Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Epiphone Les Paul Junior - Advice for a new modder!


Steerpike

Recommended Posts

Hi all,

 

I have just posted a little introduction in the "Introduce Yourself" forum, but thought I would take my requests elsewhere!

 

Anyway, I have been greatly inspired by some of the mods which have been carried out on the low budget Epiphone Les Paul Junior and feel like I need a project. Money is tight so I figure if I start cheap and slowly upgrade, it will work out better for me!

 

The question I have for the modders is how do I know which is the right one to go for? I have read a lot about the mahogany body vs tonewood body and I don't want to end up buying one from a run that is inferior to another as an upgrade platform. I have gathered from posts by BrianH that the model described as having a Mahogany body was the best to work with and could be identified by the Limited Edition Custom Shop logo on the back of the headstock.

 

So I have narrowed it down to the following suppliers:

GAK

Dawsons Music

Thomann

 

What I find confusing is that while the first two state that the guitar is Limited Edition, they describe the body as alder tonewood and alder/maple respectively. Furthermore, Thomann describe the listing as having a mahogany body and also confirmed the logo by email to me.

 

So basically, I am confused and wondered if any of you wonderfully knowledgeable people might be able to shed some light on the situation!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steerpike,

 

Welcome to the forum!!!

 

I'm not going to be much help as I have no exact answer for you.

I will, however, give you what insight that I can.

 

First, good move checking out BrianH. He is very talented when it comes to rebuilds and mods.

As to your question...give consideration.

The Juniors you are looking at are basic entry level. The "limited editions" "custom shop" do not guarantee anything except that

they are either special order for a dealer/dealers or that they are a "so called" limited run. The day will come, sooner or later, that that

exact guitar will no longer be available.

 

As to tone wood.

Yes, some of them may be made of one piece. They will still likely have a veneer finish.

Remember, you are talking about a guitar that cost 100 pounds. This is not going to be Honduras mahogany.

In all likely hood, it is either Asian or Indonesian mahogany.....whatever that means....and whatever was available.

It may or may not even be one piece.

 

Frankly, my bigger concern would be playability.

You can get a good guitar or a bad one for 100 pounds or 5,000 pounds.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if the guitar suits your wants...go for it.

 

Like you, I wanted a project and mod Jr.

I bought a beater for $20 U.S. or about 12.59 pounds. It was totally unplayable.

It is now becoming a very playable and fun guitar.

Your guitar would at least be playable from the get go.

 

If you get a chance, check out my project Jr:

Beater Guitar....Parts 1 - 5.

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/76822-beater-guitar-part-1/

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/76854-beater-guitar-part-2/

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/76896-beater-guitar-part-3/

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/76958-beater-guitar-part-4/

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/77220-beater-guitar-part-5/

 

Since then I have added 50's wiring, PIO caps and a new pickup.

I will be stripping and refinishing it soon.

So, maybe consider buying the guitar and starting out with a good setup:

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/jazz.guitar/guitarsetup.htm

 

and then, decide if you like it enough to even keep it.

 

Guitars are where you find them.

 

Willy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the forum!

 

For a fun project, I picked up the guitar center labor day special of the Epi SG Junior. It was $89 and made a fun guitar to mod. The first thing I did was pulled the neck out and re-set it. When I did that I saw that my SG was mahogany and not basswood. I took out that Epi humbucker that it came with and installed a Seymour Duncan Prail and a three way switch. Now my SG JR can emulate a P90, humbucker and a single coil with the flip of a switch. That made a huge difference in tone. I also added CTS pots, a .47uf cap, 50s wiring, and a tusq nut, and elixirs. Now it is now a beast and fun to play. I would say all in all I was under $200 in guitar and mods and my friends love it too.

fbimg13469051759638912.jpg

 

Hi all,

 

I have just posted a little introduction in the "Introduce Yourself" forum, but thought I would take my requests elsewhere!

 

Anyway, I have been greatly inspired by some of the mods which have been carried out on the low budget Epiphone Les Paul Junior and feel like I need a project. Money is tight so I figure if I start cheap and slowly upgrade, it will work out better for me!

 

The question I have for the modders is how do I know which is the right one to go for? I have read a lot about the mahogany body vs tonewood body and I don't want to end up buying one from a run that is inferior to another as an upgrade platform. I have gathered from posts by BrianH that the model described as having a Mahogany body was the best to work with and could be identified by the Limited Edition Custom Shop logo on the back of the headstock.

 

So I have narrowed it down to the following suppliers:

GAK

Dawsons Music

Thomann

 

What I find confusing is that while the first two state that the guitar is Limited Edition, they describe the body as alder tonewood and alder/maple respectively. Furthermore, Thomann describe the listing as having a mahogany body and also confirmed the logo by email to me.

 

So basically, I am confused and wondered if any of you wonderfully knowledgeable people might be able to shed some light on the situation!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 2010 Junior is a solid body, probably Asian "mahogany" guitar, that sounded acoustically great before I even modded it. My mods include CTS pots, .47uF cap with '50s Junior wiring, amber knobs, Sperzel-type locking tuners, GFS Mean-90 pickup, Tusq nut, and I dulled the poly finish down. She's my number 1 and plays/sounds beautiful. Pics (the scratches seen in the dark part of picture 3 are now gone):

 

epijrdull.jpg

 

epijrdull2.jpg

 

epijrdull3.jpg

 

epijrmod.jpg

 

epijrmod2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's awesome. Thanks for the advice guys. I'm pretty much there - it's just the body material confusion that's bugging me, but as you say Willy, it's kind of pot luck as to what they had available at the time.

 

Anyway - advice appreciated on this one so keep it coming!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Emma,

Congrats!

Well worth the step up. Good that it is local.

Check it out real good before handing over the money. That is a very good price. Make sure it's not too good to be true.

The main concerns for me would be structural condition of the body, neck and headstock.

After that I would be looking at fret condition. Even if there is ware, you can always do a leveling later as long as they

are not over worn and the fret board is in good condition.

 

If all seems worth the cost then most other things can be addressed later.

If it ends up as yours, enjoy!

 

To start with, I would check the setup and make any needed adjustments. (Link is above.)

After that, I would play it for a few weeks and get used to it. You can decide later what, if anything, you want to change.

 

You would already be money ahead with the tuners as it should come with Grovers. The ones on the Jr. are economy tuners and

people are often not happy with them.

Some stay with the stock electronics. Others change them out. (Not a big deal)

Pickups are a matter of personal taste.

One of the first things I like to change is the nut. But no real hurry on that either.

My personal preference is bone or Tusq (a high temp, high density synthetic ivory)

 

Good luck with your purchase and keep us updated.

 

Willy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...