I have that exact guitar and it is play's perfect . I think Dave had his mind made up long before he touched this guitar. I am amateur luthier and I had no problem setting mine up to play beautifully.
So what you are saying is that you bought a guitar that needed a setup and now it plays beautifully just like Dave did. Congratulations. Now can you joke around while doing it? And videoing yourself at the same time.
I just want to say thank you Dave. Everything I know about guitar repair and maintenance has come from you and this channel. It has saved me so much time and money by learning this stuff. Thanks.
Dave--Thanks for your channel. I live in China, and I recently bought a cheap strat (made in China, of course), and set it up in no time at all thanks to you and your videos. Love your videos, and thanks for helping out the novices.
Dave, Dave ,Dave, you raise the the pole pieces by screwing the poles up and down.. I have a casino I bought 5yrs ago, but I new what I was buying, I have change the pots and switch, polish the freaks, work on the nut, my action is low and I love the way it plays, love the way it looks, I like the p-90’s, and I went down a gage in strings, but I new I was going to have to do all the work to it, so my friend go easy on us poor people, and show some love for the casino......( or throw it out the door,and measure snow with it.LoL.)
Ha! Just got the green one yesterday, and had to make the exact same adjustments. Your previous vids taught me something. Didn't realize how much I've learned!
Ya ever heard Goldfinger - phonecall ? "Abby normal looking for...male/female drummer... is that you? What's this Abby Normal shit?" I couldnt help but remember that (from so long ago its crazy) when I read your name :D
@@dongonzulman6478 Hahaha, that's awesome, never heard it before (thanks Google?). mine is from Young Frankenstein. Something new to point ppl towards, thanks!
@@thegoodguy44 I get that. Especially in a guitar like this. Hard to work through F holes. But after doing 3 or 4 of em you get the hang of gutting it and putting in the good stuff.
I have the gibson version of this guitar. Mine is a 1963 gibson 330 TDC.. I paid a classmate $50 and my bicycle for this guitar in 1968 when I was 16. I still have the guitar here in February 2021. I have had maybe 60 or 70 guitars over the decades. This one is still the magic one. The fastest playing easiest to play.. this is the guitar I played in the garage bands in high school, in the smoky bars of the 70s and 80s. I have never had this guitar set up. I’ve never tried to change anything on it. I have had Strats, Jazzmasters, Ibanez, Yamaha‘s,epiphones, Brian Moore, Gibson Les Paul standards, schecters, takamine, Taylor, Vox, guitars in a few I can’t remember I’m sure,. i’ve had guitars like my 1959 jazz master that I have had set up by three different guitar gurus. I’ve tried different strings, nothing would make that guitar play even close to my 330.. I have a gibson 335 also.. hi no the 335 is not a completely hollow body guitar and it’s a little bit longer. But I tried to set all of the changeable specs exactly the same as my 330. The 330 is still easier to play.. I have owned the 330 for over 50 years now. And not one of the dozens of guitars I have had ever played better than my 330 that I have never had set up. I wouldn’t dare..There is one little thing that I would like to do on my 330. That is ,lube the tuning machines.. they’re a little tough to turn compared to my other guitars. How about a video on that dave
Made in China by American luthiers also Qungdoe facility is run and supervised by American Master builder Scott Lewis and his American and Asian luthiers Lewis has been at that facility since 2002 and was Master builder for Gibson so when you say made in China be more specific
Great comment. In this day and age, “Made in China,” does NOT mean it’s poorly made. Or Made in Indonesia for that matter. I have a Squire 60s Classic Vibe Strat that feels and plays better than the Fender Player Series guitars that I’ve tried. Really amazing guitar for $400!
I just got a new casino when these new worn ones released (though I just got the natural fully finished one) and honestly it’s a really great guitar. I had to flip it since I play left handed but after very minor adjustments it plays insanely well.
Been watching this show for a couple years, still waiting for a guitar that doesn't have a 2 way truss rod. LIGHTEN UP, DAVE, THEY'RE ALL MADE IN CHINA NOW :D
I assume you checked the nut string slots and they were okay and that's why we didn't see it. I bought one of those shiny orange ones they came out with a couple of years ago and the nut slots were hardly cut deep enough and it was playing all out of tune with the cowboy chords. I was going to replace the nut but I slowly worked on the stock one for a couple of days until I got it perfect and then along with the other setup steps that you show us, thank you, it plays like a dream now. I know what you mean about the fretboard. They don't use rosewood anymore because of the import rules and use pao ferro instead. It is so much lighter even after oiling. I've bought some stain to darken it when I get brave enough. Maybe you've done that before and it would make a good video? There were also little ugly tooling marks on my fretboard behind some frets on the low E side but not too extreme. People complain that the pickups are so much hotter than in vintage Casinos but all you can do is lower the 6 string screws in each pickup.
