Modifying an Epiphone Les Paul Special | Mythos Mods

Learn More about Mythos Pedals here mythospedals.com/
Get some of the products mentioned in the video here amzn.to/3S6OC5t
Background Music/Jam Tracks by Peter Honore andertonstv.bandcamp.com/
I'm upgrading the Epiphone Les Paul Special we got recently for Mythos HQ! This is not a How-to video but just wanted to document the process I go through when tricking out a guitar. Come with Zach as he makes this thing truly "Special"
Links to gear in the video! Also check out the Amazon store linked above
Guitar - www.epiphone.com/en-US/Electr...
Pickups - www.fralinpickups.com/product...
Plastic Parts - mythospedals.com/collections/...
--
Volume Pots - rs-guitarworks.myshopify.com/...
Tone Pots - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Tone caps (LP us .022uf) - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Output Jack - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Switchcraft Switch - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Switch tip - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Braided Wire - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Cloth Wire - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
--
Aluminum Tailpiece - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Metric Studs - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
Thumb cutters - www.philadelphialuthiertools....
#lespaul #epiphone #Mythospedals

[@4vinylsound]

Would have been nice to of heard it originally out of the box first to have an a b comparison

[@AmatHour]

Epiphone be like we gave you cts pots and you still ripped them out lol

[@fancykarlmarx]

Yea, I don’t get it. Those Epiphone pickups sound great too.

[@powdermnky007]

Cts pots aren't as good as they used to be. (just repeating what i've heard from some very knowledgable people).

[@JeremyToy]

the stock pickups in mine sounded very muddy. I gave them a good go but couldn’t stand them. A good set of pickups really helps the feel of the special in terms of dynamics and expression

[@pharmerdavid1432]

@@JeremyToy Lower them down then - it makes a HUGE difference! Maybe change the pots too?

[@bricktop201]

I’ve got the Epiphone SG Special with the same pickups and wiring, changing them is the last thing on my mind with that guitar. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with them, sounds every bit as good as good as my ‘77 Les Paul Special and my ‘55 Les Paul Junior.

[@brenthorrocks]

I love the trick of using a pedal housing as a holder for the switch while you do the soldering!

[@MythosPedals]

Save those blems!

[@Aokitadamitsu]

Zack does A LOT of soldering I am thinking, he likely knows more tips and tricks then he could cover in a 1hr video LOL

[@tone1798]

Definitely sold! Always wanted a special! This machine sounds deluxe! Thank you Zach for sharing and showing us the process!

[@mboyer68]

That towel / knob pull technique is really good, thank you!!

[@richsackett3423]

The proper tool is like five bucks. You’re welcome. Get ahold of yourself.

[@thekevinjsim]

I really appreciated the explanations you gave on what you were doing, and I was very impressed with how it sounded in the demo.

[@anthonypyanoe6452]

Love fralin pickups. I did an electronic/pickup upgrade with them in my Revstar and really brought the guitar to life. Thanks for sharing the process of making a good guitar great!!! Really enjoyed the tool recs

[@michaeld.mcclish]

I used them too. I put a set of matched Fralin p90's in one of the new Melody Makers, plus new pots, paper caps, and 50's wiring, completely changed the sound, I love it!

[@WilliamFeryll]

This was a splendid video! Very well done in all regards. Cheers to you and Mythos pedals!

[@mrskullman40]

This was a great video Zach, educational and enjoyable! Looking forward to your soldering tutorial vid as well

[@neelpatkar3446]

Awesome video! Learned a lot that I didn’t know I needed. Very useful tips. Thanks guys!

[@CausingLewis]

really enjoying these build videos!

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Great video! I got one of these when they came out in 2020. I swapped out the bridge for a tone pro’s vintage style, and the posts too, getting the Philadelphia Luthiers ones like Zach used here. After polishing frets and linseed oil on the board, it’s a damn good guitar.

[@lorenzo-agnes]

Finally! Thak you for this clear, detailed demonstrationand explantion. The new "go to" video for wiring a Les Paul Standard :)

[@g_and_kikos_homestudio]

Really cool video Zach. Very informative and makes me more confident about doing some maintance and mods

[@Ryan_Q3L]

I updated pots and pickups in my Epiphone Les Paul limited edition standard years ago-to this day, it plays as good if not better than other more expensive guitars I own.

[@MatzeMaulwurf]

What Pickups do you use?

