EPIPHONE 5210TE 70's :::: IS IT WORTH FIXING? IF SO HOW MUCH SHOULD I INVEST IN REPAIR

[JoeMTL]

HEY, I own the Epiphone 5210TE, low end japanese import etc.

 

1 pick up does not work, 2 knobs dont work, it goes out of tune very quickly and the wooden bridge which lifts the strings moves all the time.

 

Please let me know, what is the max I should spend to fix it. The picture is the one used as my profile pic.

[duane v]

You can get that all fixed for a cool $150..... Just have the guy permanently attach the floating bridge to the body so it wont move. But make sure you have additional intonation adjustment with that bridge before pemanently attaching it to the body.

[unreal77]

I have one of those and love it...

 

Good luck.

[JoeMTL]

additional intonation adjustment? im kind of new to this,

 

and secondly, I paid around 330 canadian dollars for this guitar. I feel I over paid for this, so do you think 150$ is worth it? Im a beginner guitarist yet very passionate about it. Not going to play in a band nor in public...Small scale, fun, experimentation.

 

thanks for your advice

 

Joe

[duane v]

additional intonation adjustment? im kind of new to this' date='

 

and secondly, I paid around 330 canadian dollars for this guitar. I feel I over paid for this, so do you think 150$ is worth it? Im a beginner guitarist yet very passionate about it. Not going to play in a band nor in public...Small scale, fun, experimentation.

 

thanks for your advice

 

Joe[/quote']

 

The tech will know about saddle adjustment and such, just bring it up to him or her.

 

That's a pretty high ball price that I gave you, I'm sure it will be cheaper if the pickup that's not working is still good.

[Lord Summerisle]

HEY' date=' I own the Epiphone 5210TE, low end japanese import etc.

 

1 pick up does not work, 2 knobs dont work, it goes out of tune very quickly and the wooden bridge which lifts the strings moves all the time.

 

Please let me know, what is the max I should spend to fix it. The picture is the one used as my profile pic.[/quote']

 

Hum. The question here might not be the question of how much should you pay to fix it, but rather can this be fixed to make it suitable for a beginner?

 

Idiosyncratic guitars are not the best for new guitarists. You want something that stays in tune well, and is easy to play.

 

To be absolutely honest. Rather than rebuilding the 5210TE, another option might be to just put it in the closet for a while, and buy another guitar.

 

If you like semi-acoustic guitars, you would probably be better off with a new Epiphone Dot (US$399)

 

 

Or even a Dot Studio (even cheaper)

 

 

With just a minor set-up, either of these will play just fine straight out of the box.

 

Either way (whether you buy new or fix up your old one as Duane V suggested), good luck!

[TWANG]

HEY' date=' I own the Epiphone 5210TE, low end japanese import etc.

 

1 pick up does not work, 2 knobs dont work, it goes out of tune very quickly and the wooden bridge which lifts the strings moves all the time.

 

Please let me know, what is the max I should spend to fix it. The picture is the one used as my profile pic.[/quote']

 

The knobs could be just disconnected inside..

if you want to try www.guitarelectronics.com and look up

two humbucking pickups, two volume, two tone, three way switch

in the diagrams section over at the left of the page..

 

it'll show you how it should be wired.

 

the problem is, you're new, so you're going to have to use a tech..

and they can be overpriced, quite a bit.

 

For myself, I wouldn't charge you anywhere near 150.00.. I do this stuff in my shop.

But out there in the world, you're probably going to be charged too much, sorry to say.

 

There has to be a reason the bridge is moving.. it shouldn't. there should be enough tension on the strings to keep it

held firmly enough. that's a commonly used design.

 

I would want to know exactly how it's moving..do you mean at the base. the entire bridge moves?

One way you could fix that is with graph tech saddles.. they are really slick and would probably stop that movement.

Another thing to look at is the fit.. is the bottom of the bridge marred in any way, or warped so it doesn't sit

tight to the top of the guitar.

 

another thing is how you're using the whammy bar.. that style whammy is not for dive bombing. it's a more gently used device with less effect that a floyd rose.

 

if two knobs don't work.. and a pickup. it's most likely just broken connections..

probably, the volume and tone to one pickup don't work, because it's disconnected.

probably one wire!

 

were it mine, I'd find out by disassembly and checking the wiring..

most likely it's just a wiring problem..

the bridge may be being abused via overuse of the whammy..

or it may have a problem slipping due to warp, etc.

 

These are easy things to fix for anyone with more experience, and easy things to overcharge for if

the owner is gullible.

 

I'm really doubtful that I'm up to helping you through it long distance.. first time in a guitar can be quite a

confusing operation. Sorry about that.

 

But what you've described isn't a huge deal, either.

 

TWANG

[Mr.Nelson]

HEY' date=' I own the Epiphone 5210TE, low end japanese import etc.

 

1 pick up does not work, 2 knobs dont work, it goes out of tune very quickly and the wooden bridge which lifts the strings moves all the time.

 

Please let me know, what is the max I should spend to fix it. The picture is the one used as my profile pic.[/quote']

 

$150 to fix? hmmm let's see about that..