I played a couple of those in a guitar store last year and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and how well they played. Maybe you should have clipped those strings in the playing position, or oiled the fret board in the playing position, or lowered the string height in the playing position. All a load of bullshit. Better yet, eat your sandwich in the playing position.
The factory settings are just that factory settings nothing more. Only you know how you like your guitar set up. Until it gets to you they are all "set up" the same way (which is as littlr as possible) leaving the factory. That way one isn't feather touch action and another isn't super high action. There is no standard set up for a guitar it's what you like it's simple as that.
The microwave meal of guitars; cost effective, looks good on the packaging, follow the instructions ensuring it’s prepared correctly, don’t expect too much, it won’t be great but it’ll keep you going. Though you could have skipped it and saved up the same cash for steak at a later time. (Disclaimer; I do like the odd microwave meal)
There's a lot of great functioning guitars for less money these days. It's a great time to be starting out. Now I just need to control my recent Alvarez lust.
Guitars have been sold and not setup correctly for so long now. My local guitar shop techs don't set them up correctly either -- and on the seventh day - God created Dave.
There is no standard set up. My idea of a set up guitar is probably not your idea of a properly set up guitar. The factory standards? Your personal set up preferences? Or my set up preferences? Why waste time getting a guitar to the Gibson or fender factory standards? We all like our guitars set up the way we like them not what a book or company says it should be.
I bought a Chinese casino back in 2011,never had a set up,apart from the nut breaking off at the low e string,it’s been great,few years back it got a big upgrade,with Gibson wiring ,4 500k pots & a pair of Lindy frailin p90’s,kluson tuners.even after the all the work,it was put back together with new strings,&it never even had a truss rod adjustment,best of all ,it’s now a killer guitar,& total cost was £700, £450 for the guitar, &£250 for the pick ups wiring ,pots,a real bargain
I bought a red Grote from China. It's amazing. Only 220 delivered to Alaska.Wow. solid made guitar. .it looks just like that. I bet the shops are close together, share parts.
this is the most interesting video you've ever done dave. if you can make that thing play well, i already know it's gonna sound awesome and your customer is going to be very happy.
What is wrong with a Epiphone guitar? Looks and sounds nice from where I was sitting. Maybe the owner will be just as happy with his Epi after Dave did a proper set up as you are with all your High end Gibson's and Custom Shop Fender guitars. :)
@@IYF_Productions_SL I think you're replying to the wrong guy or something? lol. I think Epi's are great and Gibson's are out of my reach, by a LOT. Couldn't/Wouldn't waste my money on a Fender either I'd get a Squier and upgrade the electronics.
Good stuff as usual Dave. When I was a kid I had a gibson 335dot neck that was constantly in and out of the shop it never played right and I spent a fortune on the thing. Many years later I bought myself an Epipphone dot which was essentially the same guitar without the binding and a different neck construction. Although I had to cut a new nut and do some fret for work on it for the money I spent it was a steal. Dropped some pick ups into it and it sounds like 1 million bucks. Wouldn’t buy when you though! Thanks for your videos
I have the worn ebony and love it...all these guitars need a setup ..I had a bone nut put on mine and had it intonated...plays like a dream. These are great value for the price. I bought a 335 and guess what...it needed a setup too..I think the switch is too close to the pickup so ..got rid of the pickguard. Great unplugged guitars too.
Davy will never do that it would make a perfectly good Birdhouse outback. lol plus saw blades cost money and old guitar stings are free and double as tree hangers for crap guitars. lol :)
I bought a Dangelico Boardwalk /w p90s ($475 delivered to my door) made in Indonesia and very happy with it. It was packed (or not) like shit. Terrible. Don't know how the thing survived the trip around the world. Had my tech check it out. It did need tweaking, nut was too high, trussrod, setup, etc. I wanted a different sound than my Strat. I'm sure there are horror stories out there but I'm a satisfied customer and I guess I have to give a shout out to Musicians Friend (watch for sales).
And not to be a think tank, but I believe the bigger issue is why a person is unable to afford an American made instrument when most could 70 years ago. A new Gibson es 335 was $267 in 1958 (2400 today), yet salaries have not increased 10 times since. The issue is that under the facade of imported cheap goods, the government has bamboozled its citizens of a livable wage comparable to our grandparents.
Hey Dave! I am taking advantage of the COLD weather to rewatcha bunch of your old videos, liking each one, commenting on many ;) I did FINALLY sign up to be a Patreon as well ;)
Venting is best done, in the playing position ;-} I've worked on Mex & Indo guitars that needed more work than that Casino (spot leveling & fret finishing). If the price point is right & the overall construction is good, then one shouldn't mind add'l setup.
