upgrades on epiphone les paul

[aero_91]

hi guys, i need some opinion on the upgrades im gonna do on my epi les paul ultra after my exams. basically im gonna change out everything except the stop bar and bridge for the moment. that will include pups, nut pots, input jack and toggle switch.

currently, the pickups are gonna be changed to sd 59' for both neck and bridge, im pretty sure about that.

but i got something i dont understand about the pots. so i need help in this area.

for the separate tone and volume pots, 500k or other values?
i saw this superpots on rsguitarworks, who has them here? how's it like?

for the caps, im thinking of orange drops, which are decent enough. but i wont mind paying more for bumblebee caps. is it alot of difference in tone?

 

[backagain]

Upgrading

hi guys, i need some opinion on the upgrades im gonna do on my epi les paul ultra after my exams. basically im gonna change out everything except the stop bar and bridge for the moment. that will include pups, nut pots, input jack and toggle switch.

currently, the pickups are gonna be changed to sd 59' for both neck and bridge, im pretty sure about that.

but i got something i dont understand about the pots. so i need help in this area.

for the separate tone and volume pots, 500k or other values?
i saw this superpots on rsguitarworks, who has them here? how's it like?

for the caps, im thinking of orange drops, which are decent enough. but i wont mind paying more for bumblebee caps. is it alot of difference in tone?

Hi there,
Firstly, may I know why you want to upgrade? Do you know that upgraded guitars have no value. Secondly, I suggest you dont spend so much. To me, the Epi Les Paul pickus are good enough. SAve up your money for a real Gibson Les Paul. A good guitar is a guitar which has good stable tuning, good tone, accurate frets, workmanship and the right body wood. It is just like buying a China car and try to upgrade to a German car. This is only my advice to you because I have been playing guitars for more than 30 years. A real Fender Strat and a Real Gibson Les Paul is good enough to help you to enjoy music. The rest are your skills.

 

[Whitestrat]

Do you know that upgraded guitars have no value. Secondly, I suggest you dont spend so much.

What on earth are you talking about? In the first place, a 2nd hand Epiphone already doesn't hold much value. But if you upgrade it with Wolfetone, WCR or even Sheptone PAFs the value holds well. If you swap the pots with RS Guitarworks brass shaft CTS pots, the value holds better. Best if you have done the sprague caps and hardware mods.

This is only my advice to you because I have been playing guitars for more than 30 years.

Furthermore, if you've been playing guitars for 30 years, you of all people would know that only vintage guitars of certain years and finishes would hold it's value. A new Gibson Les Paul Standard made in 2009 would not have as much increase in value in 30 years as the 59 Standard did. In fact, even 58s or 57s don't hold as much value, unless you're talking about strats. And even then, still pretty subjective.

If the TS wants to upgrade his guitar for better intrinsic value, ie. to enjoy his guitar better, than all the more he should do it. Pickups + Pots + caps aren't going to make up the difference from an Epi pricing to a Gibson pricing. Also, Epi stock pickups are FAR from good.

Lastly, even Gibson Les Pauls need upgrading. They don't come with fantastic electronics or even a decently slotted nut. The Corian nuts they use choke strings and are poorly slotted. The stop tails are subjective. Some Gibsons are great, some are so so. There is always much to be gained from an aluminium tailpiece and topwrapping.

 

[dudelove]

Hi there,
Firstly, may I know why you want to upgrade? Do you know that upgraded guitars have no value. Secondly, I suggest you dont spend so much. To me, the Epi Les Paul pickus are good enough. SAve up your money for a real Gibson Les Paul. A good guitar is a guitar which has good stable tuning, good tone, accurate frets, workmanship and the right body wood. It is just like buying a China car and try to upgrade to a German car. This is only my advice to you because I have been playing guitars for more than 30 years. A real Fender Strat and a Real Gibson Les Paul is good enough to help you to enjoy music. The rest are your skills.

??? whats wrong with trying to upgrade an epiphone man? not all ppl care abt the value of their guitars. in the first place, an unmodded epi has no value at all! ppl rather buy a modded epi than a stock one. if u're talking a vintage 1959 gibson les paul. YES ppl will rather have one with the original parts. if the parts have been "upgraded" it loses value. wrong context here dude..

if someone cant afford a gibson and alrdy owns an epiphone there's nothing wrong with upgrading. first of all epi stock humbuckers are decent, i agree. they can get awfully muddy and sterile at times and they do warrant a pickup swap.

anyway aero_91. i like the choice of 59s in both positions. i guess u're going for the paf vibe eh.. i've nvr really played a guitar with those but i have been recommended that combination before.

i just collected my RS superpots and CTS pots from the mail. they are really expensive man. i will give u a report on how good they really are. i got a pair of NOS paper-in-oil caps to go along with it. the jensen ones on RS are just way too expensive.

from what i've read, rmb read. i might not be correct. orange drops give a more hi-fi sounding tone. while bumblebee, or PIO caps have a more creamy and vintage tone. i dont know how true this is. the only thing i can tell u is: PIO caps have a hell lotta mojo.

