dave1971 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Hi all I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus top Blue Burst which whilst I truly adore it has the following issue, when the guitar is laid on a true flat surface looking down the neck from the headstock, the neck tilts to the left slightly by 2-3mm all the way along. I have checked the height difference either side and the measurment difference is the same at headstock end and neck join end. Theres no twist just an equal tilt the whole length. The second issue is that the frets are also slightly offline with the pickup mounts i.e. not parallel. Ive taken it back to the store and the guy who works there assured me that this is within Epiphone's acceptable standard and its perfectly normal (I dont think so!). All this said the guitar sounds amazing, plays beautifully and the intonation is spot on, however it just doesnt seem right to me. Can anyone advise me on this, or has anyone had a similar experience. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Welcome to the Forum! I'll bet you'll have a few inputs over the next several hours. Regarding the "Fret Alignment", are you sure the Humbucker Pups/Pup Rings are ACTUALLY installed "SQUARE" in the body of the git? It would help to post a few pics, especially of the Neck Join on both sides, and from the rear. We would be looking for anything that just jumps out as out of the ordinary. If a customer can look at a git and say - "Dang, that does NOT look right", then it isn't within acceptable standards for EPIs! If you will go to the EPI Lounge, and click on the "Do it Yourself" sticky at the top of the Page, the FIRST THREE entries cover different ways to post pics here. Of course, post "glamor shots" of whole git - we like pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1971 Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 Cheers for a fast reply animalfarm, the frets align with the nut and are equally spaced either side all the way down to the last fret, however the fretboard itself after the lats fret has slightly more wood at one side which is parallel to the pickup mount however thir throws all fets out of line slightly, and as for the neck tilt it seems as if its not set in level other than that if you were to pick it up and play without close inspection you wouldnt notice, but now I do and its buggin me. I will try post some pics. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 2 ti 3 mil? that is like 1/8 inch, aint it? if it is, i would say that is a lot. anyway, here is the thing: as long as the neck is not twisted, it should have no effect. the action and pickups should all be able to adjust just as well as if it isn't off like i think you are saying. you may even prefer the neck tilted as oppesed to flat because it may put you in a slightly favorable playing position. and whether that is true of wether you can notice a difference, if you were to trade that for another sample that did not have this issue, you might not like it as well as the one you have. if you just bought this and don't think you want it because of this issue, the sooner you take it back the more fair it is. but if you decide to keep it, then i don't think this will affect what you can get out from the guitar owning it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1971 Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 Thanks stein, its about 16th of an inch, I am aware that there are guitars with sloped necks on the market but wouldnt have thought Epiphone was one of them and still dont think so, its probably a factory defect. But it plays great what to do, keep? take back? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Thanks stein, its about 16th of an inch, I am aware that there are guitars with sloped necks on the market but wouldnt have thought Epiphone was one of them and still dont think so, its probably a factory defect. But it plays great what to do, keep? take back? Cheers i wish i had an answer. i can't check it out for you to be able to tell you for sure it is a good one, you have to decide for yourself if you are qualified or what you will accept. might be good to have a perpective: epiphones are made to a price point. they aren't supposed to have to compare to the quality of a high end guitar like a gibson. but they are made to be "cool" and they are. they were also made by craftsmen, only they are in the orient with a different set of working conditions and rules, and have to build to a different standard. if you think they did thier job, don't worry then. if you think you are going to be stuck with something that bothers you, then express that to the store. i'm sure they should want you to be happy. if they don't, screw them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 the action and intonation are great........ it plays and sounds great...... i'm sort of not understanding your beef here there's a reason that Epis don't cost $2000-$10,000 like Gibsons do you've just discovered one of those reasons. play it, enjoy it, it's a budget minded Asian guitar, don't obsess over any/every little defect you can hunt down, or you'll end up doing more "post mortem QC" than playing. Welcome to the forum btw !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyGibson Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 If I stare at my guitar neck long enough from the headstock down to the body, I swear it starts to move and everything looks out of whack. It's like an optical illusion. I'm in the, "if it sounds amazing and plays well" school of thought, then it must be a guitar that sounds amazing and plays well. Enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1971 Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks guys, I guess your right, think im dwelling on it to much, on the upside ive just bagged me a polaris white epi firebird \:D/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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