2003 Blonde DOT - Upgrade?

[blw74]

I've got a 2003 EPI DOT made in the Unsung plant. Paid $280 in '04 for it.

 

Is it worth investing in new electronics and Pups to improve the tone?

 

What is a good upgrade path?

[Vic Flick]

I've got a 2003 EPI DOT made in the Unsung plant. Paid $280 in '04 for it.

 

Is it worth investing in new electronics and Pups to improve the tone?

 

What is a good upgrade path?

 

 

Investing??? If you mean increasing the value of the guitar, no. You seldom recoup the cost of the upgrades.

 

If you like the guitar and plan to keep it, then changing pickups could be an option IF you're not happy with the way it sounds. But you have to have an idea what kind of tone your looking for, you can't ask other people. I have no idea what kind of music you play, what kind of amp you have, what pedals you use... I can tell you what pickups I like, but it might not fit your needs.

[blw74]

Yes, I understand the question was very broad.

 

I've been playing guitar for over ten years now, mostly acoustic. Working on basic skills, scales, theory, fingerer style blues, folk standards, some bluegrass, some rock and some Jazz. Interested in pursuing more open tunings, slide, classical, more rock and blues.

 

Up until last weekend I played my DOT thru a Peavey KB 300 Amp. It sounded terrible and because of that I stuck with learning and playing my acoustic guitars.

 

I've been interested in playing the electric guitar more but I needed it to sound good. I knew that the weakest spot in my rig was my AMP so I started there. Earlier this week I dropped some cash on a CARR Mercury Amp. I had gone shopping for a $400 pro junior and made a mistake and plugged into the CARR. Complete night and day. The Mercury to me sounds like a guitar Amp should. It just drips with tone and has great overdrive.

 

I am really enjoying the sound I'm getting with the DOT as is. I can't say enough about how much better it is to play through a real electric guitar amp. Now I'm wondering how much tone can I actually squeeze out of my DOT? Can I spend a few more hundred dollars and get more bang?

 

I'm hoping to have some friends bring over some different guitars to hear how different guitars change the equation.

 

I was just wondering if the DOT I have was worth putting money into or if I'd be better off enjoying it as it is and saving up for an American Made Fender or Gibson?

[i Can Tuna Guitar]

....... and saving up for an American Made Fender or Gibson?

That statement says to me that you need to expand your knowledge and exposure to different guitars and pickups before making any investment. Fender single-coils are a whole nother animal compared to humbuckers, for example. P90 single coils are rather unique, too. Considering your excellent amp, changing your Dot's pickups to different humbuckers probably won't yield a huge difference, if any. In any case, pickups choices are huge, prices are all over the place, and predicting the value of a change is virtually impossible.

 

If you want to experiment rather cheaply, I suggest you look into GFS pickups at about $40 a pop.

[blw74]

Thanks for the advice.

 

I would love to be able a compare and contrast 50 different guitars and configurations. However that is not a realistic option.

 

I do understand that Strats and humbuckers sound different.

 

I do like the road I'm on with the sound of the Humbuckers and the semi hollow body. I am interested in making the tone of my existing guitar sweeter, if possible.

 

I was probing for low hanging fruit.

 

I was at Emerald City Guitars the other day playing checking out a Gibson 1964 ES-335 TCD w/ Maestro Tremolo. I was playing it thu some different vintage Fender amps and it sounded great. That said I think my Carr amp sounds better than those vintage amps. Now what I was hoping for was to be able to send a little bit more and get my DOT to sound as good or better than a $26K vintage ES-335!

 

I was just wondering if changing out the stock wiring and stock humbucker pickups delivers as much of an improvement as I saw with the AMP upgrade? Probably not to that degree, but for a few hundred bucks on upgraded new wiring, pups and nut can this DOT sound a few thousand dollars better?

[i Can Tuna Guitar]

Probably not to that degree' date=' but for a few hundred bucks on upgraded new wiring, pups and nut can this DOT sound a few thousand dollars better? [/quote']

No

 

Edit: And come to think of it, I'll bet the 335 doesn't sound a few thousand dollars better than the Dot, either.

[Vic Flick]

Yes' date=' I understand the question was very broad.

 

I've been playing guitar for over ten years now, mostly acoustic. Working on basic skills, scales, theory, fingerer style blues, folk standards, some bluegrass, some rock and some Jazz. Interested in pursuing more open tunings, slide, classical, more rock and blues.

