Can we turn this TRASHED Epiphone into the ULTIMATE Les Paul Custom?! | Restoration & Mod VLOG

[@chasing_dragons]

People who save abandoned animals and restore cars, guitars, airplanes, and homes deserve a very special place in heaven.

[@belligerentamateur]

I'm picking up a rescue German Shepherd puppy this weekend!

[@Bw40099]

@@belligerentamateur how is the puppy?

[@gscgold]

Really?

[@randymiles904]

Yes we do but we get to keep our guitars, cars and animals 😉

[@coltondoescars]

My ego has never been so stroked. 😂 JK.

[@xavierc8383]

The guitar turned out amazing, I’d definitely want to see more content like that

[@LovinMusic1965]

I'm 58, and I've never paid more than 600.00 for any guitar, even in the 80s. The Gibson line is way over priced and is priced for labor and not parts. Pots, and wire, and etc are no bearing on tone. I have squires that I've gigged with for over 30 years, and it pays bills. You must know how to set up a neck and pups. I never wanted to sound like anyone and just play songs and I've never been interested in learning every note of solos, but I also play country and most of it came in time with practice. It's cool you do this. It's exactly what anyone can do with time and patience, and education

[@jimkostan9932]

One Reason why Gibson's are more expensive,is #1 the name, and back in the day they were all handcrafted. Also Gibson did all the research and development, what's less expensive guitars all they had to do is copy it they did not have to invent it. I'm like you, as far as being older also,, I'm 67 now,,started playing in 1967, at age of 10. My first Gibson was a Gibson SG standard P-90s,$149.99. then my next Gibson was a ES -125 that was also under $200. Gibson Les Paul, cost,$285.99. still have my Gibson's but now,, there's so many good Gibson based Guitars like PRS, etc. would you buy cheaper because they did not do the research and development.. now,,,I'm mostly a fender guy..

[@pauljohnson3686]

Just once in life.. A guitar player should own a gibson les paul.. Even if it is just for a month or two... It may seem like a lot of money but in 5 or 10 years you will still have that money if you decide to sell... Its like a Rolex.. You actually get to own the product for free whilst you own it. On the other hand you can keep it and be proud that you bought what the other guitars can only copy.

[@dokkenmokken6278]

@@pauljohnson3686 unless the headstock will break like on many of them :D

[@pauljohnson3686]

@@dokkenmokken6278 If it does... Get it repaired... Life's to short to worry about trivial things like a broken headstock... Just my own opinion.

[@Catywampus_Kerfuffle]

A hard yes to more vids like this. This is pretty much the direction I'm heading in. Where, if the neck and body have that feel MOJO, I pick it up and do work on the electronics and hardware myself.

[@karenanthony7957]

My husband used dowels to pluged bridge holes on this Epy. This had real bad dicast had casting lines so he put all Gibson everything . Thank you.

[@ToniLovesSkateboarding]

yes! basically what I'm looking to do! My neighbor gave me a guitar he was going to donate to Goodwill. its a 1998 Korean made Epiphone LP. turns out its a great guitar! i got it working again, new locking tuners, new pickup switch, new knobs, Seymour Duncan on the bridge. Now I want to finish the whole thing! new electronics (that solderless kit is what I need!) new bridge, nut, and perhaps new pickups (or just a neck pickup to go with the JB) great video!

[@D.Guitar]

I always luv redoing Guitars. For the last 8 years I've been making Dean ML style Guitars. I typically use Ibanez RG style Guitars for parts. Like necks. Body core pickup routes. Neck pocket position and trem position.. although I set my necks in and use actual Floyd Rose trems. I cut down along each side of the pickup routes. And build layers to build my own 25.5" scale .. 24 fret. ML style Guitars.. I have about 7 of them. Or more? Like 3 or 4 Stealth Style ML Builds too.. so I luv seeing anyone do their own work. Learning to make guitar major reconditioning and modifications a hobby....

