JefferySmith Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Polyurethane' date=' it should be a crime to do that to a guitar.[/quote'] It should be a crime to put polyurethane on any wood except on the bartop of a saloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I'll have to vote for the low-grade lumber, i.e. the so-called 'mahogany' (it's not really mahogany) that is used in the construction. Everything else, including the polyester paint, can be replaced, but you're stuck with the wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I've got to defend polyurethane, as long as it's not 1/8" thick. I prefer poly to nitro. I've refinished guitars with both. Nitro is easier to apply (needs more coats, but not as prone to runs), but it scratches/scuffs more easily, and stains. It can also be "sticky" for the first 6 months or so. Poly gives a better gloss and a more durable surface. It's much more practical for a working guitar. I've even been known to spray a couple of light coats of poly over a nitro finish, for that reason. You'd need the ears of a bat to tell any difference tone-wise; I've re-finished a Tele from poly to nitro, and a Gibson LP DC from nitro to poly. No difference tone-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Undoubtedly in Australia due to prices being so much higher here than in the U.S., Epiphone price vs quality is the issue. Yes Epiphone guitars are cheap by comparison to Gibson but there are other Gibson copies that are a fraction of Epiphone prices and offer decent solid timber, reliable electronics and pickups that you probably won't need to change as soon as you get the guitar. You can only ride on a name so far and because the prices are so high here it's hard to swallow spending extra money on a new guitar correcting defects to get it to an acceptable standard. I think Epiphone need with some urgency to look at how they distribute product outside of the U.S. and either get the prices overseas down closer to those in the U.S. or fix the quality issues to match the value to prices. I don't expect many of you to agree with me but that is how I see it. Dig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schtang Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 that they are not Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I have a Switchcraft toggle in the package, waiting for my Epi LP switch to fail. It hasn't happened in the year I have owned the guitar. I did have trouble with the one on my GIBBY LP a while back. I hadn't played it in a couple of months and had to work it back and forth for a while to get sound from both pickups. Any open air contact switch will oxidize if not used regularly. Considering that the signal is about 1v, any resistance will degrade the output. There's a wiping action that occurs between the contacts when you actuate it. This keeps the contacts bright and shiny. On the forum topic, I guess that pickups are the worst feature of the Epi's. But, other than the wood and labor, the pups are probably the most expensive part in the guitar. It they came with Really Good Pickups, we could expect another $100 minimum price increase at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I've got to defend polyurethane' date=' as long as it's not 1/8" thick. I [i']prefer[/i] poly to nitro. I've refinished guitars with both. Poly gives a better gloss and a more durable surface. It's much more practical for a working guitar. I've even been known to spray a couple of light coats of poly over a nitro finish, for that reason. You'd need the ears of a bat to tell any difference tone-wise; I've re-finished a Tele from poly to nitro, and a Gibson LP DC from nitro to poly. No difference tone-wise. I agree for solid body guitars. The poly urethane finish if applied lightly over several coats is more durable than nitro AND here's the big Plus..no fisheyes! My project LP is finished with several very thin coats of poly and so will my acoustic LP. For solid bodies, the type of wood is the most important factor for tone and maybe the long tenon (if applicable). The reason that the '59 LP Standards are considered to be the holy grail for some, is the long tenon, p_ups and the good Honduras mahogany that gave them that nice tone and lighter weight 7-8 lbs vs the mahogany of today than can result in a 10lb LP. Ok, they were nitro finished, but other than looks, that shouldn't make too much difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I have a Switchcraft toggle in the package' date=' waiting for my Epi LP switch to fail. It hasn't happened in the year I have owned the guitar. I did have trouble with the one on my GIBBY LP a while back. I hadn't played it in a couple of months and had to work it back and forth for a while to get sound from both pickups. Any open air contact switch will oxidize if not used regularly. Considering that the signal is about 1v, any resistance will degrade the output. There's a wiping action that occurs between the contacts when you actuate it. This keeps the contacts bright and shiny. [/quote'] If you are referring to the (Gibson Pure) Switchcraft switch, that is right, The contacts on the Switchcraft, one part is convex and the other flat, so you get a rubbing action that finds a good connection, not to mention the spring tension is better and the deep threaded ring nut comes standard with the