Hi Darrell, Really like the videos on the upgrades and you've inspired me to up grade my own Epi LP. Can you recommend a good set of coil tap pickups for the blues / rock sound, gibson preferable but not essential. Liamo
I am seriously Impressed! As an Epiphone Les Paul Owner, I really appreciate the care and attention to detail for taking a beat up Epiphone and breathing new life into it. With all the parts you were able to find on a budget, it sounds really high quality. Of course I have always said to never underestimate an Epiphone Les Paul. Great Work Darrell!
I bought an SG style guitar for $85 this weekend! Once I stripped off the flatwound strings and adjust the truss rod, the strings came down, and it plays fantastic. Has a great action, no string buzz... Deals are out there.
Walmart has a Maestro SG on sale right now for $60 with amp. I got one. Will probably need a little fret and nut work but nothing I can't handle. I also might mod it to take one or two more humbuckers. :D
I bought a Fender Bullet single humbucker for $99 in 2003, installed Grovers, adjusted the truss rod, slapped in an active EMG 85, and it's been my main heavy rhythm go-to ever since. Sounds like a beast through a Pod 1.0 set to "Rectified." Instant Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer tone. I've got another main Strat with a Hot Rails in the bridge for leads. But that Bullet cost me a total of $150 and it sounds like a $1500 guitar.
looks and sounds great. would've liked to see the pickup adjustment, and intonation. if you filmed that, too, feel free to make an extended (Director's) cut. :-)
I am new to the world of guitars, I am thinking about buying one and learn it, although I am nearly 40 now so maybe its too late. I have been binging your channel and this is my favorite video. Thanks for all the effort and for sharing your passion for guitars.
The results here just show why the Seymour Duncan Jazz and JB combination have sold steadily ever since their introduction in the 80's right through to today.
I put a George Lynch Screamin' Demon from SD in the bridge of my Epi Les Paul and it went from a jazz guitar to tearing my head off. Used it for gigs to play John Sykes parts...they make awesome pickups.
SD makes awesome pups. I threw a distortion in the bridge and a jazz in the neck of my Les Paul. They put the burstbucker pros that were in it to shame. 👊🏻
That JB/Jazz combo has been a terrific setup for years. I remember getting my first ones back in the early 80's to stuff into a swamp ash strat project, so awesome!
Karl Engstrom I think when I get my second San Dimas I'm going for that setup. I have the '59/JB in my current one and I heard the Jazz Neck has a smoother sound.
It's the favorite humbukcer set of Seymour Duncan himself.This and the JB/59 set,are pretty much the ''gold standard'' in hotrodded PAF's.Enough power for all kinds of heavy stuff(Dave Mustaine used them for years) but also very warm sounding and they split very well.The 59 in the neck,has a little more output then the Jazz,but both sound great and you can combine them,with a singlecoil in the middle,in Superstrat style guitars very well.
This is why I love modding and resurrecting guitars, take an orphan, show it some love, give it some purpose and it brings joy. This is a guitar most would be proud to own. Usually learn something from your vids.
Wow, that turned out really well. From how it looked at first, to how it ended up is amazing - and the sound of those SDs is creamy as all hell. Well done, sir.
Excellent. I've been upgrading Strats for a long time. I will now be searching for a Les Paul or SG to do just such a project. When you said you were doing a black hardware...I said, hell yes. I may spend years searching for the right one. I am a lefty. I shall make it happen.
My Les Paul is an Episode Standard black. Soon as I got it I ordered black plastic for it! So it's all black and chrome. I got rid of the cream colored surrounds and left the poker chips off and black speed knobs! I kept the chrome hardware, I love the look but I also love the look of the one you just built!!! SEXY!!!!!! They're almost twins! Lol
Thank you DBG! 5:34 - yes, be *very careful* and snug is just fine (i.e., tighten the nut by your finger tips, then only slightly more snug with a nut driver). Don't be like me who, once upon a time, over tightened and cracked the finish! Keep in mind we are working with wood, everything swells with changes in the environment. So, snug can tighten itself further and you will want to allow for this. I check the nuts every time I change my strings because they do loosen up from time to time. Pop Quiz -- Is snug okay? [ ]-Yes [ ]-No (hint: Yes) Darrell - my comment is to emphasize your caution so others can learn from my mistake, my intent is not to step on your awesome toes sir!