[@litos_mendes]

ohhhh yes this is a beggining of a great series ... give us more guitar projects

[@dlflash56]

I did something very similar. I bought one of the Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar's. Like you, I'm not a big fan of the Burstbucker pups, so I bought a set of the Custombucker's from a R9 and slapped those puppies in and polished the top... OMG, what a difference those pups made in tone and the polish just makes the flame top jump out. Basically, because of the specs on this model... I have a R9 at 1/4 of the price of the Gibson equivalent. I absolutely love it and find myself playing it more than I do my Gibson's.

[@HANDBALLDIEHARD]

AS a retired guitar tech for a major guitar chain i must say Kyle knows his shit ! great choice of parts and where to put the dough !

[@philipbeasley72]

Good job polishing that thing!

[@randallsimmons1093]

Hey Kyle, I see you went to MOJO. My brother is the VP over there. Its a good company. They make some great products. Enjoy the show! Never miss an episode!

[@ronanjohnson8534]

I've got one of these as my number 1 rig, awhile back a buddy of mine got a mid 80's sg that was pretty totalled on the neck so he let me strip it for parts, took everything down to the thumb bleeders, has the og gibson pickup in the neck but recently put a jb-4 in the bridge. Absolutely love it!

[@mehmetekici84]

Hi Kyle, I never post comments for some reason but this video fired me up. Please make more stuff like this 🙏🏻 It is great to watch someone not that professional doing projects like this. It is encouraging! 💪🏻

[@Zoso981]

I have a set of the Gibson Custombuckers in my new Epi IBGC 59 Les Paul, best pickups I've ever played. People said that since they aren't wax potted, they would squeal under high-gain, but I'm not getting any of that. They just sound killer. I'm gonna pull them out and put them in my Gibson LP Custom. Great video!

[@dp9550]

Sounds Fantastic ! tip on the finish if you wet sand ending with like 2000 grit polishing will be sooo easy.

[@m3m3sis]

Guitar Mods and Upgrades are what excites me. There's too many ppl arguing over tone, mixing and amps already.

[@danielsaturnino5715]

Remember to angle that nut file towards the headstock in the same angle the string would. Makes the string move smoother and allows it to contact all the way on the slot thus not messing up your intonation.

[@StuartKReilly]

Kyle you did a very good job restoring that Epi. I LOVE seeing videos of folks fixing a guitar that some one "goobered" up. I've got a Kramer tele thats in pieces right now I wanna fix up one day and hopefully I'll get the money and time to.

[@chachib.2706]

Might be my favorite sounding guitar that I've seen on the channel, so far. Super articulate and just pissed off sounding. Good work!

[@doctoribanez]

I bought a headless Harley benton . Ended up buy a bunch of different tools .fret files, level beam, nut files. After several hundred dollars and wrecking then replacing things I'm fairly confident I can do whatever now. After all that and finding some used Seymour Duncan's distortion and all new wiring it's still a dump but a hell of a lot better lol

[@tcy5499]

First time commenting. Kyle love this kind of content. I've been wanting to get back into guitar restoration. But it's feeling a bit daunting. Your very concise and make this seem not so over whelming. It's amazing the difference u made in thay gorgous epi.

[@Alexholbert]

Dude I’m so sorry that happened . I have enjoyed watching your channel over the past year and your great attitude is refreshing on KZbin. Hate it for you but they will make things right. Whoever you bought it from.

[@Jarrodpimental]

I buffed the flat finish on a prophecy to gloss and it made the guitar look 100x better. I had to sand it like this to do that.

[@Canadianwheelchairguitar]

Looks great! I would totally polish the back. I would always change the pickups on an Epiphone, I'm not a fan of them but I do like the Gibson Burst buckers. I think pickups are a personal choice, some people hear & feel the difference others don't. Excellent work!

[@dougulman6700]

I put a graphtec rezomax bridge on my e2 and i have been in love with it ever since. I have been surprised that they don't get more love. Nice build Kyle!

