Epiphone Special Repaint


frankdemariany
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Joined: 02/17/17
Posts: 12
frankdemariany
Registered User
Joined: 02/17/17
Posts: 12
07/03/2019 5:14 pm

I'm looking to upgrade some of the hardware, from the tuners to the pick ups. Are there any recommendations for places where those are moderately priced? I've hard guitar fetish is a good site.

Thanks !


# 1
manXcat
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Joined: 02/17/18
Posts: 1,476
manXcat
Registered User
Joined: 02/17/18
Posts: 1,476
07/04/2019 1:38 am

What's you budget Frank? And delivery time frame? And are you happy to buy online and patient enough to wait for better value or are you a walk for tactile eval and 'must have it now kinda guy?

I wrote a post yesterday which I subsequently deleted not wanting to rain on the excitement of your parade, aware that diplomacy also isn't a particular strength of mine. But I'll repost it here summing up what I did say more or less, succinctly in the single paragraph immediately below.

All in all, if it was me, I wouldn't be putting too much money, time, and effort into that "clunker" [u]unless[/u], it's of particular sentimental value to you, or, the actual project itself is the objective for the joy and or skills derived of the experience.

It's not worth a DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan fitout IMV, and for the price of those alone you could buy a brand new approximate [u]equivalent to what it is[/u] in drop dead gorgeous TV Yellow.

I went down the path of my own initial exploration into guitar modding without risk of a budget blowout in upgrading my AUD$99 Aldicaster -which I bought with that in mind, with selected [u]quality[/u] hardware at keenly sought pricing. Whilst that project turned out as intended, much, much, much, cheaper than buying a Squier Classic Tele and with better all round hardware for a fraction for the price of the latter, your situ from what I glean from the info supplied thus far isn't that kind of case. As it came OOTB my ETL-100 was brand new and already the equivalent of a Squier Affinity Tele, which here street new for around the AUD$349-$399 mark! SRP is an absurd $499! ROFL. Come in spinner! I spent about AUD$110 all up on replacement parts, including a set of DÁddario EXL strings.

If you still intend to overhaul yours, given its age and probably original hardware it'll need the pots cleaned and tested at least along with the solder joints. If you're going to replace the PUPs, given its age, I'd just replace the wiring harness, volume and tone pots and capacitor too as a matter of course for the little it costs and how easy it is to do.

If you want a decent result, AliExpress has genuine the OEM Asian built Epiphone LP & SG hardware for the right price, and, better than would have come in that unit in the first place. That's your budget option and will affect a good solid result probably better than a new equivalent.

If I was going to the trouble you intend though, I'd step up and pony up with only a little more $ to Korean Wilkinson or Vanson humbuckers and tuner mechs. You have quite a tonal range to choose from in their selection of paired sets. You can buy all the other parts too if you wanted to replace them. e.g. saddle or bridge. But be careful to measure the ones which came with that cheapie are the actual Les Paul spec. dimensions they sell, and not some proprietary clone from back in the day.

GL with it all. Have fun!


# 2
frankdemariany
Registered User
Joined: 02/17/17
Posts: 12
frankdemariany
Registered User
Joined: 02/17/17
Posts: 12
07/04/2019 6:05 pm

Great advice as always. Thank you!


# 3

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