GIBSON and EPIPHONE
EPIPHONE 335 DOT
I bought my natural Epiphone 335 Dot in May 2000 from Musician's Friend for $400, about a month after I sold my 1995 Epiphone Emperor II Joe Pass signature model. The Joe Pass was a great guitar, but I didn't like the gold hardware and the rosewood moveable bridge. The 335 Dot has chrome hardware and a genuine TOM/stop bridge - just what I wanted. Besides, I got over $500 for my Joe Pass.
Not too many modifications on this set-neck guitar. I immediately swapped the stock strap buttons for Schaller straplocks, and I replaced the stock tuners with Sperzels. I then ordered a set of DiMarzio PAF Classics and had Trevor at Melodee Music install them for me. I also replaced the stock amber knobs with black Gibson bell knobs.
The pickups sound great in this guitar; it gets a cool jazz tone in the neck position and a vintage rock tone from the bridge. The action is set pretty low and the 10s play like 9s with the 24 3/4" scale.
Sure, it's not a real Gibson 335 and I wish it had neck binding, but this guitar, with a few minor mods, is a fantastic value. The natural maple looks great and the DiMarzios make this guitar sound quite close to a $2000 Gibson 335. This guitar was used for my solo in Zhukov's March off of bikini.
February 2002
UPDATE: March 2004
The stock Tune-O-Matic/stop tail was getting boring, so I decided to shake things up a bit. I got a hold of a used Les Trem and purchased a new Schaller Roller TOM. The installation was pretty painless, except for the fact that the Les Trem's design forced me to acquire new stud mounting screws, which, of course, are metric. The local hardware chains didn't have the right ones, so BoltDepot.com came through.
UPDATE: December 2017
Merry Christmas to my 335 Dot! Since March 2004, keeping this guitar with the Les Trem in tune was barely one step above impossible, so I thought I'd get it back to something close to stock with a stop tail bridge. I swapped out both the Schaller roller bridge and the Les Trem for a nickel/brass XGP Tune-O-Matic/stop tail set and I'm loving the change. This is now the fourth XGP TOM/stop set I've purchased (see also Charvel EVH Explorer Striped Classic, Gibson Les Paul Junior Melody Maker, and Gibson LP Melody Maker Frankenstein) and these bridges are top of the line. I also replaced the stock chrome Sperzel tuner buttons for ivoroid buttons, just as I did on my Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded. A classic guitar that now plays even better.
GIBSON LES PAUL JUNIOR MELODY MAKER
Another narrow Gibson Melody Maker headstock.
I seemed to have a fascination with modding Epiphones after putting together my Avila Les Paul Copy in 2016. Then came the Charvel EVH Explorer Striped Classic project (Epi neck) the following year, and the whole "let's change the shape of the headstock" so it would look like the old narrow Gibson Melody Maker headstock, which I also did on my Gibson LP Melody Maker Frankenstein. It doesn't take too much work to sand down the headstock sides, paint it black, and apply the Gibson decals.
The inspiration for this LP Junior Melody Maker project was seeing two things. First, the Epiphone Junior used in the Epiphone PRO-1 Les Paul Junior Pack, which is almost the same as the standard Epi Junior, except this one has a full Tune-O-Matic/stop tail bridge, a larger control cavity (for the pickup ring tuner wiring/battery), and uses ferrules (no neck plate) to attach the neck. Kinda cool, actually. The second thing that inspired me was seeing the 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard "Painted-Over" Series, as well as some player's aged Junior. Of course, I'd update the stock Epiphone hardware and electronics - essentially just keeping the wood.
I purchased a used 2015 Epiphone PRO-1 LP Junior in black and stripped it down. I sanded down the headstock and installed a set of locking Gotoh tuners on the narrow headstock. I also swapped the stock plastic nut for a quality NuBone one. For the bridge, I went with another XGP solid brass tail piece and chrome Tune-O-Matic with brass saddles - truly a great bridge. I used the original pickguard, replaced the plastic side jack plate with a nice metal chrome one, and swapped the strap buttons for Schallers. For the pickup, I went with a GFS Slick Rocker Alnico V zebra humbucker and wired it up with Alpha pots, a Switchcraft jack, and a .022 uf Emerson Paper-In-Oil tone capacitor. I also hand cut a new control cavity cover (and shielded everything), since the original one had a battery compartment. And yes, Slick as in THE Earl Slick (left) of David Bowie fame.
I aged everything and it looks and plays amazing. And the aging on the front and back was fun to do. The Slick humbucker is honestly one of the best pickups I have purchased in a while - great tone. It's a lot of fun to work on these Epiphones and turn them into hot rods!
December 2017
GIBSON LES PAUL SPECIAL
Finally! A TV yellow Gibson Les Paul Special. This is one cool guitar!
I had been looking for one these for a few years. I realy liked the yellow Specials Gibson made in the mid-90s - with the bound neck and the stock P-100 pickups. The newer Specials (1998 and after) do not have neck binding and Gibson has started to use mini-trapezoid inlays on the fretboard. Why mess with a good thing?
I found a dealer in Dallas that had a 1996 TV yellow Special (SN# 91736585 - built the 173rd day in 1996 [June 21] in Nashville, TN, production number 285) for less than $900 and it came with a hard case AND a gig bag. It arrived in excellent condition, and even though I already had a guitar with P-100s (Peavey EVH Plus), the Special's tone sounds more like a traditional humbucker and less like a single-coil. The action and frets are flawless and it looks totally cool. I had a slight grounding/static electricity problem with it, but I had that fixed (thanks to Static Guard).