[@shawnlennon1947]

a wall of sweet amps stacked so high you can just barely reach the top controls. I like you Kyle. living the dream.

[@joshmcclure5150]

Love to see more content like this!! Maybe as a suggestion if it hasn’t been done already.. speaker swaps and understanding your amp ohms to your speaker cab ohms.

[@liselottefrejdig1112]

I had a Epi LP Standard. I changed pick-up’s to Seymor Duncan P-rails, knobs to Speed knobs and truss rod cover to Les Paul Custom. That’s nice too.

[@ammostockpile]

Awesome video, I dig these upgrade videos, because I as well love this part of being a guitar player, by the way those pickups sound incredible!

[@belligerentamateur]

Thank you!! Glad to hear it!

[@rhyswilliams4893]

I've got an Epi SG with all Gibson hardware on it. It's an absolute demon. Only cost me around 500 all the hardware came for free when a guitarist smashed his guitar on stage and signed it and gave it too me.

[@retrocny5625]

Killer content. Would love to see you do more of these "zero to hero" kind of vlog/build videos. I think content like this would definitely be a huge help in terms of channel growth. A lot of people love shit like this, myself included. I'd rather poke around and find a killer deal on an older guitar that needs a little TLC, then drop $1500+ on something new these days.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

this has $1500 in it at this point

[@NA-xm7wj]

Oh my god you were killing me with the nut file. You know nomad has an excellent video on how to setup a les Paul I really hope you watched it But guitar very cool I’ve been wanting to do the same with my les Paul junior from epiphone

[@Metaldad87]

The solderless system would be amazing for me. Not that I'm afraid of soldering but I have a neurological condition called tremors where my hands shake constantly which makes soldering extremely difficult if not impossible

[@amandahuginkiss6868]

I also have issues with soldering these days, because the eyes aren't what they used to be. Used to do that all day, but not without a lot of magnification these days.

[@argento8447]

Dude, I swear 9 month ago I did almost the same thing to a semi-hollow Gretsch, same bridge, tuners, nut. The only difference is that i went for BKP P90s. Such a fun project, and now the guitar sounds and feels amazing.

[@brandonjackson5865]

That turned out sweet those ratio tuners set that headstock off, but I already kinda like the old epiphone headstock shape on the customs the custom inlay and binding make it look classy and the shape of the ratios knobs or keys look awesome on it It looks good and sounds good. Now I want to find a neglected epiphone LP custom to pimp out.

[@florisvanlingen]

17:00 just a little tip. Use some S-39 or Flux and fresh solder when trying to reheat an old solder joint. This helps to bring oxigen into the reaction which helps. The potentiometer is quitte good at dissipating the heat and it can withstand quitte high temperatures before your solder melts when using just the iron.

[@amandahuginkiss6868]

Thanks for the video, the idea of using a car polisher hadn't occurred to me. I need to take some scratches off a headstock, that could work. BTW, your soldering iron appears to have a blue sponge (can't quite tell, but at 17:10) on the stand. You don't want to use a wet sponge while soldering. I know, it's how I was taught too, but it cools the iron off and oxidizes it. Get a brass soldering cleaner, looks like a brillo pad, and it will clean off the iron and not cool it down. Unless of course you aren't using a wet sponge, then ignore me!

[@che2335]

Im loving the Dadarrio Planet Waves tuners the best after getting a set installed already on a used EC401. They cut themselves after u lock and start tuning the string tight. I also own Grover kidney bean lockers and 2 sets Hipshot open gear lockers.

[@amandahuginkiss6868]

Wanted to mention the Planet Waves as well. I have them on an Epiphone Explorer and they are fabulous. That string cutting feature is the cherry on top.

[@Twy7chTec_Vayper]

This has to be one of top 3 favorite vids of yours buddy! Just did a restore on a '99 Ibanez AX-7521 Cherry Fudge 7-string, was almost a month of little headaches here and there but that guitar is the best sounding on my rack now lol definitely make more vids like this if you get the chance

[@129studio8]

Definitely wanna see more vids like this!!

