Greetings from the uk love that polished finish nice job may do mine, but do have 1 question the bridge intonation screws is there an advantage to having them at the back rather than the front or is it just ease of access 😁👍
I have a 1978 greco eg-500 clown burst that is just top notch... Better than any of the Gibsons ive owned... But I've never owned high end customs. Or reissues. My greco had a beautiful 60s neck. And one of the fastest, straightest necks I've ever seen. Action can be super low. Didn't need any fret leveling.. Being nearly 45 years old... That's incredible. I pulled the original bridge pickup and put an Aldrich in it. Left the U1000 in the neck. Incredible. Next up is a late 70s lawsuit Ibanez black custom... Can't wait.
I recently got the same Epiphone. Still have to explore it a bit longer to be sure about the frets. I did however buy a Faber tail piece immediately, to test at the next string change. What is the best about that change for you concerning the sound? I just love the gloss finish, might want to have that done. Might have to check with Fern (or a master luthier a bit closer by), although it is less than 50 km to Fern.
Excellent show! Dude my 1987 Ibanez RG has super 70's and I tell ya, it impresses me, even next to my Les Paul Tribute (490T&R); heck both are exceptional guitars... 😁
I have a '59 Epi Standard. It was perfect out of the box and I wouldn't change a thing on it. I respect your critique but I couldn't be happier with mine!
Pickups can drive you crazy lol. I have the same exact Epiphone you do with the BB2 and BB3 pickups, I didn't change a thing. The only difference between mine and yours in Mine is in the Dark Cherry Burst finish. I was lucky enough to have good action out of the box and not have to do any fretwork. I'm okay with a Matte finish. On my 2020 Epiphone les Paul SG? another story. Out of the box, I couldn't stand the Epiphone Probucker in the bridge, it was brittle and harsh. I had both pickups changed to hand-wired Humbuckers. Yes, a $350 investment. Was it worth it? it was worth every single penny. That $800 (with new pickups) blows away some of the Gibson Les Pauls I've played and heard of over 3k in price, no lie. So, changing pickups, wiring and pots make a huge difference. Your Epiphone came out very nice, hats off to the guy who worked on it for you to enjoy for years.
I agree. The Epiphone had the much better-sounding bridge pickup, but the other guitar had the better neck. Of course that was going through youtube and my small computer speakers. I haven't heard them live.
I have an Epiphone Black Beauty Les Paul (with the 3 pick ups) that is currently getting the same work done on it. Looking forward to getting it back. I have a Bob Marley Epiphone Les Paul that needs some of the same but could only afford to do one of them and went for the BB. But will eventually get the Bob Marley done too as that is also a lovely guitar. Had a lot of good years out of both guitars without any work done on either, but the time has come that they both needed it and it's exciting to get it back better than when I bought it, with those little touches you don't get from the factory.
How about the microphonics of the super 70s? I yet have to find a pair that does not squeel even at whisper volume. I always end up reselling them. Kind of came to peace with it and am rocking a pair of Maxon PAF clones from the early 70s. Also had some gibson burstbuckers, but the Maxons seemed just a little better and are only 1/3 of the price
I have heard stories of the Maxons squealing but i have played quite a few guitars while in Japan that had them and I never had that issue. Maybe im not rocking hard enough! Thanks for watching!
@@USTTRM i had this 1976 ibanez deluxe 59er which came with super 70s and they would squeel like crazy even through my roland micro cube at bed room volume. I have heard that i could be related to the isolation tape they have used, which might deteriorate over time. Anyways i sold the pickups and got almost the full price of the guitar for them lol
I have the same guitar it was perfect out of the box and it had a magic to it that I don't wanna lose but I respect and understand why you you upgrade God bless bro
That’s the problem with instruments is that you need to live with it to find out what needs to be done if anything at all. I find string gauge is part of the sound. 10’s and up Don’t work for me. So first thing is change to 9’s and then see how it sounds and feels. Some of the cheap pups are hot so sometimes just turning the volume and/or tone down a notch gets the tones I like without a pup swap. Cool video my friend!
A burstbucker 1 in the neck will give you a truer vintage 59 tone . I prefer the burstbucker 2 in the neck becusse it splits the difference between vintage and modern but if you want a more vintage tone the BB1 is a good choice it's got more snap and articulation for vintage rock and blues. You could also try adjusting the pickup height and pole pieces lower the the poles for the wound strings and raise the poles for the plain strings I had a custombucker bridge in a les paul and it was all bass and lower mids so raised the G B and E poles and now it sounds incredible. It made a huge difference . It's now one of the best pickups I have heard .
Great advice- leave a guitar un-modified for a while before you mess with it. I have nearly always torn them apart right away, but I missed some opportunities along the way. I'm learning to play them as-is (other than setup) to see what they can do. Looking back, I yanked out a lot of pickups that might have sounded great with a slight height adjustment and replaced a lot of tuning machines that would have been perfectly serviceable.
