Epiphone Les Paul Special II pickup change and set up
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2019
- This is one of Al's 4 guitars in for a set up and, in this case, swapping the pickups with a set of Vanson 57s. The alignment of the strings on this guitar were not to Al's liking and he hoped that I could fix it; however there was no room for moving the neck. Despite the alignment not being exactly equal, there was still more than enough room on both sides (as most Gibson LPs seem to have) for effective playing. I noticed that one of the neck screws had stripped the threads in the heel so I drilled and re-filled with dowel and created a new pilot hole for added grip.
The video shows the full set up and pickup swap including the thrilling cutting masking tape / sanding out process. - Jak na to + styl
Were it not all I'd gotten from watching your set-up routine, and, moreover, listening to your narration of your experiences and pragmatic approach to band/pub/club material selection, I would never have believed it possible to sit through a three-hour CZcams video that had precisely zero scantily-clad women milling about. It was time well-spent and a joy to hang out with you, mate. New Subscriber here. Edit and a propos of nothing, this video was uploaded on my 60th birthday.
Happy belated birthday Maekong! Thanks for your great compliment and apologies for the delay replying - happy to say I've been very busy :) Naturally I have dozens of Bikini Babes who want to feature in my videos; y'know sitting around the pool etc.. but I banned them all in order to produce better videos.
This is my first electric guitar and even after 12 years and far more than 6 guitars still my favorite.
Epiphone Les Paul Special II ???
Same.
I agree
@@terenceboris851 and the vintage special. they're pretty much the same.
That Epiphone reminds me how when I was young, for the comparable money, you couldn't buy a guitar half as decent as that one. Also Sam, you NEVER need apologize for Maurice hogging camera time. We love him!
My favorite guitar, only in cherry-burst. I bought one of these long ago, as a store returned item. It had one ding, and neck pickup didn't work. A large blob of the clear finish, projected into the cavity, and whoever assembled it, must've "made it fit", which broke wires in the coil. I had a set of repro hexbuckers thrown in, and plays great. I've several others, but this one just feels the best.
Hi Mr. Deeks.
I truly appreciate all your videos.
Using the wisdom that you have so graciously shared with us all,
I have applied that wisdom to do fret leveling as well as other adjustments. So far I have done 1. Fender Strat 2. Fender Tele
3. Peavey electric and now getting ready to the very guitar like the one here in this video. The Epiphone. Mr. DEEKS I can not thank you enough
for all you do. The guitarist that play the instruments listed above say that the action on these guitars are amazing! I always tell them "You need to watch Mr. Sam Deeks youtube chanel." Mr. Deeks thanks you so very much for all you do. AMAZING!!!
YOUR AMERICAN FRIEND
ROB HUTSON
Love your videos Sam . You seem such a genuine guy and very interested..Keep them coming 😊👍🏼
Thanks David, much appreciated :)
I’m replacing the humbuckers in mine LP Special 2 with P90s.
Also got replacement tuners, bridge, and Jack input. I’ll be honest I’m quite nervous about getting in there and messing it up. This video is a great resource.
Thanks for the comment. Good for you getting 'stuck in'! Even if you messed it up but learned a lot it would be worthwhile :-)
Lhmal and Kadgagoogoo were 80's Sam. Your vids have helped me out a few times now, this and the V100. They help me out because i already know what to expect before i get to working on them.
Kajagoogoo. I couldn't take it then and it hasn't got any better with age :)
Morris likes his throne. Great video.
nice guitar playing
Dear sir you absolutely know your stuff
THank you Mark - Merry Christmas to you
Sam thanks for the videos! Thanks for all your valuable information!
Very timely to see you working on one of these. Your videos are a guide and an inspiration to me. I have some Zebra-Style humbuckers coming in the mail for a new Epiphone Les Paul Special 'Vintage Edition' I bought new for $150usd. The stock Epiphone pickups are fine, but I definitely want an improvement. So, I ordered some Alnico magnet zebras to replace them with.