Dave I'm with ya 100% man. I always setup intonation with the guitar laying on my bench just like this. I know so many people grip about that but I have yet to hear a difference. Love you're videos. I have been doing lots of repairs and setups out of my house for a ton of musicians in my area for the past few years and I have learning a lot of tricks watching your vids. Cheers.
I musta got lucky with my 2014 epi Casino. Plays pretty good and the pickups are awesome. I asked the music store to give it a quick setup though...they threw that in.
I don’t know about the modern Chinese ones as I’ve never played one. But a few years ago most Epiphones were made in Korea and the guitar itself was just great … new electrics and get the frets polished/nut tweaked and it was a 100 percent great gigging guitar. I imagine these aren’t too too far off
" it is what it is... why can't it for once be what it isn't??" LOL I'm gonna start saying that when someone says "it is what it is " lol that's too damn funny 🤣
I like Epiphone guitars. I think too, that in a lot of ways, it all depends on a good set up. With a little patience and basic knowledge, you can turn those China made guitars can be made very nice
I need a set of top hat knobs for my Les Paul Burst, but I need them to grip easier than stock which for me isn't easy as a Strat. Are there knobs that look like vintage but have a grip around it?
The difference setting intonation in "playing position" negates the small difference from the guitars own weight caused from it being bridged from neck to the butt. It might be negligible, especially on a semi hollow body but "playing position" means zero force exerted on the neck from either angle. Even fretting one note without cancelling it out by equal thumb pressure on the back will change its tuning by a cent or two. It's not going to make much difference unless the player has both perfect pitch and OCD.
Mine was setup nearly perfectly out of the box, just had to drop the action a tiny bit on the bass side. Plays extremely well and stays in tune better than most Gibsons that I own. Luck of the draw, but a dark fretboard on mine.
I love Dave's grumpy demeanour ... but the truth is whilst moaning about someone buying a guitar when attracted by its appearance and saying "all it needs is a setup" he just proved that this was indeed a very nice guitar that just needed a setup!!
I have two Casinos and no problems. Ok. Both are 10 years old from this review date. Maybe better China quality back then. But not a problem. One I put round wounds on it and another flat wound. They sound great today. BTW based on humidity, you may have to adjust the kneck occasionally. I think Epi makes a Gibson quality guitar. I have Gibson LP and 335. I had to replace parts on the Gibsons because they broke. Not once did I have to replace an Epi part.
Same here. '03 Korean Joe Pass. I play it more than my pricier guitars. All I had to do was address a couple of frets that were a tad high and open up the nut slots so I could put 12's on. Thanks to Dave, I was able to handle that myself.
Hi, I bought a Epiphone Reviera P93wr around 2 years ago it looks the part played amazing when I bought it six months later issues issues issues, Bigby isn't working right bridge was buzzing so I bought a new bridge for it to also start buzzing middle pickup no longer works 60 percent of the time its a shame cause its a beautiful and played great but honestly I'd say do research before buying into these epiphone semi hollowbodies rather than having the trouble that I had with might. I now need to spend hundreds on getting the guitar right and it's just a shame.
This Worn Green Epiphone SG P90 Classic I got last year was also setup like total crap out of the box. Needless to say I was quite underwhelmed when it was delivered. The vintage style tuners were just awful, so I swapped them out for some chromed out Kluson Revolution 19:1 ratio machines, and did my best to set up the relief/nut/action needed to play "Stoner Rock/Doom Metal" in C standard with a set of 12-54 Dunlop Heavy Core strings. Obviously the action has to be higher to compensate for that amount of string mass/travel vibration, but I got it to a pretty comfortable playing level. Still not 100% gelling with it though, and now the damn switch is starting to crap out on me with just minimal play time. Pondering over installing a "String Butler" to help improve the tuning stability, but if I honestly cared such things? I wouldn't of got an SG in the first place! Hahaha! I must admit, it's a sweet looking axe overall. I was (still am) a sucker for that open pore green finish obviously. A luthier buddy of mine offered me a new Switchcraft toggle and a good trained professional once over ASAP. Hopefully that'll sort right out. Otherwise it'll continue being a $430 wall decoration. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
well these new like gibson epiphone are great sometime like this one need a setup but your the man for that. i bought a new tv yellow epi les paul classic and it a great guitar. like this one the strings were a little too high neck a little to straight but i learned from you dave how to fix this the right way. thanks buddy for your videos. your the man!!!! Larry
Thanks again Dave. Hope you're well. I was wondering what leads you to check the 1st fret action? When you check for fret buzz near the neck joint and something doesn't seem right or the string height?
I know this might be kind of a dumb question but, does anyone know what the name of the type of "string holder" on these older guitars(ie ,the thing that hooks onto the bottom of the guitar and holds the strings before it gets to the bridge)?
