osueric27 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I finished upgrading my Epi LP Custom. Here is a list of what I did and some pictures. Let me know what you think. This was my first attempt to do this myself and everything turned out great. Replaced all the gold hardware with black. Updated all the electronics including POTS, switch, input jack, CAPS, and complete wiring. New pickups - Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB Combo New TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece. Sperzel Lockers I also had a setup and fret work done to smooth out the frets. The guitar lays incredible and has a ton of sustain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Nice job! Bet she rocks now for sure!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osueric27 Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 The guitar sounds amazing. I have an 80 Gibby LP Custom and this guitar sounds just as nice. This was a fun project so I think I am going to do the same to a DOT. I am also considering the StewMac Dreadnought acoustic kit but I don't know if I am ready for that yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefoxicy Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 When I did my Epi LP Special II I used two DiMarzio pickups, but I dropped in a Black/White for the top and a Black/Black for the bottom (aside from that, same model) for a cute contrast effect. Yours is all fingerprinted up. Pull the pot knobs off, take off the strings and bridge, and give it a good shine with Dunlop 65 guitar polish; then buff it with the cloth and give it a good wax down with Dunlop 65 cream of carnuba. Personally I wax the back first (including neck; first time I even removed the tuning machines and strap pegs), sides, then flip over and do the front (and sides again). Put the wax on, give it a couple minutes to dry and harden (it says 20 seconds, I'm excessive), then buff it with the cloth. Don't wax the fret board or clean it with Dunlop 65. I don't really disassemble mine any more to wax it. Clean it with the polish each day after use (get rid of the prints), each month use the wax to re-wax it but I just go under the strings, no need to take the hardware off. For the fingerboard, Dunlop makes a cleaner that you rub across the board and let it dry off (I think it's pure acetone, but I don't know). They also have a deep conditioner oil that works nice on rosewood fret boards, don't squeeze the bottle though or you'll make a mess (it uses a sponge applicator, which is a pain to get working at first). You can get a kit of 5 cleaners with instructions from Guitar Center (the last is Dunlop string cleaner, which I haven't used). Keep your guitar looking nice, really. It brings attention to the thing and makes you actually take notice of anything that's wrong with it. Keeping fingerprints off it will keep dirt from crudding up on it and becoming hard to remove. Keeping it waxed once a month will keep dust plus your hands brushing against the body from wearing at the finish. Plus... it looks nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Darn!!I polish up my guitars but when i play them they get fingerprints! And I'm not going to stop playing them,so I gotta keep polishing 'em!! If I'd just finished upgrading I'd be playin the ship outta her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefoxicy Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Darn!!I polish up my guitars but when i play them they get fingerprints!And I'm not going to stop playing them' date='so I gotta keep polishing 'em!! [/quote'] They will. Like I said, play all day if you want, polish when you're done for the day. Mine gets printed up all day and somewhere around 1 in the morning I spend like almost a minute giving it a quick wipe down with the polish. I wax it once a month, which takes maybe 10-15 minutes. It's actually been resisting my prints lately... haven't determined why. Also, for the crazy type, after the polish I lift the guitar by the bottom strap peg and the two fingers at each side of the neck just below the headstock, and set it back in the case. Sometimes I might use the cloth to protect the neck from my fingerprints and just cup under it. Make sure you have a good grip so you don't drop it doing this. And yeah. I do purposely polish the guitar before taking a picture; that one actually was after a quick polish, on a wax job from about 3 days prior. It still looks the same (nice and shiny!) and it's been a week and a half, just a polish every day before bed (since, ya know, I'm not playing it in my sleep). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I was tounge in cheek pointing out that oseric27 was probably playing his guitar,and in a happy warm place snapped the pics without 1st stopping to wipe her down . But thanks for the cleaning tips bluefoxicyo:) It is important!