Comparison, Westfield and Epi LPs;

[antwhi2001]

Some of you may recall my efforts to fix a broken neck Epi LP standard plus top....well, I had to admit defeat. It only lasted for 1 gig. I attempted a new scarf joint to fix it but failed - my carpentry skills and tools were not up to the job. The Epi is a write-off.

I decided to strip all the parts off it and buy a cheap but pretty LP to transplant them onto. I picked up a brand new Westfield E4500 tobacco burst for £139 on a special offer. These have solid alder archtop body, Custom-style triple binding, set maple neck, abalone inlays, flamed veneer top, and "gold" plate hardware. And yes, I will post pics later.

I've completed the project, including the addition of a 3rd pup and v/v/v/t controls. It looks great but I don't personally like the feel of it - it weighs a ton and the neck is too chunky. It's going on e-bay at the weekend and I'm hopeful I'll recoup most of my outlay on the broken Epi and the bargain Westfield.

Direct comparison is perhaps unfair. The Westfield is a Custom-spec LP for two-thirds the price of a standard Epi, so you wouldn't expect the same quality. So, my view of the Westfield compared to Epis :

 

1. The body is about 20% thicker and is solid alder. I haven't weighed the guitar but would guess at about 12 lbs. Heaviest guitar I've ever owned.

2. The neck is like an Epi Custom LP but slightly thicker at the nut end.

3. The flame top looks great from a distance but there are little flecks and spots which shouldn't be there.

4. The bridge, stopbar seem identical to Epis

5. The pups seem identical too, just missing the "Epiphone" stamp. Same manufacturer?

6. Pots are poor. "all or nothing" vol controls.

7. Tuners are flimsier than Epis/Grovers.

8. The abalone inlays are a nice touch, especially on a guitar as cheap as this. Real abalone? Don't know, they look ok.

9. Medium frets, finished ok.

10. 4-ply pickguard.

10. It sets up and intonates ok, bit of rattling on bass strings, but then my Epis have that too.

 

All in all a nice guitar for a beginner but short of Epi quality, and I'm moving it on. I've just bought another Epi standard LP with a 60s neck on e-bay: metallic blue sparkle limited edition:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250502065578

 

Will it be real or fake? We'll see...it's supposedly brand new, still with stickers on the pups etc, but the seller is a Chinese guy in the UK and he's selling several other new Epis...pics to follow at the weekend.

[AlanH]

Not so sure about this little project Ant. You could have been better selling off your parts separately or keeping them as spares. These ultra cheap LPs, although they look nice, are a false economy IMO. Manufacturers can produce a good cheap strat or SG style guitar for about £150 but, given the extra work and materials involved in making a LP, that's where it ends. I personally wouldn't pay the 2/3 the cost of a real Epi LP that you're hoping for - If others are of the same mind you could well be lucky to get back what you paid for the Westfield.

 

Anyway, that's just my opinion. EBay can be a crazy place so you never know. Hopefully I'm wrong and you'll end up getting a good price to recoup some of your losses on the broken Epi too.

[antwhi2001]

I'm hoping for a bit of luck Alan. Some people seem willing to pay over the odds for an upgraded 3 pup LP.

 

As promised, the pics of the finished Westfield/Epi project :

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pics of the metallic blue std to follow when (if) it arrives. Then you can all tell me if it's fake or not....

[jcwillow777]

Dang, that is a nice job!!! I wish you the best in your sale of it.

[AlanH]

You naughty boy with that Gibson decal Ant! Not a problem if it's advertised as a modded Westfield IMO.

 

It does look a very nice job indeed.

 

Good luck with the sale.

 

Alan

[antwhi2001]

Thanks guys. I'm always upfront with describing what I sell accurately : I'm proud of my 100% e-bay rating.

In this case, someone is going to get an LP copy with a nicely bound solid alder body, set maple neck, flametop, Grovers, abalone inlays, Kent Armstrong pups at neck and bridge, an Epi in between, v/v/v/t controls, CTS pots, Sprague cap, Switchcraft selector, all other parts are Epi. Not a bad spec as long as you like a 50s neck (which I don't).

[leicester35]

Looks like a very nice job on your Westfield/Epi Frankenstein Les Paul, Ant.

 

Not telling you your business, but I'd still be a little bit wary of the Trading Standards people taking an unhealthy interest in that guitar - they are very leery of anything that has an unwarranted manufacturer's logo on it. At the end of the day, you're honest and will tell a potential buyer what it is...but can you be certain that the 3rd or 4th owner might not attempt to "pass it off" as a Gibson to a naive buyer..? Personally, I'd be tempted to carve "Replica" in the back of the headstock, or something similar.

 

By the way, my favourite guitar you converted was that Mick Ronson Custom project you did a while back. Epiphone should hire you as a consultant, and make a Ronno signature!