Dave here's a little educational facts about Epiphone China facility....its State of the art it is American owned and operated American luthiers and supervisors at the China facility Scott Lewis is plant manager and Master builder and Mr. Lewis was also Master builder for Gibson some years back so this whole china made crap with you dave in this case is Voided Also Epiphone Les Paul's and Sgs are 70% hand crafted just like the Gibson's and the have CTS Electronics and ABR bridges
I have a 2012 baked maple fretboard from when the US government took their wood. And it is dry we're and what do you use for the oil is that lemon oil?
dave this guitar makes me cry. I had to sell an old casino to pay my bills, but it was made in Korea at the peerless factory. the thing was amazing. they all require work though. people who love playing guitar should learn how to do some basic shit, because you can make a guitar like that way better. it's cheap and a platform to get somewhere better.
When I started off I learned how to do electric and even acoustic setups pretty early on. When you can only get cheap stuff you had to figure out how to lower action, intonation and check neck relief. 9/64 is rough for an electric! I'd set my electrics low! But that also depends on the scale. The longer the scale, the lower the action!
I just bought a PRS S2 McCarty 594 off the shelf at a real store...took it home, changed the strings to 9’s...the neck relief was perfect...the string height was perfect...the intonation was perfect....just saying!!!!!
People in the 70s: "- Hey dude, check my Epi MIJ. - That's shit man, the good Epis are MIA." People in the 80s: "- Yo, check my Epi MIK. - Those are crap, you should get a MIJ" People in the 21st Century: "- Look at my brand new Epi Made in China. - Duh, from where else !?"
I have that exact guitar and it is play's perfect . I think Dave had his mind made up long before he touched this guitar. I am amateur luthier and I had no problem setting mine up to play beautifully.
I love that about Dave's Chanel to be honest.
It's mostly humorous dialogue.
Even a junk guitar can sound okay in a good amp.
So what you are saying is that you bought a guitar that needed a setup and now it plays beautifully just like Dave did. Congratulations. Now can you joke around while doing it? And videoing yourself at the same time.
It's luck of the draw with Epiphone. You got a good one. This apparently isn't a good one.
Maybe you had your mind made up to support a bad buy.
I just want to say thank you Dave. Everything I know about guitar repair and maintenance has come from you and this channel. It has saved me so much time and money by learning this stuff. Thanks.
Guitars have feelings too Dave. That Blue Beast was thinking, “why does he hate me so much”?
Dave is projecting his hostility because he is still learning to love himself.
Can you blame him?
Just kidding Dave! 😎
He hates it because it's Chinese lol. Just joking I've had a few Chinese guitars that play great.
@@mma1st105 Yup ... he just demonstrated this is a great guitar that "just needed a setup"!!
@@mma1st105 I wouldn't hesitate to buy that guitar. What was done on it was no big drama or big deal.
I feel like Dave had a couple of beers before this one.
I think its a requirement whilst working on an Epiphone
Dave was driven to it by the Positionistas!
Same!!
@@Xaion6 It's a requirement in Canada, certainly.
Probably not a bad thing.
Dave--Thanks for your channel. I live in China, and I recently bought a cheap strat (made in China, of course), and set it up in no time at all thanks to you and your videos. Love your videos, and thanks for helping out the novices.
Thanks for sharing!
Looks to me that the guitar was built pretty well and just needed a basic setup. Can't ask for much more out of a fairly inexpensive guitar.
Dave, Dave ,Dave, you raise the the pole pieces by screwing the poles up and down.. I have a casino I bought 5yrs ago, but I new what I was buying, I have change the pots and switch, polish the freaks, work on the nut, my action is low and I love the way it plays, love the way it looks, I like the p-90’s, and I went down a gage in strings, but I new I was going to have to do all the work to it, so my friend go easy on us poor people, and show some love for the casino......( or throw it out the door,and measure snow with it.LoL.)
Ha! Just got the green one yesterday, and had to make the exact same adjustments. Your previous vids taught me something. Didn't realize how much I've learned!
Ya ever heard Goldfinger - phonecall ?
"Abby normal looking for...male/female drummer... is that you? What's this Abby Normal shit?"
I couldnt help but remember that (from so long ago its crazy) when I read your name :D
@@dongonzulman6478 Hahaha, that's awesome, never heard it before (thanks Google?). mine is from Young Frankenstein. Something new to point ppl towards, thanks!
@@Abbynorml1979 ;D
@@Abbynorml1979 what did you inherit from the monster? :-)
“That’s 5 dicks slapping you in the face”. Dave is a gem. Got a belly laugh outta me. Cheers
I have found that Epiphone makes some damn good guitars, and straight necks too. Just as good as a Gibson IMO
Electronics suck compared to gibson. Wood is just as good. QC is probably a little better. Price point is bang on. Love my Epi's
@@MEDiumInc Electronics being shitty is a dealbreaker.
