set of matched Fralin p90's in one of the new Melody Makers, plus new pots, paper caps, and 50's wiring, completely changed the sound, I love it!
Remember, if you are young and have a band ... or are training to be a hired gun, and want to tour, something like this is ideal. The poly paint makes it less sensitive to temperature changes. If it gets damaged or stolen it's not hard to replace and you can insure this to the value of replacing it so all the after market parts and labor can be part of the valuation. This is a GREAT way to tour safely... while playing a guitar you LOVE.
Fun video. This is my world as a guitar player! I love bang for the buck guitars. I’ve done this stuff for years. This video will help a lot of players. You don’t have to spend $2000 to have a great guitar. Buy an affordable guitar and upgrade like you showed.
Hellyeah same here man. I quit drinking 9 years ago and replaced it with hotrodding guitars. I feel like i can turn the cheapest p.o.s into a much better playing instrument with just a few basic tricks. Everything I know I learned surfing RUclips haha😂
Philadelphia Luthier is my go-to for TOM/stop and wrap bridges on my gibsons. Usually the first upgrade I do with a new set of string after the set up. Sounds great.
Seriously considering picking one of these up. Always wanted a LP special in yellow but don't want to drop Gibson kind of money on it. Gonna save this to favourites for doing some upgrades to it. Feel confident with frets and replacing switches and pickups but not doing a full rewire, not good at soldering.
Just a suggestion/tip for the strings, give the Gibson Les Paul 10-46 silk wound ball ends a try. The Epiphone LP's take to the quiet Studio grade strings for a wrapover Lightning bar quite nicely.
rock on man, I'm doing this same sort of thing on an Epiphone 335 (dot)...seth lovers, all new electronics, total setup and dressing...the works. I traded a couple cheap guitars i never play for this one so I'm not into it much and it should be way better after.
I like to turn the pickup selector switch in line with the location of pickups so that toward the headstock is the neck pickup and toward the bridge is the bridge pickup selection.
Zach, thank you for this demonstration. I'm looking at purchasing an Epiphone SG Special and much of this will apply to that guitar. I already have a Gibson LP Special that is a great sounding/playing guitar I was lucky to find used for a good price. I still would like the SG with P90s, though, and this gives me more confidence the Epiphone would be a good choice.
Hi there. While I own 4 Epiphone LP's, I also have 2 Gibson's. I have a Les Paul special in TV yellow, it's a Gibson and I picked it up brand new with case for 1299.00. Mine already has the 50 wiring, the right pots, Gibson 50's P-90's, Kluson deluxe tuners, real rosewood board, great frets and all the great switchcraft stuff right out of the box. I can't imagine that and if you add in a hard case that you didn't spend about the same, it comes down to if you had to sell it, all that work and parts would net you 0 dollars for resale, while mine will only go up in value. I have a 2009 1959 Epiphone reissue, their first attempt at a reissue, it has the same custom shop electronics the Gibson had, even better frets, but it had a horrid buzzing that turned out to be the import Kluson style tuners, I replaced them with real Kluson's and have had no other issues. It really is a great guitar. My point here is, it's kind on a false economy to think that doing all the upgrade work will net you a guitar that will be the same as the American counterpart. It maybe a better guitar, but still not the same.
Great video; nice upgrades. The guitar sounds awesome. I think I’d also put a set if locking tuners on it and possibly a bone or graphite nut. Epiphone and Squire are both putting out some great guitars for the money, I’ve done the same type of upgrades to both a new Squire 60s CV Strat and a new 60s CV Tele. With Fender American pups, the upgrades cost me between $300 and $350 per guitar. I spent quite a bit of time on the frets, too, and now both guitars quite literally feel/play/sound as good as my American Fender guitars. Fun projects, too. Thanks for the video; cool stuff.
Thanks for this. Was there a reason you went for 500k volume pots? Was that “like for like” from the old pot values or an increase? You mention that higher resistance values produce a brighter tone, but I don’t know if that was part of the upgrade.