Building a guitar is not rocket science. However, it does require some knowledge, patience, and attention to detail. The satisfaction of having a $300 build play and look like a $1,000 instrument is well worth it. Nice job on this project, but I expected no less. Thanks.
You built my guitar!!! LOL Except I put Zakk Wylde Edition EMGs!!! Built it in 2002!! Was my main axe and gigging guitar for years around Los Angeles!!
Darrell, I'm a subscriber to your channel, love your mods and all, and you obviously have some very good musical education. If I may, I've been playing since 1984, and what I love about your channel is you make everything I had to learn about building and modding simple to grasp...things I had to learn by trial and error (for example, I don't string up the guitar before testing the signal; a screwdriver on the pickup is enough to know). I do have a critique of your playing, and I feel like I'm qualified to comment. Feel free to dismiss this, if you don't agree. I find your playing rather clinical, and your vibrato isn't the kind of wide, sexy George Lynch-style one I aim for. I'm a huge fan of Brian May, and that's what I aim for in my finger vibrato. When I use my wrist, i aim for Paul Kossoff. I'm trying to be helpful, and not critical. Go a little wider, and things will sound more human. That's just my two cents. Other than that, great channel, love your builds, you're a fantastic player. Not going to toot my horn. Trying to help a fellow player get better. Something I hated when others told me, but something I needed. Keep up the good work.
Cool build! I think the cheap wiring harness is cool from the reuse standpoint however it is restricting the sound from the pickups. They got the muddiness that you got rid of withe the ultimate build Les Paul. I would suggest upgrading that. Also the deal with locking tuners...they really count on a guitar with a trem system. On a non trem guitar like this it really doesn't matter too much unless you are bending every other note. If you get a good wrap on the machine head post it will be fine. What I recommend for stringing a non locking tuner is to so an over/under wrap to start. I also recommend adding a bit of string to assist with this. On a 3x3 guitar like a Les Paul I pull the string all the way through the hole (line it up with the bridge so it's a straight shot) and then on the thicker strings go to the next machine head, pull it back to the one you are working on and bend it. On the first wrap go over the first go around and then under the next wrap. This pinches the string and the idea for the extra wrap is to go down the post to the base where it flares out. What this does is add a few degrees of downward pressure and helps to eliminate buzzing in the nut. It goes to say as the strings get skinnier you will need more length to get the strings down to the flare on the post. For strings 6&5 I usually go to the next machine head to pull back and kink. For strings 4&3 I usually go two machine heads back. For strings 1&2 I usually have the length of the headstock. Make sure to trim the excess once you have tuned up to pitch and its holding. So I have been using this method for close to 20 years now. I even use it on non locking tuners with Bigsbys. By doing the over/under wrap and wrapping down to the flare I gain tuning stability and I have not had nut buzz to speak of. It takes extra time but it always gives me positive results. Every time that I see someine complaining about nut issues or machine head issues they almost always have a crappy wrap with only a few windings on their machine heads. Once I restring their guitars and use my method, lo and behold the issues are gone unless they really need a new nut.
Especially on black, before you do anything, take a sharpie that matches the paint/stain color of the top and saturate to fill any surface cracks/dings. The marker will slurp into the crack and make it less visible/recognizable. Wipe clean immediately with a lightly damp alcohol rag to remove any ink on the surface.
Hello darrell ,it's a nice low budget rebuild , i rebuild sometimes guitars with spare or used parts too ,it's fun because sometimes you create unlikely associations of pickups and it sounds good or mix pieces of several models by adapting them (example strat neck on tele), it's cool building ! thanks for the video ,take care .
Really nice finished axe! Who cares about the dings and dangs? You just brought it back to life 🙂 I love those Epiphone LP, I own 2 and would never trade them for anything. Keep up your good work!
My first guitar was a special run made for Guitar Center in the states. Trans black with blacked out hardware. It had silver mother of toilet seat poker chip, truss cover and pick guard.I swapped those out almost immediately and it looked identical to your project stealth. Thanks for the memories.
