I really dig that color too, and one of these Epi DC Pros has been on my throw it in a bucket list for a while... in this same color... "Mojave Fade"... IMHO one of the most gorgeous color combinations out there... plus these have the 3 x push/pull electronics... the volume controls have a push/pull each for coil tap... and the neck pickup tone control is also a push/pull that puts the pickups pout of phase in the middle toggle position... which, with 3 x push/pulls, you have 12 different sounds from one guitars... all for $599.00 (9-1-23)
I just ordered similar adapters (the ones I got are made for Epiphone, so no Gibson-Epi adapters needed) a few days ago from Scrinia, before finding this video. I was surprised when I went to replace my pups and found the quick-connect. I almost just cut the wires and soldered the new ones in, but I though, hmm, if I want to replace these later, that quick-connect will come in handy. Took me several days of searching online to find something that would work. Wish I would have found this video sooner. Thanks for the vid, I hope it helps others! Oh, and I also have a Strat pickguard from Seymour Duncan that has similar solderless quick-connects. It wasn't cheap, but it is handy for trying out different pickups with no soldering required. Also, I wish I could find an Epi LP in that blue burst color, it's beautiful!
Vargus stonerock. If your looking for a Les paul style in that blue, I recently boight6a Sire larry carlton l7 in transparent blue. Awesome guitar, better build than Epi as well. Hope this helps. Atb
I am doing a similar installation, Dimarzio pickups to an epiplug (same company) prebuilt wiring harness. I spent 45 minutes figuring out the proper wiring order. I was looking at wiring diagrams for push pull pots and I think I get it now from top to bottom - North Finish, South Finish, North Start South Start - Ground. You mention the colors at 9:10 in the video and it would've helped had I watched your video first, but glad I get the idea now. Cool video btw -
Spec for string to pickup height is 4/64"... guess what is 4/64"... one US nickel coin. When I adjust the height between the pickup and the string, I screw the pickup up just high enough it will trap the nickel between the string and the pickup. Then I turn the pickup to go down until the nickel will slip out easily. That gives you a 4/64" distance between the string and the pickup magnets.
MEDium Studios true these aren’t really going to save you money for a single swap. But if you like to tinker and constantly try out new pickups (those guys are out there - I’ve been one of them lol) they make future pickup swaps really fast, easy, and clean. At least, that’s what I was thinking when I picked them up.
Cool video i have a Epiphone Standard pro i modified it with a JB and a Jazz there great guitars with a few mods i just did a full mod on my Epiphone Custom i put Semore Duncan Custom shop Billy Gibbons pickups and a tone man 50s wiring harness and i put tone pros and locking tuners it i went all out now its in the shop getting the frets leveled and a full set up i cant wait to get it back.
im looking to improve my epiphone les paul standard with new pickups (i play zeppelin, blues, classic rock) what SD or JB pickups would you recommend i buy? Thx!
FWIW, and IMHO, that's a lot of futzing around with teeny wires and teeny tools, which might work for people with good eyesight... but for old disabled guys like me with really bad eyes and fingers rampant with arthritis, that is not even a possibility. -- But (old school solder it together) I can plainly see the lugs on a potentiometer... and I'm old school... -- Plus typically in audio signals... the more adapters and gizmos you put in the line, the more you lose the original signal. Example... 1/4" to RCA adapter at each end of an audio cable... plugging in a 1/4" at both ends on an RCA to RCA cable... will be a poorer signal than using a 1/4" plug at each end, no adapters. -- But for many players these days... just crank on the distortion to cover all the mistakes, LOL... Cheaper woods, cheaper hardware, cheaper pickups and electronic components... now a cheaper way to assemble the guitar at the factory... and then hype the marketing so that we the Sheeples surf the trend while it is a trend and before the industry drops this crap and goes back to the way it has already been done... but that means giving up on the profits gained by making the instruments cheaper little by little... jeez... pretty soon they will be free to make, and each of them will be $5,000... and Gibsons 5 times more (soon, no doubt)... haha
Could you just cut the wires on the original pickup and just solder the new wires to the original adapter? Is there anyway to avoid having to buy new adapters is what I'm asking?
I recently bought an black epiphone les paul and am looking to upgrade the pickups. I am new to learning guitar and am wondering about what pickups out there would be a good choice. Custombuckers?
I see absolutely no point in using it. Just wire it normally and upgrade everything. Those things are notorious for breaking. Plus either way you still have to open up the holes for pot shafts on an Epiphone as those are 5/8ths. I hate those circuit boards. Tore it right out of my Gibson and wired it 50's style with 500k pots and replaced the jack and switch with Switchcraft. Sounds so much bettet.