That guitar sounds really great after the upgrades you performed! I have a Gibson Murphy Labs 1957 TV Les Paul Special I bought last year, which I love. But I have to say, the tone you had in your playing demo, sounds better than mine! Maybe I should consider some Fralin pickups... Early in the video, I think I saw you using a tool to strip/cut the braided shield wire off the vintage shielded cable you used. Can you tell us about this?
Great content, Zach. You are really getting better at it. One suggestion: for those fast forward takes, use a white label music or something to get it more interesting instead of only the room sound. Just a thought
Thanks for the method how to remove knobs ! If you are mixing pickups - always check for the right polarity/phasing. "Vintage" connection to Volume pots is not better, but different reacting and a little bit different sounding on reduced volumes, and not shunt pickups in-between in the mid position of the toggle switch. Why replace CTS pots on CTS pots (the only reason can be better 20...30% "vintage" taper) ? Why use expensive but leaking "snake oil - paper in oil" caps (Polypropylene or Teflon are the best audio caps) ? An optimal cap value in most cases is less than 22nF (I would recommend starting with 12nF going +/-), it depends on the pickup parameters. Why replace the original "modern" 3-wire cable with 3 body damping, heavy "vintage" cables ? Why not replace the plastic jack plate with a metal plate ? Why not shield the pickup (noisy single-coil !) cavities and electronics cavities + the jack hole - with conductive paint, and why not shield the electronics cover with aluminium foil (all of it is open to EMI/RFI !) ?
I have a Tele Deluxe with humbuckers, but I want something that has a thicker high-gain sound for heavy stuff. I don't want to spend a lot so an Epiphone LP is my go-to. My ex girlfriend had an Epi LP Special II I think it was, and it was such a comfortable LP to play. The size was similar to this one you have here, but it had the double-coil humbuckers.
I need sooooooooo much more information. Please, please, please do a soldering video soon. I've been burning up and wrecking pots trying to ground the covers. Also had some 'cold' joints that really pissed me off.
Interesting and very informative. Thank you. I think I might use a bridge with individual saddles for intonation but otherwise I’ll be following the video.
Awesome seeing how you approach things, your guitar knowledge and the clean soldering. You've inspired me to do more work on a 2019 Gibson LP Special I pickup up recently. Shame you didn't show getting the bridge pickup height good, adding foam/sponge if needed etc. the P90s enemy is too much distance (for anyone reading).
I have one of these and love it, my only complaint is I miss having a middle position hum cancelling. One day when I have the motivation to do some upgrades I'll make it happen... but it is not this day.
I'm sure this has been said, but you didn't do '50s wiring. You wired the output (wires to the switch) to the center lug of the volume pots, so when the volume of either pot is at "0", your output will be grounded when both pickups are selected on the switch. The '50s wiring has the pickups going to the center lug of the pots, so when at "0", your ground goes to the pickup instead of the output. On a side note, for those questioning the removal of the quality stock electronics, this will allow the ability to restore the guitar back to factory configuration with a minimum of soldering work.
Epiphone be like we gave you cts pots and you still ripped them out lol
Yea, I don’t get it. Those Epiphone pickups sound great too.
Cts pots aren't as good as they used to be. (just repeating what i've heard from some very knowledgable people).
the stock pickups in mine sounded very muddy. I gave them a good go but couldn’t stand them. A good set of pickups really helps the feel of the special in terms of dynamics and expression
@@JeremyToy Lower them down then - it makes a HUGE difference! Maybe change the pots too?
I’ve got the Epiphone SG Special with the same pickups and wiring, changing them is the last thing on my mind with that guitar. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with them, sounds every bit as good as good as my ‘77 Les Paul Special and my ‘55 Les Paul Junior.
I love the trick of using a pedal housing as a holder for the switch while you do the soldering!
Save those blems!
Zack does A LOT of soldering I am thinking, he likely knows more tips and tricks then he could cover in a 1hr video LOL
That towel / knob pull technique is really good, thank you!!
The proper tool is like five bucks. You’re welcome. Get ahold of yourself.
Definitely sold! Always wanted a special! This machine sounds deluxe! Thank you Zach for sharing and showing us the process!