 

Up until last weekend I played my DOT thru a Peavey KB 300 Amp. It sounded terrible and because of that I stuck with learning and playing my acoustic guitars.

 

I've been interested in playing the electric guitar more but I needed it to sound good. I knew that the weakest spot in my rig was my AMP so I started there. Earlier this week I dropped some cash on a CARR Mercury Amp. I had gone shopping for a $400 pro junior and made a mistake and plugged into the CARR. Complete night and day. The Mercury to me sounds like a guitar Amp should. It just drips with tone and has great overdrive.

 

[b']I am really enjoying the sound I'm getting with the DOT as is. [/b] I can't say enough about how much better it is to play through a real electric guitar amp. Now I'm wondering how much tone can I actually squeeze out of my DOT? Can I spend a few more hundred dollars and get more bang?

 

I'm hoping to have some friends bring over some different guitars to hear how different guitars change the equation.

 

I was just wondering if the DOT I have was worth putting money into or if I'd be better off enjoying it as it is and saving up for an American Made Fender or Gibson?

 

There's the answer!!!

 

You just changed a major element of your rig, I would take the time and explore all it's possibilities. After a while, you can consider swapping pups.

 

No doubt in my mind that you can improve the Dot with better pups, but I think you need to find the tone you're looking for. There's Duncan P-Rails, Gibson Dirty Fingers, TV Jones, DiMarzio PAFs, GFS Mean 90s... All fine pickups but all different. And then to complicate matters more, each pickup will sound different depending on the guitar. But since you mention the vintage ES-335, Gibson '57 Classics or Duncan '59s might be what you're looking for.

 

I also like GFS Vintage '59, especially considering the price. One of the problems with an ES-335 style guitar is the difficulty swapping the electronics. You want it right the first time, you don't want to redo it. That's why it's important to choose wisely.

 

Good luck.

[Hungrycat]

If you do want to upgrade though, Epiphones are ideal to modify, because you're not dropping $2500 on a Gibson and then devaluing it by modding it. A modded Epi will give you 95% of the tone for 33% of the price of the Gibby. And you get to spec it out how YOU want it. Mod away, I say.

[blw74]

I'll bet the 335 doesn't sound a few thousand dollars better than the Dot, either.

 

Imagine that, a $2,280 ($280 EPI + $2000 AMP) solution that sounds comparable or better than a $32 K ($26K vintage 335 + $6k vintage fender amp) solution.

 

And to think the Fender Pro Jr wasn't a bad little amp for $400. That means for less than $700 you can get a pretty good sounding rig.

 

It sure would be cool if their was a independent show or a forum or some type of consumer reports that continually paired gear against each other.

 

;)

[blw74]

It sure would be cool if their was a independent show or a forum or some type of consumer reports that continually paired gear against each other.

 

Then again maybe that would suck, maybe the mysteriousness, the unknown, the risk, the adventure in searching out your own tone is what makes the pursuit so much fun.

[obe-wan]

Mate, I have a Dot and went through the same questions as you did. Is it worth it? Well if you want to improve the tone (and it does make quiet a difference, its not subtle) then put better pickups in. I put Seymour Duncan 59's in my Dot and the improvement in tone was very noticeable. Given that your running through a high quality tube amp you'll definitely hear the improvement.

 

I dont see a problem upgrading these Epi's, especially if your on a budget. You can get these guitars sounding every bit as good and sometimes better than a comparable Gibson for a lot less money, and also learn alot about your guitar along the way. Im about to rip ALL of the wiring, pots, jack and switch out of my Dot and put a CTS/Switchcraft/Orange Drop wiring upgrade kit in. The selector switch crapped out a couple of days ago, so while Im pulling everything out, I may as well......

 

Stay tuned for updates!

 

Cheers, Scott.

[StewartB]

Mate, I have a Dot and went through the same questions as you did. Is it worth it? Well if you want to improve the tone (and it does make quiet a difference, its not subtle) then put better pickups in. I put Seymour Duncan 59's in my Dot and the improvement in tone was very noticeable. Given that your running through a high quality tube amp you'll definitely hear the improvement.

 

I dont see a problem upgrading these Epi's, especially if your on a budget. You can get these guitars sounding every bit as good and sometimes better than a comparable Gibson for a lot less money, and also learn alot about your guitar along the way. Im about to rip ALL of the wiring, pots, jack and switch out of my Dot and put a CTS/Switchcraft/Orange Drop wiring upgrade kit in. The selector switch crapped out a couple of days ago, so while Im pulling everything out, I may as well......