 

One pickup doesn't work but...you also say "two "knobs" also don't work so my immediate thought is that the problem isn't the pickups or the "knobs (pots) but rather you have a wonkey switch...OK that's about ten bucks for an adequate 2P/3T toggle...that means a three position switch with two wire connections on each position...but...bench time for electronics work usually starts at about $75 an hour so unless you're doing it yourself and they're going to charge a $50 minimum in most cases...and that's out of the guitar...you might get a guitar tech to wire a switch for less but as soon as they see that that thin line guitar the price jumps to $100 because they are NOT fun to work on...a few years back I asked a local tech to re-do an ES-335 for me and he quoted $150 for the labor alone...another repair guy quoted $100 and I jumped on it but he gave me excuses for a month before finally saying he didn't want to do it..I ended up doing it myself...NOT FUN...and don't let any yahoos here tell you.."oh, it's easy if you use (something ridiculous like) fishing line"...it's not easy..I even made a special tool to pull the harness back into the body and it still was mind bending.

If it's just the switch..$100 if you're really lucky..on a Les Paul type guitar this same repair would be $40

 

Now the electronics bench charge is going to apply if it does turn out to be the the pickup and pots as well. In that case you're looking at maybe $40 for an adequate pickup and since you may as well replace all of them if you're doing two maybe $25 for four pots another two bucks for caps, may as well do the switch so another ten bucks there..plus the bench charge (labor)...so about $175 MINIMUM to take care of the electronics in the worst case scenario using the cheapest parts

 

My guess about the tuning problems is two fold...First those vibrato units were complete and total garbage so I'd be very inclined to pull the whole thing off and go with either an Asian Knock-off Bigsby (I think it's a B-30 that you need) which while it's not a huge improvement would be better than what you have, or convert it to a simple trapeze tailpiece such as the later models of your guitar had after someone finally figured out what crap the Arai vibrato units were...the Asian knock off Bigsby is going to be maybe $125 and the bridge another $30 ...but..unless you're doing it yourself there's going to be a labor charge for installing it and I'll guess that's going to be at least another $50..and that bridge has to be placed exactly correct since there's very little intonation adjustments with these...or going the trapeze method you can pick up a tail piece for about $25 and if you can use of your existing bridge you can get out kinda cheap there but if you need to replace the bridge and base you're looking at maybe another $50..

 

The second part of the tuning problem is the machine heads/tuners and the nut. In a lot of cases the tuning problems end up being the nut and not the machines but in this case knowing just what low end junk they used for tuners I'd say spend $30 and remove all question. You should be able to get drop in replacements that you can do yourself but the nut is a different nut to crack (ha ha I made a funny)...Minimum $40 for the nut replacement and a set up...but you're going to need the pro set up anyway because undoubtedly that neck is going to possibly have to be shimmed and re-set and a nut is going to maybe be part of that so it could end up being around $75 for everything ...

 

If you can find a repair guy to jerry-rig everything you may be able to have it patched up for $150 but with no guarantees... but to do it correctly is going to be a lot more...but I question putting even $150 when for a bit more you can buy a modern Epiphone second hand that's going to blow that guitar away. For someone like myself who has a room full of spare parts and junk collected from the past thirty five years and a bit of experience at doing it I'd say it wouldn't be a major thing to put it back together with little expense but for someone to have to buy the parts and have someone do the work it gets cost-prohibited really quickly. Before I did anything I'd really weigh things out. The guitar even when at its own peak performance is less than stellar and you will never recoup anything you put into the guitar since these things have little market value and NO collector value. If it's a sentimental issue or if you have the means and resources to do it yourself I'd say it's worth it to repair...if you're just looking for a guitar you can spend you money much more wisely applying it to a modern, functional guitar. Good luck...and I've included a scan from a 1971 Epiphone catalog. The 5102E came along in 1971 not 1970...Epiphone's production in Kalamazoo ended in August of 1970 but they shipped guitars into early 1971 and they didn't start importing the Aria re-brands until maybe the spring of 1971. The 5102E was also sold with the "Lyle", " Aria" and "Conrad" brands and probably many other...

 

 

I'd also be very careful about paying amateur night, wanna be hacks working out of their garages to get on-the- job training using your guitar and money...

 

 

 

Here's the 5102E from the very first Japanese Epiphone catalog c.1971:

 

 

Here's a sunburst (never offered branded as an Epiphone) Lyle 5102E:

 

 

and its Gibson headstock:

 

 

here's one in green also never offered by Epiphone as a color...somebody wanna hold Stan back? :

 

 

and a scan from a c.1974 catalog of an EA-250 with the trapeze tail piece I mentioned..:

 

 

 

Good luck and have fun with it but don't go nuts spending money on it...

 

Mr.Nelson

[Mr.Nelson]

 

Hum. The question here might not be the question of how much should you pay to fix it' date=' but rather can this be fixed to make it suitable for a beginner?

 

Idiosyncratic guitars are not the best for new guitarists. You want something that stays in tune well, and is easy to play.

 

To be absolutely honest. Rather than rebuilding the 5210TE, another option might be to just put it in the closet for a while, and buy another guitar.