Would have been nice to of heard it originally out of the box first to have an a b comparison
He's a very sick guy.
Clearly not appropriate for social media, cause he's antisocial.
Nothing changes so he left that clip out.
@@IronheadStakebreaker If nothing changes then why modify it.
@@IronheadStakebreakerWrong!
I updated pots and pickups in my Epiphone Les Paul limited edition standard years ago-to this day, it plays as good if not better than other more expensive guitars I own.
What Pickups do you use?
My Epiphone LP has Bare Knucle True Grits and my Gibson LP has Bare Knuckle Nailbombs. Both are excellent. @@MatzeMaulwurf
Yeah i think i want some new ones!
Wow... Now, take this for what it's worth, coming from someone who has only been modding his guitars for maybe 2 years. In this one video, Zach provided more helpful tips and tricks than I have picked up in those 2 years. The chopstick and the Cap leg bend are going to save me a good 15-30 minutes of work, and closer to an hour of muffled swearing and stress the next time I upgrade one of my instruments.
You didn't have ability to think that for yourself really??
I am old and probably couldn't do this, but it's a really cool video. Nice to see how this all works.
Awesome bang for the buck guitar! I didn't replace the electronics, just bought the Epi connector from Ebay & swapped in Monty's P90's. Cheers, J
Snow day video! Excellent.
Great video Zach ! I modded one of these too. I kept all the electronic, rounded frets, replaced plastic nut for bone, replaced the bridge for a tonepros with adjustable saddles (I’m picky with tuning😅), remove all the finish, shaped the neck for a slimmer profile and sprayed it with black nitro. I finally gave it a heavy relic look ! This is one of the best guitar in my possession : light, resonant and easy to play, with a great tone ! These epiphone series are great for experimenting with mods 😊
That must be super cool. Would love to see the nitro black relic'ing on this type of guitar.
Bad intonation is a pet peeve of mine but it's all the players preference at the end of the day.
Some can hide it with high level playing and tasteful technique.
@@18JR78I agree, it’s possible to hide bad intonation playing single note lines, but when it comes to play chords in the higher register of the neck things are getting more problematic. It also depends on the ear accuracy and the tolerance of the player.
I can't abide a guitar that won't tune properly.
My favorite Les Paul, light, honest and straight guitar, like a Tele. I’ve got the ‘57 reissue Gibson custom shop Special, pricey but a world of feeling and tone different than the Gibson regular one and of course the Epiphone version.
Thanks for the video!
This was a great video Zach, educational and enjoyable! Looking forward to your soldering tutorial vid as well
This was a splendid video! Very well done in all regards. Cheers to you and Mythos pedals!
Finally! Thak you for this clear, detailed demonstrationand explantion. The new "go to" video for wiring a Les Paul Standard :)
Awesome video! Learned a lot that I didn’t know I needed. Very useful tips. Thanks guys!
cool video and nice upgrades. as long as you are not spending the difference of buying the USA Gibson. When I sold Gibson and Fender in the early 2000's, Mexican made Fenders were around $350-$400. An American Strat in black was $799 at that time. With a hardshell and better overall quality then (Mexi Fenders have gone up big time in quality since) Guys would say to me "I am not paying $800 for a strat. Then they would put new pick ups, new harness, tuners even different pick guards. So their $400 Fender now cost as much or more than buying the American Standard. I know prices have changed, but I think the USA Gibson is around $1700 so I am sure you are nowhere near that with the upgrades. My former bandmate had this guitar. We tracked with it. Stock, no mods and it sounded fantastic! Enjoy
Thanks for showing this upgrade !
Loved the video Zach, only one thing I would disagree with. Fralins are nice, but the Seymour Duncan P-90's made mine a killer machine!
really enjoying these build videos!
I own an Epiphone LP Special just like this - bought it a year ago for $359.00 on sale. I love it! Best value I've ever realized I think, lol.
Big question I have, is how much did the components for this upgrade cost? I'm a bit lazy, and could figure it out, but thought I'd ask anyway. Been thinking of upgrading the pickups - all else seems to suit my needs as it sits otherwise.
