So while I’ve been waiting for the telecaster build to dry out, I decided it would be an excellent opportunity to start some more customised guitar projects. First off the line is this Epiphone LP Special (needs).

I found this guitar lurking away on gumtree and the ad online made it look better than it was, but I’d driven out to pick it up so I thought what the hell? I could tell from the ad it had just come out of a storage shed of some description and the guy I bought it from had no idea how long it had been in there for, he just won it in an auction and really had no use for it, my reply to that was FIREWOOD, but who knows what this thing might release into the atmosphere when burning so I thought the most responsible thing to do would be to buy it, take it home and strip it down and customise it a little. 

Sooooooo anyways, it started off life as some sort of white colour, I think, it was hard to tell because sweet baby jesus was it dirty. Under the grime it showed that it had apparently been in a hail storm, with some pretty heavy dings all over. I didn’t even want to play it, I mean I’ve had a tetanus shot recently but the strings looked a little like rusty barbed wire. Forgoing my better judgement I plugged it in, strummed a few chords, got a bit “Hendrix” on it and thought to myself, you know what? I’ve never heard a guitar in my life sound so, unbelievably shitting awful. Firewood was again becoming an option. 

Unplug, step back and think about what you have done…

(BTW - check out that tiny control space, totally saving the tone of that plywood right there)

In my opinion fire fixes everything, fire and sometimes sandpaper. I pulled everything out of the guitar, noting the fine (ahem) “craftsmanship” of the lovely folks at whatever factory was churning out these models at the time. The lack of any shielding I thought, was a true touch of genius, almost as well thought out as the plastic input jack cover… 

After striping it down I still wasn’t really sure what to do with the thing, I mean it’s plywood and it’s not the best feeling guitar in my opinion. I figured a good place to start would be to at least sand it back and fill the cavities on the body, with that job done rather easily it was just a case of waiting for the weather to clear up so I could start a new paint job. By this stage I had decided if nothing else I was going to gussy this old girl up so it was at least something interesting to look at, I’m also shaving the neck down to a slimmer profile and repainting/finishing that. The pickups are being heavily labelled “DO NOT TOUCH EVEN IN CASE OF EMERGENCY” and thrown in the bottom of my collection of junk, I don’t maybe they will come in handy for something. I’m thinking of putting in some decent Wilkinson pickups with chrome covers, new pots and an orange drop capacitor as they don’t cost an arm and a leg and I think they will service this guitar nicely. Like I said, I don’t foresee this guitar ever being a tone monster, but you never know, right? 

I’ll be switching out the Volume and Tone controls to something chrome, as well as a new T.O.M bridge, probably also Wilkinson but perhaps with brass saddles, the original was a horrible die cast piece that just can’t stay. I’m going to cut a pickgaurd out for this in the traditional Les Paul style probably out of something like coated aluminium. 

Moving up the guitar, the neck will be shaved and repainted, new tuners, possible Grovers will be put on as the ones that came on the guitar spun and spun and spun and basically I took them off the guitar and they are still spinning around. And yes, so far that is the plan. 

Oh and eventually after the weather did clear up I got onto a few coats of the new paint job. Copper, because why not? 

More updates soon.