joemcgrady Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I own an Epiphone Les Paul 100 which is 3/4 years old now. It's missing a tone knob, the neck pickup doesn't work and there are some other minor problems. How much better could I make this guitar by replacing the pickups (with high quality ones), pots, tuners etc. I want to end up with something that sounds almost as good as a Gibson Les Paul studio would. I know that the wood and build quality wouldn't be as good but would it be worth making these modifications? Would I end up with a pretty decent guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookkeeper's Son Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Gibson pickups alone will cost over $200 new, which is more than the entire guitar is worth. But "worth it" is in the eye of the bespender - what's worth it to one person may be considered crazy by another. Of course, you could invest in the pickups now, then transfer them to a nicer LP later on. Lots of choices...... BUT, if you're playing thru a cheapo practice amp, your money will be better spent on an amp upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemcgrady Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Gibson pickups alone will cost over $200 new, which is more than the entire guitar is worth. But "worth it" is in the eye of the bespender - what's worth it to one person may be considered crazy by another. Of course, you could invest in the pickups now, then transfer them to a nicer LP later on. Lots of choices...... BUT, if you're playing thru a cheapo practice amp, your money will be better spent on an amp upgrade. Thanks. I really like this guitar for sentimental reasons and I like the feel of it so if I could get a good sound the money would be worth it for me. My amp is a Line 6 Spider III 75 Combo so not great but not bad. Looking into VoxAC30's and Fender 57' Twin Combo's though. My other guitar is an Epiphone Sheraton (just go it a few months ago) and it's great :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Welcome to the forums Joe, great bunch around here, I hope you like it. For the electronics replacements I would go with Switchcraft jack and switch and CTS pots. Pickups can be pricey, but probably the best bang for buck pickups are GFS, they'll cost $25 - $40 each depending on the model you chose, you didn't mention the type of music you like to play, with that info someone could probably suggest some of the more appropriate models to suit your style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookkeeper's Son Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Does the LP100 sound all that much worser that the Sheraton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemcgrady Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Welcome to the forums Joe, great bunch around here, I hope you like it. For the electronics replacements I would go with Switchcraft jack and switch and CTS pots. Pickups can be pricey, but probably the best bang for buck pickups are GFS, they'll cost $25 - $40 each depending on the model you chose, you didn't mention the type of music you like to play, with that info someone could probably suggest some of the more appropriate models to suit your style. Thanks for the welcome and suggestions. I pay mainly blues and light rock music. Those GFS pickups sound good and excellent price. I was willing to spend more than that but the GFS ones I've listened to on Youtube sound pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemcgrady Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Does the LP100 sound all that much worser that the Sheraton? I actually think the Sheraton is a great sounding guitar, at least for what I'm playing. The LP100 (when everything on it was working) sounded good enough. I was able to play small gigs and sound decent (much better than my first guitar - a Squier Strat -) but for what I'm looking now it doesn't give me a good enough sound. Particularly when recording it sounds pretty bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookkeeper's Son Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 If you're thinking of going the GFS route, you might consider a set of Mean 90s, expanding your tone palette a bit with a set of single-coils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemcgrady Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 If you're thinking of going the GFS route, you might consider a set of Mean 90s, expanding your tone palette a bit with a set of single-coils. I was looking at the Mean 90's and I love single coils when playing rhythm and that could be a good idea. What do you think of the Seymour Duncan HotRod's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookkeeper's Son Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I was looking at the Mean 90's and I love single coils when playing rhythm and that could be a good idea. What do you think of the Seymour Duncan HotRod's? No personal experience. I do know that it's a VERY popular set for upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemcgrady Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 No personal experience. I do know that it's a VERY popular set for upgrade. I might mix the pickups (single coil and humbucker) but I guess I'll keep looking around for a while. It sounds like I could make this guitar sound good if I put the effort (and money) into it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I might mix the pickups (single coil and humbucker) Humbucker in the bridge position and P90 in the neck is a very popular combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I own an Epiphone Les Paul 100 which is 3/4 years old now. It's missing a tone knob, the neck pickup doesn't work and there are some other minor problems. How much better could I make this guitar by replacing the pickups (with high quality ones), pots, tuners etc. I want to end up with something that sounds almost as good as a Gibson Les Paul studio would. I know that the wood and build quality wouldn't be as good but would it be worth making these modifications? Would I end up with a pretty decent guitar? The non-functioning pickup could be a faulty switch.. which can be checked with an ohm meter or by just jumpering the switch terminals. Cheap pickups (and essentially all componects) are abundantly available, although heavily advertised pickup models cost a lot. The "worth it" measure can probably only be your final evaluation.. trying a couple of different pickups, wiring changes, pots and capacitors can be educational, which you can then share with others. Regards, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Humbucker in the bridge position and P90 in the neck is a very popular combination. Very popular! Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumblinman Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 My LP-100 is actually my go-to guitar, and I currently have an Epi Studio and a recently acquired LP Classic in Trans Amber. The LP100 is an excellent guitar for the money, and with some upgrades in pickups and electronics, can actually hold it's own very well. I prefer it for the thinner body than a standard LP, but with the carved top it feels "right". I also have the humbucker/p90 combo in it, as well as in my Studio. If you like the way it plays, invest in it. If you want something different, move on. It's all personal choice. But don't let folks steer you away from it based on retail price. Take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I own an Epiphone Les Paul 100 which is 3/4 years old now. It's missing a tone knob, the neck pickup doesn't work and there are some other minor problems. How much better could I make this guitar by replacing the pickups (with high quality ones), pots, tuners etc. I want to end up with something that sounds almost as good as a Gibson Les Paul studio would. I know that the wood and build quality wouldn't be as good but would it be worth making these modifications? Would I end up with a pretty decent guitar? Quite a few years ago I stuck a seymore duncan pickup on my columbus les paul copy, the pickup cost 5x more than the secondhand guitar, it was nice, looked good, but, with my crappy amp and playing ability at the time i should have just bought a better guitar and amp. I put the old pickup back in, coil tapped it, made a preamp to fit inside and messed with the electrics a lot. Was more fun than replacing a pickup. In the end I have a trick columbus, a few better guitars than what I had and a spare seymore duncan pickup, maybe I'll put it in my Epiphone SG express Oh and btw I don't coil tap stuff anymore, Buckers for me, why mess with perfection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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