Cheers - Big Mike
the pickups themselves will definitely get you close to $300 alone. All these mod components probably totaled close to $500, so the modifications exceed the price of the guitar itself. Hope that helped
Gonna be honest. This rules.
pfft
Why are you so upset? 😂.
The guy gives you entertainment , useful information and you proceed to make a pessimistic comment that adds nothing to the guitar community. Lmfao.
@@18JR78 You’re upset I called out this garbage vid. They’re everywhere. Not upset myself over the crap info passed around between neophytes. It’s a funny joke.
My comment yesterday on an actual luthiers video: Mark Stutman is awesome. Nice shout-out. Looks like the heat probes got glued to the side of the pocket because the angle was the same.
Just curious what this guy's doing that you don't like?
@@richsackett3423
I appreciate your honesty.
I do this with each new guitar I get, a year or so after my first tune-up I need to revisit the fret ends, maybe I missed some or have a little fretboard shrinkage. My Indian Laurel was much darker than the ads Epiphone was running, I used lemon oil, which keeps them nice and dark.
Lemon oil also drys the fretboard out. Lemon oil to clean linseed oil to hydrate and darken. I had to learn this the hard way.
Like how u did the cardboard to mark the pot placement. Ill do tht nxt time .
U reccomended a hakko soldering station to me long time ago . Got it and still love it . Boys n girls whatever Zach says , do it . Hats off to u sir .
Super video. Fret rounding was great - don’t see that in many videos. Totally changing out the pots and wiring and telling what they are and where you got them was on point. In fact, the whole wiring portion of this was good. Auto-focus is a blessing and a curse, haha.
Bought a fairly expensive pedal last year and got it home to find out it was defective. Brought it back and noticed a Special on sale so I think for the pedal return and 30 bux I was out the door with it. I own all Gibsons but until I buy it’s big brother these are great! Unlike my grammar and sentence structure sorry.
I do have a yellow Jr Gibson single though. That thing is a beast!
I have the bolt-on version of this Epiphone. It's not my best guitar but it's one of my favorites. Lightweight and stays in tune.
Have the epiphone and love it as is. An amazing guitar for the money right out of the box. It took a while to make the transition from worshipping the name on the head stock to getting real value for my investment.
I own one of these and I love it so much, the thing plays like a dream. Awesome video and tricks
Great guitar...amongst the very best for the cash!
I actually dont really like the pickups though, dunno if thats just me but i think i'll be swapping mine out at some point :)
Very cool video. I have an original 1956 Gibson Les Paul Special, as well as a 2019 Gibson USA Les Paul Special. It's interesting to see the differences, especially how different the original TV yellow finish from the 50's is compared to Gibson's "modern" recreation of it. Slightly better on the custom shop's i've seen but still not perfect. Maybe one day they will get it perfect. I love these Epiphone's as well. I had one but never thought of modding it before I sold it. You may have inspired me to find another haha. I ordered some cool parts from the link in the thumbnail. Great video!
loved this vid, looking forward to more stuff like this on the mythos channel. thanks!
Interesting video. It would have been even more interesting if you'd done a sound demo before your mods to show how the mods improved the sound. Interesting choice of pickups. I think I would have gone for Lollars as he's the Godfather of P90s 😉
I came to the comments to say this exact same thing. A really simple A/B comparison would've been a no-brainer IMHO. Raises a lot of questions about the "MASSIVE tone upgrade" of so many mods... 🤔 And ultimately, what would a mod like this cost if you don't have a workshop set up to do it yourself? Hopefully the channel folks respond.
Yeah I totally agree. I used to rip my guitars apart in the 1970's and 80's and change everything, but now I really wonder how much difference it all makes. One thing I've always found odd about these particular Les Pauls is them not having a bridge with intonation -- it's like everybody obsesses about intonation and tuning EXCEPT with these particular guitars like it's not supposed to matter which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it.
Best and most informative DIY guitar upgrade walk thru ever. My hunt for a - lightweight - Epiphone LP Special is on...👍!
