iankinzel Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I've mentioned this guitar before, and posted a couple pics from an intermediate stage. Anyway, I'll give some background. I purchased this guitar off eBay for $225 back in January from a gentleman in Michigan named James. Judging by the fact that the second half of the serial number was scratched off, that the back of the headstock was stamped "USED," and that there was a mild blemish on the underside of the neck, I'm guessing that this was a factory second built in February 2006 at Dae Won. I spent a few months playing this guitar to figure out what I liked and what I didn't like. On the plus side: Liked the look Loved, loved, LOVED the feel of this guitar Bridge humbucker was lean and sharp Good hardware, held in tune well Very good condition; I'd give it an A or A- On the down side: Too much plastic The neck humbucker was too hot and a little muddy I really wanted a vibrato system but not another guitar New nut, please So, over the last month, I made the following modifications: Put in a graphite nut Installed a Stetsbar bridge with Fender Strat arm Replaced the tuners with Planet Waves auto-trim locking tuners Switched out the neck pickup out for a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90 Installed a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover model humbucker in the bridge Cosmetic changes: added a brass scratch plate and chrome dome knobs Because of the neck P90 and the bridge humbucker, I get a fairly wide tonal contrast. The Seth Lover is very clear, sharp, and jangly, while the Phat Cat is wild and raunchy (while still maintaining good clarity). Put them together, and I get a clear, sharp, aggressive tone where I can pound away as hard as I want, and yet I can still hear each and every string clearly. The Seth Lover lays down a good foundation, while the Phat Cat adds some kick and rounds off the treble-y edges. As for the hardware, the locking tuners (and the graphite nut) ensure that I never have tuning issues - and the unique trem system accommodates my preference bend my chords as I'm strumming by the bridge. Anyway, here are a couple "before" pics: And now here are the "after" pics: At this point, the only change I might consider making is to switch out the wiring harness. Even without that, though, I'm more than happy with this guitar, and I would gladly put it up against any Gibson, Hagstrom, Grestch, Ibanez, what have you. While a good Gibson Les Paul might sound better in Jimmy Page's hands than my guitar would, I've played all the aforementioned brands (and others, like Guild, Schecter, and PRS), and nothing suits my playing style better than this guitar - nothing sounds better in my hands. That, and all this cost me $625 - well under half the cost of a comparable Gibson. I've dubbed this guitar "Michigan Jim" in honor of its previous owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordy01 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Nice mods. I like the idea of the hum in the bridge, and the P-90 in the neck. Is that a gold pickguard? It's kinda hard to tell in the pics. I use locking tuners on all my guitars. They're hard to beat. Are the new pickup rings metal? The most important thing you said is that this guitar sounds best in your hands. That's who you built it for. Good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankinzel Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Is that a gold pickguard? It's kinda hard to tell in the pics. Yeah, they're crappy pics - I took the "after" pictures from a web cam (the "before" pics were the ones posted on eBay by the original owner). It's actually a brass pickguard. Are the new pickup rings metal? Nah, they're just the black plastic rings that came with the pickups in the Seymour Duncan box. I was thinking of replacing the original white plastic rings with metal ones, but the black plastic rings go with the finish so well that I'll keep 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Cool! How do you like that StetsBar? I just installed on on my SG and I have to say I'm impressed. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/88987-installing-a-stetsbar-pro-2-on-a-gibson-sg/page__st__20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankinzel Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Cool! How do you like that StetsBar? I just installed on on my SG and I have to say I'm impressed. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/88987-installing-a-stetsbar-pro-2-on-a-gibson-sg/page__st__20 I hated the arm that I had, but love the bridge and stop piece. It's very beautiful, very professional-looking and simple to use. Once I got rid of the arm and replaced it with one from a Fender Strat, all was perfect. I like the arm on yours better than the one I had, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 nice mods love the unusual vibrato bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBlades Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Thats another thing I like about Epis . They are pretty darn good on their own but they are like "blank canvases" too which you can modify into your own spec without guilt unlike an expensive Gibson models. Nice job! Now play the hell outta that thing!.: ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 That pickguard looks like the elephant in the room to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankinzel Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 The pickguard looks cooler now that I've set it on fire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Naa, the pickguard helps to give it a real Neil Young sort of vibe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Ps, just needs a black switch ring and a gold switch tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Really nice project, regarding the pickup selector I would remove the white plastic switch ring, get a gold switch screw and put a black tip. In any case a very nice guitar, congratz !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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