rednefceleb Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Hi. I am having an Epi Les Paul Tribute Plus with the Gibson '57 Classic pickups, Grover Locking tuners delivered. If you own this model would you send me your opinion? I did a lot of checking and have seen many good reviews. I received a Nighthawk a few months ago and am happy was & am happy with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Hi. I am having an Epi Les Paul Tribute Plus with the Gibson '57 Classic pickups, Grover Locking tuners delivered. If you own this model would you send me your opinion? I did a lot of checking and have seen many good reviews. I received a Nighthawk a few months ago and am happy was & am happy with that. I've got a black cherry one now that is pretty great. I couldn't find a blemish or a fault anywhere on the guitar when it came. The intonation and action were right on and the neck felt right. The sound is exactly what I was expecting out of a Gibson Les Paul. This is a great replication of the Gibson Les Paul. Epiphone really got it right. The only thing negative I found about it was that it turned my fingers black when I first started playing it. I changed the strings within a day or so thinking that would cure the problem but my fingers are still turning black when I play it. There is something on the fretboard that needs to be cleaned off. It does come right off with hand soap and doesn't feel oily so I don't know what it is. Might be some kind of protective coating that they use on the neck to ship it from China. I really enjoy the guitar and I'm sure if yours is as well built as this one you will surely be happy with it. If it turns your fingers black and you figure out what to clean it with let me know. I'm a little hesitant to experiment with any cleaners just yet. So far I'm just wiping it with a clean soft cloth after playing it hoping it will eventually clear up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edsleite Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Hi ! I have mine and don't have this problem about black fingers. My fretboard its fine But, before take my guitar I order a setup from the luthier of the guitar Center, so maybe he has cleaned for me I think the guitar is GREAT ! My is sunburst color and I installed the pickguard creme color. It's perfect now !!! Very playable ! I'm totally surprised with the neck ! Awesome ! And the sound of these 57's pickups are wonderful ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 The only thing negative I found about it was that it turned my fingers black when I first started playing it. I changed the strings within a day or so thinking that would cure the problem but my fingers are still turning black when I play it. There is something on the fretboard that needs to be cleaned off. It does come right off with hand soap and doesn't feel oily so I don't know what it is. Might be some kind of protective coating that they use on the neck to ship it from China. I have the exact same issue with my Epi ES345. God knows what it is on the fingerboard but whenever I play the guitar the ends of my fingers are black. Rubbing the fretboard with a cloth doesn't seem to make any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 The finish on some Epiphone fretboards is akin to shoe polish....it will ware off in time. or read this. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/54572-wire-wool/ If you use steel wool make sure to tape over your pickups!!! Others clean with a bit of naphtha (lighter fluid) on a clean cloth and then use lemon oil. There are also fretboard cleaners out there designed for rosewood. As a one time shot I scrape my new ones with a razor and then use lemon oil. I do not suggest this for others unless you know what you are doing. You can scrape the daylights out of your fret markers (inlays)!!! Additionally, if you use lemon oil then use the high quality furniture stuff Like Old English. NO PLEDGE OR ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS SILICON! Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I have the exact same issue with my Epi ES345. God knows what it is on the fingerboard but whenever I play the guitar the ends of my fingers are black. Rubbing the fretboard with a cloth doesn't seem to make any difference. I used a micro fiber cloth on the LP neck and it took a LOT of rubbing. I see some replies that recommend lemon oil and I intend to do that to the neck when I change the strings again. I've never seen anything around my area that is classified as a "cleaner" for rosewood. My local guitar store only stocks the Gibson guitar polish and that didn't do much for cleaning the black stuff off the neck....just added more gunk to the mess. I also bought the ES345 early last year but it didn't have the black stuff on the neck. Must be something added to the manufacturing process more recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I also bought the ES345 early last year but it didn't have the black stuff on the neck. Must be something added to the manufacturing process more recently. Not recent....some coatings are just thicker than others. You can also scrape with an old credit card.....much less aggressive than a razor blade. You still have to be careful not to scratch up your inlays. For other reasons I did it here: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/76896-beater-guitar-part-3/ Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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