Really cool video Zach. Very informative and makes me more confident about doing some maintance and mods
I just bought one of these in new condition....this guitar stock as a rock is very nice. I will end up changing the pickuops but truthfully these are pretty nice as is...The frets are not bad either but they do need a little round over but as is they are fine.The tuners are nice...it plays great honestly.....
Nice. I did a similar project on an 2011 Epi LP Jr. - Hanging in our local shop, I kept playing it and it felt great in my hands. Single P90 up-grade, premium wiring loom, nut and Kluson style vintage tuners with white buttons - gotta have the white buttons. Great little guitar now.
Great way to end the work week! Thanks fellas, fun to enter into the Mythos world!
Nice work. I dig your mission to Pluto moonswatch
This video is outstanding! The chopstick trick was hysterical. I think I have a twin brother by another mother. Excellent!!!!!
Wow sounds great afterwards! :)
That was awesome! One day I’ll get the stuff to upgrade my 20 year old epiphone and I’ll rewatch when I’m not at work to learn how to do it.
I have same guitar. It ROCKS right out of the box but WOW...even BETTER with your upgrades!
ooof that thing sounded GREAT, that's me back to wanting a special 😂
10:45 ... brilliant, using this method on my next wiring job, which will be a thinline tele.
Great video. I want to do a project like this sometime. As soon as I saw a chopstick I got hungry. Watched your video, then ordered some Sushi..... Cheers!
This was way more informative than you think. My buddy is a soldering phenom, might have to pair up with him so on an epiphone someday soon
Soldering demo was very good. I know how to solder, but I love learning new tricks. Very well done !
You did a great job of being thorough and keeping it fun. This covered about everything that’s easy to do at home except setup and there’s plenty of videos on that. Everything you did except the pickups are pretty cheap upgrades that make most guitars better. That Epi had surprisingly nice pots and jack. Low end Fenders and my old Epi Les Paul had ALPS clones and the flimsiest jacks I’ve ever seen. Such a weird corner to cut… maybe $5… but everyone has to make their money I guess.
I got into this stuff from buying inexpensive guitars like this. Now I’m better at working on them than playing them 😂. But I still love watching people work. There’s not 1 right way to do anything and I pick up ideas most of the time.
Thanks for the video. Can you give a sticker price on the cost to upgrade?
I really enjoyed the video, but as a newbie to modding, would have like to see the pickups wired in and set up. Thanks John
Great video. Couple tricks I hadnt seen before 👍
I did all of these upgrades but the #1 upgrade not done here was a set of Gibson Deluxe White Button Tuner Set. Made tuning stable.
I also shielded the pickup and control cavity, Bone nut and Vitamin Q caps instead of MOJO but both are PIO caps.
Mine holds tune very well with the stock tuners
Cut a bone nut cause the ones Epiphone uses binds up. Then change them awful crappy tuners. Now we got a gorgeous playing, staying in tune guitar for gigging and playing live. Love the video Bro...
Love fralin pickups. I did an electronic/pickup upgrade with them in my Revstar and really brought the guitar to life. Thanks for sharing the process of making a good guitar great!!! Really enjoyed the tool recs
I used them too. I put a set of matched Fralin p90's in one of the new Melody Makers, plus new pots, paper caps, and 50's wiring, completely changed the sound, I love it!
Remember, if you are young and have a band ... or are training to be a hired gun, and want to tour, something like this is ideal. The poly paint makes it less sensitive to temperature changes. If it gets damaged or stolen it's not hard to replace and you can insure this to the value of replacing it so all the after market parts and labor can be part of the valuation. This is a GREAT way to tour safely... while playing a guitar you LOVE.
So much great general upgrading information as well! Thank You!
Really enjoyed this and great mods. 😃
man that overdrive tone is super rad
Fun video. This is my world as a guitar player! I love bang for the buck guitars. I’ve done this stuff for years. This video will help a lot of players. You don’t have to spend $2000 to have a great guitar. Buy an affordable guitar and upgrade like you showed.