I don't know what's more fun with a budget build, planning and sourcing parts or the actual assembly. I spent a couple of months researching parts for a Harley Benton SC1000 project.
I’ve found your kit and budget build vids extremely helpful. I am researching my options to help me decide which I want to try. Thank you! Great work, and God bless you
Great build! I really enjoy the wear. I find it definitely frees your mind to not worry about babying it. And with a nice set of pickups you can think of it like a wolf in sheep's clothes. It may not 'look' like a monster, but when you plug it in it really screams.
Hey thats almost exactly like my Les Paul! See thru black all black hardware, mine having spertzel locking tuners, and black pickup covers (which i recommend, they look awesome on these.) , old 90s Epi. LOVE IT!
Great video! Cannibalizing parts from other projects was a great way to go to save cash too. Ironically, you were almost apologetic about the bumps and bruises, but there are plenty of expensive beat up new guitars selling for big bucks.
That's an Epiphone OBL limited edition from 1996 or 97. I own one, it my second guitar ever. Those guitars have an interesting story. The bodies were made by Gibson for a Joe Perry Sig model that got changed at the last minute. The bodies were then sent to korea to be finished. Since Gibson had acquired the Original Bill Lawrence name Epiphone made some junk pups with OBL on them sold them to Sam Ash, who sold some to Guitar Center in socal (which is where I bought mine).
A “none blacker” job...looks great I did a similar guitar mod to Samick Avion7 guitar but I decided to put cream colored pickup rings to match the binding...and used emg pickups...black...love it thx Darrell always love your joyous ways of expression...a look most of have while modding or playing
Definitely loved this build!! I guess it really was a budget build (no paint work etc), but I hope the LP Stealth gets a full make over. I'm always encouraged when I watch this channel, in learning to play, build and repair as well compare guitars. Keep it up Darrell.
Black is black/I want my Epi back. Darrell, for scratches and polish I use Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0. Wonderful stuff. I give it 3 or 4 coats. Does great things. Beautiful build. Well done.
Regarding the scratches, you could also try automotive scratch remover (aka "rubbing compound") you can get a bottle for $10 and I've had fantastic results with it on a variety of materials other than what it's officially intended for. It works like superfine grit sandpaper and buffs out light surface scratches.
For my budget LP, I had good luck with a used Les Paul 100 and Tone Emporium TE-24 Custom '67 pickups. The LP 100 has a bolt-on neck and no binding, but it has great tone and sustain, and the hardware is surprisingly solid.
great sound with your Epiphone. I am going to build one as well as I do not want to take out my 73 Les Paul Custom out of the house. Thanks for the great viseo
I like how you didn't try to do anything cosmetically to it. Personally I don't care what a guitar looks like, but how it plays. I've got a 65 SG that is beat all to hell with all sorts of finish cracking and it sounds and plays amazing. Too many people are concerned with looks nowadays.
If the finish on the dings is cracked where the wood can be seen but still mostly intact you can put a damp towel or washcloth over it and use a clothes iron to steam the wood and pop the ding out. It takes a bit of judgement to know which ones to pull out.
Nicely done Darrell! Sounds great! I like finding guitars like this that can be upgraded and not have to worry so much about when playing gigs, the road can be hard on instruments. Cheers!
Derrall....AWESOME JOB!!!...there is nothing better than an old "beater" guitar....if i'm not mistaken, some guy named Van Halen made some great music with an old beater!!!!!....keep rockin my brother
No dont stain it! A proper ebony board would be cooler, all you have to do is glue it right? then the frets.. yeah, or you could just get a cheap Chapman, they come with ebony fretboards, take the neck off, stuff it a Epiphone body, not entirely serious but a youtube view can dream cant he?
I recently upgraded a lotus strat copy w hipshot locking tuners, mojotone sauderless harness, and Seymour Duncan antiquity texas hot pickups. It sounds and plays amazing for a strat copy from the 80s!!!
