Lol... the picture of the electronics in my guitar was flagged?

it's 2021. everything gets flagged. i almost flagged you for posting that green LP (not really)...that guitar has been my white whale since i was a teenager.

what are your thoughts on epi LPs?

The AWS image filters are weird. A picture of my dog asleep got blocked.

Long post. I'm sorry.

I've actually never played an Epiphone. I will be the first to admit that I am a gear snob. I like nice things and enjoy spending my money on premium equipment. There is definitely a reason why expensive equipment costs more, though there are definitely diminishing returns as you pay more for gear.

I don't generally go with a "value" option, though I did decide to buy the S2 PRS simply because I wanted to play a PRS, I loved the color, and I knew it was made in the USA. I also knew they saved money on components I can buy after market, which I did. But that was nearly $640 in components. I also did not want to pay over $3K on a guitar I have never played.

From my experience with "value" guitar models like Epiphone, Fender MIM, or any other value brand, your chance of a dud just goes up. You can still find great guitars at that price range. The Epiphone Casino is a very popular model of guitar. But understand, it is built differently that the one Lennon played.

With Epiphone, you are going to have a laminate top instead of a fully figured maple top on their LPs. You will probably have a multiple piece body and neck, instead of a a 1 or 2 piece body and a 1 piece neck. I don't know if the neck of the Epiphones are quarter sawn or not. Also, it may be silly of me, but I have never liked the Epiphone headstock shape. They have improved the Epiphone LPs in the last couple of years, but that is one of my little hangups. It's why wouldn't buy a 70's Strat with the giant headstock.

As far as electronics and hardware are concerned, it will all generally be foreign made and of lesser quality than the American made counterparts. It is important to understand what can be replaced at a later date and what cannot, when making that decision. The problem with SOME foreign made guitars is that the routes, or screw holes are in different places than the American versions. So if you wanted to replace the tuning keys, for example, it may require holes drilled in different places on the headstock.

The first thing I do with any guitar I am looking at is strum it unplugged. If the guitar sounds lively and resonant when unplugged, I know it is a good guitar; I can always improve all the components. If the guitar sounds dead, then there is nothing I can ever do to make it sound good. Make sure it feels good in your hands.

If you are wanting to "upgrade" your guitar, here are what you can do in order of importance (in before the obligatory "tone is in the fingers". Yes, but why can't we have both?):

• Professional Setup: If you don't know how to do your own setups, take it to a good local guitar tech. A big difference between expensive guitars like a PRS and value guitars like an Epiphone are in the Quality of the factory setup. Make sure the nut is properly slotted, check the relief of the neck, set the intonation and string height correctly. That all can make a world of difference in the playability of the guitar. It is also possible you may need some frets smoothed out.
• Buy a good amp: As long as your guitar plays well and is in tune, the next best thing you can do for your tone is a good amp. Again, you are talking to a tone snob, so I will always recommend a good valve amp.
• Pickups: I am a firm believer in tonewoods, though some argue and say the pickups are the only thing that matter. I would argue that those who say tonewoods don't matter just don't have an ear that picks it up. However, I will agree that the pickups are the most important parts of your guitar tone. A good set of pickups can COMPLETELY change your guitar's tone. Which ones to get is a whole other discussion in itself. Unfortunately, semi-hollow and hollow body guitars are pain to swap pickups on.
• Tuning keys: Some foreign tuning keys can stay in tune, but I recommend replacing them with some nice Grover locking tuners. It will only run you around $60 or so and will greatly improve your experience.
• Pots/Caps: Replacing cheap pots with a quality audio taper pot like CTS will give your volume control better dynamics when rolling off volume, if you are playing through a good tube amp and have good pickups.
• Bridge/Nut: You may need to replace the nut first, if the current one is really bad. Personally, I replace most nuts in my guitars with bone. A good bridge will also help with your guitar tone, intonation, and tuning stability.

awesome. much appreciated.

I have an Epiphone Les Paul as well as a Gibson. The Epiphone is an '89 so I'm not sure how a newer one would compare, but it's been a good guitar. I gave $190 for it new.

Electronics aren't as good as on a Gibson, particularly the pots which were always noisy. The pickups were decent for the price point of the guitar. Back then I tended to play with tons of distortion anyway so YMMV depending on what style of music you want to play. I've long since changed out all of the electronics on it.

The neck isn't like any Gibson I've ever played, it's beefier than the 60's slim taper but thinner than the 50's style necks. Epiphones may just have their own neck dimensions, I'm not sure. It's also lighter weight than my Gibson so it has some kind of chambering.

DallasTeleAg said:

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For P-90's, I like 500k. I would imagine a 250k would be fairly dark and muddy for a P-90.

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I'v stuck with 500K pots other than on a guitar that I installed a Fralin Twangmaster. The name is definitely accurate. Way too bright with a 500K. Although I'm not sure it qualifies as a P90 style pup even though they market it that way.

If you ever want a humbucker guitar to sound like a Telecaster, the Twangmaster does it.

Twangmaster

TequilaMockingbird said:

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DallasTeleAg said:

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For P-90's, I like 500k. I would imagine a 250k would be fairly dark and muddy for a P-90.

