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1997 Epiphone Dot back from the shop!


sbpark

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Picked up this '97 Epi Dot a while back for $140. Posted a thread about it when I bought it with before and after shots after cleaning it up (it was filthy and full of gunk and dirt). After cleaning it up, polished the frets and a good wipe down with quite a bit of Simple Green, I was shocked to see that the guitar was near mint, without a mark, scratch or ding on it, and zero fret wear with a really nice maple neck. I really liked the way the guitar felt and played, but really wasn't a fan of the way the guitar sounded even after quite a bit of fiddling with the pickups (I like a lower output pickup, not super high gain, sort of edge of breakup type sound), so the guitar sat in the closet for months.

 

On a whim I picked up a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups and a really nice 50's style wiring harness. I've re-wired hollow bodies and semi-hollow bodies before and loathe it, and the f-holes in this Dot are a little smaller than the Casino I rewired last year, so I took it to my guy who works on all my guitars. He also hates wiring hollow and semi-hollow bodies! I told him that it was no rush. He said wiring these guitars is like "building a ship in a bottle", but he does great work and is a great guy. Got the guitar back and it sounds killer through my '76 Deluxe Reverb. The Antiquity's are exactly what I was hoping for and the sound I was hearing in my head, and a great compliment to my other electric, which is a Classic 50's Telecaster with Fender OV pickups. (Last year I did a MAJOR purge and sold around 10 guitars, both acoustic and electric just to thin the herd). I thought I'd miss the "higher end" electrics I sold off, but really have not had the urge or need to buy anything else. The Tele and the Dot are a very versatile pair, and in all honesty I play way more acoustic these days. Here's a few pics of the dot. I also pickup up an OEM Epiphone hardshell case for her that's not pictured.

 

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What??? Smartly done!!! I love my Dot, even with the original pups.

 

It was really gross when I bought it. Frets were very gunky and tarnished, and the guitar had a thigh layer of filth all over it. When I met the guy he pulled it from the backseat of his car, no case, and almost had second thoughts about buying it. I'm happy I put in the work and elbow grease cleaning it up!

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Sweet! I've had my Dot for about 8 years now. Also put in SD Classics and a new harness, along with pots, switches, etc. Once you add some black knobs and a black Bigsby, you'll be good to go LOL. Seriously though, enjoy your Dot, they're great guitars for the coin.

 

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Sweet! I've had my Dot for about 8 years now. Also put in SD Classics and a new harness, along with pots, switches, etc. Once you add some black knobs and a black Bigsby, you'll be good to go LOL. Seriously though, enjoy your Dot, they're great guitars for the coin.

 

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I agree, they are great guitars period, regardless of price! I thought about adding a Bigsby. Maybe will at some point, but the guitar feels heavy enough as it is. I put a Bigsby on a Casino and will admit, I really liked it.

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I agree, they are great guitars period, regardless of price! I thought about adding a Bigsby. Maybe will at some point, but the guitar feels heavy enough as it is. I put a Bigsby on a Casino and will admit, I really liked it.

To be honest, I really didn't notice a great weight change in the Dot when I added the Bigsby. What I did notice real quick though was that the D an G strings left only about 1" or so to "wind" if you will, given the increased travel length from the Bigsby vs. the original stop tail, plus the wrap, etc. Not a biggie for me because I don't wind that much anyway, but just so you know. Not only do I like the look, I think it gives a little bit of variation. No dive bombing here, just subtle effects.

 

Once again, congrats on a great Dot deal.

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