 

If you like semi-acoustic guitars, you would probably be better off with a new Epiphone Dot (US$399)

 

[img']http://www.imuso.co.uk/directory/images/reviewpix/epiphone-es-335-dot.JPG[/img]

 

Or even a Dot Studio (even cheaper)

 

 

With just a minor set-up, either of these will play just fine straight out of the box.

 

Either way (whether you buy new or fix up your old one as Duane V suggested), good luck!

 

I agree.

 

Mr.Nelson

[duane v]

 

 

For myself' date=' I wouldn't charge you anywhere near 150.00.. I do this stuff in my shop.

But out there in the world, you're probably going to be charged too much, sorry to say.

 

 

TWANG[/quote']

 

$150 is a high ball price..... Before having my Luthier take on my Les Paul Junior conversion project, the average price I was getting from other Luthiers on it are as follows.......

 

Routing for a Charlie Christian neck pick-up and wiring and install

Routing for a pick up selector switch and install of the switch and wiring

Plugging hole on the wrap around tailpiece. Install ABR 1 bridge and re-drill for aluminum stop tail piece

Install new tuning pegs

Trim pick guard

finish touch up

set-up

 

Highest quote for the above $350......... I really thought it would be more $$, but it's not hard to get a good price on bench work these days.

[Mr.Nelson]

 

$150 is a high ball price..... Before having my Luthier take on my Les Paul Junior conversion project' date=' the average price I was getting from other Luthiers on it are as follows.......

 

Routing for a Charlie Christian neck pick-up and wiring and install

Routing for a pick up selector switch and install of the switch and wiring

Plugging hole on the wrap around tailpiece. Install ABR 1 bridge and re-drill for aluminum stop tail piece

Install new tuning pegs

Trim pick guard

finish touch up

set-up

 

Highest quote for the above $350......... I really thought it would be more $$, but it's not hard to get a good price on bench work these days.[/quote']

 

Hey Duane...where's that photo of that '81 Les Paul Custom? your luthier LOL

 

Mr.Nelson

[JoeMTL]

Guys, thank you! MR NELSON, I really appreciate the time you took to write all that. I learned a lot more. I definitely am not going to fix it up.

 

Makes more sense to get a new functional one, like a dot studio, I like those guitars. I think ed uses them in radiohead, spacy background support right?

 

thanks guys

 

Joe

[JoeMTL]

Excuse me guys, what are Idiosyncratic guitars?

[Bill V]

Guitars with quirks or intermittent problems.

[JoeMTL]

kool thanks!

 

You guys definitely convince me to get a new one. I like the dot studio recommendation but just to further reinforce my choice I want to let all of you know the kind of music I am interested in, and the kind of sounds I will be making.

 

Bands from the post-rock genre such as GodSpeed you black emperor, This will destroy you, caspian, sigur ros, radiohead, etc!

 

So sounds with alot of reverb, delay, effects pedal... sustain...spacy and atmospheric sounds....

 

thanks guys!!!

[Mr.Nelson]

Guys' date=' thank you! MR NELSON, I really appreciate the time you took to write all that. I learned a lot more. I definitely am not going to fix it up.

 

Makes more sense to get a new functional one, like a dot studio, I like those guitars. I think ed uses them in radiohead, spacy background support right?

 

thanks guys

 

Joe[/quote']

 

Hang on to it and as you gather some experience and spare parts in a few years you can do it yourself and save a bundle...Have fun and good luck.

 

Mr.Nelson

[TWANG]

I feel kinda sad.

I'd still bet on a loose wire, bad solder connection, at worst bad pot or switch.

God that's easy to fix. And not hard on a thinline by much more than any other.

And the prices quoted for repairs.. totally outrageous.

 

*sigh*

 

the trem may suck. I dunno.. never saw one.

but I wouldn't jump to conclusions about all the problems some see in the guitar at all.

TWANG

 

 

TWANG

[Mr.Nelson]

I feel kinda sad.

I'd still bet on a loose wire' date=' bad solder connection, at worst bad pot or switch.

God that's easy to fix. And not hard on a thinline by much more than any other.

And the prices quoted for repairs.. totally outrageous.

 

*sigh*

 

the trem may suck. I dunno.. never saw one.

but I wouldn't jump to conclusions about all the problems some see in the guitar at all.

TWANG

 

 

TWANG[/quote']

Those are professional prices,,,not what some clueless hack working out of his garage and trying to make his $300 minimum with All-Parts charges...he's made a good choice if he decides to go newer..those guitars on their best days aren't very good but how would you even have clue number one about what makes a good guitar?...now, go peddle your parts...and don't touch anyone's truss rods..

 

Mr.Nelson

[antwhi2001]

I'd hang on to it if you can afford to. If you sell it in that condition you probably won't get a good price; further down the line you may meet up with someone who'll do it for the cost of the parts and a beer. And there may be few parts involved, just wiring.

[duane v]

further down the line you may meet up with someone who'll do it for the cost of the parts and a beer. And there may be few parts involved' date=' just wiring. [/quote']

 

Great point!!

 

For $399 an Epi Dot is a great buy, and a nice player.