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Epi Inlays and Knowledge Thereof


damian

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I have learned that Epi inlays are more 'decals' than actual inlays...Is this true ? Do you know ? What do you know about inlays ? Etc. etc........

 

I am researching this for several projects; one Epi, three not.........Thankyou, Damian.

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They are most definitely not, decals. They are not high quality abalone, or mother of pearl, but they are not decals. Decals would peel off very easily with string bending and the regular wear that the fingerboard gets.

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They are most definitely not, decals. They are not high quality abalone, or mother of pearl, but they are not decals. Decals would peel off very easily with string bending and the regular wear that the fingerboard gets.

Thankyou..all of my Epis are in storage, so I can't check them here...So, they are plastic...Would you say that they are inlaid as deeply as Gibbies are ?? Thankyou..

 

Perhaps my other source meant that they are similar to decals; any thoughts ? Thankyou...

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My SG, Broadway, Emperor Regent and Riviera all have (or appear to have) abalone inlays (as far as I can tell). They all look great.

 

IMG_0057.jpg

 

Thankyou Crust.....And truly, what a beautiful guitar !!! I do agree that some Epis do indeed have genuine abalone inlays..Thankyou for pitching in...I haven't visited much with you Epi guys....Hmmm.

 

I own well over 50 guitars...and maybe six Epis, and I love them all......

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Thankyou Crust.....And truly, what a beautiful guitar !!! I do agree that some Epis do indeed have genuine abalone inlays..Thankyou for pitching in...I haven't visited much with you Epi guys....Hmmm.

 

I own well over 50 guitars...and maybe six Epis, and I love them all......

 

You need more Epiphones [biggrin]

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You need more Epiphones [biggrin]

 

Yes, indeed.....There is an Epi list I have ignored for a few years; Riviera P93, Wilshire, Sheraton II, etc...I prefer my LPs to be Gibbies, but the 3 Epi LPs I have are very nice...Next Epi for me is a TV Yellow LP Special w P-90s...Epi makes nice 'slab' guitars.....I need at least 20 guitars within sight of me; it forces me to keep at it, I'm retired so, guitar, law, and recording is my 'thing'.

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Yes, indeed.....There is an Epi list I have ignored for a few years; Riviera P93, Wilshire, Sheraton II, etc...I prefer my LPs to be Gibbies, but the 3 Epi LPs I have are very nice...Next Epi for me is a TV Yellow LP Special w P-90s...Epi makes nice 'slab' guitars.....I need at least 20 guitars within sight of me; it forces me to keep at it, I'm retired so, guitar, law, and recording is my 'thing'.

 

I'm retired too. I have the TV yellow single cut Epiphone Les Paul guitar on order (actually, I expect the UPS man to deliver it today or tomorrow). Check back because I will post some pic's when it gets here.

I also have the P93 Riviera, an SG and a single P/U Junior. I like Epiphone guitars. Gibson's are very nice but Epiphone makes some cool instruments also, more in line with my "retired" budget. [biggrin]

 

 

Before I retired, I was (am) an electro-mechanical engineer (among other things). I like fiddling around with electric guitars (particularly kids toys) I might try making a stomp box or 2 out of some of those "kiddy guitars" with all the buttons that run the length of the neck, electronic wammy bar, strange effects. They make a cool project and I get a unique stomp box for all my tinkering.

 

Check out the toy drums I got yesterday

 

http://www.divshare.com/download/13447401-156

 

drums.jpg

 

It sounds as loud as a regular drum "kit" when played through the amp (1/8" headphone out >adapter > to 1/4 inch guitar cable> guitar cable. amp. Sounds a lot better than I thought it would. A $15.00 drum kit. I think it works great.

 

Records easily through the Fender Mustang II amp.

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Epi fretboards have inlays.

 

The logos other details on headstocks are usually overlays; shapes are cut from abalone, pearl, or a pearl or abalone-like synthetic material, and laid over the top-most veneer layer on the headstock (rather than being cut into it), and then finished with poly. This may what your friend referred to as a decal because like a decal, the logo or graphic detail is applied over a surface. Unlike a decal, however, the material used for the overlay is quite different. Overlaying is simply a more modern, efficient, and cost effective way of achieving the same result as the inlay technique used by manufacturers years ago. This is pretty much the standard procedure used by most manufacturers of low and mid-priced guitars.