[@dan_c_418]

All of your videos are cool, but really enjoyed this one. I’m getting a VOS ‘57 Goldtop and I was in the process of going down a rabbit hole about Custombuckers, when I stumbled on this video, keep up the good work bro!

[@s.e.n3264]

Yea I know exactly what you're talking about..... Pickups do matter! And yes, I'd love to see a video of you putting that bridge on.

[@vincentrandles8105]

Sweetwater is the shiznit! The last purchase I made with them was a bag of picks. Afterwards they call, (like always) to see if I'm happy, or if there's anything they can do....FOR A BAG OF PICKS PEOPLE! A BAG OF PICKS....Yeah!

[@ast3663]

24:40 ..whe you saw the strring slots, dont forget to angle it down and into the direction of the actual string..

[@jasonbates2687]

I got one of those Mojo Tone LP wiring harnesses for a similar project and couldn't get it to work, I even chatted with a tech rep from the company. He said something was probably unintentionally grounded, it still doesn't work but it is quite possible I am just stupid lol. Keep experimenting with your content, good work.

[@finaljesus]

hey Kyle about 3 years ago i bought a guitar it’s a copy a very well made copy of a les paul and i didn’t realize that the mojotone wireless harness came with this guitar i was always wondering why it would always sound so good like your guitars this one has become kind of my favorite it has a big neck no inlays an ebony fretboard which i love it’s all black in color with white binding and most of all it’s heavy i love them heavy thank you for your video of the upgrades for your epiphone

[@SoonAfterOfficial]

Josh middleton also rocked a silverburst ESP for a long time, so it all came together! Great guitar, great video, great playing, loved everything about this

[@tatt2guy86]

Killer job Kyle, glad you could bring her back from the abyss, love the silverburst finish

[@K707OR30]

Nice job! I’d like to see more of this. I rescued a super neglected 08 MIJ Jackson DK2 with a blue flame maple top last summer and am thrilled with how it turned out. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was DISGUSTING with shit I don’t even want to know what it was, but it cleaned up amazing. Felt great to do because it was in such awful shape and now is being shredded properly after being brought back to its former glory.

[@djefferson5669]

First time watching your channel. I did not expect that great of a result, nor that impressive of a demo! Thanks for demoing the guitar in more then one way with the direct input sound and then the sound in the room. I wish more people would do that. Subscribed!

[@iLLuzion1st]

I know it is probably impractical but please do some more videos like this in the future please! Love projects like this

[@scottwilcox6313]

Great video! I modded my shecter with the same bridge and tuners. They are just great. I agree pickups make a huge difference. I put a set of Bare Knuckle polymath in my LP. Sounds killer. They replaced a set of Tim Shaws which where great. But they sound clearer and way more dynamic.

[@resington]

The T shirt is amazing 😅

[@belligerentamateur]

Right? Chris and JPTR make the best stuff

[@RedBerylFTW]

Bought my orange crush from sweetwater at a killer price months ago. Definitely a good recommendation.

[@emersonluz6588]

That guitar looks amazing! The only small thing that I would change is the switch tip. I think that a black one, like the original, will fit so much better than this orange one. But still a very hot guitar, dude!

[@jasons.3921]

Hey Kyle, what a great journey you took us on with this video. The guitar was definitely worth putting some time and money into. It turned out really good. Thanks for putting the time into making this for the channel. Keep up the excellent work! Look forward to seeing more cool videos from ya. Cheers from Texas.

[@Brent-Nelson68]

Being that I love to work on guitars, probably a little more than playing them, I’d love to see more of this type of video from you. Great job! Looks killer and sounds awesome!

[@lucaswilkinson6441]

That's such a sick lookin guitar! I've recently decided to start trying to do my own setups, mods, etc. and it's videos like this that make it seem alot easier to jump into when you're not super handy or mechanically inclined. thanks!