I've upgraded an Carson Les Paul witch was 400 Dollars new back in 1991. Changed all the electronics and the hardware to Gibson originals and it sounds just like my 1958 Les Paul Standard and is easier to play, 'cause it's just 7.75lbs instead of almost 11.5lbs. sometimes that's worth it!
Great job on this set up and you were mindful to keep the budget down... you know your audience! I like the idea that the guitar has a few dings... meaning its going to be a work horse player. My only objection is to the pick ups. I like the Jazz Duncan in the neck, but would have gone with the Duncan Distortion for the bridge or a Gibson 500T for a straight up Rock guitar. Still a good job.
I'm five years late to the party .... Stratosphere on reverb sells Epiphone Les Paul standard 50's 60's , prophecy , slash guitar bodies and Epiphone sg's . Great price $$ if you like to modd guitars to your personal taste . Great video , I wonder if Darrell still has that black epi. , It sounds great .
Call it “aged” and charge $2,000 more for the dings and scratches.
😄👍👍👍
Ouch, hits home man...
"relic'd"
Mike Roberti but aged is different from having dings and scratches
Well but only works if you’re famous...
All blacked-out and ready to ROCK!
Cheap guitar + used pickups + budget hardware + Killer tone!
$275 all in :)
Hi Darrell,
Really like the videos on the upgrades and you've inspired me to up grade my own Epi LP.
Can you recommend a good set of coil tap pickups for the blues / rock sound, gibson preferable but not essential.
Liamo
$275 all in? Wow! That's incredible. Nice build. Love your channel.
I am seriously Impressed! As an Epiphone Les Paul Owner, I really appreciate the care and attention to detail for taking a beat up Epiphone and breathing new life into it. With all the parts you were able to find on a budget, it sounds really high quality. Of course I have always said to never underestimate an Epiphone Les Paul. Great Work Darrell!
I bought an SG style guitar for $85 this weekend! Once I stripped off the flatwound strings and adjust the truss rod, the strings came down, and it plays fantastic. Has a great action, no string buzz... Deals are out there.
Nice!
That's the way to do it 👍
Walmart has a Maestro SG on sale right now for $60 with amp. I got one. Will probably need a little fret and nut work but nothing I can't handle. I also might mod it to take one or two more humbuckers. :D
I bought a Fender Bullet single humbucker for $99 in 2003, installed Grovers, adjusted the truss rod, slapped in an active EMG 85, and it's been my main heavy rhythm go-to ever since. Sounds like a beast through a Pod 1.0 set to "Rectified." Instant Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer tone. I've got another main Strat with a Hot Rails in the bridge for leads. But that Bullet cost me a total of $150 and it sounds like a $1500 guitar.
looks and sounds great. would've liked to see the pickup adjustment, and intonation. if you filmed that, too, feel free to make an extended (Director's) cut. :-)
Oh for sure! That was what I was really wanting to see. There are other vids that explain this to the nth degree. But he is such a nice chappy.
I am new to the world of guitars, I am thinking about buying one and learn it, although I am nearly 40 now so maybe its too late.
I have been binging your channel and this is my favorite video. Thanks for all the effort and for sharing your passion for guitars.
Builds like these really do prove that you can make a cheap guitar sound expensive
The results here just show why the Seymour Duncan Jazz and JB combination have sold steadily ever since their introduction in the 80's right through to today.
I put a George Lynch Screamin' Demon from SD in the bridge of my Epi Les Paul and it went from a jazz guitar to tearing my head off. Used it for gigs to play John Sykes parts...they make awesome pickups.
I also have their Hot Rails in the bridge of all my Strats.
SD makes awesome pups. I threw a distortion in the bridge and a jazz in the neck of my Les Paul. They put the burstbucker pros that were in it to shame. 👊🏻
I love the gain reduction on the jazz pickups
That JB/Jazz combo has been a terrific setup for years. I remember getting my first ones back in the early 80's to stuff into a swamp ash strat project, so awesome!
Karl Engstrom I think when I get my second San Dimas I'm going for that setup. I have the '59/JB in my current one and I heard the Jazz Neck has a smoother sound.
From what I remember, that combo kinda set the industry standard at the time. Still hard to beat today!