[@Ryan_Q3L]

My Epiphone LP has Bare Knucle True Grits and my Gibson LP has Bare Knuckle Nailbombs. Both are excellent. @@MatzeMaulwurf

[@mrrootytooty5797]

Yeah i think i want some new ones!

[@ryansloan575]

Great video! The Epi sounded amazing in every position.

[@mattj1341]

I own one of these and I love it so much, the thing plays like a dream. Awesome video and tricks

[@mrrootytooty5797]

Great guitar...amongst the very best for the cash! I actually dont really like the pickups though, dunno if thats just me but i think i'll be swapping mine out at some point :)

[@colinjohnston5870]

Super video. Fret rounding was great - don’t see that in many videos. Totally changing out the pots and wiring and telling what they are and where you got them was on point. In fact, the whole wiring portion of this was good. Auto-focus is a blessing and a curse, haha.

[@elatiumband]

What a fun, informative video. The polishing cloth knob removal trick is great! Thanks!

[@hunterstrasser]

Loved all of this. Been thinking about hot rodding one of these and it was great to see everything you did!

[@CommanderMarsh]

Gonna be honest. This rules.

[@richsackett3423]

pfft

[@18JR78]

Why are you so upset? 😂. The guy gives you entertainment , useful information and you proceed to make a pessimistic comment that adds nothing to the guitar community. Lmfao.

[@richsackett3423]

@@18JR78 You’re upset I called out this garbage vid. They’re everywhere. Not upset myself over the crap info passed around between neophytes. It’s a funny joke. My comment yesterday on an actual luthiers video: Mark Stutman is awesome. Nice shout-out. Looks like the heat probes got glued to the side of the pocket because the angle was the same.

[@markmccormick7054]

Just curious what this guy's doing that you don't like? ​@@richsackett3423

[@PedalExperiments]

I appreciate your honesty.

[@Bruce-gb1be]

I am old and probably couldn't do this, but it's a really cool video. Nice to see how this all works.

[@Ten80pete]

Wow... Now, take this for what it's worth, coming from someone who has only been modding his guitars for maybe 2 years. In this one video, Zach provided more helpful tips and tricks than I have picked up in those 2 years. The chopstick and the Cap leg bend are going to save me a good 15-30 minutes of work, and closer to an hour of muffled swearing and stress the next time I upgrade one of my instruments.

[@RevGary]

You didn't have ability to think that for yourself really??

[@TheBhannah]

Thanks for showing this upgrade !

[@mikelaffey5159]

I have same guitar. It ROCKS right out of the box but WOW...even BETTER with your upgrades!

[@clausbjerregaard3815]

Best and most informative DIY guitar upgrade walk thru ever. My hunt for a - lightweight - Epiphone LP Special is on...👍!

[@pjacques123]

So much great general upgrading information as well! Thank You!

[@salmonti9707]

Soldering demo was very good. I know how to solder, but I love learning new tricks. Very well done !

[@WhitAnderson70]

Snow day video! Excellent.

[@markhammer643]

Two recommended mods to the electronics: 1) It drives me up the wall that manufacturers have been using the *same* tone cap values for neck and bridge tone controls for the last 70 years. Name me ONE player who switches to their bridge pickup when they want a duller darker sound. And yet the tone cap value somehow aims for that. I recommend changing it to a value roughly 1/4 to 1/5 the original value. So if it was .022uf, change it to .0056 or even .0047uf. This will let that tone control "sand down the edges" of the bridge pickup tone without ever making it dull and dark. 2) I cannot recommend, highly enough, the "half out of phase" (HOOP) mod, that Bill Lawrence invented. Normally, putting a bridge and neck pickup out of phase results in a thin nasal tone with a big volume drop. Overlap in spectral content produces those cancellations, but so does equal level. Players of dual-pickup guitars that have dual volume controls, in addition to phase-reverse, will know that adjusting the volume of either neck or bridge, when in opposite phase, will bring the level back up. The HOOP mod, used well in the old Fender Jerry Donahue Telecaster, simply shaves off some of the bass content of the neck pickup, when phase is reversed; restoring it when the pickups are put back in phase. In that guitar, it results in a tone strikingly similar to neck+middle on a Strat, without any middle pickup or volume drop. I've installed it on several of my guitars and it can do just that. BUT, I also installed it on a dual humbucker guitar. It obviously can't replicate Strat tone on an HB-equipped guitar, but it does add another distinct N+B tone that is *very* usable, without any nasal qualities or volume drop. I see no reason why implementing it on a dual P-90 guitar would not expand the available tonal palette. Probably most easily installed by use of a push-pull tone pot for the neck pickup, to do the phase-switching. Personally, I find a .01uf series cap shaves off the right amount of bass in phase-reverse mode, but feel free to experiment.