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Oh and here is a cleaning tip for everyone,those bristle artist brushes are great for dusting under strings and hardware when you do your wipe down.If you have any thing on display you know how it builds up on the headstock,and around the pickups.where your polish rag won't reach. D- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefoxicy Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I was tounge in cheek pointing out Sarcasm is lost to me. Sarcasm is also lost on the Internet. Putting the two together in one place doesn't help :s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I think polishing your guitar every time you play it is a little.... well... Obsesive.... I give my guitars a general clean-up and rub-down when I change the strings, (or before photos) but I would go nuts if I had to do that every time I touched 'em.. BTW, I love that Dunlop fretboard conditioner! I'm a little iffy about the cleaner, though.. It IS some kind of volatile solvent.. I don't trust anything that's fast evaporating (i.e. drying) on a fretboard.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefoxicy Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 I'm a little iffy about the cleaner' date=' though.. It IS some kind of volatile solvent.. I don't trust anything that's fast evaporating (i.e. drying) on a fretboard..[/quote'] Yeah, I do believe it's just straight acetone, though it might be isoprophenol (smells like it....) or a mix, I can't tell, I don't have all the chemicals handy and don't remember quite what acetone smells like (please don't straight inhale this stuff). I haven't tried cracking it open and dumping it on my hand (acetone gets really freaking cold, evaporative cooling). Acetone reacts with just about nothing, and is used to displace water; rinse out a flask, spray acetone inside it, dump it out, the acetone evaporates out in a few seconds. Really though, letting a liquid stay on a wood for too long can cause bubbling. Something that evaporates TOO fast could cause cracking, but only if you displaced the water/oils in the board (hence the conditioner). I'll refrain from any deep analysis but there's a number of factors involved here to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osueric27 Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 When I did my Epi LP Special II I used two DiMarzio pickups' date=' but I dropped in a Black/White for the top and a Black/Black for the bottom (aside from that, same model) for a cute contrast effect. [img']http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v184/161/112/1033398210/n1033398210_18419_6403.jpg[/img] Yours is all fingerprinted up. Pull the pot knobs off, take off the strings and bridge, and give it a good shine with Dunlop 65 guitar polish; then buff it with the cloth and give it a good wax down with Dunlop 65 cream of carnuba. Personally I wax the back first (including neck; first time I even removed the tuning machines and strap pegs), sides, then flip over and do the front (and sides again). Put the wax on, give it a couple minutes to dry and harden (it says 20 seconds, I'm excessive), then buff it with the cloth. Don't wax the fret board or clean it with Dunlop 65. I don't really disassemble mine any more to wax it. Clean it with the polish each day after use (get rid of the prints), each month use the wax to re-wax it but I just go under the strings, no need to take the hardware off. For the fingerboard, Dunlop makes a cleaner that you rub across the board and let it dry off (I think it's pure acetone, but I don't know). They also have a deep conditioner oil that works nice on rosewood fret boards, don't squeeze the bottle though or you'll make a mess (it uses a sponge applicator, which is a pain to get working at first). You can get a kit of 5 cleaners with instructions from Guitar Center (the last is Dunlop string cleaner, which I haven't used). Keep your guitar looking nice, really. It brings attention to the thing and makes you actually take notice of anything that's wrong with it. Keeping fingerprints off it will keep dirt from crudding up on it and becoming hard to remove. Keeping it waxed once a month will keep dust plus your hands brushing against the body from wearing at the finish. Plus... it looks nice. I still have some finishing touches I want to do tonight. Once I am done with that I will clean it up. I was just excited to snap a couple shots. I use the Dunlop 65 as well on all my guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockStarKid13 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 bluefoxicy you did exactly what Im planning on doing. I just bought an Epiphone SG Special for sort of a project giutar. Its REAL purpose was to actually use it as a new form of inspiration. I originally use a Fender Stratocaster, which I love to death, but I just needed something else. And plus you cant ever have too many guitars! I think between my brother and I we have close to 15 guitars haha. But what I was thinking about doing is taking out the factory open coil pickups and putting in Seymour Duncan P90's. But how did that work out for you? Did the guitar take well to the pickups you put in? Im just woried that since it is such a cheap guitar that it wont take well to the pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 BTW bluefoxicy,your guitar came out really nice!! D- No sarcasm there either!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MI_Canuck Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 very nice bro! awesome what a few bucks in upgrades will do to an Epi! i have Jazz/JB combo in my Goth SG and love them... good choice! ;-) peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayGLongBeach Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Nice Job, Man! looks the a Menace with the mods! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Yeah' date=' I do believe it's just straight acetone[/quote'] I used to be a screen printer and worked with all kinds of solvents.. (that should explain a lot..) It's not acetone... You would have to be insane to consider using acetone as a fretboard cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 (that should explain a lot) Ha ha ha ha ha ha Oh wait did he say solvents? I worked with this stuff they call barathane for a few years. They banned it (wow that really does explain a lot!!) Lots of cleaners and household chemicals that we work around can be hazardous if we aren't careful. Take a minute and read the hazard label on that cleaner. It may save your life 20 years down the road. I know I never worried about it when I was young,but now I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderstruck507 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 NICE looking axe man... Good riddence to the gold hardware IMO... *ducks flying debris from fellow board members* I'd love a white one with chrome or nickel hardware instead of gold, and now I'm contemplating the all black look as well...it just works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MI_Canuck Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Replaced all the gold hardware with black. Updated all the electronics including POTS' date=' switch, input jack, CAPS, and complete wiring. New pickups - Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB Combo New TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece. Sperzel Lockers [/quote'] what value pots and caps did you put in? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osueric27 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 NICE looking axe man... Good riddence to the gold hardware IMO... *ducks flying debris from fellow board members* I'd love a white one with chrome or nickel hardware instead of gold' date=' and now I'm contemplating the all black look as well...it just works [/quote'] I agree with you on the gold. I am thinking of which guitar to do next. I may go with a DOT, or I may try my hand at a StewMac kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osueric27 Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 what value pots and caps did you put in? cheers I went with 500k POTS and .020 CAPS from StewMac. I am cosidering the Jimmy Page wiring kit they have. I think the 500k POTs work the best. if you go with 250k ot 1meg you eithere get too bright or too muddy. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MI_Canuck Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I went with 500k POTS and .020 CAPS from StewMac. I am cosidering the Jimmy Page wiring kit they have. I think the 500k POTs work the best. if you go with 250k ot 1meg you eithere get too bright or too muddy. Eric cool thanks... i have jazz/jb in my goth g-400, with .015 cap on the neck, .022 cap on the bridge, 500k pots (although may try 300k on the bridge tone & volume just to warm it up a tough)... i realise the lp and sg are two different guitars but was curious on your setup just for reference :-) cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefoxicy Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I just bought an Epiphone SG Special for sort of a project giutar. Its REAL purpose was to actually use it as a new form of inspiration. Yeah. Learning to play guitar (what I'm doing) is such suck' date=' it's like... work. I don't have much money so I slapped something together from a cheap guitar + good (but cheap) parts and came out with something that's got a personal touch to it, which keeps me interested BECAUSE IT'S MINE >:o But how did that work out for you? Did the guitar take well to the pickups you put in? Im just woried that since it is such a cheap guitar that it wont take well to the pickups. The new pickups do bring out a really nice sound in that guitar. I've gotten my guitar to sound pretty close to Eric Johnson's and I'm going to try to make it sound like Slash's (with push-pull switches on the pots to change pickup mode and caps). On my next guitar I'm going to go with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups; they're higher output (my understanding is these use dual humbucker blades, i.e. single-coil-sized dual-coil pickups, so you get FOUR coils in a dual coil sized pickup), so should give me a cleaner sound (and that means better distortion too, right? Distorted signal, instead of distorted noise!). Beyond that, I'm aiming at a mahogany body instead of the basswood of the Special II, better sustain there. When I go to Guitar Center the people there all play in bands and know "some" guitar tech. Pester them about pickups, and pester a guitar technician about pickups and general electronics. I'm just breaking into this stuff (this is day 20); ask someone experienced for serious advice, but I've given you a couple things to question about. Anyone who's played in a band and had 20 guitars that they customized the hardware in is a good start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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