New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

[Ascension]

Yesterday I took a super clean all Black Epi Standard home that was going to ebay for a stupid cheap price from the shop. Great player but wonder how much the tone would improve with a better bridge tailpiece set up? Who makes a straight bolt on tuneomatic set for these that would fatten the tone a little?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

gotoh.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Babicz bridges. A bit pricey but good stuff from what i've read and heard. I want to get one for my epi florentine.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Guitar fetish has some solid brass bridges and tailpieces

 

[blueman335]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

You'll get a bigger tone improvement upgrading PU's. Yours probably has Alnico Classic Pros. Put in a pair of Seth's or A2P's (look for deals on used ones) and you'll hear far more difference than any bridge replacement.

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Tonepros make good replacements and offer metric versions for epiphones, I would look at the locking ones that lock in place with setscrews. But I agree with blueman, pickups are going to make the biggest improvement.

 

['87 sherwood]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

I was just given a very nice Epi LP Standard. The saddles on the bridge look soft judging by the indents in them and the burrs.

I ordered a Tone pros bridge. I'm keeping the stock tail piece since that seems fine.

 

[Oinkus]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Babicz is by far the best bridge available I have 5 and have installed 4 others mostly TOM.

 

[blueman335]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

But I agree with blueman, pickups are going to make the biggest improvement.

+1. Put your money where you'll get the most bang-for-the-buck. Start with better PU's and see how the guitar sounds after that. Sometimes you can get used PU's for half the regular price.

There's a point at which replacing things on a guitar gets expensive, and you really should have gotten a better guitar in the first place. A $500 Epi LP new, is a $300 used guitar. I've seen guys buy new ones for $500 and put another $500 of upgrades into them, but it's still a $300 guitar on the used market. If you want a $1,000 guitar, get a Gibson; don't turn an Epi into one.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

There's a point at which replacing things on a guitar gets expensive, and you really should have gotten a better guitar in the first place. A $500 Epi LP new, is a $300 used guitar. I've seen guys buy new ones for $500 and put another $500 of upgrades into them, but it's still a $300 guitar on the used market. If you want a $1,000 guitar, get a Gibson; don't turn an Epi into one.

Boo.

And a $300 used Epi is sometimes better than a $1600 used Gibson (But new pups, tuners, and bridge can be had for less than $250).

 

[blueman335]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

a $300 used Epi is sometimes better than a $1600 used Gibson (But new pups, tuners, and bridge can be had for less than $250).

That happens occasionally, but the point is: don't sink a lot of money into upgrades on a guitar. It's money you're not going to recoup, and all guitars get sold eventually, and usually by the original owners.

 

[Ascension]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Boo.

And a $300 used Epi is sometimes better than a $1600 used Gibson (But new pups, tuners, and bridge can be had for less than $250).

Uh I work in a PAWN SHOP this one was brand new and I got it STUPID cheap. It's an exceptional player or I still would not have bought it and have a box of pickups to choose what I drop in it on hand. Trust me I am in this one at way under the $300 mark here!
Bought this one to use in those worship sets where I don't want say my 07 PRS Custom 24 in the stand on stage with a lot going on around it!

 

[Wattage]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

The newest bridges aren't too bad, they're the tonelock ones.

I've used the TonePros a lot with no issues.

 

[Ascension]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

The newest bridges aren't too bad, they're the tonelock ones.

I've used the TonePros a lot with no issues.

Don't know these guitars that well so what is the tone lock bridge you speak of? Guitar plays well now and seems stable but I am thinking reliability and tone would both be improved with a better tuneomatic version.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Don't know these guitars that well so what is the tone lock bridge you speak of? Guitar plays well now and seems stable but I am thinking reliability and tone would both be improved with a better tuneomatic version.

The bridge will definitely change the tone along with a pup swap. Depends on wether you want to go the vintage or modern route with design.

 

[Wattage]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Don't know these guitars that well so what is the tone lock bridge you speak of? Guitar plays well now and seems stable but I am thinking reliability and tone would both be improved with a better tuneomatic version.

It has these spring clips in the holes that go on the posts to keep the bridge in place when there are no strings on it. Very similar to the old bridges visually but they seem like they're a little better quality.

 

[riserobotsrise]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

Tone Pros makes a metric size for Epiphones that lock down with screws, they work great. I just overhauled an Epi LPC and about to start on a second that's also getting a refinish. I can give you a quick rundown of what a total upgrade looks like on these -

-New TP bridge and tailpiece. You don't have to take the bushings out, use the old ones.
-Radius the saddles on the new bridge.
-Remove all electronics and ebay them.
-Get a $10 reamer and open the potentiometer holes slightly to fit USA/CTS pots instead of metric
-Remove the nut, replace with whatever material you prefer
-I personally like Planet Waves tuners on player guitars
-Get a real switch
-You'll need four new pots, knobs and capacitors
-Better get a new output jack while you're in there
-Need decent wire too
-Little bit of labor leveling/crowning/edging/polishing the frets, don't need too much fallaway with these
-I like taking a bit of finish off the reverse of the neck with 320 grit, not down to wood but enough to smooth the feel of it out

And of course you need pickups. The stock ones these days really aren't that bad, marketed under a brand name they'd have their fans I'm sure. But there are others I like better and I prefer open coil anyway.

Epi LPs (in the Standard & up range) are cheap & a lot of fun to work on and upgrade. You don't have to sweat what your changes will do to the collectability or resale value because there isn't much to begin with. You can make mistakes on them

 

[Ascension]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

The bridge will definitely change the tone along with a pup swap. Depends on wether you want to go the vintage or modern route with design.

Played unamplified the tone is a little plinky but through an amp it's not bad. Looking at the bridge and tailpiece I should think they are pot metal so steel and brass saddles should take that edge out. I will likely drop an Alnico II neck and Custom 5 in it pickup wise so---.
I used some fret doctor oil on the board and that got some of the plink out ( fantastic stuff that has saved a couple guitars with dried out boards !!!) so if a better bridge will round the tone just a little I will be pretty happy with it as is.
This is my only import lower end guitar and was bought to be a workhorse I didn't have to worry so much about being left in the stand on stage.
Doing stuff like this and having my backup guitar on the stand can get hairy with so many folk and so much going on on stage. Right now all I have is US custom shop stuff that is big $ so I snagged this little Epi for that duty. I have well under $200 in it with the case so---.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

I have an old Epi dot that's a great player and replaced the bridge with a used tonepros. There was a noticible improvement to the sound.

 

[JeffB]

Re: New Epi Les Paul have question on a bridge upgrade.

A new bridge and pickups will help, but the core of the tone issue can be summed up with the first post in this thread over at MLP

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epi...piphone-epoxy-good-boats-but-not-guitars.html