switch. I replaced the one in the Epi Custom and will be replacing the others when they fail, as well as the project LPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13yguitarman Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 the neck for me if they made them like a slim tapered neck id be all over them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I've got to defend polyurethane' date=' as long as it's not 1/8" thick. I [i']prefer[/i] poly to nitro. I've refinished guitars with both. Thing is, most Epi guitars are not finished in polyurethane. They are finished in polyester, which is a different beast; like a thick coating of epoxy. I believe the Elitists are polyurethane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V-Type Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Im gonna echo the pickups and electronics are the weak link. They arent crap by any means and better than some other stockers stuff. But after upgrading my Epi's(as well as most my guitars) over the years with Duncans,Dimarzio's,Emg's,Gibson,etc pickups and high quality pots and wire. I can hear/feel a huge difference across the board vs. Stockers. My 05 MIK Les Paul Custom has surprisingly VG good Grover tuners and the bridge and tailpiece work is more substantial IMO than those examples of years past. I bend the crap out of my strings and do many shred tricks,etc.. and the thing stays in perfect tune 99% of time as well as never really having any intonation issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 The worst thing: They're not Gibson's! The Best thing: Gibson's prices! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 The worst thing on mine is the tuners(Grover:-s ). They work just fine, but when there is no string on them, they rattle. I hate that and will change them just as soon as their performance gives me a reason. Until then, they stay. I had read so much about how bad the electrics in epi's where, I just automatically changed it all out so I wouldn't have to deal with it at the worst time possible. I replaced the pickups(P90's) also. Not because the OEM sucked, but more because I wanted to hear what a higher-end pick up sounded like. I was not disappointed. The guitar itself(a 56GTRI) is flawless, regardless of the lower quality woods used. It is very resonant and has great tone. The neck is pretty much perfect for me, but I did have to level the frets. Other than that, it's as good as can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Norm Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 The worst thing on mine is the tuners(Grover:-s ). They work just fine' date=' but when there is no string on them, they rattle. I hate that and will change them just as soon as their performance gives me a reason. [/quote'] Why would you play without strings ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I have three Epi guitars and one Epi bass... The pups on the Dot are not good at all... I HATE the sound of them, especially the neck pup.. And I do know how to set up the pups and the amp for different guitars.. There's nothing I can do with these pickups... I got a set of GFS Vintage '59s to replace them with... Maybe fish them in this weekend.. I LOVE the P-90s in my Casino... However, I've heard that Epi P-90s (or Casino P-90s to be more to the point) can vary greatly from one guitar to the next... Maybe somewhere down the road, I might get a set of Kent Armstrongs, just to see if they make a difference... But as long as I'm happy with the stock pups, I tend to doubt it.. The $99 Junior.... Well... Everything needs replaced on that.. Including the neck.. It's stripped and in pieces right now.. Sold the pickup (HB) on eBay for like twelve bucks.. No regrets.. And the pickups in the Viola bass sound just fine to me.. Low output (5.?k) mini-hums.. They get the job done... The bass sounds warm and woody, like a Hofner-style should.. So... I guess it really is a matter of personal taste... The switches do suck though... So do the bridges... I had to replace the bridge on both the Casino and Dot due to buzzing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry1281734007 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I've got a Dot and a Casino and found the input jack to be the weakest part. The pickups aren't that bad, especially the P90s on the Casino. I was going to change them, but after getting feedback from other guitarists, I'm leaving them on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubstar Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 lack of left-hand models, although I've done OK... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskank Sally Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 that it doesn't say gibsun on the headstock Nah, Really the pickups are average yet liveable- but put in a great set of (insert your favorite pickup brand name here) and you'll never think twice about it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Duhhh' date='Why would you play without strings ?[/quote'] Fixed it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSheratonII Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I'd say cosmetics. The gold hardware plating is not that good, and the block inlays do not go far enough down the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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