I learned absolutely nothing because Bob Ross over here had me slumped over in my chair in NO time! xD
Jeez - of all the millions of great CZcams videos you landed on mine!? What are the odds of that? :-)
Love it , your like me...where were we ? What ww doing ? .. oh yeah changing the pickups 😂 good man 👍🏼
Tiny drop of vegatable oil just wiped over the outter wire and if you go to your local fishing tackle shop they sell like 2 ft threading aids to help get your wires through the holes drilled in the guitars body, the Anglers use them to thread their lines through lengths of anti tangle tubing, but it's a good method and definately helps speed things up.
I love mine, and it's a sexy matte black. Put a SH-6 in the bridge and alnico 2 pro in the neck. CTS pots and switch craft 3 way. Tonepro bridge and tailpiece. Tusq nut. And grover tuners. I have a 98' LTD M-200 but play this one way more.
Your cat is so cute :)
Hi was wondering .. could you shoe horn a set of probuckers in there ? Connect them so they work off the existing pots or drill new holes for the other 2 pots.. I have some but not sure if I can make them fit :(
Love the kitty!
Thank you - he's still here and as loving as ever. Just doesn't get to hang in the workshop with me any more since I moved to a w/shop a couple of miles from home.
si le pongo unas alnicon V , se podrá o inversión en vano?
I have been meaning to ask you for some time now Sam. My workshop is indoors but my situation is such that i now need to move to a bigger work area. I am intent on buying a new workshop sized wooden building, a big shed for all intensive purposes but I'm worried that in the colder months and indeed the warmer ones that there is going to be wood shrinkage and expansion all the barometric pitfalls of the Guitar world. Do you have a problem with this type of thing? I was thinking of just insulating it straight away then at least I can try and maintain a steady temperature. I suppose I can use my old space to store the Guitar I'm working on but it's carrying it back and forth. Have you any advice on how I can achieve a steady temp through the year. Thanks Sam.
Hi C Fong... you're right; there is potential for changes in the guitar through temperature / humidity changes but I found, in practice, that it was very small. I would take guitars from a case or on a wall hanger in our house and take them out into the shed. I would always use a convection heater in the shed and get the temperature pretty quickly up to a minimum of 15-16 degrees before getting too far into working on the guitars.
I think the key thing is to keep a basic 'final adjustment' set of tools (screwdrivers, hex keys and string height gauge etc) in the house. The truth is that you can happily do the fret levelling part even if / when the guitar is warmer than the environment. Yes, it may change a bit when it's finally acclimatised but all that's going to happen is the neck will flatten out a bit or curve a bit... Either way you can make an adjustment at any time.
I'd say "Make it warm enough to work, don't worry about the slight temperature / humidity changes between home and workshop... BUT DO let the finished guitar stabilise overnight in your home ambient temperature before doing final tweaks to truss rod (and saddle grub screws if necessary).
One more thing I've learned over time: setting actions (at customer request) to the absolute lowest possible doesn't leave you any room for environmental changes between your place and theirs. All it takes is a small ambient change (they have central heating / you don't...) and the tiny clearances in your awesome set up can vanish - leaving them with buzzing which isn't great for either of you. So my new rule is "Build in a little 'wiggle room'" i.e. pull back from the very lowest possible to accommodate such changes.
I know it's too late, but you could just shove some split matchsticks and PVA glue in the neck-bolt hole. The bolt will expand the split matchsticks and glue against the walls of the bolt hole and into the extant threads as the bolt is fully tightened, resulting in a permanent fix, once the glue has set.
You're right but I prefer the way I did it in this video even if it takes a little longer
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Hey, man. I agree that your way is technically better; but, and this is the only but, with having to sort of guestimate, to some degree, the angle at which that bolt-hole had to be reset, I would have opted to go with an admittedly less polished technique, but one that would have allowed me to use the original hole(s). You did a bang-up job and I'm sure your buddy was thrilled. And I'd be equally thrilled to have you set up my guitar. I really hope the pickups were what he was aiming for.
I don't think I mentioned it in any of my previous comments, but I just ordered a new LP VE in black, yesterday. Rest assured, your video has upped my confidence in what is anticipated to be a long-term venture, as I also ordered as comprehensive a set of Luthier's tools as one can hope to get shipped to Bangkok - with the intention of kitting the thing out over time, eventually never having to shoulder my 11 lb plus Warmoth-necked, mahogany parts-caster, ever again.