Hellyeah same here man. I quit drinking 9 years ago and replaced it with hotrodding guitars. I feel like i can turn the cheapest p.o.s into a much better playing instrument with just a few basic tricks. Everything I know I learned surfing RUclips haha😂
Got that same guitar a while back, plays real nice, needs a good once over like this, love the bulletproof set up. It is hard to beat.
Philadelphia Luthier is my go-to for TOM/stop and wrap bridges on my gibsons. Usually the first upgrade I do with a new set of string after the set up. Sounds great.
I love watching upgrade videos, thanks
Seriously considering picking one of these up. Always wanted a LP special in yellow but don't want to drop Gibson kind of money on it. Gonna save this to favourites for doing some upgrades to it. Feel confident with frets and replacing switches and pickups but not doing a full rewire, not good at soldering.
Filing is such a pinnacle ASMR experience
Just a suggestion/tip for the strings, give the Gibson Les Paul 10-46 silk wound ball ends a try. The Epiphone LP's take to the quiet Studio grade strings for a wrapover Lightning bar quite nicely.
rock on man, I'm doing this same sort of thing on an Epiphone 335 (dot)...seth lovers, all new electronics, total setup and dressing...the works. I traded a couple cheap guitars i never play for this one so I'm not into it much and it should be way better after.
That’s great! Nothing like a fun project guitar.
This is like a ASMR video for Guitar nerds.
I like to turn the pickup selector switch in line with the location of pickups so that toward the headstock is the neck pickup and toward the bridge is the bridge pickup selection.
It sounded really great with that open e chord just how you want it too.
Zach, thank you for this demonstration. I'm looking at purchasing an Epiphone SG Special and much of this will apply to that guitar. I already have a Gibson LP Special that is a great sounding/playing guitar I was lucky to find used for a good price. I still would like the SG with P90s, though, and this gives me more confidence the Epiphone would be a good choice.
Hi there. While I own 4 Epiphone LP's, I also have 2 Gibson's. I have a Les Paul special in TV yellow, it's a Gibson and I picked it up brand new with case for 1299.00. Mine already has the 50 wiring, the right pots, Gibson 50's P-90's, Kluson deluxe tuners, real rosewood board, great frets and all the great switchcraft stuff right out of the box.
I can't imagine that and if you add in a hard case that you didn't spend about the same, it comes down to if you had to sell it, all that work and parts would net you 0 dollars for resale, while mine will only go up in value.
I have a 2009 1959 Epiphone reissue, their first attempt at a reissue, it has the same custom shop electronics the Gibson had, even better frets, but it had a horrid buzzing that turned out to be the import Kluson style tuners, I replaced them with real Kluson's and have had no other issues. It really is a great guitar.
My point here is, it's kind on a false economy to think that doing all the upgrade work will net you a guitar that will be the same as the American counterpart. It maybe a better guitar, but still not the same.
Great video; nice upgrades. The guitar sounds awesome. I think I’d also put a set if locking tuners on it and possibly a bone or graphite nut.
Epiphone and Squire are both putting out some great guitars for the money, I’ve done the same type of upgrades to both a new Squire 60s CV Strat and a new 60s CV Tele. With Fender American pups, the upgrades cost me between $300 and $350 per guitar. I spent quite a bit of time on the frets, too, and now both guitars quite literally feel/play/sound as good as my American Fender guitars. Fun projects, too.
Thanks for the video; cool stuff.
I cringed a little while watching this…I would be scared to do any fret work without taping anything off. 😮 Great video Zach!
A slight bit more bite from the new electronics. Very nice sound.
Thanks for this. Was there a reason you went for 500k volume pots? Was that “like for like” from the old pot values or an increase? You mention that higher resistance values produce a brighter tone, but I don’t know if that was part of the upgrade.
The Minwax stain pens in Ebony or Dark Walnut are my favorite for darkening fretboards. Much better than the Montypresso
Such a good video. I love stuff like this.
Thanks for the heads up on the metric studs. Might of just gone on auto pilot and forgotten to consider that. 👍
That guitar sounds really great after the upgrades you performed! I have a Gibson Murphy Labs 1957 TV Les Paul Special I bought last year, which I love. But I have to say, the tone you had in your playing demo, sounds better than mine! Maybe I should consider some Fralin pickups... Early in the video, I think I saw you using a tool to strip/cut the braided shield wire off the vintage shielded cable you used. Can you tell us about this?