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I'v stuck with 500K pots other than on a guitar that I installed a Fralin Twangmaster. The name is definitely accurate. Way too bright with a 500K. Although I'm not sure it qualifies as a P90 style pup even though they market it that way.

If you ever want a humbucker guitar to sound like a Telecaster, the Twangmaster does it.

Twangmaster

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Those look like split single coils, like in a Fender Deluxe Tele; that is why you need 250K for those. True P-90s have the increased windings and dual magnets, so they are fatter than standard single coils.

Oh no... someone take my credit card away from me!!!!

https://reverb.com/item/37817662-paul-reed-smith-ce-24-2019-ezira-verde-smokeburst-w-gig-bag

That green though... DAYUM!

DallasTeleAg said:

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Oh no... someone take my credit card away from me!!!!

https://reverb.com/item/37817662-paul-reed-smith-ce-24-2019-ezira-verde-smokeburst-w-gig-bag

That green though... DAYUM!

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Eriza Verde is the s***.

If you guys like high end green guitars, look at this key lime burst Tom Anderson. I stumbled across it yesterday.

https://reverb.com/item/38575670-tom-anderson-drop-top-classic-natural-key-lime-burst

Nice! Bet it sounds good through that Fender.

DallasTeleAg said:

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Nice! Bet it sounds good through that Fender.

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Looks like a deluxe reverb - awesome amp.

So... my impulsiveness got the better of me. That Ezira Verde Smokeburst was just too beautiful. Bought it and will resell the other one on Reverb.

I have a problem...

haha...now i don't feel so bad buying the lp while the casino is on the way.

congrats. that's a beautiful guitar.

Thanks. I justify it by saying I will sell the other one. Granted... I won't make that decision until I get the CE in hand.

From what I have researched. The CE guitars have all US components and electronics, aside form the bridge, which is made in Korea. Fortunately, I already had a US bridge in the mail, which I can install.

I had purchased a set of 85/15 pickups for $320. The CE comes with those pickups, so i can resale the pickups I bought for a little more.

You're a bad influence. I like blue line you like green. Ran across a blue CE24 and might sell the one I got and grab the blue one.

Hey... you gotta buy what you want. I've always believed that if you see something you really want and you can afford it, get it. Otherwise, you may regret it later when it is no longer available.

If it were me, I would replace all the hardware on it. I've just never been a fan of chrome hardware. I prefer nickel hardware because it gets grimier and will start to look aged and dull.

Have you ever messed around with replacing pickups? Go look for some youtube videos comparing that guitar's sound to one with nicer pickups. You will hear much more clarity along with overtones. When you hear most foreign pickups compared with American pickups, it almost sounds like they remove a blanket off your amp.

Replacing the stop tailpiece with the Gibson part, the bridge with the Gibson ABR-1, tuners with Kluson locking tuners, pots with CTS pots, switches and jack with switchcraft parts, and caps with orange drop would cost $290 + tax.

Pickups just depend what you enjoy playing. I love low output PAF style pickups and have Seymour Duncan Antiquities in my LP. They sound so freaking good. They are handwound on the exact same machines that Gibson used back in the 50's (Seymour bought them) and are then slightly degaussed and aged. Of course, handwound pickups will always cost a bit more, but my handwound pickups are all my best.

i will definitely use this thread and info when the time comes. right now, i'm still in a bit of a "learning phase" as i'm just getting back into it all after not touching a guitar for years and years (and i wasn't very advanced to begin with as a teenager as i mostly played bass (and not all that well)). so replacing all those parts sounds a little daunting to me right now. but as i get better i absolutely want to upgrade and learn how to switch out parts. right now, my ear and level of playing isn't really good enough to really appreciate the difference.

for you more advanced guys...knowing what you know now, what would you have focused more on in the beginning to accelerate your learning curve? once passed the learning your basic chords phase that is.

also curious if any of you are big pedal guys.

ruddyduck said:

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for you more advanced guys...knowing what you know now, what would you have focused more on in the beginning to accelerate your learning curve? once passed the learning your basic chords phase that is.

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If I had it to do over again, I would FOCUS on learning the fretboard as I was learning songs/scales. I mean learning each note on the fretboard, vs. just "put your fingers here". That is probably the biggest issue I have dealt with in my ~25 years of playing. I can play pretty well, but still get lost sometimes if someone throws a weird key out there. This is easier to learn once you understand where same notes appear relatively on the strings (e.g. an A note on the 5th fret on your low E string also appears on the 7th fret on your D string, one octave higher).

Also, learn your chords in all positions on the neck, that will allow you to play rhythm/second guitar with people and not just play exactly what they're playing. E.g. if they're playing G-C-D in the typical position around the 3rd fret, you could play the same progression in many different ways up the neck. It will give flavor variety in that situation and also will help you if you ever want to write songs. Also, slow down and play things correctly and with good feel. This blows away being able to play fast but without feel, emotive quality, etc.

NOTE, I'm also a huge pedal guy and have a bunch and have been through TONS of others. Mostly boutique-y stuff, but have had a lot of the usual suspects also. Fire away if you have questions there.