[@benoftroy]

loved this vid, looking forward to more stuff like this on the mythos channel. thanks!

[@zmix]

Those one piece aluminum wrap around bridge / tailpieces from Philadelphia Luthier Supply are fantastic - Gibson got that design right the first time back in the 1950s, notes really sing on those bridges.

[@Victinfien]

phil luth also sells the made in Germany ABM bell brass adjustable wraparound bridge

[@jarredhicks]

Great way to end the work week! Thanks fellas, fun to enter into the Mythos world!

[@ziggyscoob466]

Great video! I love the chop stick trick.this will help me alot with my soldering.thanks!

[@cometsuch]

This was really good information! Thanks for sharing.

[@jpelphrey91]

Thanks so much for this. You made it very easy to understand. Love these kinds of videos.

[@ivan_emege]

My favorite Les Paul, light, honest and straight guitar, like a Tele. I’ve got the ‘57 reissue Gibson custom shop Special, pricey but a world of feeling and tone different than the Gibson regular one and of course the Epiphone version. Thanks for the video!

[@house-o-twang]

Awesome bang for the buck guitar! I didn't replace the electronics, just bought the Epi connector from Ebay & swapped in Monty's P90's. Cheers, J

[@mikesweeney1435]

I love watching upgrade videos, thanks

[@Fatherflot64]

Love the soldering technique!

[@matthewrippon237]

Really enjoyed this and great mods. 😃

[@macguy3049]

Great video. Couple tricks I hadnt seen before 👍

[@Fenn2b]

This was way more informative than you think. My buddy is a soldering phenom, might have to pair up with him so on an epiphone someday soon

[@johnmoua235]

I love this guitar…I have a few les Paul’s including a Gibson and I always pick up this guitar…the p90s are just so good…it plays great. I would like to up grade a few things as well, but I’m loving this axe. Rock on 🤘🏼

[@mennowokke2965]

That’s awesome, great video! Keep it up guys!

[@coolspring8749]

This video is outstanding! The chopstick trick was hysterical. I think I have a twin brother by another mother. Excellent!!!!!

[@sashguitars_com]

Smart approach! Lots for learning.

[@GEH-vw4hm]

Awesome!! Cheers from Brazil Zack!!

[@wadesummers4102]

Nice. I did a similar project on an 2011 Epi LP Jr. - Hanging in our local shop, I kept playing it and it felt great in my hands. Single P90 up-grade, premium wiring loom, nut and Kluson style vintage tuners with white buttons - gotta have the white buttons. Great little guitar now.

[@spotmfd9431]

Thanks I have a set of custom wound p-90s for around 4 years that i have not used. Have been thinking about doing something like this for a while with a less expensive guitar as my Gibson special sounds great.

[@mykeharrison8353]

Holy god - that sounded so good!

[@Frettedchaos]

Huge improvement! Sounds incredible guys.

[@A10011]

Is there a before and after comparison? I may have missed that.

[@Frettedchaos]

He played it stock a few videos back when they went on a guitar safari of sorts.

[@A10011]

Thank you@@Frettedchaos

[@Frettedchaos]

You’re absolutely welcome!

[@eldyko]

Really loving this. Thanks!

[@BGTsoundandvision]

Thank you. I have to go thru fixing a guitar I have and this is very applicable to what I need to do.

[@dustinmcfarland2441]

man that overdrive tone is super rad

[@MichaelMakowski2006]

I own an Epiphone LP Special just like this - bought it a year ago for $359.00 on sale. I love it! Best value I've ever realized I think, lol. Big question I have, is how much did the components for this upgrade cost? I'm a bit lazy, and could figure it out, but thought I'd ask anyway. Been thinking of upgrading the pickups - all else seems to suit my needs as it sits otherwise. Cheers - Big Mike

[@sebastianmedina1234]

the pickups themselves will definitely get you close to $300 alone. All these mod components probably totaled close to $500, so the modifications exceed the price of the guitar itself. Hope that helped

[@kevinoconnor338]

Such a good video. I love stuff like this.

[@John_2Much_Coffee]

Great video. I want to do a project like this sometime. As soon as I saw a chopstick I got hungry. Watched your video, then ordered some Sushi..... Cheers!

