gamesandy135 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Hello all, name's Andrew and I've been lurking here for too long, thought I'd actually contribute. So here's some pics of my Epi that I've finally finished modding (I think). As you can see, I've done a bit of work on it. Before I got my hands on it, it was an Epi LP Custom Natural (Limited Ed. "Custom Shop" model). First change was the pickups. I wanted mostly clarity and definition so I opted for Bare Knuckle Mules with Alnico IV magnets. To compliment this, I completely changed the electronics - pots, caps, wiring, jack, selector, the lot. Orange drop caps, CTS pots, vintage '59 wiring. The machinheads are Gotoh Vintage locking heads. The pickup selector ring was changed from Black/white writing to Black/gold writing. The most visible change comes from the Bigsby B7 installed, along with a roller bridge to keep the tuning tight. I treated the fretboard to some Linseed oil and 0000 grade steel wool to bring out the rosewoods grain and make it play/feel real good. The last change, the one that I spent a long time looking for and waiting on was the truss rod cover. It's in brass to match the hardware, and carried the name of my guitar, my Custom. When I finally got this, I knew that the guitar was finished (I think), it really sets it off so well. All told, I know that I've spent more than it's worth or I'll get back from it but what I have is worth so much more than money. It's my favourite, sounds amazing, looks amazing, plays amazing Custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Welcome!! Nice lookin Custom. Stan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Welcome Gamesandy135! "Aye, she's a wee bonnie lass!" Good job! Beautiful guitar, and I'm sure it sounds great! And...spending "more than it's worth," is relative. If you love the result, then it's always worth it! Cheers, CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntelligentAl Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 If it sounds as good as it looks, then you have a very nice guitar there. I see what you mean about the TRC, it really does add a nice finish to it. Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamesandy135 Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 Thanks all for the kind words guys. You're absolutley right Charlie Brown, it is relative. I'm as corny as Kansas in August (it's the only Kansas related saying I could find, I don't even know what it means) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altair Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Welcome, excellent looks on that guitar! How long did it take you to do all the mods? Sure looks and sounds like a lot of time and TLC went into that guitar [-X/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamesandy135 Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 Hey altair (Assassins Creed?), most of the modifications were done as and when the parts arrived, but it was about 2-3 weeks getting it to a near finished state. The only thing that took a long time to get was the truss rod cover. I waited and waited until I found the exact one I wanted. It was a labour of love, and I loved the labour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L1Picker Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 That's a great looking guitar...welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I got a huge kick out of this. Anyone notice how like my epi lp studio this is.. only natural and gold instead of sunburst and chrome? He did just about all the same changes I did.. bigs, tr cover, pups, knobs, pots caps tuners.. etc. And I feel the same way he does, too.. probably not worth as much as I put into it, except to me. tWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Wow, gamesandy (by the way, is it games-andy or game-sandy?), something about that guitar reached into my chest and grabbed me by the heart ... or maybe its just a bad case of GAS! Either way, it is truly beautiful. Congratulations! MIDI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamesandy135 Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 Well I say it games-andy, but I suppose you can call me whatever you feel comfortable with - thanks for the compliments midiman, I know the dangers of GAS... Twang, that's almost bizarre that we've done the same mods but I suppose we just have the same taste/style or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 well.. they all make sense. once you look at the bigs.. you know you're going to think about locking tuners and some way to not hang up at the saddles. and pup pots caps and switch .. pretty much the epi upgrades we all use. I thought it was funny you had the brass tr cover.. mine is aluminum. Now that was a coinky dink for sure. I really dig that finish. I think yours is the best looking natural lp I've run into. I would suggest.. not to criticize though.. a gold switch tip.. I've got one on my sheri and I think it's pretty snazzy.. good switch it came on, too.. but you've already swapped your switch out.. and I used gold dome style knobs on my sheri, too.. but I can see yours in black still being as good a choice. Tell you what.. in honor of our both being goofy about our epis.. if you pm me an address I'll dig out a set of four gold pointer washers and mail 'em to ya. I think I have a set left around here, anyway. if you'd like 'em. Just another little custom item and I don't have a customer for them anyway. I use them on the lp but not on the sheri, cause pointers without numbers would be a tad stoopud. Another thing I notice about yours, that I fixed up on mine. The bushing hole edges are still showing.. I used a piece of aluminum for the bass side bushing hole edge, and a piece of black guard material for the tiny treble side bushing edge.. as in this pic: and this: I could make you a set of black covers, and I'd do that free, too. Can't have you running around with holes showing. I could make you a pair in abalone, but I'd have to charge you for that, it's hard to do. I'd do 'em in aluminum. but how to get them gold to match I have no idea. I think I'll check out the hardware store. it seems to me there is gold colored aluminum, but I don't know if it's color through or not. Have to sneak in there and scratch a piece! TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 That is a seriously sweet looking axe. I love the finish on it, and that gold Bigsby is the icing on the cake. You did a very nice job. Though you can never get out of it what you have invested, I doubt that you did all of this to sell it. You did it to play it. It is a great feeling doing extensive mods and having them come out looking as stelar as yours. And bottom line, you are doing it for you. I love Bigsbys. I've got 3 guitars with them, a Dot, a Sheraton, and an Agile AL-3100. I love them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beans Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 You guys really like your mods don't you? Nice work TWANG and gamesandy (welcome by the way), that Les Paul looks brilliant- the gold hardware+finish looks really cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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