Hey, I was wondering if you know what the stock measurements are for the pickup heights on this guitar?
As far as I understand it there is no 'set' height; people decide what suits them best. The rule of thumb is as follows: the further from the string the pickup pole is the less the output but the greater the tonal dynamics in the sound. The closer the pickup poles are to the strings the higher the output but the less 'dynamic' the tone is. So I recommend try it out and see if you can tell the difference and if you can, then which one you prefer.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars thank you for the quick reply, take care
Do i have to replace the wires if I replace the pick ups? Or is that just a better Idea to do both?
Purists would say 'hell yes' but in reality I'd bet you'd struggle to actually hear a difference...But when people treat themselves to a £100 pickup, they also like to make sure the switch / pots / jack socket / wiring are as good as can be. Of course, if you plan to change your pickups then changing your pots and wiring also allows you to build in some fiendish tone options via switching...
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars can you make a video over that? Ill bet you could get some views
Just need an overdramatic thumbnail
Sir, could I ask what type/size of screws does it have on the neck, the ones that connects the body and neck.
Neil, I'm sorry I can't say :-( Each brand in different eras has a slightly different length and diameter of screw. What I would do if I needed to re-attach a bolt on neck and had no neck screws to start with; I'd buy a set of 4 from any supplier and drill 'n fill the existing holes in the neck heel. Then hold the neck in place in the pocket and push a needle file through the pocket holes to mark the location of the screws. Then drill new pilot holes in the heel to suit the 4 neck screws you've got and away you go. In the end it's easier than trying to find an original set to the exact size.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars I'm also planning to replace my bridge and tailpiece with a roller but I'm hesitant to buy online because I don't what exactly the measurements of Epiphone Les Paul Special II, can you guide me on this?
@@rubbersoul132 I'm pretty sure that the bridge dimensions on this are 'standard' as in 'I don't remember the dimensions but I also don't remember ever buying a basic Chinese roller bridge for an Epiphone and it not fitting...
What can you recommend?
@@rubbersoul132 www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Vanson-Roller-Saddle-Bridge-for-Epiphone-Les-Paul-SG-ES-Dot-Bigsby-T-O-M/121439187651?hash=item1c4656f2c3:g:230AAOSwnDZUGXKD
Hi i was wondering if you can help me , i purchase a new harness assembled harness kit for my les paul.I also purchased 1 490 and 498 pick ups, unfortunately the 498 has 5 wires and the 490 has 1 wire wrapped with a neutral and i dont know where they should be soldered.can you help me.Thanks
Hi Al. Assuming that you don't have any switches or switching pots (push-pull) i.e. that your controls are straightforward 2 volumes and 2 tones then it should be like this:
• On the 2-wire 490 the shield should be soldered to the top of the volume pot and the inner (hot) wire should go to the volume pot input lug. This can be the left-hand one (looking own on the pot) or the middle depending on what wiring schema is being followed.
• On the 5 wire 498 the black and the bare (often with a black shrink tubing on it) are joined together and are the pickup's ground wire (-ve). The Green and the White should be joined together (these are often called the 'coil split' pair) and the Red is the pickup hot (+ve) output. There are almost NO diagrams showing the Epiphone colour coding so I'm basing this on the only diagram I could find online! In the case of the 498 then, the black 'pair' go to earth on the top of its volume pot and the red goes to the left or middle lug. The green and white pair should be insulated i.e. completely covered by shrink tubing so they can't ground on anything and tucked safely out of the way.
Hope that helps. The important bit will be how your pots are wired i.e. do the (+ve) hot signal wires go to the left hand lug or the middle... either way are just different wiring styles; they will both end up working the same.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Dear Sam i really really appreciate your explanation, and also feel sorry i made you write an essay , i feel bad, your a great guy much appreciated.but please i know you want to help me,but can i send you and email with the pictures of the pickups and wire harness that way you just make a simple sketch if thats ok with you because im a handyman and seeing is different than reading to me .sorry about that.But much much appreciated.