@@thegoodguy44 I get that. Especially in a guitar like this. Hard to work through F holes. But after doing 3 or 4 of em you get the hang of gutting it and putting in the good stuff.
@@thegoodguy44
You can mod them pretty easily.
The Trogly's Guitar Show did some new Epi demos and almost all had some high frets.
It's comforting knowing you're still there, my friend.
just not all there!
dave's world of not so fun guitar setups
I have the gibson version of this guitar. Mine is a 1963 gibson 330 TDC.. I paid a classmate $50 and my bicycle for this guitar in 1968 when I was 16. I still have the guitar here in February 2021. I have had maybe 60 or 70 guitars over the decades. This one is still the magic one. The fastest playing easiest to play.. this is the guitar I played in the garage bands in high school, in the smoky bars of the 70s and 80s. I have never had this guitar set up. I’ve never tried to change anything on it. I have had Strats, Jazzmasters, Ibanez, Yamaha‘s,epiphones, Brian Moore, Gibson Les Paul standards, schecters, takamine, Taylor, Vox, guitars in a few I can’t remember I’m sure,. i’ve had guitars like my 1959 jazz master that I have had set up by three different guitar gurus. I’ve tried different strings, nothing would make that guitar play even close to my 330.. I have a gibson 335 also.. hi no the 335 is not a completely hollow body guitar and it’s a little bit longer. But I tried to set all of the changeable specs exactly the same as my 330. The 330 is still easier to play.. I have owned the 330 for over 50 years now. And not one of the dozens of guitars I have had ever played better than my 330 that I have never had set up. I wouldn’t dare..There is one little thing that I would like to do on my 330. That is ,lube the tuning machines.. they’re a little tough to turn compared to my other guitars. How about a video on that dave
Good point about “being blinded by the bling.” I’ve also heard auto mechanics complain about how poorly (stupid) certain cars are designed.
Many many guitar players listen with their eyes.
High billable hours for repairs increase dealership profits. It isn't poorly done, it is optimized for profit.
Finally someone who is completely 100% honest about checking the intonation in the "playing position".
If you have followed Dave from the beginning you will know this is Dave being Dave...this is why we need Dave !!
What does Dave have to do with any of this, Paul Carpenter sir?
I didn’t initially understand the appeal of Dave’s channel but now I’m all In!
Made in China by American luthiers also Qungdoe facility is run and supervised by American Master builder Scott Lewis and his American and Asian luthiers Lewis has been at that facility since 2002 and was Master builder for Gibson so when you say made in China be more specific
Great comment. In this day and age, “Made in China,” does NOT mean it’s poorly made. Or Made in Indonesia for that matter. I have a Squire 60s Classic Vibe Strat that feels and plays better than the Fender Player Series guitars that I’ve tried. Really amazing guitar for $400!
The new casinos made in the states cost 3grand. I have 3 casino epiphones made overseas and they are work horses and sound and play great 👍
Just found this channel and I am binging soooo much of your guitar work now. You're awesome Dave, thanks for showing us all of the process
My favorite part of the video was when he was talking about playing position for checking Intonation. 😂😂
I own a Chinese made Squier Custom Vibe Stratocaster and you'd be amazed how incredibly good it is.
Why not raise/lower the screws in the pickups? Would this help if you thought they were too low/high?
I just got a new casino when these new worn ones released (though I just got the natural fully finished one) and honestly it’s a really great guitar. I had to flip it since I play left handed but after very minor adjustments it plays insanely well.
Hey, you and Paul McCartney flipped your Casinos!!
Been watching this show for a couple years, still waiting for a guitar that doesn't have a 2 way truss rod. LIGHTEN UP, DAVE, THEY'RE ALL MADE IN CHINA NOW :D
Epiphones may not be Gibsons, but I have four and they were fine.
Epiphones are made far better than Gibsons.
William what do you think for the Sheraton 2 mikorea?
I assume you checked the nut string slots and they were okay and that's why we didn't see it. I bought one of those shiny orange ones they came out with a couple of years ago and the nut slots were hardly cut deep enough and it was playing all out of tune with the cowboy chords. I was going to replace the nut but I slowly worked on the stock one for a couple of days until I got it perfect and then along with the other setup steps that you show us, thank you, it plays like a dream now. I know what you mean about the fretboard. They don't use rosewood anymore because of the import rules and use pao ferro instead. It is so much lighter even after oiling. I've bought some stain to darken it when I get brave enough. Maybe you've done that before and it would make a good video? There were also little ugly tooling marks on my fretboard behind some frets on the low E side but not too extreme. People complain that the pickups are so much hotter than in vintage Casinos but all you can do is lower the 6 string screws in each pickup.