[@phillipasby9202]

Really great clear video! Thanks for sharing this! Next up a basic soldering video because damn you’re good at it :)

[@tomfoolery2082]

Like how u did the cardboard to mark the pot placement. Ill do tht nxt time . U reccomended a hakko soldering station to me long time ago . Got it and still love it . Boys n girls whatever Zach says , do it . Hats off to u sir .

[@madgeniusmusic]

Great video. I've just found your channel. I've got one of those guitars and they're great, I already did the frets and fingerboard stuff but am now considering a wiring harness and pickup swap too.

[@mikedegrazia]

Got that same guitar a while back, plays real nice, needs a good once over like this, love the bulletproof set up. It is hard to beat.

[@crownjewelmusicgearreview9430]

Nice, Mission to Pluto! I have 3 MoonSwatch's, love to see other watch nerds in the guitar community 😂🤙🔥

[@MythosPedals]

I have the Pluto and Jupiter, great daily watch for the shop.

[@jeffdavidson3975]

That was awesome! One day I’ll get the stuff to upgrade my 20 year old epiphone and I’ll rewatch when I’m not at work to learn how to do it.

[@mikegaudet6264]

i took a squier strat classic vibe and put eric johnson pickups in it the same way robbie robertson did to his , sound and plays fantastic and beautiful also.

[@robyates136]

Excellent video. Thanks.

[@eddierosales1680]

Nice work. I dig your mission to Pluto moonswatch

[@johnhood7098]

I love this stuff! Thank you!

[@Jorgestrat]

Powerful tone great job!

[@RiffLair]

Sweet video.! I had this guitar n my wishlist, I might need to get me one soon now.

[@kurtweiand7086]

Very well done, l use to do similar work on my guitars! But now l just watch others do it! Epi's are a good choice for this type of mod!👍

[@stanislavmigra]

Awesome video Zach

[@mikemoir4944]

It sounded really great with that open e chord just how you want it too.

[@melverntaylor402]

Super fun video!!! Sounds great too!!!

[@24-7Guitars]

Great video, and mods. Well done! I just subscribed

[@mitchellmorris8485]

I’m 30 seconds in and already stoked!

[@robertlewis8024]

Love your selector switch "holder".

[@MythosPedals]

Blem enclosures are handy for lots of things

[@endorphinstudios2023]

I have the bolt-on version of this Epiphone. It's not my best guitar but it's one of my favorites. Lightweight and stays in tune.

[@ianchappell2907]

I've down a similar route with mine, the electrics are absolutely fine and the pickups are more than good enough but to get the best out of it switch wiring to 50's. Far cheaper and well worth doing first before spending loads on new pickups and wiring loom.

[@sleekslush]

Agree a million percent

[@GabeHelma]

Hellyeah thats my 1st mod to any guitar i get! I love to swap out the pickup magnets with roughcast A5s too. I have even swapped out ceramics in high gain pickups with them and it always seems to be an improvement. For my playing style at least.

[@badbrad]

Those pickups do sound good!

[@mikesalmo]

You did a great job of being thorough and keeping it fun. This covered about everything that’s easy to do at home except setup and there’s plenty of videos on that. Everything you did except the pickups are pretty cheap upgrades that make most guitars better. That Epi had surprisingly nice pots and jack. Low end Fenders and my old Epi Les Paul had ALPS clones and the flimsiest jacks I’ve ever seen. Such a weird corner to cut… maybe $5… but everyone has to make their money I guess. I got into this stuff from buying inexpensive guitars like this. Now I’m better at working on them than playing them 😂. But I still love watching people work. There’s not 1 right way to do anything and I pick up ideas most of the time.

[@doc_matter]

You can use that wrap around tailpiece with offset studs and still have some decent intonation like all the jrs and specials were back in the 50s, but that epiphone having equidistant studs, the lightningbar is ideal for intonation, Good video regardless!

[@IronandWire]

My thoughts exactly! Why would you replace everything and not but on a proper bridge?

[@doc_matter]

I was totally with him agreeing with every mod tell that last one at the very end, silly lol. He did it for it being "vintage correct" however it is a Vintage correct tailpiece, but incorrect application,

[@sixpicker82]

Do they make a lightning bar in aluminum that is better than stock??

[@ardenstrat]

great video brother, very informative

[@GC-ji3ye]

Philadelphia Luthier is my go-to for TOM/stop and wrap bridges on my gibsons. Usually the first upgrade I do with a new set of string after the set up. Sounds great.