 

[I_M_Ken]

yeah epi stock pups are very very far from good...i put in a couple dimarzios in mine and a pair of duncans in a friend's + a simple re-wiring and the guitars started to really shine in the tone dept. Definitely have pups changed if u can afford to.

as for the pots and caps, i never used those before, so i cant comment.
for pots, use 500k if u feel that the stock (i believe epi LPs use 300k?) is alittle too dark sounding... the higher the vol pot value, the brigther ur guitar will sound (from what i see, not everyone can tell the diff btwn 300 and 500ks).

 

[Whitestrat]

the higher the vol pot value, the brigther ur guitar will sound.

Vice versa for the tone pot values.

 

[backagain]

Upgrade

Hey friends,
Why you guys so work out. I did not say that it is wrong to upgrade, I just sharing my opinion. At the end of the day, it is up to him. What I am trying to get across is telling him not to spend so much.
Anyway, upgrading a Gibson is different from upgrading a Epiphone MIC. By the way, I did not mention this, the amplifier plays a very important role in tones. Try plugging your unmodify Epi LP into a good tube amp and here for yourself or do it vice versa by plugging a good Gibson LP into a Smarvo or TGM. Only a good guitarist know what he is talking about.

 

[Whitestrat]

Try plugging your unmodify Epi LP into a good tube amp and here for yourself or do it vice versa by plugging a good Gibson LP into a Smarvo or TGM. Only a good guitarist know what he is talking about.

Ah? ok ok... you best... We all dunno what you talking about... We're not good guitarists...

Ramble on, oh great sage...

 

[Whitestrat]

hi guys, i need some opinion on the upgrades im gonna do on my epi les paul ultra after my exams. basically im gonna change out everything except the stop bar and bridge for the moment. that will include pups, nut pots, input jack and toggle switch.

Actually, why not change the stop bar first? Bring it all the way down, hugging the body, and top wrap the strings. Apparently there's a great difference in sustain. Someone on the LP forum did this with a gibson Traditional. According to him, the sustain lasted 4.73 seconds longer! Hahahaha...:mrgreen:

 

[squirrel]

The English Nazi side of me is starting to re emerge but it shall lay dormant for a while.

Backagain - dude 30 years of experience but I mean, frankly if you shove Stan hinsleys and aluminum tail pieces in an epiphone, I'm sure that will increase it's resale value don't you think?

Most of us have tried out real Gibson's but frankly, they have one of the worst QC's for a guitar brand name of that calibre. Only the customshop models are mostly less prone to defects. I've played some really shitty Gibsons and some pretty awesome epiphones man.

P.S the epiphone pickups really need to be swapped out. Haha

 

[aero_91]

backagain: fyi, i own a 1996 gibson les paul standard and a fender jm strat. good enough? im not happy with whats on the epi that is why im swapping so many things out of it.

im using this epi for mainly home use, just dont want a crap guitar lying around with lousy sounding pups in it.

whitestrat: im thinking of changing the stopbar, but its quite expensive! so planning to save up abit more then change the bridge and stopbar maybe to tonepros.

and i've ordered one whole set of cts superpots for the volume and cts audiotaper for the tone. all 500k. and also buumblebee caps for it. all from rsguitarworks. will post pics of them when they arrive and before going into the guitar. cosidering whether to contact malcolm or beez to get them installed.

 

[Whitestrat]

whitestrat: im thinking of changing the stopbar, but its quite expensive! so planning to save up abit more then change the bridge and stopbar maybe to tonepros.

Consider the Graphtech Resomax bridges and Stoptail... Thing is, if the guitar is already not sound construction-wise, it would be good to sort that one out first rather than go straight to the guts of it, then find out you still have to solve the build.

 

[aero_91]

yeah i've read about the graphtech bridge and tailpiece, looks pretty good.
but need to save up more then decide. the build of the les paul should be alright, cos it sounds rather decent now given the pickups. see how first la, after an internal transformation to the better parts. damn excited about the bumblebee caps.

 

[squirrel]

Hey friends,
Why you guys so work out. I did not say that it is wrong to upgrade, I just sharing my opinion. At the end of the day, it is up to him. What I am trying to get across is telling him not to spend so much.
Anyway, upgrading a Gibson is different from upgrading a Epiphone MIC. By the way, I did not mention this, the amplifier plays a very important role in tones. Try plugging your unmodify Epi LP into a good tube amp and here for yourself or do it vice versa by plugging a good Gibson LP into a Smarvo or TGM. Only a good guitarist know what he is talking about.

har har you just got owned hahahahahahaha.
I know you have like good intentions but I don't think they help.