Epiphone Les Paul Standard PROBLEM!

[Ryaan]

i have a problem with my epiphone les paul,

 

basically my problem is it will occasionally lose sound, you'll be playing and it'll get quieter and quieter until it sounds virtually clean but slightly distorted then it will pick back up to what it was like before hand, it doesn't do this often but it is very annoying, i do have 2 other guitars, this happened with my other epiphone too (sg) and that has a fault with the input, of which being busy i haven't come to fix it. my dare i say it PRS SE, is fine, but i mean, could this be the same problem as the sg? or is it another problem?

 

all in all i love my les paul but due to the fact i need money for going to collage and getting things for that, of which im studying music i'd love to know if this is the problem so that i can atleast make someone else happy with a guitar that i do love.

 

it's not the amp, im pretty sure of that as it never happens with other guitars, but it has happened on a friends amp, so i mean, could it be the input? i mean it's a 2006 model, not that that should make a difference im just thinking maybe it could be a problem within the wiring, or the switch at that.

[PP_CS336]

Ryann, did you buy the guitar (Les Paul Standard) used or new? If it's used and you bought it sight unseen, then maybe that's why you didn't notice

a problem inherently. You might just need to take it to a guitar tech and have them check the wiring and get it fixed before you sell it and go to

college. If you bought it new, recently, I'd bring it back to the shop you bought it from and tell them to fix it. And before anyone says, but it's a 2006,

it's possible that it's been it the store for that long. Believe me, I've seen that before. So it's possible from just hanging around or being played,

sometimes banged around (I've seen some of the way people abuse guitars when they're trying them out) that shorts can occur. Has this been doing

this since you bought the guitar? It's hard to tell much from the information you've given. Expound more and maybe someone can give you more advice.

[Ryaan]

Well it's only started happening properly recently, but im going to buy some new pickups pots switch etc, so ill have it rewired cause i fancy some new pickups so i think im gunna change the others while im doing it ready for collage etc..

 

but i got told, it could be the switch and try spraying some electrical contact spray in there?

 

dont know how good that advice is, i mean the last few days it's done it maybe once when i've been going on it.

 

but from what im told thats a common flaw with epiphones like the wiring?

[Ryaan]

could you also state what details you'd like to know?

 

so i dont go blabbing about something unnecessary

[charlie brown]

Don't forget to check your lead (cord). They (can) often go "bad."

Does the input jack, make noise, when you wobble the cord, at the

input plug end.

Does the selector switch, crackle or cut-out, at times, when you

switch positions? Do your pots crackle or cut-out, too? Check for

loose connections, both at the input jack, or in the wiring, inside the

back cover. In the case of the input jack, it "might" be, just a matter

of bending (in) the prong, for a more secure fit? Does it do this, on

both pickups, or just the bridge or neck pickup, alone? Might be a

damaged winding..that only shorts, when in certain positions, and then

reconnects in others. Who knows? There are All kinds of possibilities.

Hope you can get it sorted out.

 

CB

[Ryaan]

the selector switch seems a bit familiar.

 

im taking it it's that?

[dcooper830]

I'm sure a little contact cleaner applied at the pickup selector switch could fix it.

 

I've had this happen before.

 

Although one time it was actually a bad neck volume pot and I had to replace it. Cost me like $5.

[Cheeks]

don't forget to spray the guitar cable jack as well,

 

some people pull out their plugs from the guitar at an

angle... and that could bend jack contacts in the

guitar... and it could cause intermittent signal flow.

Plugs should always be inserted and removed STRAIGHT

INTO and OUT OF THE JACK.

 

Spray the top of the switch and let it run down

into the switch... flooding the inside of the

switch... then "work out the switch physically"...

just go back and forth with the toggle handle...

for a minute or so.... then let the switch

drip-dry... it evaporates very fast... give it

about 5 to 10 minutes to dry and then it should be

clean contacts on that switch.

 

also spray the pots too... they can get flakey as

heck... simple atmospheric oxidation can occur on

the pot wiper arm inside the pot.

After you spray (flood the inside with cleaner),

work that pot knob back and forth, to get the

dirt out... then let it dry too... give it

5 to 10 minutes as well to dry.

The excess cleaner will evaporate fast.

 

so, just hose it out good with something

like LPS Electrical Contact Cleaner.

 

DO NOT USE WD40!

 

CHEEKS

[RobinTheHood]

I had this same problem with both of my Epiphone EBM basses. The first one was a bad wire to the pre-amp. The second was a bad wire to the jack.

[Cheeks]

I had this same problem with both of my Epiphone EBM basses.

The first one was a bad wire to the pre-amp.

The second was a bad wire to the jack.

 

What happens is that someone had to strip the insulation from the

ends of the wires so they can soldered to the solder lugs...