[@bldallas]

Great video; nice upgrades. The guitar sounds awesome. I think I’d also put a set if locking tuners on it and possibly a bone or graphite nut. Epiphone and Squire are both putting out some great guitars for the money, I’ve done the same type of upgrades to both a new Squire 60s CV Strat and a new 60s CV Tele. With Fender American pups, the upgrades cost me between $300 and $350 per guitar. I spent quite a bit of time on the frets, too, and now both guitars quite literally feel/play/sound as good as my American Fender guitars. Fun projects, too. Thanks for the video; cool stuff.

[@twinning]

Great video Zach ! I modded one of these too. I kept all the electronic, rounded frets, replaced plastic nut for bone, replaced the bridge for a tonepros with adjustable saddles (I’m picky with tuning😅), remove all the finish, shaped the neck for a slimmer profile and sprayed it with black nitro. I finally gave it a heavy relic look ! This is one of the best guitar in my possession : light, resonant and easy to play, with a great tone ! These epiphone series are great for experimenting with mods 😊

[@fiveeyes2802]

That must be super cool. Would love to see the nitro black relic'ing on this type of guitar.

[@18JR78]

Bad intonation is a pet peeve of mine but it's all the players preference at the end of the day. Some can hide it with high level playing and tasteful technique.

[@twinning]

@@18JR78I agree, it’s possible to hide bad intonation playing single note lines, but when it comes to play chords in the higher register of the neck things are getting more problematic. It also depends on the ear accuracy and the tolerance of the player.

[@themchangesband]

I can't abide a guitar that won't tune properly.

[@bretspangler8717]

I do this with each new guitar I get, a year or so after my first tune-up I need to revisit the fret ends, maybe I missed some or have a little fretboard shrinkage. My Indian Laurel was much darker than the ads Epiphone was running, I used lemon oil, which keeps them nice and dark.

[@benallmark9671]

Lemon oil also drys the fretboard out. Lemon oil to clean linseed oil to hydrate and darken. I had to learn this the hard way.

[@reddottx]

Thanks for the heads up on the metric studs. Might of just gone on auto pilot and forgotten to consider that. 👍

[@ohiorunwithme]

That’s a beautiful guitar. You knew it had greatness at the music store. Mid position was such a nice clear and fat sound. Can’t wait to finish my masters. I’ll get something with P90s. This was a neat eye opener. I play a Larose JM. previously played a Joe Pass Epiphone hollow body. I threw some Lollar Low winds in it. Sounded so good.

[@jmc1186]

Dude you rock. You explained (and demonstrated) how to wire a Gibson sooooooo much better than anyone else. You took into account I am a dumb dumb who has never done it before and I appreciate that more than you know!! I request you help me understand the witchery that is Stratocaster wiring 😅 lmao thank you!!!

[@valakhdavidson8283]

Muy buen trabajo saludos, gracias por compartir

[@JasonWharton82]

ooof that thing sounded GREAT, that's me back to wanting a special 😂

[@JohnMcGFrance]

Interesting and very informative. Thank you. I think I might use a bridge with individual saddles for intonation but otherwise I’ll be following the video.

[@georged9615]

Zach, thank you for this demonstration. I'm looking at purchasing an Epiphone SG Special and much of this will apply to that guitar. I already have a Gibson LP Special that is a great sounding/playing guitar I was lucky to find used for a good price. I still would like the SG with P90s, though, and this gives me more confidence the Epiphone would be a good choice.

[@jeremiahvolk5100]

Thank you so much for this!

[@brianseneca3546]

cool video and nice upgrades. as long as you are not spending the difference of buying the USA Gibson. When I sold Gibson and Fender in the early 2000's, Mexican made Fenders were around $350-$400. An American Strat in black was $799 at that time. With a hardshell and better overall quality then (Mexi Fenders have gone up big time in quality since) Guys would say to me "I am not paying $800 for a strat. Then they would put new pick ups, new harness, tuners even different pick guards. So their $400 Fender now cost as much or more than buying the American Standard. I know prices have changed, but I think the USA Gibson is around $1700 so I am sure you are nowhere near that with the upgrades. My former bandmate had this guitar. We tracked with it. Stock, no mods and it sounded fantastic! Enjoy

[@paulmatulevich3623]

Filing is such a pinnacle ASMR experience

[@bobbyndallas]

A slight bit more bite from the new electronics. Very nice sound.

[@user-jb4um9tl8d]

Loved the video Zach, only one thing I would disagree with. Fralins are nice, but the Seymour Duncan P-90's made mine a killer machine!

[@moose6676]

Thanks for your video 👍🏻