Your curmudgeonly ways warm my ancient, arthritic heart. Remember, it's not a rant if you're right.
I played a couple of those in a guitar store last year and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and how well they played. Maybe you should have clipped those strings in the playing position, or oiled the fret board in the playing position, or lowered the string height in the playing position. All a load of bullshit. Better yet, eat your sandwich in the playing position.
Oiling the fretboard in the playing position, best ever!
Oh gee haw haw haw...
A lot of trash talk, for, “ this is pretty good”
They are great guitars
@@sneifert1968 I thought the same exact thing.
They dont setup guitars in america either..lol
The factory settings are just that factory settings nothing more. Only you know how you like your guitar set up. Until it gets to you they are all "set up" the same way (which is as littlr as possible) leaving the factory. That way one isn't feather touch action and another isn't super high action. There is no standard set up for a guitar it's what you like it's simple as that.
@@spiderfan1974 That was rhetorical brotha!! Lol.
The microwave meal of guitars; cost effective, looks good on the packaging, follow the instructions ensuring it’s prepared correctly, don’t expect too much, it won’t be great but it’ll keep you going.
Though you could have skipped it and saved up the same cash for steak at a later time.
(Disclaimer; I do like the odd microwave meal)
Ahh Dave! I've not watched one of your vids in a while and straight off the bat you have me laughing. I won't leave it so long again 👍
There's a lot of great functioning guitars for less money these days. It's a great time to be starting out.
Now I just need to control my recent Alvarez lust.
Dave is spot on about setting the intonation in the "playing position"
Guitars have been sold and not setup correctly for so long now. My local guitar shop techs don't set them up correctly either -- and on the seventh day - God created Dave.
There is no standard set up. My idea of a set up guitar is probably not your idea of a properly set up guitar. The factory standards? Your personal set up preferences? Or my set up preferences? Why waste time getting a guitar to the Gibson or fender factory standards? We all like our guitars set up the way we like them not what a book or company says it should be.
For years I've been referring to "Arts & Crafts" as "Arts & Craps." I'm totally with you on that one.
Dang thats fine 🔥 butternasty. Epiphone makes all your sounds epic
I bought a Chinese casino back in 2011,never had a set up,apart from the nut breaking off at the low e string,it’s been great,few years back it got a big upgrade,with Gibson wiring ,4 500k pots & a pair of Lindy frailin p90’s,kluson tuners.even after the all the work,it was put back together with new strings,&it never even had a truss rod adjustment,best of all ,it’s now a killer guitar,& total cost was £700, £450 for the guitar, &£250 for the pick ups wiring ,pots,a real bargain
I bought a red Grote from China. It's amazing. Only 220 delivered to Alaska.Wow. solid made guitar. .it looks just like that. I bet the shops are close together, share parts.
Hey Dave, what size strings would you recommend for a Epephone sg ( newer model made ie china) ??
Dave, you know you can't foam-bat someone if he ain't in the foam-bat-receiving position! Everyone knows that. Lol! ;)
Not that there's anything wrong with foam-batters...
I buy my linseed oil at the local Farts and Craps store. :-)
this is the most interesting video you've ever done dave. if you can make that thing play well, i already know it's gonna sound awesome and your customer is going to be very happy.
What is wrong with a Epiphone guitar? Looks and sounds nice from where I was sitting. Maybe the owner will be just as happy with his Epi after Dave did a proper set up as you are with all your High end Gibson's and Custom Shop Fender guitars. :)
@@IYF_Productions_SL I think you're replying to the wrong guy or something? lol. I think Epi's are great and Gibson's are out of my reach, by a LOT. Couldn't/Wouldn't waste my money on a Fender either I'd get a Squier and upgrade the electronics.
Good stuff as usual Dave. When I was a kid I had a gibson 335dot neck that was constantly in and out of the shop it never played right and I spent a fortune on the thing. Many years later I bought myself an Epipphone dot which was essentially the same guitar without the binding and a different neck construction. Although I had to cut a new nut and do some fret for work on it for the money I spent it was a steal. Dropped some pick ups into it and it sounds like 1 million bucks. Wouldn’t buy when you though! Thanks for your videos
With all the adjustments done . Wouldn’t it be just as sensible to finish the upgrades with pick ups and controls ?
I have the worn ebony and love it...all these guitars need a setup ..I had a bone nut put on mine and had it intonated...plays like a dream. These are great value for the price. I bought a 335 and guess what...it needed a setup too..I think the switch is too close to the pickup so ..got rid of the pickguard. Great unplugged guitars too.
