Improving the Epiphone doubleneck 6/12

[xarkon]

I have an Epi doubleneck and am interested in recommendations for improvements. Mine's the bolt-neck model. Here are some questions:

 

1. Anyone changed tuners (especially on the 12-string neck)?

 

2. Anyone moved the neck-side strap peg to another hole or done something else to improve balance?

 

3. Pickup recommendations?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Dave

[Funkwire]

Hello and welcome! I also have a G-1275 with bolt-on necks (a 1996 model from the Unsung factory in Korea).

 

1. I haven't seen any need to change the tuners, they work fine for me. If you like the look of the tuners, but want an upgrade, GFS makes keystone tuners that will fit the tuner holes on the G-1275. I haven't tried them, but read good reports on them here on the Epi Forum and elsewhere.

 

2. The strap button behind the neck seems to work fine where it is. I have a wide leather strap that I use with this guitar. The wider strap is more stable, and the unfinished leather on the underside tends to grip to my shirt. The guitar is going to be neck-heavy, there's no way around that, but this strap works better than a standard strap at keeping the guitar in an upright position.

 

3. When I bought the guitar, a set of Gibson 490R/498T pickups had been put in the 6-string side. They sound great. The 12-string neck still has the stock pickups, and they sound not so great. Kind of blah.

 

You want to avoid higher output pickups for the 12-string. The added volume and overtones produced by 12-string are a bad match for hot pickups. You want something with lower output to keep the clarity and jangle. I plan to put a set of GFS Memphis RetroTron pickups in there when I get the chance.

[xarkon]

Wanted to weigh in with what I've done so far; there is not much info found by Google on these guitars (unless you just want to BUY one) and so I wanted to make it handy for someone to find it.

 

First: at least for the bolt neck model, the body is plywood, with a faux wood finish on the top and bottom. Fake flame maple on the top; this was so obvious when I got the guitar (new) because there was a minor crease in it. Nice!

 

Second: wish I had written down the pickup types while I had them out, but it seems to me that the neck pickups (both necks) were labeled something like "57CHG" and the bridge pickups were labled something like "HOTCH". I haven't found any reference chart for Epiphone pickups.

 

I've done the following:

 

1. Lubricated the tuners, using TriFlow (bike shop stuff). Much better now.

 

2. Moved the strap button from the 12-string neck to the 6-string neck. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY THE FACTORY IN THE FIRST PLACE. The guitar is no longer neck heavy, and sits nicely (strap will need to be lengthened accordingly).

 

3. Biggest mod: I moved the tailpieces for both the 6 and 12-string necks further back on the body, like Page's doubleneck. This substantially improves playability. So far, I haven't noticed any negative impact on intonation - actually, it seems a bit better. While it wasn't hard, I would not recommend the mod unless one has good tech skills - you're going to drill some holes in your guitar, and they need to be lined up properly. IMPORTANT - you can't move it too far back - otherwise you'll run out of string length, particularly on the 12-string neck. I have my tailpieces more-or-less in line with the jack; this seems to work fine - the D and G strings from an Ernie Ball 12-string electric set just fit perfectly, without cutting. (Observation: this is probably not a "factory-approved" mod and will likely void warranty, etc. Proceed at your own risk.)

 

4. Removed the pickup covers from the pickups on the 6-string neck. I had planned to do the 12-string side too but decided it was too much of a pain, because Epiphone pots the pickups in wax to minimize microphonics. The funny part is that the 6-string side is LESS microphonic than the 12-string side now, because the pickup cover itself makes a built-in microphone diaphragm (!). The tone difference is somewhat noticeable but not huge. This thing really sounds pretty good through my Mesa Lonestar Special.

 

I still need to fill the holes from the original tailpiece location and polish the finish. No dent in the finish from the original mounting on the 6-string side; somewhat noticeable on the 12-string side, but I suspect some rubbing compound will make it OK.

 

I will probably switch the pickups at some point. Maybe something like a Dimarzio Air Classic set for the 12-string side and maybe PAF Pro for the 6-string side.

 

Hope that info is useful to someone.

 

Dave

[Rich50]

Hi, I'm new here. I too purchased a used G1275. I recently took a set of Dimarzio Breeds out of an old Ibanez Jem I purchased and was looking to use the pickups somewhere. Do you think these would sound good as replacements in either the 12 or 6 string part of the G1275 as replacement pickups? Too dark for the 12 string side? I personally think the pickups that came with my Epi G1275 are not very good. I also have a 2012 Les Paul Studio Deluxe that doesn't sound very good in the bridge position either. It was given to me so I never really researched it and learned today that  it is coil tapped (duh). So I haven't even been home yet to try that out. I can't remember if those pickups are the tapped burstbucker Pros/490R combo or not.  Maybe use the breed pickups in my Gibson instead?

 My Epi needs the most help so your feedback is appreciated. Just trying to improve one guitar from unused parts of another.