It's the favorite humbukcer set of Seymour Duncan himself.This and the JB/59 set,are pretty much the ''gold standard'' in hotrodded PAF's.Enough power for all kinds of heavy stuff(Dave Mustaine used them for years) but also very warm sounding and they split very well.The 59 in the neck,has a little more output then the Jazz,but both sound great and you can combine them,with a singlecoil in the middle,in Superstrat style guitars very well.
How do you guys like the '59 neck? I'm thinking about it a lot lately
This is why I love modding and resurrecting guitars, take an orphan, show it some love, give it some purpose and it brings joy. This is a guitar most would be proud to own. Usually learn something from your vids.
Wow, that turned out really well. From how it looked at first, to how it ended up is amazing - and the sound of those SDs is creamy as all hell. Well done, sir.
Thanks RR!
Impressive! Shows what kind of great sounds and action can come out of a discard. Thanks.
Excellent. I've been upgrading Strats for a long time. I will now be searching for a Les Paul or SG to do just such a project. When you said you were doing a black hardware...I said, hell yes. I may spend years searching for the right one. I am a lefty. I shall make it happen.
My Les Paul is an Episode Standard black. Soon as I got it I ordered black plastic for it! So it's all black and chrome. I got rid of the cream colored surrounds and left the poker chips off and black speed knobs! I kept the chrome hardware, I love the look but I also love the look of the one you just built!!! SEXY!!!!!! They're almost twins! Lol
Thank you DBG! 5:34 - yes, be *very careful* and snug is just fine (i.e., tighten the nut by your finger tips, then only slightly more snug with a nut driver). Don't be like me who, once upon a time, over tightened and cracked the finish! Keep in mind we are working with wood, everything swells with changes in the environment. So, snug can tighten itself further and you will want to allow for this. I check the nuts every time I change my strings because they do loosen up from time to time.
Pop Quiz -- Is snug okay? [ ]-Yes [ ]-No (hint: Yes)
Darrell - my comment is to emphasize your caution so others can learn from my mistake, my intent is not to step on your awesome toes sir!
Me sees darrelbraun guitar and build in the same sentence in my notifications
three seconds later I'm typing this comment
What a beautiful guitar your made 🖤🖤🖤 all black just as the super strat 🖤🤘 love your videos 🖤 your tone is amazing 🖤
Thanks man!
Building a guitar is not rocket science.
However, it does require some knowledge, patience, and attention to detail.
The satisfaction of having a $300 build play and look like a $1,000 instrument is well worth it.
Nice job on this project, but I expected no less. Thanks.
You built my guitar!!! LOL Except I put Zakk Wylde Edition EMGs!!! Built it in 2002!! Was my main axe and gigging guitar for years around Los Angeles!!
Oh man, upgrading a beat up Les Paul. This will indeed be exciting my man!
This was such an amazing build
Very cool I love project guitar build's 🎸
Thanks Michael!
They are really fun to put together
Great build. I have an ancient Les Paul under my bed (for 40 years) that I'd like to restore. Thanks for the inspiration.
Darrell, I'm a subscriber to your channel, love your mods and all, and you obviously have some very good musical education. If I may, I've been playing since 1984, and what I love about your channel is you make everything I had to learn about building and modding simple to grasp...things I had to learn by trial and error (for example, I don't string up the guitar before testing the signal; a screwdriver on the pickup is enough to know).
I do have a critique of your playing, and I feel like I'm qualified to comment. Feel free to dismiss this, if you don't agree. I find your playing rather clinical, and your vibrato isn't the kind of wide, sexy George Lynch-style one I aim for. I'm a huge fan of Brian May, and that's what I aim for in my finger vibrato. When I use my wrist, i aim for Paul Kossoff. I'm trying to be helpful, and not critical. Go a little wider, and things will sound more human. That's just my two cents. Other than that, great channel, love your builds, you're a fantastic player. Not going to toot my horn. Trying to help a fellow player get better. Something I hated when others told me, but something I needed. Keep up the good work.
Love the sound of that neck pickup!
