Watersilk Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Has anyone here had to replace a Jack Plate for their Epiphone? I'm in the process of restoring a Les Paul that's had a hard life, the jack plate has suffered the most, it's cracked in multiple places! It seems that, well, quite unbelievable really, that Epiphone don't sell spare parts! After a lot of searching a service agent very kindly sent me a plastic plate, it's one of the new plates that have the anti-swivel oval hole. I was able to modify this to fit a Switchcraft jack socket, but the colour is coffee, not off white like the rest of the plastic. The screw spacing on this Epiphone anti-swivel jack plate fits my guitar perfectly! I don't have the guitar with me, it's in another country, actually a different continent... so I can't measure the distance between the screw holes. If I knew the specs, I could even buy a metal plate which would be far more reliable; perhaps I can even use the metal plate behind the original cracked plastic one to hold it together? There are of course many different jack plate screw spacings out there, but which one is the Epiphone spec? Does anyone know the screw hole distance for an Epiphone Jack Plate? Thank you in advance :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 I'm confused. You say you're restoring Epi Les Paul. But it's on another continent? How does one go about restoring something they do not have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Watersilk, You didn't say where you are, just where you aren't. Having no idea of where you are or what resources are available there, it's not easy to offer advise. But I'll try anyway. The plastic parts on guitars usually change color a bit as they age so trying to get a perfect match from a single piece might be difficult. I would suggest the metal plate you mentioned because it won't have to match the pickup rings or other plastic parts. As for hole spacing and such, without the original in hand I would guess it will be next to impossible to find an exact replacement. I would suggest that you buy one that you like and figure on fixing the hole placement problem with some plugs and new holes. D P.S. Love to see a pic of your '02 Hamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Google search for Epiphone Les Paul jack plate.. There seems to be quite a few on line.. I would recommend a metal one as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 I'm confused. You say you're restoring Epi Les Paul. But it's on another continent? How does one go about restoring something they do not have? Hello Brad1, yes, I can see the reason for the confusion. The guitar is in London, England. I bought it, or rather 'her' on eBay. It's a Korean model. I've been modifying guitars for sometime now, I do the work when I'm visiting my Mother in London, but I'm actually living in Windhoek, Namibia. I started buying parts for this guitar before I got to London, having the parts sent there, but of course you may know that buying parts for metric guitars is fraught with difficulties. I tried WD Music for a pickguard replacement, but two of their so called 'Epiphone' pickguards (for the same Epiphone model) were different sizes and shapes! I have no option other than to reuse the original, which is bevelled and doesn't look right. I stripped the guitar completely, but I ran out of time to finish the job because the weather was against me. The only replacement jack plate I have is the coffee coloured one, which is far from the colour of the other plastic parts. However, I want to source a replacement jack plate 'before' I'm back in London so I can get on with the renovation and upgrades once I'm back. I have to say, after a few modification projects, most of which are ongoing, and one complete build, this is by far the most difficult, and expensive project I've taken on! If I can find a suitable cream, parchment, off white or even white jack plate that fits, I just have the dyeing and finish to worry about. I hope this answers your question, and many others you didn't ask :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Watersilk, You didn't say where you are, just where you aren't. Having no idea of where you are or what resources are available there, it's not easy to offer advise. But I'll try anyway. The plastic parts on guitars usually change color a bit as they age so trying to get a perfect match from a single piece might be difficult. I would suggest the metal plate you mentioned because it won't have to match the pickup rings or other plastic parts. As for hole spacing and such, without the original in hand I would guess it will be next to impossible to find an exact replacement. I would suggest that you buy one that you like and figure on fixing the hole placement problem with some plugs and new holes. D P.S. Love to see a pic of your '02 Hamer Hello dReit1, Yes, I understand the colour change, I don't mind 'reasonable' differences in colour, as long as they are not far out. The neck is a thin late 1960 profile, I knew this before buying because the top colour was a fairly good copy of a late 1960 top. I took this as a theme for the renovation and upgrades. Looking at real Les Paul's from the later half of 1960, there are great colour variations of the plastic parts, so this is fine. The only jack replacement I do have so far is a coffee coloured one (imagine coffee with a little milk), it is far from the colour of the original plastic, which varies from cream to almost white. I'm really at my wits end trying to find the specs of an Epiphone jack plate. I have found many different screw hole spacings offered from various venders on the internet; but which one has Epiphone spacing? I can wait until I'm back in London, then measure the holes, but I thought that just someone on here may have cracked their plastic jack plate and had to shop for a replacement. I don't want to drill new holes, I would rather use the coffee jack plate, however, I just know that someone out there must make a jack plate with Epiphone hole spacing. We are after all talking about a lot of Epiphone guitars out there, it's not exactly a rare make. Oh, the Hamer... This is a lovely guitar, great primary tone! This is the guitar that got me absolutely hooked on modifying! This picture was taken before I changed the switch tip to cream and the control knobs to sunburst-type gold. With the thin body and uncovered pickups, there is great attack and treble. I also had an Earvana nut fitted to tighten the chords further down the neck. The original pickups sounded absolute rubbish! I swapped the original Duncan Designed things for real Seymour Duncan '59 neck and Pearly Gates bridge, a huge improvement! I only heard what this guitar was capable of when I upgraded the entire electrical circuit with US parts, CTS pots, Switchcraft selector and jack and a Jenson PIO cap. I now want to get rid of the Korean hardware and really let this guitar fly! I think that