 

I should note that some Epi headstocks do have logos that are obviously and are meant to be decals--any that look like gold or white paint, or the "Les Paul" signature device, of course. These are in the tradition of the stencil logos and later decals used by Gibson and other manufacturers in the early days, and are usually appropriate to the models they are used on.

 

Red 333

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Thankyou Red 333.....Makes sense..And of course most Epi fret inlays are inlaid then, but usually are pearloid, ie, plastic...even Gibson uses them in some of their LPs...AND, some Epis DO have real pearl and or abalone inlays.....Please correct me if I am wrong.....And I do believe that my friend was wrong about Epi inlays being decals; He probably knew better but he posts on the Gibson Lounge, an interesting place indeed.....You all 'play' much nicer over here, if I may say so...

Thanks all for your help......One of the Forum members wants to inlay on his Epi fretboard; I learn what I don't know by helping others.....You all are great. Nice drum thigee Crust....hmmm....Maybe I need one.....

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A member of an acoustic forum I participate in sanded the headstock of a Silver Creek guitar down to natural wood. He said the inlay pattern on the headstock was paper thin. I don't know whether the fret marker inlays on my Gibsons or Epis are thicker than that, but it's certainly not something I'm going to try just for educational purposes. I do agree with the poster who suggested fret inlays must be thicker to avoid damage by string bending.

 

Hey Damian - How you doing pal?

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Thankyou Red 333.....Makes sense..And of course most Epi fret inlays are inlaid then, but usually are pearloid, ie, plastic...even Gibson uses them in some of their LPs...AND, some Epis DO have real pearl and or abalone inlays...

 

Sure. Gibson (and Epiphone) can and have used pearl, pearloid, abalone (and products derived from it) over the years from model to model and as needed to create the aesthetic effect intended, or to manufacture the guitar in such a way that it can be sold profitable at a certain price point, or for historical accuracy. For instance, some of the original Gibson Les Pauls from the mid and late 1950s had plastic (pearloid) inlays, so subsequent reissues that replicate those guitars detail for detail may have them also, even though they may be quite expensive, and while less-expensive guitars may have real pearl inlays instead.

 

The reverse may also be true, when the manufacturer thinks a modern-day customer won't accept (or appreciate) a historically less expensive material or process for the price they are paying in the present day. For instance, I have a Gibson J-35 reissue that was given a pearl logo inlay, even though the guitar's logo was stenciled on with white pain in the thirties.

 

The paper-tin logo on the Silver Creek in the post above sounds like it was an overlay, not an inlay. The thinness is characteristic of them. Overlays need to be as thin as possible so that their edges will not appear raised after being covered by the poly coat (and so that the poly does not have to be so thick, which is beneficial to the guitar's tone, as well).

 

Modern-day laser cutting is one manufacturing technique that makes overlaying possible and economically beneficial. It also results in more precise and clean cutting, and a much tidier result (on inlays, too). If you look at some vintage, largely hand cut inlays, you will see that many betray their hand-made origins!

 

Red 333

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The question of the Silver Creek headstock inlay, or overlay, was described as being actual inlay, but paper thin, so it's hard to tell exactly what they meant. Having two Silver Creek acoustics and not being one who likes overly fancy inlays for no real purpose, I could be tempted to sand off the headstock of my guitars too, knowing I have the experience to refinish the headstock properly once I do. (I used to design furniture and have a lot of experience in a spray booth)

 

All in all, it really doesn't matter because as we noted earlier, the fret markers are probably deeper and tougher than the decorations otherwise.

 

Then again, the rosette on some of the Martin X Series all HPL models is nothing but a decal on the top.

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Good information to know, memorize, and save...thanks for sharing...my research continues...

 

Onto learning how to install inlays on top of inlays...I won't need to do this for my home build project yet, but a member wants an inlay job on his Epi fretboard done..I'm doing the research because I want to learn how it's done anyways...I could probably do it myself, and practice on an old beater guitar...With so many luthiers and laser machines these days it shouldn't be that expensive to have done, and done well...Hmmm, more research...

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I happened to grab a pick this morning out of a box I keep them in. It was a Fender Heavy pick with a white pearloid color. Looking at it, I wonder if fretboard inlays really need to be any thicker than this pick is.

 

 

Hey Dennis !! Yup, I'm O.K.; I'm still researching, but inlays aren't (usually) thicker than a pick....All the feedback on this thread has been great..Nice new guitar Dennis..

 

You guys all 'play nice' over here...I gotta visit more often, I love my Epis.......[thumbup]

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