Cool build! I think the cheap wiring harness is cool from the reuse standpoint however it is restricting the sound from the pickups. They got the muddiness that you got rid of withe the ultimate build Les Paul. I would suggest upgrading that. Also the deal with locking tuners...they really count on a guitar with a trem system. On a non trem guitar like this it really doesn't matter too much unless you are bending every other note. If you get a good wrap on the machine head post it will be fine.
What I recommend for stringing a non locking tuner is to so an over/under wrap to start. I also recommend adding a bit of string to assist with this. On a 3x3 guitar like a Les Paul I pull the string all the way through the hole (line it up with the bridge so it's a straight shot) and then on the thicker strings go to the next machine head, pull it back to the one you are working on and bend it. On the first wrap go over the first go around and then under the next wrap. This pinches the string and the idea for the extra wrap is to go down the post to the base where it flares out. What this does is add a few degrees of downward pressure and helps to eliminate buzzing in the nut.
It goes to say as the strings get skinnier you will need more length to get the strings down to the flare on the post. For strings 6&5 I usually go to the next machine head to pull back and kink. For strings 4&3 I usually go two machine heads back. For strings 1&2 I usually have the length of the headstock. Make sure to trim the excess once you have tuned up to pitch and its holding.
So I have been using this method for close to 20 years now. I even use it on non locking tuners with Bigsbys. By doing the over/under wrap and wrapping down to the flare I gain tuning stability and I have not had nut buzz to speak of. It takes extra time but it always gives me positive results. Every time that I see someine complaining about nut issues or machine head issues they almost always have a crappy wrap with only a few windings on their machine heads. Once I restring their guitars and use my method, lo and behold the issues are gone unless they really need a new nut.
Especially on black, before you do anything, take a sharpie that matches the paint/stain color of the top and saturate to fill any surface cracks/dings. The marker will slurp into the crack and make it less visible/recognizable. Wipe clean immediately with a lightly damp alcohol rag to remove any ink on the surface.
Hello darrell ,it's a nice low budget rebuild , i rebuild sometimes guitars with spare or used parts too ,it's fun because sometimes you create unlikely associations of pickups and it sounds good or mix pieces of several models by adapting them (example strat neck on tele), it's cool building ! thanks for the video ,take care .
Totally agree ☺
Really nice finished axe! Who cares about the dings and dangs? You just brought it back to life 🙂 I love those Epiphone LP, I own 2 and would never trade them for anything. Keep up your good work!
Man the noodling around at the end was really nice. Thanks for posting ✌🏼
Love your guitar build videos! Appreciate all the time you put into these videos!
Thanks Jon!
They are a lot of fun to put together!
I love the Grover tuners! You can feel the quality just by turning them. I used the vintage style on a lap steel build and I'm glad I did!
Your test drive, is absolutely killer!
JB's have an awesome bite to them. Truly a classic bridge humbucker.
My first guitar was a special run made for Guitar Center in the states. Trans black with blacked out hardware. It had silver mother of toilet seat poker chip, truss cover and pick guard.I swapped those out almost immediately and it looked identical to your project stealth. Thanks for the memories.
Nice!
Love it, thanks for always making fun videos about reasonable guitars that most of us hobby players can have fun with!
Thinking about doing a budget build Les Paul myself now! Very cool.
Wow even with the dings and dents, still a thing of beauty. Would love to own something so beautiful. Great job
I don't know what's more fun with a budget build, planning and sourcing parts or the actual assembly. I spent a couple of months researching parts for a Harley Benton SC1000 project.
After I built a black strat like yours I finally realized that tone is in the fingers! But you turned me on to black guitars. Great build and playing.
Nice! How did the Strat project turn out?
I’ve found your kit and budget build vids extremely helpful. I am researching my options to help me decide which I want to try. Thank you! Great work, and God bless you
Great build! I really enjoy the wear. I find it definitely frees your mind to not worry about babying it. And with a nice set of pickups you can think of it like a wolf in sheep's clothes. It may not 'look' like a monster, but when you plug it in it really screams.
Hey thats almost exactly like my Les Paul! See thru black all black hardware, mine having spertzel locking tuners, and black pickup covers (which i recommend, they look awesome on these.) , old 90s Epi. LOVE IT!