Korean electrics are very good guitars, once you remove the hardware, electrics, along with the pickups and some of the finish. Upgrading these guitars is madness, I know that, but so much fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Google search for Epiphone Les Paul jack plate.. There seems to be quite a few on line.. I would recommend a metal one as well... Yes! I did have the same idea, great minds think alike, however, the idea falls on it's head when you realise that most of the search results are not for Epiphone guitars, yes they are jack plates, but that's where the similarity ends. Not only are a lot of them for Gibson's and therefore imperial, there are quite a few metric sizes too! Without being able to measure my guitar's jack screw holes, I have no idea which spec will fit. Hey, I also LOVE P90's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Yes! I did have the same idea, great minds think alike, however, the idea falls on it's head when you realise that most of the search results are not for Epiphone guitars, yes they are jack plates, but that's where the similarity ends. Not only are a lot of them for Gibson's and therefore imperial, there are quite a few metric sizes too! Without being able to measure my guitar's jack screw holes, I have no idea which spec will fit. Hey, I also LOVE P90's! One of the things I notice while looking at the jack plates was that a few mentioned they were for Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul's. So I have to imagine the size is pretty close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 So I dug out a couple of my Epi LPs. They are late 90's early'00 Korean made so not sure they will match what you are after. The measurements are 1.29"(32.25mm) square with hole spacing of about .92"(23.5mm) center to center. So then I went to all of the dozens of on-line parts suppliers that I have in my Favorites. NONE list a jack plate in that size! The all list Gibson size which I guess you have already found out. Just a bit bigger and not what you need. Best I can offer is to go to ebay and search https://www.ebay.com/b/Plates/85856?Brand=Epiphone&Type=Jack%2520Plate&rt=nc There are some there and you should be able to match up what you are looking for. I also see that for like $18.00 you can buy a complete LP plastic set with all matching parts. So you might want to check into that too. I hope that helps. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny 6 String Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Hi Watersilk; Pretty sure this is the jack plate I used on a Korean built 98 Deluxe without having to use any new holes. It’s metal, I see they also have plastic but I didn’t check the measurements. https://www.guitarfetish.com/Rectangular-curved-output-plate-chrome-FREE-jack_p_655.html Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 One of the things I notice while looking at the jack plates was that a few mentioned they were for Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul's. So I have to imagine the size is pretty close. Hello Mihcmac, Gibson guitars have Imperial measurements, Epiphone's have Metric. I found this out by placing a Gibson jack plate against the holes for an Epiphone, the holes are not even close, the spacing is quite different. The problem is that venders rarely commit themselves to disclosing what guitars, or measuring system or measurements their jack plates conform to. I think that a lot of people buy jack plates online and end up with something they can't use because of the lack of information available. Quite often I see jack plates advertised as fitting, Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul's! A kind of one size fits all... I don't mind where in the world the part is, I will pay the shipping, I just want to know the screw hole spacing for Epiphone jack plates so I can find one that fits. I should have measured my jack plate before leaving London! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 So I dug out a couple of my Epi LPs. They are late 90's early'00 Korean made so not sure they will match what you are after. The measurements are 1.29"(32.25mm) square with hole spacing of about .92"(23.5mm) center to center. So then I went to all of the dozens of on-line parts suppliers that I have in my Favorites. NONE list a jack plate in that size! The all list Gibson size which I guess you have already found out. Just a bit bigger and not what you need. Best I can offer is to go to ebay and search https://www.ebay.com...2520Plate&rt=nc There are some there and you should be able to match up what you are looking for. I also see that for like $18.00 you can buy a complete LP plastic set with all matching parts. So you might want to check into that too. I hope that helps. D dReit1 you are amazing! Yes, my guitar is Korean, I think it was made in 2002 or 2003. This jack plate has been driving me mad! and... So it's 23.5mm! Now I just have to remember where I saw the 23.4 one! Thank you Reit1! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 So I dug out a couple of my Epi LPs. They are late 90's early'00 Korean made so not sure they will match what you are after. The measurements are 1.29"(32.25mm) square with hole spacing of about .92"(23.5mm) center to center. So then I went to all of the dozens of on-line parts suppliers that I have in my Favorites. NONE list a jack plate in that size! The all list Gibson size which I guess you have already found out. Just a bit bigger and not what you need. Best I can offer is to go to ebay and search https://www.ebay.com...2520Plate&rt=nc There are some there and you should be able to match up what you are looking for. I also see that for like $18.00 you can buy a complete LP plastic set with all matching parts. So you might want to check into that too. I hope that helps. D dReit1, Thank you for being such a great help with my jack plate quest! I had spent hours surfing the net looking for Epiphone spec jack plates. I looked back in my history on the day that I found the 23.4mm plate, I finally found the site, which was on eBay, it's not a place I wish to shop because of security issues I've had in the past when someone started pretending to sell merchandise on my account! Fortunately, the company, Partscaster.co.uk, have their own site, so I can order straight from them without getting into the eBay thing again. Even better, as can be seen by their website address, they are situated in England, Devon to be precise, so no expensive shipping and tax issues! It's a pretty nasty looking plate, but the colour doesn't look too far off, I'm sure that I can also smooth it down and make it look and feel better :) All that remains now is to see if it fits 'my' guitar! Thank you once again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Glad I was able to help. Please let us know how it all works out. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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