When George Carlin reviews guitars. 🤣😂😂
I'm waiting for the day when Dave finds a guitar so bad that he puts it out of its misery with a power saw!
And miss the opportunity to give it the full Pete Townshend send off?
Davy will never do that it would make a perfectly good Birdhouse outback. lol plus saw blades cost money and old guitar stings are free and double as tree hangers for crap guitars. lol :)
So if I want a semi-hollow like this what brand do I buy that isn't made in China and doesn't cost $4000.
I bought a Dangelico Boardwalk /w p90s ($475 delivered to my door) made in Indonesia and very happy with it. It was packed (or not) like shit. Terrible. Don't know how the thing survived the trip around the world. Had my tech check it out. It did need tweaking, nut was too high, trussrod, setup, etc. I wanted a different sound than my Strat. I'm sure there are horror stories out there but I'm a satisfied customer and I guess I have to give a shout out to Musicians Friend (watch for sales).
And not to be a think tank, but I believe the bigger issue is why a person is unable to afford an American made instrument when most could 70 years ago. A new Gibson es 335 was $267 in 1958 (2400 today), yet salaries have not increased 10 times since. The issue is that under the facade of imported cheap goods, the government has bamboozled its citizens of a livable wage comparable to our grandparents.
@@sacredsteeler Well that got way off topic...Peace
@@sacredsteeler Well that got way off topic...Peace
@@jimcaptcut1976 Guess I'm too woke... ☮️
I made my pickups adjustable by putting springs under the screw posts! Makes a difference.
Interesting 👍
The neck pickup may works
But the bridge pickup is high
very peckish
I bought a 60 th anniversary fender custom shop Stratocaster that needed two set ups before it played well
Hey Dave! I am taking advantage of the COLD weather to rewatcha bunch of your old videos, liking each one, commenting on many ;) I did FINALLY sign up to be a Patreon as well ;)
Venting is best done, in the playing position ;-} I've worked on Mex & Indo guitars that needed more work than that Casino (spot leveling & fret finishing). If the price point is right & the overall construction is good, then one shouldn't mind add'l setup.
Dave I'm with ya 100% man. I always setup intonation with the guitar laying on my bench just like this. I know so many people grip about that but I have yet to hear a difference. Love you're videos. I have been doing lots of repairs and setups out of my house for a ton of musicians in my area for the past few years and I have learning a lot of tricks watching your vids. Cheers.
I musta got lucky with my 2014 epi Casino. Plays pretty good and the pickups are awesome. I asked the music store to give it a quick setup though...they threw that in.
I don’t know about the modern Chinese ones as I’ve never played one. But a few years ago most Epiphones were made in Korea and the guitar itself was just great … new electrics and get the frets polished/nut tweaked and it was a 100 percent great gigging guitar. I imagine these aren’t too too far off
" it is what it is... why can't it for once be what it isn't??" LOL I'm gonna start saying that when someone says "it is what it is " lol that's too damn funny 🤣
Hey Dave, Is that a .010 or a .012 feeler gauge? Thank you!
.012,see 5mins 40
I like Epiphone guitars. I think too, that in a lot of ways, it all depends on a good set up. With a little patience and basic knowledge, you can turn those China made guitars can be made very nice
I’m glad I watched the whole video. Some gems in there! Thanks Dave.
I need a set of top hat knobs for my Les Paul Burst, but I need them to grip easier than stock which for me isn't easy as a Strat. Are there knobs that look like vintage but have a grip around it?
Dave, long time watcher here. Just wanted to say I love your videos (autocorrect changed “videos” to “wives” and I almost left it! Haha!)
To be fair, I bought a brand new Gibson Les Paul 1950s re-issue and the set-up was no better!
The difference setting intonation in "playing position" negates the small difference from the guitars own weight caused from it being bridged from neck to the butt. It might be negligible, especially on a semi hollow body but "playing position" means zero force exerted on the neck from either angle. Even fretting one note without cancelling it out by equal thumb pressure on the back will change its tuning by a cent or two. It's not going to make much difference unless the player has both perfect pitch and OCD.
A question Dave. In your opinion ...best place to buy luthier tools..??
"Buts that's how they do it." Best one liner ever.
Mine was setup nearly perfectly out of the box, just had to drop the action a tiny bit on the bass side. Plays extremely well and stays in tune better than most Gibsons that I own. Luck of the draw, but a dark fretboard on mine.
BOTH are great, but I love that CASINO crunchy sound.
Screwing the pole pieces up/down on a p90 is a way to adjust pickup height?
Not necessarily. It's like fine tuners. They are good for minor adjustments. These pickups need risers.
I agree. I did this with my riviera p90 3 and bam it sounds worlds better.
Really the proper way to adjust the height of a dogear P90 is to use shims.