How would one go about installing a Braided style pick up, where the exterior braiding is the Ground and the inner wire beneath the cloth is the hot? These pots make it difficult. I am perfectly capable of soldering as I have in the past on multiple guitars. I'm trying to get Slash Duncans into my Epi 2012 LP Standard. I'm at a total loss. Only thing I can think of is soldering the ground and hot wire from the Ducans to a five wire connector that can be plugged in directly to those quick connect pots. Do you think this could work? Any other suggestions?
Enrique Ramos I would start by connecting your HOT wire to the HOT terminal, and your braid to the Ground terminal. Then, jump the ground and shield terminals together. I think you *should* be able to leave the remaining two terminals open. Give it a shot and let me know if that worked!
Enrique Ramos Acktchually... I may have misunderstood your question. Do you have these adapter gizmos, or are you trying to install the pups without them? If you’re not going to use the adapters, you can TRY to find the right Molex connectors and crimp tool, but they’re a bit hard to track down. A lot of people also just rip out the QuickConnect electronics and install traditional pots, that works, too.
I have an epi LP pre 2014 and it has an extra white wire coming down through the cavity. Is that just a ground wire or something else? i grounded it and plug all in and it sounds like shit. low power output and buzzing/hissing. thanks
Do older Epiphones have the same set up? Mine is a 2004 Invader. I haven't looked at it yet tbh. I didn't want to mess with anything until I had a decent grasp of what I'm doing...
Quick question. Why is the big wire connector with the holes necessary? Is it not possible to connect the wires straight into the small plugs? Just curious
I checked the website and it says there’s a quick connect adapter for epiphone. Would that work instead of getting both the Gibson adapter and the adapter to change it to epiphone?
GtaCodAJ I would think so - I don’t think that product was available back when I did this project. I’d be curious to hear what you think if you end up trying it out!
How do you know what order the wire goes into the pickup? I know there’s north start, north finish and so on, but how do I know which one goes into which hole?
Enjoyed the video until I checked the prices of the adaptors, Wow, shame as I would have done this myself. Guess I'll leave my to a guitar tech. But good video all the same. Thanks.
Robert Mccomb yeah they’re pricy. I’d think they’re more worthwhile for players who frequently try out different pickups; they make the swaps faster and easier than the traditional solder-in method. Also, the Epiphones (and some Gibsons) use pots without solder lugs, so you’d need to replace all of the controls & re-wire everything, which is a bit time-consuming... So yeah, there are definitely ups and downs to using these adapters! But I’m glad you enjoyed the video, anyways!
I'd like to swap out my pots for regular volume and tone pots because I don't use the coil splitting feature (which actually the technical term to describe the feature on the Standard PlusTop Pro, not "coil tapping"), and I would also like to replace the Probucker pickups with P90's ,which would get me closer to the sound that I'm after.
Just bought a 2008 Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II used, with a dead neck pickup. It uses the quick connect system, however it uses the smaller connector (2-wire) on both pickups, and the Nanomag pickup is soldered to its pot. I'd like to put Pro Buckers (like the Ultra III) or actual Burst Buckers in. The Pro Buckers would work (cheaper), except the Epiphone to Gibson adapters you linked are no longer available. Do you have another source for these?
n122vu I haven’t found another source for these gizmos. It looks like the Reverb shop is just on a vacation hold, though, so I assume they’ll be available again soon.
I bought the upgraded adapter specifically for the Epiphone LP. I’m trying to install a Seymour Duncan Hot-Rodded Humbucker, SH-2n Jazz Model for the neck, and a SH-4 JB Model for the bridge. I don’t have a wiring color key, so can you tell me what sequence it’s supposed to be? If you can help that would be so awesome, thanks man. Great video, btw.
Based on the key that came with my adapter and the Duncan color code chart, I think it should be, from left to right (when looking at the openings on the connector): Drain/Bare, Green, Black, White, Red.
RUBEN AGUIRRE JR. Unfortunately, there’s no standard color coding among pickup manufacturers. You’ll need to refer to the pinout diagram that comes with the adapters, find what the color code is for the specific pickups you’re using, and cross-reference.
Russ & Roll right??? I immediately ordered them for my Traditional Pro 3. Planning on upgrading the pickups, the nut and the tuners. For starters lol. It will be hardly recognizable.
