Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

[ExplorersRock]

So, I installed some Triple Shots into my Gibson Les Paul Traditional. They work great, but they are just slightly off-color compared to the cream color of the rest of the trim on the guitar. Nitpicking? Yes it is. Petty? Perhaps. But this being a guitar I have coveted since I was 14 or 15, I want it as perfect as it has been in my dreams all of these years! So I decided that I would yank them, and install them into my Epiphone Les Paul Standard instead. And for those of you who have done this you have probably already figured where this is going and have your palm on your face as you're reading.:34:

Those complete bastards at Epiphone use longer mounting rings! So that means that there will have to be a gap between the pickgaurd and the rings. So I'm lining up the bridge pickup to cover the pickup route, knowing I'll have to re-drill the holes for the pickup-ring screws, and with a little patience it is doable. But as I line up the neck ring, there is no way to line it up to completely cover the route! MOTHERF*CKING A$$HOLES DID SLOPPY WORK AND NOW THE TRIPLE SHOT IN THE NECK WON'T COVER THE ROUTE!!! :cussing: So Epiphone uses their own set of pickup mounting rings which makes the instrument incompatible with upgrades? WHO THE HELL MADE THAT DECISION, BILL GATES?! oed: This seriously pisses me off! For all the bickering about Gibson's being no better than Epis, at least the route was cut properly so this stupid problem didn't come up! DAMN! :banghead:

So guys, it's A Spy VS. Spy choose your own adventure style of poll! Help me decide what to do in my epic-battle of Les Paul VS. Les Paul. What should I do with these guitars and these Triple Shots! I can always wire up some push/pulls so it's not like the versatility is as huge a deal as it could be. Right now I'm leaning towards putting them back in the Gibson since they fit right. :feedback:

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Thats painful man. Just put em in the gibbo and use them for a few months if it continues to bother you change them back. Why didnt you take a picture? He need pictures of everything. Aiiiii

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Lets see the comparison of the cream on the Gib vs the triple shots. If it's close enough then I say that you should find a straw and suck it up.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

So epi uses a different rout pattern, and a larger ring.

And now because you didn't bother to check with them before putting on aftermarket hardware that you didn't even buy for that guitar in the first place its now their fault. Not only that you didn't even check the two rings beside each other.

Rob option for me

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

So epi uses a different rout pattern, and a larger ring.

And now because you didn't bother to check with them before putting on aftermarket hardware that you didn't even buy for that guitar in the first place its now their fault. Not only that you didn't even check the two rings beside each other.

Rob option for me

In fairness I didn't expect a pickup ring to be different as they are pretty standard in size. However, you're 100% correct in stating that taking the time to measure it would have saved me a lot of trouble... Touché

 

[Bludave]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Put the triple shots back in the Gibson, then boil some tea and treat the mismatched color with the tea and it should darken the trim rings to your liking. Try it on another guitar first or some binding in an inconspicuous area just to be sure you used the right technique. It should do what you are after.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Put the triple shots back in the Gibson, then boil some tea and treat the mismatched color with the tea and it should darken the trim rings to your liking. Try it on another guitar first or some binding in an inconspicuous area just to be sure you used the right technique. It should do what you are after.

That is a really good idea! The rings are off the guitar right now so this would be the perfect time to stain them!

 

[CTN]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

is there no way you can take the guts of the triple shot out and mount it in a normal humbucker ring?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Welcome to the wonderful world of working on import guitars! Many companies make the hardware between their entry level and pro level instruments purposely different. Drives me crazy.

As for the varying shades of cream, I've found it very difficult to stain glossy plastic with water based dyes like tea/coffee/mustard, because the stain doesn't soak into it very well.
And at the same time, I'm afraid to use oil based wood dye because it can go too far into brown. If it does, you can use bleach to pull it back a little.

But this is a good opportunity to experiment and find a formula that works. Try and find a cream piece of plastic you can practice with first.

VERY IMPORTANT - do not soak plastic parts in hot water. The plastic will warp, and then it's ruined!

 

[CTN]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

alcohol based dye might work better.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

alcohol based dye might work better.

Any links to that? I wonder if rubbing alcohol mixed with coffee and tea would work? Water just doesn't work that well with glossy plastic.

 

[CTN]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Any links to that? I wonder if rubbing alcohol mixed with coffee and tea would work? Water just doesn't work that well with glossy plastic.

a lot of aniline dyes are both water-soluble and alcohol-soluble.

Reason i said alcohol soluble is because plastics and alcohol (also oils) are from the same humongous family of hydrocarbons. It is possible that alcohol, as a solvent, would be more likely to penetrate the plastic whereas water ain't gonna do squat.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

is there no way you can take the guts of the triple shot out and mount it in a normal humbucker ring?

I'm not brave enough to try it. I was a born klutz and thus have a tendency to break things.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

In fairness I didn't expect a pickup ring to be different as they are pretty standard in size. However, you're 100% correct in stating that taking the time to measure it would have saved me a lot of trouble... Touché

Well, someone had to vote Rob option (and I've never voted Rob before so 'it was time').....as it that option was worded very insultingly I thought I'd better extend that to the post as well!!

I've been caught out by this too - but with some routing templates from Stewmac. They made a much larger hole in the guitar than the ring I had already. Luckily I'd already bough some cheap rings, and these were actually large enough.

 

[JohnJohn]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

IMO - go with what BluDave suggested.

 

[LReese]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Yeah - I like Bludave's idea.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Welcome to the wonderful world of working on import guitars! Many companies make the hardware between their entry level and pro level instruments purposely different. Drives me crazy.

As for the varying shades of cream, I've found it very difficult to stain glossy plastic with water based dyes like tea/coffee/mustard, because the stain doesn't soak into it very well.
And at the same time, I'm afraid to use oil based wood dye because it can go too far into brown. If it does, you can use bleach to pull it back a little.

But this is a good opportunity to experiment and find a formula that works. Try and find a cream piece of plastic you can practice with first.

VERY IMPORTANT - do not soak plastic parts in hot water. The plastic will warp, and then it's ruined!

Not to mention what the boiling will do to the electronics.

 

[Securb]

Re: Well, This Just Ruined My Night! Vote On What I Should Do Next!

Not to mention what the boiling will do to the electronics.