This is great advice.

First tip (learning all the notes) also makes it a lot easier to follow the second (play chords all over the neck).

Particularly with your basic cowboy chords. Learn the bar chord pattern for your open chords, then you can apply the bar chord finger positioning of your open chords to play them up the neck as a different root note.

For example - the standard E (022100) played on the 2nd fret (244322) is an F-sharp.

I'm going to avoid the learning question because there is literally another active thread about learning guitar, which I'm sure every person on this thread is also watching.

I like having a dedicated gear thread.

As for pedals, i was never a huge fan. I have never played an overdrive pedal I would use over the natural tube clipping I get in a good amp. The only overdrive pedal I have worth anything is my Wampler Tumnus deluxe. It's okay at what it is trying to do, but again, I'd rather adjust my amp.

I have a Black Country Customs TI Boost for treble boosting, if I need it. I kick that on here and there.

My current EQ is an MXR 108S. It's okay, but it adds a little noise in the signal, which I hate. However, I generally have to use it to cut off some lower frequencies (or use the treble boost) when jumping from one of my single coil guitars to my Lester.

The pedals I use ALL the time are my Carbon Copy deluxe for delay, my Black Country Customs Secret path for reverb, and my Ditto for a looper. The Secret path has a Spring setting and a grand hall section. However, it also has the "secret path" option, which adds some great Pink Floyd like sparkle or synth sound in the background. Hard to explain, but check it out on YouTube.



I would recommend a good Loop pedal to ANYONE playing guitar. I will work out a cool little riff, loop it, and then play over it for an hour straight. Don't know how I ever lived without a loop pedal. You don't need anything fancy, a simple Ditto will work perfectly.

Do yourself a favor and buy it. Can probably talk him down a 5-10 dollars: https://reverb.com/item/38582784-tc-electronic-ditto-looper-n-a-grey

I have add, one of secret weapons in the great guitarists' arsenal that newbies in the guitar world don't know about is the treble booster. If you want to get sounds like Brian May, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page, and many other '70s guitarists, you need to get a treble booster.

The amps of that decade were very dark. In order to cut through the mix, all of those players used treble boosters. I bought the Black Country Customs TI Boost after playing several. That one also has a lot of other great features and one of the most transparent overdrives I have heard in a pedal. I actually get great distortion when going into the low input on my DrZ for that great edge of breakup sound, and then kicking in the treble booster to cut the lows and boost the signal.

ruddyduck said:

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also curious if any of you are big pedal guys.

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The grab a bunch of different pedals to make my own kit bug hasn't bit me. I am using a Line 6 Helix though which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Just in case anyone comes across it, my perfect guitar I am on the constant hunt for is an ash-body, double-bound, Candy Green Custom Shop Telecaster with a '60s oval C neck shape, a rosewood fretboard, narrow/tall frets, a '63 handwound bridge pickup and a twisted tele handwound neck pickup.

You know... just in case you happen to be looking around and see one. I am willing to spend some change on one. My last option is to custom order, myself. However, that would end up costing me about a grand more than purchasing an available one, or $2k more than finding a used one.

So hopefully this isn't too off topic of great and top notch electrics. I've got a fourteen year old son who loves rock, real rock, and is dying to learn to play electric guitar. He's asking for a guitar for his birthday and lessons. I'm in a place where I can get him the best to start with. What would you recommend?

My pedal recommendation:

Budda Wah - my favorite wah wah because it has a true bypass and doesn't impact my tone when turned off. Really smooth pedal too. I've had mine for almost 20 years, and it still works great. There's something special about having a pedal you can interact with while playing.

Aggiemundo said:

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So hopefully this isn't too off topic of great and top notch electrics. I've got a fourteen year old son who loves rock, real rock, and is dying to learn to play electric guitar. He's asking for a guitar for his birthday and lessons. I'm in a place where I can get him the best to start with. What would you recommend?

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My personal opinion is, for new players, go midrange. Somewhere between $500-$1000. PRS has a lot of good offerings in their SE line if you're looking at electrics to start. The same goes for Epiphone. Keep in mind for an electric you'll need to get an amp as well.

For acoustic guitars, Seagull makes really solid guitars that are reasonably priced.

When you talk about the best, it's really subjective and depends on the person, but if I got exactly what I wanted it would be in $7k to $10k range. That's not happening unless I hit the lotto.

Buy a used guitar and amp. You save so much money, and it will allow him to see if he really wants to learn to play.

For a beginner guitar, I personally believe the Made in Mexico Fenders are the best value for the dollar. The fit and finish of those guitars are far and away better than most guitars made in the far east. Granted, if you buy a used guitar, you can probably sell it for around the same amount you purchased it, if the kid decides he doesn't want to play.

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=fender%20stratocaster&product_type=electric-guitars&make=fender&category=solid-body&condition=used&price_max=600

Here is a great video for you. I agree with him. Get a decent guitar, but BUY USED. You will not waste your money.

Also, I would ask you give us some bands he likes. If he's a big Zeppelin or ACDC fan, I would not recommend a Strat.