[@67Dimebag]

Nothing like hotrodding a guitar!!! Great job Kyle!

[@harrycanyon273]

I agree, regardless of what anyone says, I believe pickups can make or break a guitar as well. I've changed many pups in many guitars and have experienced it myself.

[@joemed6222]

Great video!! I did the same with my Les Paul copy that I bought in 1986. I used EMG plug and play pickups. So so easy!! Keep doing what you’re doing 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻by the way I think you have just a little more room for another amp on that wall

[@coreysteady]

i always sand down the finish off the back of the neck, feels so smooth

[@theshredder456]

Sweetwater is incredible and your videos really affirm that. I've tried to order from them many times to support such a great store and unfortunately can't, being in Canada. We don't have a comparable in Ontario. Also, I have always just wrapped some finer grit sandpaper around the string gauge I want to file the nut slot. Works great for me that way. Those files would be good for blanks though!

[@markseverson3358]

Have an epi. L.p. 100 lefty ... worked on it .plays way above it's pay grade! It's hard to find Lefty's for a good deal so it was a score. Cool video bro,subd.

[@whatsmyageagain91]

Amazing job, this guitar needed some love and you gave it.

[@jeffh_77]

Looks and sounds killer! Would definitely dig a series like this

[@DeathMetalDevin]

I think my ake away was def the nut file. So many tunning instabilities come from nut slots. Thanks kyle

[@MeTuLHeD]

The guitar looks AND sounds killer! I cannot believe you did all that work and didn't bother to polish the back!

[@belligerentamateur]

Don't care about the back

[@MeTuLHeD]

@@belligerentamateur Gotcha. I'm WAY too OCD for that. :D

[@sparemers8380]

I love guitar restoration/mods/upgrade videos theres not enough of them out there either..

[@Dirt_Serpent]

on the pick up subject i whole heartedly agree! for me im a die hard for either Seymour Duncan Black winter sets and the Nazgul Sentient sets

[@stratolestele7611]

Edit - Forgot to say "great job!". It turned out fantastic. I have several nice Les Pauls (Gibsons), but I've always wanted a Custom - just to look at! Lol I just didn't need another Les Paul, let alone what the Customs cost these days. So, I got both a black and white Epis. I ended up liking the white better and sent the black one back. I played it a few times, but it was pretty unremarkable (I couldn't stand it actually), so it just hung on the wall looking pretty. Decided one day that I was going to see about making it a player and dropped in the SD Hot-Rodded set (jazz and JB), all-new electronics, including push pull pots for coil splitting, had my tech give it a stellar setup, oh and swapped the bridge for a Gotoh (I'm a fan) and man, the transformation was incredible. I mean, they have legit ebony fretboards! Great overall platform ripe for modding. No, it still doesn't have the same feel as my Gibsons, but I won't hesitate to gig it.

[@zachbaker1376]

i got the same project. I just bought a (April 2024 made) Epiphone SG limited edition Special 1 in cherry. Not a fan of the bridge setup but time will tell. All i have done is put some slinkys on and ordered some black chrome grover tuners.

[@bryang.6809]

Nice work Kyle looks great love the silver burst and sounds awesome!!

[@SuperJiggawhat]

That was a fantastic video, and you did a great job on that restoration/upgrade. Please make more videos like this. Very entertaining and knowledgeable stuff. Keep it up 🤘

[@stealingtomorrowband]

Nice ... Its cool to see pickup wiring going easy especially for someone like me that has the worst soldering skills in the universe. Sounds great btw.. I'd love to have that PRS amp you got behind you...

[@andrewhouse3246]

More, more, more...we love you in Hanover Pa!! Great job brother- I did the same w/ same guitar and its shockingly good...especially for the $..

[@mikepadgett8074]

Awesome! Finish the back. Turned out great and those custom buckers were great also.👍🏻👍🏻

[@KevOppelt]

This was my favorite of your videos. More please!