Great content, Zach. You are really getting better at it. One suggestion: for those fast forward takes, use a white label music or something to get it more interesting instead of only the room sound. Just a thought
Working on that!
Thanks for the method how to remove knobs ! If you are mixing pickups - always check for the right polarity/phasing. "Vintage" connection to Volume pots is not better, but different reacting and a little bit different sounding on reduced volumes, and not shunt pickups in-between in the mid position of the toggle switch. Why replace CTS pots on CTS pots (the only reason can be better 20...30% "vintage" taper) ? Why use expensive but leaking "snake oil - paper in oil" caps (Polypropylene or Teflon are the best audio caps) ? An optimal cap value in most cases is less than 22nF (I would recommend starting with 12nF going +/-), it depends on the pickup parameters. Why replace the original "modern" 3-wire cable with 3 body damping, heavy "vintage" cables ? Why not replace the plastic jack plate with a metal plate ? Why not shield the pickup (noisy single-coil !) cavities and electronics cavities + the jack hole - with conductive paint, and why not shield the electronics cover with aluminium foil (all of it is open to EMI/RFI !) ?
Thanks so much for this. You made it very easy to understand. Love these kinds of videos.
I have the exact same guitar and I’ve been thinking about selling it, but this inspired me to maybe give it one more chance.
It is good as it is already. I love mine 😊
Awesome!! Cheers from Brazil Zack!!
Smart approach! Lots for learning.
I'd buy that upgraded Epiphone guitar if you'd offer it in the shop!
I love this thing! Not going on the chopping block just yet
I have a Tele Deluxe with humbuckers, but I want something that has a thicker high-gain sound for heavy stuff. I don't want to spend a lot so an Epiphone LP is my go-to. My ex girlfriend had an Epi LP Special II I think it was, and it was such a comfortable LP to play. The size was similar to this one you have here, but it had the double-coil humbuckers.
I need sooooooooo much more information. Please, please, please do a soldering video soon. I've been burning up and wrecking pots trying to ground the covers. Also had some 'cold' joints that really pissed me off.
BTW, I'm not a complete noob, just having a hard time lately. Also, Rocket Sockets, love 'em.
Holy Crap! What was that little yellow tool you used to cut the Shielded Wire?
Solder video incoming and I’ll do a tool guide as well
amzn.to/3S6OC5t I added some to this list, not exactly the same but looks similar
@@MythosPedals Thank you so much. Can't wait to see your soldering video!
Great video and Moonswatch.
Interesting and very informative. Thank you. I think I might use a bridge with individual saddles for intonation but otherwise I’ll be following the video.
I see an Omega Swatch in the video, very nice
Awesome seeing how you approach things, your guitar knowledge and the clean soldering. You've inspired me to do more work on a 2019 Gibson LP Special I pickup up recently. Shame you didn't show getting the bridge pickup height good, adding foam/sponge if needed etc. the P90s enemy is too much distance (for anyone reading).
I had to put the springs that the stock pickups had back under the new bridge for balance
I’m 30 seconds in and already stoked!
Dang I learned a lot more than expected. Boy have I been wasting time in wiring guitars haha
This was fun.
I have one of these and love it, my only complaint is I miss having a middle position hum cancelling. One day when I have the motivation to do some upgrades I'll make it happen... but it is not this day.
Put Fralin P90's in my Gibson LP Special, they are a great choice!
Really loving this. Thanks!
Thank You!
I'm sure this has been said, but you didn't do '50s wiring. You wired the output (wires to the switch) to the center lug of the volume pots, so when the volume of either pot is at "0", your output will be grounded when both pickups are selected on the switch. The '50s wiring has the pickups going to the center lug of the pots, so when at "0", your ground goes to the pickup instead of the output.
On a side note, for those questioning the removal of the quality stock electronics, this will allow the ability to restore the guitar back to factory configuration with a minimum of soldering work.