oldnjguy Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Have a new Sheridan. Adjusted intonation and string height. Changed strings to Gibson Brights. Glued the input jack nut so it won't come loose. That's it until I get to know it a little more. These adjustments did help significantly though. I like the OEM pickups also. Not sure what people mean by clean up the nut. How does one know if a guitar needs this ? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Dam nice guitars Tweed2 . like the Ric. I think as far as playing guitar working on them and setting them up is part of playing . if we don't try we don't learn . I have been playing for 50 years and i do set some of mine up different then others . Hey i have been into Gibsons most of my playing years but i do like the epiphones a lot . I think all guitars need the adjustment factor to all of them . that's why they have so much adjustment . But what do i know , but i know i like that Ric. Cats not bad ether Woody, the cat, actually plays the guitar. He'll sit and watch me play, then when I set the guitar down he paws the strings and seems to enjoy the sound. I'm going to try to catpure it next time I have my phone and he does it. He appears pretty proud of himslf. As for the Ric, if I could only keep one guitar....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Just looked through a cupla responses... RE: setup unless purchased from Sweetwater... The only time I have had major, major problems with a guitar setup came from Sweetwater. In one case the strings were flat on the frets of an Epi AE. That returned, the second one returned was almost as bad. Don't get me wrong, I actually believe that Sweetwater's folks probably did mess with the guitars, both of them. But I live several thousand feet higher and in a much dryer climate. I think that latter pretty well sums up the difficulty. I saw the same thing one afternoon a cupla years ago when I made the long drive to the closest real guitar store in my region. They had new Epis coming in and ditto on the necks. OTOH, a cupla weeks ago I picked up one at that store - I get there maybe once a year or a bit more frequently - that was just fine just off the truck. So regardless where a guitar comes from, I think it may well require a setup unless functionally you're in the same climate zone as the warehouse/setup station where it's been messed with. Secondly, it's to me mandatory to change from "factory" strings to my own, even if they're the same gauge or even were they to be the same brand and gauge. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Just looked through a cupla responses... RE: setup unless purchased from Sweetwater... The only time I have had major, major problems with a guitar setup came from Sweetwater. In one case the strings were flat on the frets of an Epi AE. That returned, the second one returned was almost as bad. Don't get me wrong, I actually believe that Sweetwater's folks probably did mess with the guitars, both of them. But I live several thousand feet higher and in a much dryer climate. I think that latter pretty well sums up the difficulty. I saw the same thing one afternoon a cupla years ago when I made the long drive to the closest real guitar store in my region. They had new Epis coming in and ditto on the necks. OTOH, a cupla weeks ago I picked up one at that store - I get there maybe once a year or a bit more frequently - that was just fine just off the truck. So regardless where a guitar comes from, I think it may well require a setup unless functionally you're in the same climate zone as the warehouse/setup station where it's been messed with. Secondly, it's to me mandatory to change from "factory" strings to my own, even if they're the same gauge or even were they to be the same brand and gauge. m milod, if you don't mind letting us know, what strings do you use or recommend ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 tweed2, that Rickenbacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Crust... I don't recommend "my" acoustic-electric guitar strings to most folks. And they vary on AEs more than on my electrics. Why? I'm mostly a fingerpicker with a light touch that likely is best compared to classical guitar technique. On my fingerpicking AEs, I've been using DR Zebra 9-42. I bought a batch of Elixir acoustic strings on an individual string basis to try out too, 9-42, because Elixir doesn't have that light an acoustic "set." On the flatpicking AEs - the big bodies - I use Elixir Polyweb 10s. I don't recommend those for others for several reasons. For one, most folks flatpicking a flattop are playing straight acoustic, and a lot harder than I do and my action/strings will buzz like crazy. They may be much better served with 11s down to a bass that's at least a 48. Playing AE 99 percent of the time regardless, I much prefer a much lighter technique than most. So before I'd recommend much of anything for anybody, I'd wanna see how they play, and what. Odds are that my choice, and reasons for it, will not be those best of and for others. On electrics? All the archtops and semis have had Elixir polywebs as "first new set" if I got them after 2003. All but one have word 9-42 and I play them mostly the same as the AEs - even for "rock/blues/country" rhythm - with bare fingers. The one "different" always has worn nickel 8-38s, and it's the old early/mid '70s Guild S100c, a carved top SG type. I've also been experimenting a bit going "back in time" with 9-42 Ernie nickels for the semis. Lately I've been experimenting with flats on one of my archtops, but again, quite light strings. I'll likely expand that experimentation from the 25 1/2 inch scale Gretsch "jazzer" archtop to one of the 24 3/4 scale archtops. Hope the above makes sense. I'm convinced that string choice should reflect how and what one's playing. For what I do, I can't hear much difference on an archtop depending on pup and amp settings compared to heavier strings. Again too, I think if you're strummin' along with something, Beatles "Hide Your Love Away" or Everly Brothers material or grass or other "older style" acoustic sound, you need heavier strings simply to escape the buzz. But I also think you loose something in technique. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 tweed2, that Rickenbacker Thanks you, sir. I was smitten, the first time I saw it. It was a 6 month ordeal to finally get. It's one of 5,on the Ric registry (last time I looked), and by the time Mark Arnquist (those that know RICS, know of Mark, whom I'm lucky enough to count as a good friend) and I got done with it, it's the only one like it. Definitely my favorite guitar, visually and playing-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manu Guitare Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Reading your posts, i was wandering : is it possible to gibsonize a recent Gibson Epiphone Plustop ? 1- change grover machine heads to Gibson Vintage with pearloid buttons 2- change stop bar and bridge to and Gibson nickel tailpiece ans Nashville tune o matic 3- change pickups from probucker to Seymour Duncan Humbucker 4- change truss rod cover to Gibson PRTR-010 black Manu Guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Manu... Here's how I look at it: If an Epi - or any other guitar - works and sounds "clean," I tend to take it for what it is. Setup, yes. I even can feature changing the nut/saddle on an acoustic along with the aforesaid "setup." I used to mess a lot with low-enders and make them into very good players. That's 40 years ago. Now? If I've made a purchase error, it goes into a swap even if I lose my financial shirt. It's a neat hobby to mess with 'em. Did it myself for maybe 5-6 years or so. It just ain't what I do nowadays in the spirit of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." That said... there's also something to be said about adding AE ability, mag or piezo or whatever, to a straight acoustic. And if you've the time, money and inclination, anything else you wanna mess with. But I think it's a hobby regardless, and I try not to buy a guitar that would not be gig worthy outa the box with proper setup with my favorite strings. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 The only "adjustments" on my Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute Plus are Schaller Strap Locks. I also removed the black dye from the fretboard using vegetable oil. The exposed rosewood looks so dark and beatifully grained that I wondered why they ever did that. It is the best looking fretboard of all may guitars, that's no lie. However, although it is off this topic going around Epiphone instruments, very few of my guitars and basses of different brands are that close to their stock trim. So all of my Fender Floyd Rose HSS Stratocasters are retrofitted with SSS noiseless magnetic pickups, and some also with a Graph Tech Ghost piezo vibrato including battery-powered preamp. On one of my Fender Nashville Power Telecasters the stock TexMex single coils are swapped with N3 Noiseless, too. All of these mods were planned before buying though, not for the stock pickups being inferior but for taste and my bias for noiseless magnetics and piezo tone abilities. Then there are the two of my Gibson EB 2013 four-string basses, one with roundwounds and flatwounds each. They came stock featuring DeCola humbucking pickups badly fouling up tone due to the string pull of their AlNiCo 5 rod magnets. I replaced them with EMG TB-HZ, originally designed as aftermarket pickups for Thunderbirds, which are an exciting drop-in replacement. I also modified the circuit featuring separate serial/parallel options for each pickup and a common capacitor-tuned coil split option, operational when serial setting is selected. However, although I left the pickups alone on by far most of them, many of my guitars and basses are slightly modified. There are Speed Knobs, TP-6 finetuning tailpieces, and/or Schaller Strap Locks if applicable or useful. Some also have added polarity aka "phase" or serial/parallel options. Finally, I changed the second tone control's wiring of my Gibson L6S 2011 guitars for increased control range without swapping, removing or adding any parts. I even used just the original wires for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manu Guitare Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Manu... Here's how I look at it: If an Epi - or any other guitar - works and sounds "clean," I tend to take it for what it is. Setup, yes. I even can feature changing the nut/saddle on an acoustic along with the aforesaid "setup." I used to mess a lot with low-enders and make them into very good players. That's 40 years ago. Now? If I've made a purchase error, it goes into a swap even if I lose my financial shirt. It's a neat hobby to mess with 'em. Did it myself for maybe 5-6 years or so. It just ain't what I do nowadays in the spirit of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." That said... there's also something to be said about adding AE ability, mag or piezo or whatever, to a straight acoustic. And if you've the time, money and inclination, anything else you wanna mess with. But I think it's a hobby regardless, and I try not to buy a guitar that would not be gig worthy outa the box with proper setup with my favorite strings. m I understand and share mostly your opinion. An instrument deserves respect, and has is proper history. Bur to me, it's not only a matter of sound, it's also a matter of esthetic. Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plustop is good guitar, enough for me, but i don't like modern machine heads for instance. I prefer pearloid buttons. And I prefer a stop bar thinner, the nut is quite rough. Changing Pickups ? It's more a way to extend my experience of humbucker sound. The most important thing is to play and enjoy it. So I go. Have a good day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 A rough nut - poorly-done plastic saddle on an acoustic or AE - to me is part of the mandatory setup, and would bug the heck outa me. <grin> Basically I've got more guitars than I "need" for what I do, but ... 18 ain't really enough. I'm pretty much a HB guy, although I have one archtop from the '50s with a single pole at the neck that has worked marvelously "out" doing country rock back in the '70s. Now... I dunno. <bigger grin> So I'm looking for an AE 12. We'll see. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I tend to mod every Epiphone Guitars I got. They make a perfect cheap platform for improvement or to make it more personal in both sound and esthetic. Here are my "adjustments" ;) My Epiphone Regent made into a single classic 57 pup Broadway My Jazz boxes : Epi Regent and Emperor II Joe Pass My Epi Sheraton modded with classic 57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epicurious63 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I picked up a '97 LP Jr. P-90 for just $50 off Craigslist last week. I had to glue the nut in place when I changed the strings, but that was about it. No mods, I pretty much don't fix what ain't broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 I tend to mod every Epiphone Guitars I got. They make a perfect cheap platform for improvement or to make it more personal in both sound and esthetic. Here are my "adjustments" ;) My Epiphone Regent made into a single classic 57 pup Broadway My Jazz boxes : Epi Regent and Emperor II Joe Pass My Epi Sheraton modded with classic 57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Crust... Nice... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Looks like I'm needing a new pickup selector switch on my LP pro plus. That didn't take long (to stop working properly)...lol If your selector switch is the newer non-enclosed type, you can disassemble it, clean the individual pieces and bend the tines back to the proper positions if needed. I did this with what I thought was a bad switch on my SG. Worked great afterward. I didnt even unsolder it from the guitar. Also, if the contact points need cleaning, use some rubbing alcohol and fine steel wool. Dont sand it, as there is a coating on the metal and will make poor contact or start to rust if removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Looks like I'm needing a new pickup selector switch on my LP pro plus. That didn't take long (to stop working properly)...lol I had to change my pickup selector switch very early on my 95 Samick Joe Pass because it was buzzing like hell when playing in the middle position. It seems the spring kinda get easily loosen when left too long in either neck or bridge position, better to keep it in the middle position when not playing to minimize the stress on the spring. Maybe in your case it is more related to oxidation of contacts. Some Deoxit D5 contact cleaner could help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopcicle Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I give everyone a basic set up and bone nut out of the gate. I usually follow through with Grover Vintage Tuners (tuners for personal taste only!I just love the vintage look)and Tonepro Bridges. Before the Probuckers and Classic Pro pups I would always opt for the Gibson pickup equivelents to try to capture the sound I recognize from the originals that most of my Epis were modeled after! I dont mess with wiring,caps,switches,jacks or pots untill I have a reason and then again I follow what would be stock on the Gibson counterpart. (Switchcraft,cts,orange drop,mallory ect...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I had to change my pickup selector switch very early on my 95 Samick Joe Pass because it was buzzing like hell when playing in the middle position. It seems the spring kinda get easily loosen when left too long in either neck or bridge position, better to keep it in the middle position when not playing to minimize the stress on the spring. Maybe in your case it is more related to oxidation of contacts. Some Deoxit D5 contact cleaner could help. +++1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magoo Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I love my Sheraton, so I decided it's worth putting some money into. I upgraded the nut to a genuine bone nut. Got a fret dressing and setup for it. Decided that it looks better to me without a pickguard with the natural finish. And I swapped the cracked stock knobs with ones that match the guitar perfectly. Don't think i'm going to change the pickups, as I can get them dialed in and sound great with my gear. I play it more than my Gibson that costed three times as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I love my Sheraton, so I decided it's worth putting some money into. I upgraded the nut to a genuine bone nut. Got a fret dressing and setup for it. Decided that it looks better to me without a pickguard with the natural finish. And I swapped the cracked stock knobs with ones that match the guitar perfectly. Don't think i'm going to change the pickups, as I can get them dialed in and sound great with my gear. I play it more than my Gibson that costed three times as much. Beautiful guitar, nice grain. Naturals are my favorite. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joevacc Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I love my Sheraton, so I decided it's worth putting some money into. I upgraded the nut to a genuine bone nut. Got a fret dressing and setup for it. Decided that it looks better to me without a pickguard with the natural finish. And I swapped the cracked stock knobs with ones that match the guitar perfectly. Don't think i'm going to change the pickups, as I can get them dialed in and sound great with my gear. I play it more than my Gibson that costed three times as much. I am going to put a bone nut on mine and I'm interested to hear what difference you heard between the stock nut and the bone nut. Beautiful guitar BTW. jv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Beautiful guitar, nice grain. Naturals are my favorite. Enjoy. +1. One of the nicer grain patterns I've seen, on here! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I love my Sheraton, so I decided it's worth putting some money into. I upgraded the nut to a genuine bone nut. Got a fret dressing and setup for it. Decided that it looks better to me without a pickguard with the natural finish. And I swapped the cracked stock knobs with ones that match the guitar perfectly. Don't think i'm going to change the pickups, as I can get them dialed in and sound great with my gear. I play it more than my Gibson that costed three times as much. Darn nice thing - respect! Would leave this beauty without pickguard, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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