 

Stay tuned for updates!

 

Cheers, Scott.

 

Wise is Obe-Wan.

 

I have just finished doing the Dot upgrade "thing". Very happy with result. Work done was - new TUSQ nut, new Tonepros bridge, PIO caps, and a change to Epiphone USA 50SR / 50 ST pickups. With the new nut and bridge I now have the action very low and the guitar is very smooth to play. Strings are easy to depress even at the lower frets.

 

While we all talk about changing pups, electronics, and amps, I have found the biggest improvement in sound comes from getting the nut, bridge, and action setup properly. If you do this then your Dot will start to sound more like a 335.

 

Happy modding,

 

Stewart

[obe-wan]

Wise is Obe-Wan.

 

I have just finished doing the Dot upgrade "thing". Very happy with result. Work done was - new TUSQ nut, new Tonepros bridge, PIO caps, and a change to Epiphone USA 50SR / 50 ST pickups. With the new nut and bridge I now have the action very low and the guitar is very smooth to play. Strings are easy to depress even at the lower frets.

 

While we all talk about changing pups, electronics, and amps, I have found the biggest improvement in sound comes from getting the nut, bridge, and action setup properly. If you do this then your Dot will start to sound more like a 335.

 

Happy modding,

 

Stewart

 

Hey Stewart, Ive been thinking about a bridge upgrade too. Did you get the vintage styled one or one of the ones with the fancy saddles? Its like having a Std car isn't it? Ya just gotta tinker with it!

 

Cheers, Scott.

[StewartB]

Hey Stewart, Ive been thinking about a bridge upgrade too. Did you get the vintage styled one or one of the ones with the fancy saddles? Its like having a Std car isn't it? Ya just gotta tinker with it!

 

Cheers, Scott.

 

 

Exactly Scott. I've just gotta tinker with everything. Part of my DNA.

 

I went for the Tonepros Bridge model number T3BT. That is the "normal" one, not the vintage style. I'd have to say that the biggest improvement came from the new TUSQ nut more so than the bridge. The bridge, however, does allow greater saddle movement and improved action.

 

Stewart

[wardog]

i agree with most that suggest you find that tone first. tinker with the new amp and the dot to get close or hit it on the nail.

 

as far as upgrades. tone can be inhanced with upagrades to whatever the strings touch. Then, i would go to pups and cap next. Pots are a most if you the ones in the dot are crappy. Why this order for me, cause after thr 5 or 6 guitaters i have modded, i have learned that sustain is only improved with better nut, bridge and tuning keys. then you use those talented fingers and steall you tone with that beautiful sustain. pups will inhance the articulation of that process, along with the amp. the better the pup and amp the better the articulation.

 

so, i would say, find you sound with your current rig first

then upgrade that articulation with nut, bridge, tuning keys.

lastly squeeze more of your soul out with pups, and electronics last.

 

have fun.

[Dennis G]

Wise is Obe-Wan.

 

+1. I put SD's in my Dot, upgraded all wiring, pots, etc. and it's a totally different guitar. Is it a Gibby? No, but it's a pretty *****in' all around axe that I never had any intention of selling anyway, so no prob on the "investment" side.

 

Didn't think about the other hardware you guys changed out though...hmmm...future project??

[amx05462]

I've got a 2003 EPI DOT made in the Unsung plant. Paid $280 in '04 for it.

 

Is it worth investing in new electronics and Pups to improve the tone?

 

What is a good upgrade path?

i did that with my epi gold top les paul. re wired and gibson pots and switches and put in 033 caps

it was like night and day there was so much of a difference.

thats why there cheaper you get what you pay for. on the other hand ive had a dot for years and only took the pick guard off. i like the sound i get . point is if your getting the sound you want leave it alone

[dcooper830]

 

 

Edit: And come to think of it, I'll bet the 335 doesn't sound a few thousand dollars better than the Dot, either.

 

Not the best audio quality. But I think this video I did shows how well, in my opinion, the Epiphone holds up to a Gibson.

 

[turtle]

i put a sd jazz pickup in the neck of my friends dot> sounded great> also put sd phatcat in my friends dot in both positions> i thought it cleaned it up quite a bit> but u have to like p90s> also heard one with gibby 57 and 57 plus> awsome humbucker setup for that guitar>