@@algreen266 sure samdeeks@gmail.com - probably be a few hours before I do it as I’m heading for a workshop session right now :)
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks a million Sam im in no hurry i will send you the pics tomoro or the day after to make sure everything is easy and readable.Than you Sir.
What brand were the replacement pickups? Gibson?
Vanson 57 budget brand.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars ok thanks...
neck is from basswood?
I don't think so... I'm not sure if anyone makes necks out of basswood (I could be wrong) but it's too soft. Usually it's mahogany or maple; sometimes laminates of other woods. But hardwoods exclusively.
What's a wrong with the pic ups that's in it
Hi David; guess it's very subjective i.e. personal preference. Customer wanted something else in there.
I have the same guitar. Pretty good out of the box, but a good platform for some improvements. It's just a Les Paul JR, with an extra neck pickup. But sir your rambling and non coherency really made me suffer. But please tell us again??? What new pickups did you put in? Plus I would replace the pots with a higher quality, tuners, and nut. This guitar really goes out of tune quickly. But in pinch you can easily use this guitar in a show.
cute little catty
No I’m not bitter 😂
2:28:28 the real excitement begins 😂 👏🏽
Oh, yeh. The ups and downs of being in bands... (rolls eyes)
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars 2:31:16 This is the part that got me. I am also the guy wanting to dissect and analyze. It is frustrating when bandmates dont match your enthusiasm and effort, especially when it comes to the music itself.
@@Belte23 Thanks for the comment. I'm not saying it's THE way to make a good band...just that it's what makes ME play / perform at my best. It's what I need... now I know there are two of us lol. Now we just need a bassist, drummer and someone who can sing :-D
I got a Special II pickup mod secret. It's almost not worth doing the way I do.. But.. I had the parts.. Black Nickel covers. 50/52mm and some gold philister screws. I switch the slug coils from bridge and neck. The neck pickup I rebuild with the coils in Parallel and the bridge I run series. Then I put the covers on and swap the gold poles in. Both pickups lose total inductance and resistance which moves the resonant peaks up to useful areas.. The neck has to stay in parallel. The bridge could go either way. Getting a better (A500k) volume pot with a push pull and wiring the bridge with a 5 wire. Brass nut and remove the tuner covers. Fret level crown polish and these are good guitars. Maybe $20 in parts.
Where do you live I would love to have you do work on my guitars but if you live outside the united states the shipping cost might not be worth it
Hi Joe - I'm over in the south west UK. Shipping to & from the US has become stupidly expensive in the last coupe of years making it pretty much impossible to do work for US and Canadian customers. And now thanks to Brexit I've also lost my valued European customers.
I do have my '5 Steps To Guitar Set Up Heaven' eBook - available direct from me here:
facebook.com/relovedguitars/photos/a.1434485003475282/2887544238169344/
It's ok I can do simple set ups but I wouldn't trust myself to do wire work with soldering and stuff I would like some pick ups changed anyways check my channel out will have 2 new singles released soon
Is this your full time jobby or just a hobby?
I guess you could call it 'full-time'... as in I don't have another 'real-er' job :-D Guitar set up won't make you rich but it's much less demanding, much less stressful and far more tangible and satisfying than commuting to a corporate life in the big cities like I did a few years ago. We've cut out cloth accordingly as they say so that working on guitars pays the bills and just about keeps us so I've no complaints.
Id personally put Seymour Duncans in i prefer a metal crunch to my tone
0:54
He really needs to adjust that truss rod
Hi Sam , I sent you an email, and await your kind reply,thanks.
I emailed you back Al - check mail :)
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Much much appreciated Sam i also replied to your kind email.
DID YOU SAY FRIGGIN...SCOTT
GROVE???
?
yoy
I might have done. I agree with much of what he has / had to say about guitar setup and construction
Can't cope with all the muttering
Please don't solder over an unprotected body, I did it once now have a small but ugly solder burn on the back of my '98 Les Paul Standard. My only gripe btw.
Mumble mumble mumble, apart from the mumbling...... quite a good video.
You don't speak mumble??