Great video! Cannibalizing parts from other projects was a great way to go to save cash too. Ironically, you were almost apologetic about the bumps and bruises, but there are plenty of expensive beat up new guitars selling for big bucks.
It's a Midnight Les Paul.
Great Vid Darrell! I enjoy your transformation Videos. Keep up the Good Work!
That's an Epiphone OBL limited edition from 1996 or 97. I own one, it my second guitar ever. Those guitars have an interesting story. The bodies were made by Gibson for a Joe Perry Sig model that got changed at the last minute. The bodies were then sent to korea to be finished. Since Gibson had acquired the Original Bill Lawrence name Epiphone made some junk pups with OBL on them sold them to Sam Ash, who sold some to Guitar Center in socal (which is where I bought mine).
Cool!
Thanks so much for the info 👍
Are those OBL’s garbage? I scored this same rig on OfferUp for a killer deal. What do those Seymour Duncan’s run?
I bet polishing, similar to a car finish would remove all the scratches. Cool project!
A “none blacker” job...looks great I did a similar guitar mod to Samick Avion7 guitar but I decided to put cream colored pickup rings to match the binding...and used emg pickups...black...love it thx Darrell always love your joyous ways of expression...a look most of have while modding or playing
Definitely loved this build!! I guess it really was a budget build (no paint work etc), but I hope the LP Stealth gets a full make over. I'm always encouraged when I watch this channel, in learning to play, build and repair as well compare guitars. Keep it up Darrell.
Thanks David!
Nice,turned out really good.cant go wrong with Seymour Duncan's that's for sure.also gave me some insight what to look for on a used guitar thanks
Holy Satriani Daryl! Sounded great. Educational and entertaining at the same time. Lots o’ fun.
Thanks so much!
Congrats, I did my epi over 10 years ago and it sounds and plays so nice I never bought a Gibson.
Perfect! Love the Stealth Paul. Sounds and looks great!
Love this video! This is exactly what I've been working on for a couple weeks now! I just started playing a year ago
Awesome!
Let me know how it goes ☺
thanks for this one, DB... for most folks, THIS is pretty helpful/ utilitarian tutorial. i'm a 'GuitarFetish" fan myself ;-)
Like it, goes to show that it's not the price tag that matters !!!
Black is black/I want my Epi back. Darrell, for scratches and polish I use Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0. Wonderful stuff. I give it 3 or 4 coats. Does great things. Beautiful build. Well done.
Thanks! I'll have to check it out 👍
That guitar is all kinds of all right... I think I'll grab my Epiphone and make some ruckus.
Regarding the scratches, you could also try automotive scratch remover (aka "rubbing compound") you can get a bottle for $10 and I've had fantastic results with it on a variety of materials other than what it's officially intended for. It works like superfine grit sandpaper and buffs out light surface scratches.
Nice find...and nice job on the restore. Looking forward to those "over the horizon" project you eluded to. rock n roll.
Perfect for those Front Bar Gigs, there's always that one drunk spilling beer everywhere.
Looks awesome! The blacked out look gives it a Zack wylde vibe!
Thanks man!
Nice level up! This is much closer to my world than the ultimate Epi.
For my budget LP, I had good luck with a used Les Paul 100 and Tone Emporium TE-24 Custom '67 pickups. The LP 100 has a bolt-on neck and no binding, but it has great tone and sustain, and the hardware is surprisingly solid.
Mate!!! Absolutely Awesome. I like the fact that you were able to reuse the parts from the Ultimate Epiphone. Sounds fantastic 🤘🏻
Thanks man!
Excellent work. Fantastic sounding and looks great regardless of the damage. Would be glad to have it in my collection
It sounds so sweet! Love the tone. Great job Darrell.
Thanks Bryan!
Darrell Braun Guitar I do enjoy your channel. Learned lots. Keep it up Darrell. You're amazing. Will look forward to more videos.
Very cool & sounds great! the wife and I loved it.
Thanks AA!
great sound with your Epiphone. I am going to build one as well as I do not want to take out my 73 Les Paul Custom out of the house. Thanks for the great viseo
I like how you didn't try to do anything cosmetically to it. Personally I don't care what a guitar looks like, but how it plays. I've got a 65 SG that is beat all to hell with all sorts of finish cracking and it sounds and plays amazing. Too many people are concerned with looks nowadays.