I have an epiphone sg g40p pro and it also has these quick connect adaptors.. im wondering, would i be able to solder the pickup wires directly onto the exposed metal parts on the circuit board to hook up new pickups or is this the only way for these kinds of pots?
MannyHerrera It’s probably *possible* to do what you’re suggesting, but you’d need to be super careful and do some real precision soldering; even then, I don’t imagine it’d be a terribly secure connection (lots of chances for wires to come loose or short together), and the connectors probably won’t survive if you ever decide to go back to quick connect pickups. At any rate, it’ll be hard to service in the future (I’ve learned the hard way to be more considerate toward Future-Me by avoiding shortcuts that make future work more difficult lol). Your other options would be trying to find the right Molex connectors and crimp tool to make your own Quick-Connect ends for the pickup wires, or replacing the electronics with standard solder-lug parts. Or, of course, buying adapters.
This is Simon from Scrinia Engineering. Please do NOT order these adapters to do this job. It is NOT necessary to buy 2 sets of adapters to do what a single adapter set can do. There is NO NEED to go from a screw terminal=>Female Gibson connector to Male Gibson connector=> Epiphone female connector (2 adapters) when you can do this instead: screw terminal=> Epiphone female connector. WE HAVE the adapter to do that - so PLEASE save yourself some money and talk to us first. Unfortunately this video has the effect that a lot of customers spend WAY TOO much, and we have to tell people again and again that this suggested procedure is not very smart at all. Talk to us, we'll advise you.
Scrinia Engineering thanks for the feedback, obviously you’re correct that the single adapter is more efficient. At the time that I did this job and made the video, that adapter wasn’t listed on your Reverb store. I’ll update the video description and see if I can add an annotation to reflect the correct procedure.
This only works if the guitar has the QuickConnect plugs on the electronics, instead of traditional solder-on potentiometers. Some Gibsons and most Epiphones are like this. To find out, open up the control cavity (plate on the back behind the knobs). If the wires are plugged in, you have the Quick Connect setup; if they're just soldered onto the pots, then you don't.
Harden your guitar screw holes with a special super glue so they don't strip if you change pickup a lot this will make the wooden screw threads like steel. if u don't the wooden threads will strip over time. I got this tip from a Pro guitar tech at Schecter Guitar Research when I got my custom shop C-1. and I do it to my Les Paul's to when ever I remove a screw. simple and if u like to change pick ups and tuners. watch this pro tech video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-plKnjAFLEhw.html
Hello Manny, I noticed that the colors of the wires didn't match up to the adapter. How do you know what the correct order is for the pick up wires? Thank you
Alexander Senkoff the adapters come with a wire color key for several different types of pickups, which shows you which colors on the pickup match with which colors on the adapter.
SPOKENTUBE I know the model you’re talking about, but I haven’t messed around with one enough to know if these adapters work, or if you’d need something different (or need to make something custom). I bet the company who made these adapters (link in video description) would know!
You know what would be great for guitar manufacturers, pickup manufacturers and guitar owners? If they would get their sh*t together and standardize! Everybody use the same wire gauges and colors and connectors. Why must they make stuff so difficult? It ain't rocket science! You're hurting you're own businesses.
When will you Americans realise that there is no such word in the English language as sodder. The word is solder. The L is not silent. If you want to speak my bloody language, please do it correctly.
Keith Walker, Although most Americans may not realize (not realise) it, we are NOT speaking your despicable (not bloody) language. You British ALWAYS presume to be MASTERS AND COMMANDERS of our "common" language simply because your ancestors (the Angle-ese, according to Robert MacNeil) cobbled it together from dozens of other tongues. In reading the publications of; Chaucer, early Shakespear (not Shakespeare), Milton, Johnson, Franklin, Paine, Jefferson, Lincoln and Churchill, one can readily witness the inconsistencies of spelling and syntax that were eventually standardized (not standardised) by American (and somewhat by Canadian) linguists and publishers. As a licensed (not licenced) ham (not radio amateur), I have been "soddering" for over 60 years, always spelling it the same way that you Limeys (not Brits) do. After I finish my lunch (not tea), I will take the elevator (not lift), nodding hello (not cheerio) to my roomates (not flatmates) & neighbors (not neighbours) down to the ground (not first) floor, cross the sidewalk (not footpath) and street (not motorway) being watchful for trucks (not lorries), to the parking lot (not carpark) in order to drive my vehicle down the right (not wrong) side of the road (not motorway) to my favorite (not favourite) Broadway (not West End) theater (not theatre), where I may be asked if I have been immunized (not taken the jab). Then again, I may take the subway (neither underground nor tube).