You could try a different magnet in the burstbicker 2. An A5 would brighten it and make it much less round and give it more bite and its would just enough that it would still have plenty of warmth. An A5 in the neck with the A2 in the bridge has a very vintage sounding middle and it will give you some jimmy page like middle tone. An unoriented A5 is also a great choice. AN Alnico 3 is also a great choice . I have used a burstbucker 2 in the neck with an A3 mag and its adds alot of extra clarity and bite . It will give the BB2 tiigjter bass more treble and reduce the mids .An A3 BB2 sits in between a stock BB2 and a custom bucker . A3 Burstbucker 2 and 3 are very jimmy page sounding
@@barano9729 they probably Mallory caps, they not specified on the specs. Mallory are ok but really they should be either black beauties or bumble bee caps, same for the 59. Epiphone cutting corners.
My Epiphone 59 is epic, I wouldn’t change anything other than the stop bar which I replaced with a lightweight nickel plated aluminium 59 one. The fret edges on mine are perfectly bevelled and the neck pickup sounds beyond amazing, I don’t know why you would want to change it? All in all it sounds exactly like a Gibson R9. As to the finish, mine is the honeyburst model and it looks superb as is. Hopefully as it wears down it will look even better. Shiny is not always best.
Yeah the thing is… No argument from me. Great guitar that I refer to as a “budget R9”. I enjoy tinkering too so that’s a factor in this case. Thanks for watching!
Just becuase the fret edges were perfect on yours does not mean they were perfect on his. Why wouldn't you fix uneven frets . Fixing frets is not a change its repair .. people have different tastes and preferences . What is perfect for you night be far from perfect for the next guy . Pots caps and pickups are a very personal thing . What you think are great pickups the next guy night hate .
@@adamwatson6916 I was just stating mine was ok. If anyone buys a guitar and they think there is a problem they can do what they like with it. I just think changing the pots is unnecessary, but the guy can do whatever he likes, just said this so people will know that the pots that are on the guitar are perfectly fine.
I think the top polish was a great idea. No clue why Epiphone decided to ship these ‘59 models with a bland, almost matte finish. It’s certainly not period accurate. The first electric guitar I played in my life is a genuine ‘59 Gibson cherryburst. It’s certainly polished and looks at least a bit closer to your Epiphone now that you had the top buffed out. I wish Epiphone would have faded or muted the intensity of the cherry stain. A bit too bright for my taste and just makes the guitar look brand new, not a heritage tribute. Anyway, cheers to you and new subscriber 👍🏼
Burstbucker 2 and 3 are great but they are a standard Gibson humbucker unlike custombuckers the burstbuckers were never a custom shop only pickup they were used in many USA les Paul's and were always available as aftermarket pickups from Gibson unlike custombuckers which are not available for purchase from gibson . Burstbickers 2 and 3 were used in R8s only form mid 2001 to the end of 2002 . This older okes were alot more aggressive than the newer ones and customer's complained and wanted burstbuckers 1 and 2 .. the R9s never had the 2 and 3 . The 2 and 3 are great pickups but they are a mass produced widely available pickup .
@@USTTRM true.. i did the same thing to my epi firebird ins by gibson.. changed the bridge and tailpiece to gotoh aluminum.. and redid the electronics.. kept the epi firebird pickups beause they are actually good.. just got rid of the quick connnect system that was on the pickups.. but guitar is acousticly better and sounds great.
the ibanez super 70s sound tinny compared to the gibson pickups, which are richer. it's like listening to a transistor radio next to an audiophile stereo.
Hey thanks for keeping it real and leaving in the bus burgers instead of burst fuckers I almost made the same mistake LOL yeah it's all the same right it's just the name. I like you don't put too much Credence into how something sounds coming out of my smartphone and again with the RU-vid compression not much coming out of my phone it's going to sound anything like it does in her room right? So I tend to skip those and just go straight down to the to your opinion. Both really great guitars you got there and I'd be interested to see what the difference is when you if you switch out the Max on neck pickups with the Epiphone neck pickup. And see if she got that the tone you like in the middle position. Thanks again for your content man and thanks for this serious it really wasn't sightful not just the one of the mill crap you know it's great it's great it's this and that or it sucks it sucks it sucks with never like a middle ground is there at least I don't hear it much anyway thanks again sincerely us, above the blind bedroom guitarist guitar
It's funny how so many think becusse their guitar had perfect frets that proves that all epi 59s have perfect fets people seem bewildered by the fact you had fret leveling some. Why would you have fret work done mine were perfect every company will have some QC problems on some guitars . That is just the way it is . Just like not every real 59 was a great guitar. Some of them were great some of them were average and some were below. . This whole my guitar was perfect so why are making changes to YOUR guitar is rather silly ..customizing your guitar for your needs and your preferences is perfectly normal. Go to the les paul forum and the gear page and you will see people nodding these guitars to much greater extent. Lots of guys swapping out the pickups even. Burstbuckers 2 and 3 are great pickups but not everyone likes them and have their own go to pickups for a les paul . It's all about what is perfect for the individual. Perfect for you is not perfect for the next guy people should not take it so personal when someone nods their guitar . Some people treat it like a personal sight.
He only spent 200 euros and even a custom shop gibson will need Fret work in many cases. You could buy a used gibson and it could have the same problems. He lived with the guitar for six months to learn all its shortcomings.. sometimes you have to live with a guitar for a while before you notice all the ins and outs . So buying a used gibson might not work . The epiphones price plus 200 euros is still far cheaper than even most used Gibsons at that price point and second hand gibson will be a lower end one .