An all black guitar, really beautiful and sound really great too!
Thanks Joey!
Great work & really COOL tone. Magic!
If the finish on the dings is cracked where the wood can be seen but still mostly intact you can put a damp towel or washcloth over it and use a clothes iron to steam the wood and pop the ding out. It takes a bit of judgement to know which ones to pull out.
Nicely done Darrell! Sounds great! I like finding guitars like this that can be upgraded and not have to worry so much about when playing gigs, the road can be hard on instruments. Cheers!
Thanks!
Yeah, it plays and sounds so good, I wouldn't hesitate to take it out for a night's worth of music.
Sounds huge at the end! Amazing :D
Super sweet build dude. That's a fine looking guitar ready for some action. I'd be stoked to have a guitar like that. Rock on!
Derrall....AWESOME JOB!!!...there is nothing better than an old "beater" guitar....if i'm not mistaken, some guy named Van Halen made some great music with an old beater!!!!!....keep rockin my brother
Thanks Larry! You too!
Yeah, came out great and sounds fantastic!
Wow , its sounds like a much more expensive 🎸 !!! Nice job
excellent only thing missing is an ebony board
That would be just perfect!
Alex Davies I wonder if DB has any stain left from the fretless project?
😄 Maybe I should!
No dont stain it! A proper ebony board would be cooler, all you have to do is glue it right? then the frets.. yeah, or you could just get a cheap Chapman, they come with ebony fretboards, take the neck off, stuff it a Epiphone body, not entirely serious but a youtube view can dream cant he?
mike jones no he cant
I recently upgraded a lotus strat copy w hipshot locking tuners, mojotone sauderless harness, and Seymour Duncan antiquity texas hot pickups. It sounds and plays amazing for a strat copy from the 80s!!!
Love your "builds", especially the LP's. I have a Epi LP Studio I will use some of your ideas on. Keep up the excellent work!
i love these build videos
Guessing he’s tried widening the holes for cts pots with a drill instead of buying a £9 reamer. Looks great as a finished product dude, awesome
Looks & sounds great Darrell! Great to see you breathe new life into something that was neglected :)
Thing is MONSTER.
I've upgraded an Carson Les Paul witch was 400 Dollars new back in 1991. Changed all the electronics and the hardware to Gibson originals and it sounds just like my 1958 Les Paul Standard and is easier to play, 'cause it's just 7.75lbs instead of almost 11.5lbs. sometimes that's worth it!
Nice tone, great sustain! I hope it feels as good as it sounds. Nice rock guitar.
Great job on this set up and you were mindful to keep the budget down... you know your audience! I like the idea that the guitar has a few dings... meaning its going to be a work horse player. My only objection is to the pick ups. I like the Jazz Duncan in the neck, but would have gone with the Duncan Distortion for the bridge or a Gibson 500T for a straight up Rock guitar. Still a good job.
another video of awesomeness! you never let us down with your cool upgrades darrell. another great job that inspres!
Love it! The only thing I would add is an ebony stain to the neck. I think you've tested one before and it worked great!
That would have been awesome! 👍
Turned out great! Always love your tasteful playing. Just goes to show it doesn't take a fortune to make a very serviceable axe. God bless bro!
looks and sounds great. I'd play that Epi, I don't think I've seen such a nice one before.
Looks absolutely fantastic great job!
Thanks Jack!
I'm five years late to the party .... Stratosphere on reverb sells Epiphone Les Paul standard 50's 60's , prophecy , slash guitar bodies and Epiphone sg's . Great price $$ if you like to modd guitars to your personal taste . Great video , I wonder if Darrell still has that black epi. , It sounds great .
Yes I like it. It's cool man. I like less paul guitars but I never had kept one for long. I always end up trading it for something.
another awesome video! love the final result man, congratulations and keep rocking!
Thanks Pedro!
that is a sweet build Darrell, I luv it and the sound is killer!
Thanks man!
Love the sound out of that