liam dowling Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 hi, im new to this, never bin on a forum before. i thought this would be a good place to come for this, im wanting to do my epi 355 up as a bit of a project. what i want to do is buy the very best stuff i can for it, top quality gear. thing is even though ive been playing for a while i dont really know about guitars as far as whats good or not or how to work on them. ive already stripped the guitar, everything is off it from the tuners to the pick ups and all the wiring. so, now what im hoping for is advice on what to replace all that with. my question is, if money were no object, what would you buy for it to make it the best it can be?. not 100% on how it all works here so if anyone gets back to me, thanks in advance. i dont know anyone else who plays the guitar so i never have anyone to ask for help or advice, so thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Can't help with all of it and since everyone likes what they like, you're going to get a ton of different recommendations but for pickups I like Gibson Classic 57 and 57 plus. Welcome btw........ From Gibson: ’57 Classic and ’57 Classic Plus The ’57 Classic (the pickup of choice for Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher) is designed to embody the character of the legendary “Patent Applied For” humbucker of the 1950s. Made to the exact specs, including Alnico II magnets and 42-gauge wire, the ’57 Classic has a balanced response and great dynamics whether you play clean or dirty. It’s also available with four-conductor wiring which allows you to wire it for series, parallel or split coil sounds, while its angry big brother, the ’57 Classic Plus, knocks it up a notch with slightly overwound coils designed in the spirit of the occasional accidentally-overwound original unit from the ’50s. The ’57 Classic Plus works particularly well in the bridge position when paired with the regular ’57 Classic in the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liam dowling Posted October 2, 2012 Author Share Posted October 2, 2012 ta mate, i was already thinking about those 57's, i reckon it'll be those i get. somewhere i read about this, https://www.martinsixstringcustoms.com/store/prewired-guitar-electronics-harnesses/prewired-es-335a-wiring-harness/prod_22.html would this be the best do you reckon?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Not sure, I put the Classic 57's in a Les Paul and bought the harness from Mojotone. That Martin harness may or may not be, as good, better or ??? Just don't know myself... Mojotone: http://www.mojotone.com/guitar-parts/guitar-wiring-kits-gibson-style Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Here is a cut and paste from a review. It appears that this player did a pretty complete makeover of his 355 and says it is as good as any top end guitar. I'm thinking of doing similar upgrades with mine (after it arrives). It will be a "work in progress" This guitar is without a doubt the finest guitar in the entire Epiphone line. I have had mine for about 1 year now and have developed a bond with it unlike any other guitar I own (I have many including PRS ,Gibson Custom shop, and vintage Gibsons). It is a very fine guitar as is but when properly modded it becomes a monster that will hold its own with any semi hollow body on the planet of any era. Mods have cost about $500 but they have made this already fine guitar into a World Class Instrument that take a back seat to nothing out there and yes I include an original 1960 ES335 which I also own. Mods done are: Replaced pots, switch, jack, caps with Switchcraft toggle and jack, CTS super pots, and Russian PIO .15 and .22 caps wired 50's style. Callaham Billet Steel tune o matic bridge and steel posts. Replaced nut with Genuine Pre Ban Elephant Ivory. Removed 1/16" of the length of the Ebony fretboard at the nut for perfect intonation. Complete Plek service with hand dressed frets. Replaced pickups with Genuine Gibson 57 Classics. Total invested $1250. Tone and playability on par with the worlds finest guitars. Key points that make this guitar so special and worth upgrading. Entire body uses High Quality 5 ply maple/poplar/maple/poplar/maple laminate (not 3 ply), Genuine Ebony Fretboard, Grover Imperial 14:1 tuners, exceptional craftsmanship with the multi ply binding, Elegant Mother of Pearl inlays, Beautifully bound Headstock with 17 degree angle, 3 piece scarf jointed Mahogany neck with solid maple center block. In conclusion I would like to add that this guitar feels alive in your hands while playing it. Hit any power chord and the entire guitar gives a tactile feedback that you will not feel with many guitars. Natural effortless sustain for days. At stage volumes it is so powerful that it is always on the verge of out of control, just waiting for you to reign it in or unleash it at your command. Yet with all this power it is still capable of creating the most beautiful passages full of character and nuance. Trust me when I say this will become held in high esteem as time marches on. Quality of build and flawless finishing will insure that it will age gracefully. These are Limited in production, get one while you can... Flag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 hey Epiphone guys. Can you comment on this statement from the review " Removed 1/16" of the length of the Ebony fretboard at the nut for perfect intonation." Something not quite right ? Not that it matters much(to me), just curious. Do all Epiphone archtop guitars have this anomaly ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I have never heard of anyone needing to do this. Perhaps his nut is cut too high or he frets the strings too hard. The reviewer sounds like he is trying to sell the guitar. I have an Epi 355 and they're nice guitars and all, but this is a little overboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Yeah, would strongly recommend checking with a good luthier before lopping any material off the end of the fretboard. There are theories about shortening the distance between nut and first fret for better intonation - see the Buzz Feiton and Earvana systems - but chopping up a perfectly good fingerboard isn't the way to achieve this. I've encountered a fair few Epis with intonation issues around the first few frets, but it's invariably due to slightly undercut nut slots and nothing that a few minutes work can't iron out. Personally, I have the luxury of owning a Gibson 355, and I'm dubious as to how the Epi version is going to quite get to the same level, whatever you do to it. But that's not really the point - the guy who wrote the review had $1200 invested in his guitar - half the cost of a second hand modern Gibson 355 and a third of the price a vintage dealer will charge you for a Norlin era original. For a McCarty era example you need to add a 0 onto the end for a decent example. So, even if only gets close to the real deal, it's still a very good guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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