[@beaniedude436]

holy shit with the quality of these videos i expected you to have like 500k subs, you truly do deserve more recognition

[@nicolaskotseronis]

Thanks for sharing your project, I do the same thing, I buy budget guitars and turn them into something that I think looks amazing.

[@littlerhodyguitar2169]

Cool video glad it worked out with what you had to work with.

[@erikracz4162]

Nice job, you saved that guitar and gave it a new life! 👍

[@fmfsupaman]

I love budget guitar builds, I did a Stagg L320 Gothic Les Paul body and it turned out so much better.

[@vickrise99]

I see that the switch is on the fret pick up position while playing in the track. Is that correct? Do you play rhythm with the fret pick up? Or is the switch actually on the bridge position but turned upside down? Just curious ☺️ great content!

[@synonyx]

Sweetwater overnighted me a trem arm once for my strat I got from them. Something was off on the one I got with the guitar. They prolly spent more in shipping than the arm was worth! ScratchX is a great compound to use on guitars with Poly finish. You'll often find the import LP hardware is very different sizes than US. Also, you should file the nut slots at an angle BTW.

[@jarrusjenkins]

Love your videos mate. The reason that epiphones do sound darker is because of the pickups and nothing else. You said it yourself, the reason why this guitar sounded too bright was because it had Gibson Burstbuckers in it. I've heard it myself when I've been in a guitar shop trying an Epiphone and a Gibson back to back. Also to mention, I had an Epiphone Prophecy with the Fishman Fluence moderns in it and that sounded really bright compared to my Gibsons.

[@ComedyExpress771]

Getting back into music after my gear was stolen in 2021 and I'm choosing an Epiphone Les Paul dream build similar to yours.

[@01inflames]

Awesome video Kyle 👍🤘. You should definitely do the Faber upgrade! I recently swapped out the stock bridge on my Epi with the E-Sert conversion bushings. As well as the ABR-1 style ABRM model bridge & Aluminum Tailpiece. It was a super easy install & the end result turned out perfect.

[@ReTarddd]

It’s great! I feel like this video really highlights the difference between woods in epiphones and gibsons Albeit you used a couple of specific/individual pickups for your desired tones I feel like stock gibsons are just bread and buttttterrrrrr

[@jcrgtattoo333]

Nice save on that guitar man, just use more aggressive automotive compound on the back in stages until the scratches are gone, you hopefully won’t need to respray the top coat, just polish., killer riffing too!

[@gregmize01]

GREAT JOB ON THE POLISHING!

[@guitfidle]

I personally love this stuff. I have 5 guitars I am doing similar repairs and restoration on.

[@smeemusic]

I really enjoy project guitars but I avoid them because I don't have the network to move them. Its rare I find a guitar I actually want to keep. But working on and rebuilding stripped down guitars is super fun.

[@yeti1002]

I'm impressed Kyle , 😉 keep up the great demo's. The guitar looks great , good job 😉 more demo's like these .

[@FeArhsma21]

Nice job on that guitar my friend God Bless and have a good one.

[@dokkenmokken6278]

Nice job reviving the guitar! Looks and sounds awesome! The only thing I'd suggest is to change the switch tip. To me looks like sore thumb :D And the drill bit in the pickup was hilarious and sad in the same time... but wit Gibson products nowadays I don't think it's surprising...

[@HaXaW5150]

Thanks fpr the info. I have a Ep. LP I'm wanting to upgrade and I may use some of your ideas.

[@andrewbecker3700]

The biggest reason an Epiphone Les Paul, (all other specs being equal) will generally sound a tad darker, is the pickup placement. Measure the distance between the bobbins and saddles on both a Gibson and Epiphone. You'll see for yourself. The Gibson's bridge pickup is closer.

[@robspectre1973]

I have the same guitar and installed the Kerry King EMG set. Freaking monster now! Loved this video dude!