RaynMaykr Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 New to the forum... so hello everyone =) I just purchased an Epiphone LP Custom Classic Pro and love it. I also happen to have a set of Mother of Pearl inlays from a guitar build I worked on back in high school and would like to potentially replace the pearloid inlays with the MoP ones. Would anyone be able to point me to what kind of glue is used on the inlays and/or a technique to remove them without damaging the neck? Any other tips or pointers would be appreciated. Thanks. -Rayn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Welcome to the group RaynMayker, Glad you are enjoying your new LP. Changing out inlays is a fairly straight forward project. I would suggest searching youtube for videos. There are several and I you will probably want to watch a few before you start. Glue, tools and a bucket full of how to @ stewmac dot com. B4 you dive in, sit down and decide what you are hoping for on the finished end. Doing the complete neck with the frets installed is not as easy as with a flat neck without the frets. Don't expect much/any change in tone. The value of your guitar will change. Please keep us in the loop. Love to see those before and after pics around here. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaynMaykr Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 Thanks for the response and the welcome! I poked at a few stew mac videos. I'll look through some more. I'm hoping I can confirm these inlays will come out with a certain level of heat based on the glue. Then just use some tape to extract them then glue the new ones in. Not expecting a tone change at all. It's just that the pearloid inlays dont seem to match the split diamond inlay in the headstock which appears to be MOP. And i already have the Mop inlays... so why not? Thanks again for the help! -Rayn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I haven't done any on the newer Epiphones, so can't really say, but I think you will need to plan on using the drill thru and pop out method rather than heat & tape. I'm afraid the heat will melt the inlay before it releases the adhesive. If your new inlays are the same size & shape as the oem than it's a matter of time and patience. Oh yeah. Skill level fits in there too. If you are going with upscale inlays, crowns or stars or something fancy, the skill level part goes way up. Same with tools required.But you probably know that. If you are reasonably handy, I'm sure you will do fine. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaynMaykr Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 They are the same LP type block inlays. I haven't precision measured them but they appear to be the exact same size. I got them from StewMac like 20 years ago. Made sure to never let them go. Was hoping to not have to drill but I think you may be right about the drill and pop out. Hoping someone stumbles across this that's done this on an Epi LP before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorgle Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I'd try to steam-heat them first to see if they will pop out before drilling. Fold a bit of wet cloth to fit between the frets and lay it over the inlay, then use a HOT soldering iron to heat/steam the cloth (this will prevent the inlay from melting and also from heating/lifting the frets. Once the inlay is too hot to touch, use an x-acto blade to pry up a corner and and the inlay should pop out. If you can get them out without drilling, you keep open the option of putting them back in if your new inlays don't fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaynMaykr Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 I'd try to steam-heat them first to see if they will pop out before drilling. Fold a bit of wet cloth to fit between the frets and lay it over the inlay, then use a HOT soldering iron to heat/steam the cloth (this will prevent the inlay from melting and also from heating/lifting the frets. Once the inlay is too hot to touch, use an x-acto blade to pry up a corner and and the inlay should pop out. If you can get them out without drilling, you keep open the option of putting them back in if your new inlays don't fit. This seems like good advice. I definitely would like to try to not drill if I can avoid it. Thanks for responding =) -Rayn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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