 

well, sometimes the wire-stripper tool is adjusted improperly

and therefore it nicks the wire pretty deep, and over time vibrations

will cause the wire to break (being so thin where it was nicked).

 

hence... bad wire

 

I don't know what type of wire Epi uses but they should

be using multi-strand twisted wire and not solid wire.

 

 

CHEEKS

[RobinTheHood]

Yeah, man. I know why wires break. lol. I've screwed up many many wires with a variety of tools while trying to strip them. I'm just trying to help narrow down the problem.

[KX36]

I don't know what type of wire Epi uses but they should

be using multi-strand twisted wire and not solid wire.

 

 

CHEEKS[/b]

Stranded core coaxial wire in my '06 LP standard, except for a single black stranded core earth wire; using the outer conductor to carry ground between pots shields the inner core from EM interference and also carries the ground wire which had to go there anyway. Genius. The soldering was a bit messy and the whole harness was inserted all twisted up before the switch was clipped on and pickups soldered to it and all tied into a big mess with a cable tie, but the quality of the actual wire was fine.

[mikii]

Hi everyone, Just like to ask the TS Ryaan if he fixed his Epiphone LP Std problem? I have the same problem (99% same as described) for a year now and even happened twice in a gig.

 

Sorry for resurrecting the thread, I'm just looking for the cheapest way to fix my Epi. Thanks in advance

[RaSTuS]

Hi everyone, Just like to ask the TS Ryaan if he fixed his Epiphone LP Std problem? I have the same problem (99% same as described) for a year now and even happened twice in a gig.

 

Sorry for resurrecting the thread, I'm just looking for the cheapest way to fix my Epi. Thanks in advance

Hi Mikii, welcome to the forum.

 

Ryan hasn't been here since Sept, unless you quote one of his posts (he'll be sent a notifying email) he'd probably have no idea that he's being called upon.

 

Just a guess, but it could be the 3-way switch on the way out, they are a weak point on Epis, next time it happens try jiggling the switch and see if that restores the volume.

[mikii]

i have a problem with my epiphone les paul,

 

basically my problem is it will occasionally lose sound, you'll be playing and it'll get quieter and quieter until it sounds virtually clean but slightly distorted then it will pick back up to what it was like before hand, it doesn't do this often but it is very annoying, i do have 2 other guitars, this happened with my other epiphone too (sg) and that has a fault with the input, of which being busy i haven't come to fix it. my dare i say it PRS SE, is fine, but i mean, could this be the same problem as the sg? or is it another problem?

 

all in all i love my les paul but due to the fact i need money for going to collage and getting things for that, of which im studying music i'd love to know if this is the problem so that i can atleast make someone else happy with a guitar that i do love.

 

it's not the amp, im pretty sure of that as it never happens with other guitars, but it has happened on a friends amp, so i mean, could it be the input? i mean it's a 2006 model, not that that should make a difference im just thinking maybe it could be a problem within the wiring, or the switch at that.

 

Thanks a lot RaSTuS for the advice, the toggle switch has been a common denominator in nearly every site with the same complain. But I just want to verify with the TS on how he fixed his Epi and what progress he has. Also, this way I can fix the EPI in the cheapest way.

 

As stated by the TS, it would occasionally happen and come back after a few seconds (which I also experienced) and by the time you have opened up the cavity and check for continuity, every thing turns up to be fine. In my experience, there were times that even if I havn't switch the toggle, the sound will be lose for a few seconds.

 

Not to brag about, but I feel really ashamed if I was to go to a guitar tech and let them fix something electrical that I could have already done. I was thinking of changing every electric parts in the unit to hit all the birds with a single stone. Plus avoid soldering and unsoldering if the problem would arise again. But then again, it would take a lot of time and cash to complete and lessen my practice time for our coming gig.

 

Thanks again for the reply,

 

P.S. how about the crimp connection for the pot cavity and the upper toggle switch cavity? I'm kinda suspecting that also to be the culprit :-)

[RaSTuS]

I was thinking of changing every electric parts in the unit to hit all the birds with a single stone. Plus avoid soldering and unsoldering if the problem would arise again. But then again, it would take a lot of time and cash to complete and lessen my practice time for our coming gig.

I'm doing a complete overhaul of 3 hollow and semi-hollows at the moment, pups, pots, wiring, nut, roller bridge and a setup. But I don't have time restraints like you have.

[RaSTuS]

P.S. how about the crimp connection for the pot cavity and the upper toggle switch cavity? I'm kinda suspecting that also to be the culprit :-)

Squeeze the crap out of it with a pair of pliers to make sure it's making contact. If you have a multimeter it's a simple matter to check for continuity.

[mikii]

I'm doing a complete overhaul of 3 hollow and semi-hollows at the moment, pups, pots, wiring, nut, roller bridge and a setup. But I don't have time restraints like you have.