The timing of this purchase was a bit ironic. I thought I was buying my second Gibson (actually, third, because I owned a 1967 Firebird in the 80s for a time), to go along with my Junior. I bought the 1987 wine red Les Paul Junior from Chris' Guitars (same place I got my Kramer Carrera neck) in November 2000. It was different than a lot of Juniors, in that it had a stock Kahler trem on it. It played well, but it wasn't too versatile with just the one pickup. I did end up using it on Over Now off of bikini. In January 2003, I was changing the strings on the '87 Junior and was checking out a small hairline crack near the nut. I put some pressure on the headstock and crack - it snapped right off. I parted it out and the wood is now in some landfill. A few pieces of hardware ended up on the '96 Special: the Sperzel locking tuners, the Schaller straplocks, the black metal input jack plate and the stop tail stud screws.
The other main modification to the Special was the replacing of the Tune-O-Matic/stop tail. I replaced the stock nickel TOM with a chrome Gotoh model, installing new threaded inserts in the process. That went extremely smooth. I also had the 3-way switch and volume/tone pots replaced and added some black Carvin knobs. Other than that - it's all stock. There are not too many things one can do to improve on a USA Gibson.
March 2003
GIBSON LES PAUL STUDIO FADED
I've always had a thing for Les Paul Studios, and when Gibson began offering the Studio in a Faded finish, I really had to get one.
Back in 1995, I owned a wine red Gibson Les Paul Studio for about a week, around the same time I bought a Epiphone Emperor II Joe Pass model (I kept the Joe Pass guitar for over five years). It was kind of a one or the other thing, and I ended selecting the Epiphone and returning the Studio. Probably should have kept the Gibson! I got something close in 2000 when I picked up a wine red Gibson Les Paul Junior with a Kahler tremolo, but I could only enjoy it for three years before the headstock cracked.
While I had seen the Faded Studios in magazines and online, it wasn't until I saw one in May 2016 at the Guitar Center in Palm Desert, CA that I really began plotting its acquisition. I found an incredible deal on a new 2016 model a couple of months later and never looked back. They really look cool and play amazing. While this guitar was great upon arrival, there were still some changes to make. First, I replaced the stock strap buttons with chrome Schaller ones. I also swapped the black plastic output jack plate with a metal one. I have to have locking tuners, so the stock vintage Klusons got replaced with satin chrome Sperzel locking tuners with ivoroid buttons - they look great. Lastly, I really like the logic of a wrap-around tailpiece, so I picked up a chromed aluminum Tone Tail "over wrap" stop tail, as on my Xaviere XV-550 guitar. I think this tailpiece aids the tone and allows the stop tail to be screwed all the way down to the body (otherwise the string angle can be too sharp to the Tune-O-Matic bridge).
And then there was one issue, and it was kind of a big one. I soon realized why I got such a good deal on this baby. There seemed to be a wiring problem. Normally, that wouldn't be such a big deal to resolve, but Gibson now uses a "circuit board-style" harness with pre-assembled plug connections in the control cavity, so troubleshooting can be nearly impossible. I was able to determine the stock Burstbucker Pro pickups weren't the issue (they sound amazing, by the way), but eventually decided to just bite the bullet and rip out Gibson's stock wiring harness and replace it with a new "50s vintage" harness with Bourns pots and Orange Drop .022uf caps. Everything is perfect now, and it didn't set me back too much. I had read up on the '50s Les Paul wiring and how it's different than modern/standard LP wiring, and I'm impressed with the tonal clarity. And it will be easier to troubleshoot going forward if any issues arise again.
I really love the Faded, matte finish - makes it look a little worn, so I went ahead and did some minor aging to specific areas - the back of the body, the back of the neck, the body face above the pickups, the body edge (arm rest), and the the back body edge by the output jack. I felt a little (or a lot) uncomfortable adding these wear spots, but after gutting the electronics, I guess I felt entitled.
And yes, I'm keeping this Studio longer than a week!
July 2016
GIBSON LP JUNIOR MELODY MAKER DOG EAR
Under construction...
narrow Gibson Melody Maker headstock
sanded down headstock sides and applied Gibson decal
Charvel EVH Explorer Striped Classic
Gibson LP Melody Maker Frankenstein
Gibson Les Paul Junior Melody Maker
Avila Les Paul Copy
1987 Gibson Les Paul Junior with Dog Ear pickup
aged GP Zone Alnico 5 Dog Ear P90 pickup
heat gun on body back
sanded down the back of the neck
heat gun might be the best way to age a painted body
GIBSON LP SPECIAL MELODY MAKER STAPLE P90
Under construction...
worn black Epiphone Les Paul Special P90
Premium Guitar Kits Staple P90, which is modeled after the legendary pickup first introduced by Gibson (Seth Lover) in 1955 on the Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty"
Staple P90 pickups with custom pickguard
went with an old-style (1933-47) Gibson decal
used slotted screws on the guitar - except for the P90 wood screws and the tuner button tightening screws.
looks great with the matte black finish
Other Smithtone projects featuring Epiphone pieces & parts:
Avila Les Paul Copy (body & neck)
Charvel EVH Explorer Striped Classic (neck)
Duotone Standard (neck)
Epiphone EVH Les Paul 1980 Invasion
Epiphone EVH Les Paul Goldtop
Fernandes Monterey Special (body)
Gibson LP Melody Maker Frankenstein (body & neck)
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