 

Wow, nice projects, I think that will take less than 4 days to finish, and me.. uhmmm maybe a month. LOL!. I really find it hard to work on wood. I have my brother's low end washburn electric for 2 months now to change the tuners, electrics and adjust the truss rod but haven't really put much time into it.

 

Anyway, all the best and hope you get the results your after.

[mikii]

Squeeze the crap out of it with a pair of pliers to make sure it's making contact. If you have a multimeter it's a simple matter to check for continuity.

 

sure did,

 

also checked the continuity from the toggle switch bridging to the pots and output jack to see the effectiveness of the crimp. results are fine but im not purely convinced. I doubt, or rather expect it to loosen at some point

 

Anyway, my plan is to I replace the toggle switch with a better material but if the problem arises again, I'm planning to remove the crimp and solder it and add a few insulation.

[RaSTuS]

Anyway, all the best and hope you get the results your after.

Right back at ya' +++, after all your making money off yours, mine are just for fun.

[RaSTuS]

sure did,

 

also checked the continuity from the toggle switch bridging to the pots and output jack to see the effectiveness of the crimp. results are fine but im not purely convinced. I doubt, or rather expect it to loosen at some point

 

Anyway, my plan is to I replace the toggle switch with a better material but if the problem arises again, I'm planning to remove the crimp and solder it and add a few insulation.

You should also be able to probe the back of the pots, the jack ground, the switch ground, the bridge etc in any combination and get continuity there, just to make sure everything's grounded properly.

 

For to toggle replacement get Switchcraft brand, built like tanks and prob the most reliable you'll find.

[mikii]

You should also be able to probe the back of the pots, the jack ground, the switch ground, the bridge etc in any combination and get continuity there, just to make sure everything's grounded properly.

 

For to toggle replacement get Switchcraft brand, built like tanks and prob the most reliable you'll find.

 

Hi, I got the switchcraft 3 way toggle switch like you said, it couldn't be sold individually from our store so I bought this ACME kit where it was included

 

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Wiring-Kit-Gibson-Les-Paul-Standard-Short-Pots-P1153C157.aspx

 

However it didn't fit.

 

I mean the switch fits but the thread lacks depth so I couldn't lock it. Also, the pot holes (lol) need a bit more to get the threads in.

 

Just like to ask if you had encountered this problem and is it really necessary to bore some wood? thanks a lot

[RaSTuS]

Hi, I got the switchcraft 3 way toggle switch like you said, it couldn't be sold individually from our store so I bought this ACME kit where it was included

 

http://www.acmeguita...-P1153C157.aspx

 

However it didn't fit.

 

I mean the switch fits but the thread lacks depth so I couldn't lock it. Also, the pot holes (lol) need a bit more to get the threads in.

 

Just like to ask if you had encountered this problem and is it really necessary to bore some wood? thanks a lot

Unfortunately Epis are made with metric parts, the American replacements are not, they are a slight bit larger. What many do is to wrap a pencil in sandpaper and use that to open up the holes a bit.

[mikii]

Unfortunately Epis are made with metric parts, the American replacements are not, they are a slight bit larger. What many do is to wrap a pencil in sandpaper and use that to open up the holes a bit.

 

Thanks for your fast respond, I showed my naked guitar to a friend this morning and he said he'd take care of it and brought out his drill. he got the size that matched the new CTS pots, i think they were around 3/8. when he started drilling (from body to cavity and not the other way)... It got me nervous and taught it was a bad idea (cause I really suck a wood works). after drilling he fitted in perfectly... what a relief.

 

For the switch, :-)

 

I doubled face palmed after "really x2" reading the link i previously posted. it turns out that I was in need of a deep knurled nut and not a ring type. good thing I grabbed one of those 2 dollar 3 way switches and took out the nut which now is installed in the switchcraft.

 

Anyway thanks for your time and for sharing your exeperience, I really appreciate it.

[danno714]

On 3/30/2011 at 7:38 PM, RaSTuS said:

Unfortunately Epis are made with metric parts, the American replacements are not, they are a slight bit larger. What many do is to wrap a pencil in sandpaper and use that to open up the holes a bit.

I wish I had known that 6 months ago.  About a year ago I picked up a used Epi Les Paul and very soon got sick and tired of the electrical noise & issues (this is my major complaint with Epis). I shelled out $100 for an entire replacement wiring harness from a New Zealand outfit called Obsidian Wire.   It arrived four weeks later beautifully made and packaged.  I had the guitar tech at the shop I use try to install it but he said that it didn't quite fit.  Now I know why.   He replaced three of the pots but now the switch and the input jack are effing up (same issues as above).  I've noticed similar electronics problems with every single Epi I've owned or played.   

My question for the forum at this point would be:  are Gibsons all that much better in this regard?