Can you please tell me what your string height was set to at the 12th fret on both the bass and the trouble side on this casino? Thanks
What did you charge?
I love Dave's grumpy demeanour ... but the truth is whilst moaning about someone buying a guitar when attracted by its appearance and saying "all it needs is a setup" he just proved that this was indeed a very nice guitar that just needed a setup!!
My Casino came from China. As long as it's set up right, and it is, it.plays and sounds great. It's served my needs for 12 years so far.
Enjoy your 14th birthday!
@@Ndlanding ... Counting must not be your strong suit.
@@zenmasterdude1362 My strong suit is a leopardskin leotard.
If a Chinese Casino is good enough for Jack Pearson, it’s absolutely fine for any player on earth
Upgrading the bridge to a ProTune with nylon saddles is a MASSIVE upgrade for a Casino.
I have two Casinos and no problems. Ok. Both are 10 years old from this review date. Maybe better China quality back then. But not a problem. One I put round wounds on it and another flat wound. They sound great today. BTW based on humidity, you may have to adjust the kneck occasionally. I think Epi makes a Gibson quality guitar. I have Gibson LP and 335. I had to replace parts on the Gibsons because they broke. Not once did I have to replace an Epi part.
Always learning from you Dave. Thanks,
Those pole pieces dont go up and down on the pickups? If they do you can adjust a little bit but not very much. 👋
I have the p93 riveria custom and i love it. Epiphone is a good brand.
I have a 03 from Korea, its actually quite perfect
Same here. '03 Korean Joe Pass. I play it more than my pricier guitars. All I had to do was address a couple of frets that were a tad high and open up the nut slots so I could put 12's on. Thanks to Dave, I was able to handle that myself.
Hi, I bought a Epiphone Reviera P93wr around 2 years ago it looks the part played amazing when I bought it six months later issues issues issues, Bigby isn't working right bridge was buzzing so I bought a new bridge for it to also start buzzing middle pickup no longer works 60 percent of the time its a shame cause its a beautiful and played great but honestly I'd say do research before buying into these epiphone semi hollowbodies rather than having the trouble that I had with might. I now need to spend hundreds on getting the guitar right and it's just a shame.
This Worn Green Epiphone SG P90 Classic I got last year was also setup like total crap out of the box.
Needless to say I was quite underwhelmed when it was delivered.
The vintage style tuners were just awful, so I swapped them out for some chromed out Kluson Revolution 19:1 ratio machines, and did my best to set up the relief/nut/action needed to play "Stoner Rock/Doom Metal" in C standard with a set of 12-54 Dunlop Heavy Core strings. Obviously the action has to be higher to compensate for that amount of string mass/travel vibration, but I got it to a pretty comfortable playing level.
Still not 100% gelling with it though, and now the damn switch is starting to crap out on me with just minimal play time. Pondering over installing a "String Butler" to help improve the tuning stability, but if I honestly cared such things? I wouldn't of got an SG in the first place! Hahaha!
I must admit, it's a sweet looking axe overall.
I was (still am) a sucker for that open pore green finish obviously.
A luthier buddy of mine offered me a new Switchcraft toggle and a good trained professional once over ASAP. Hopefully that'll sort right out.
Otherwise it'll continue being a $430 wall decoration.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just got one for Christmas, very little adjusting and it plays great.
A small glimmer of sanity on a cold winter night. Thanks Dave. Cheers.
Hi Dave - do you ever adjust the pole piece screws to compensate on P90s - or even on Humbuckers?
Good question
well these new like gibson epiphone are great sometime like this one need a setup but your the man for that. i bought a new tv yellow epi les paul classic and it a great guitar. like this one the strings were a little too high neck a little to straight but i learned from you dave how to fix this the right way. thanks buddy for your videos. your the man!!!! Larry
Thanks again Dave. Hope you're well. I was wondering what leads you to check the 1st fret action? When you check for fret buzz near the neck joint and something doesn't seem right or the string height?
You can use shims to change (raise) the pickup height.
I have a es 339 epi. I fretted it and changed the nut and now it's a fabulous guitar.
But not everybody can refret.
If quality mattered more than appearances in cars then no one would ever buy a Jaguar or a Range Rover..
I know this might be kind of a dumb question but, does anyone know what the name of the type of "string holder" on these older guitars(ie ,the thing that hooks onto the bottom of the guitar and holds the strings before it gets to the bridge)?
Trapeze tailpiece.
@@mikehurley5052 thank you very much :)
here in the UK £549.00 into Canadian Dollars $966.00, I also agree with your analogy with cars you would not accept it
Brilliantly entertaining and actually educational. Love this fella.
Hey, You do great work for some of the guitars coming to you to be fixed. Thumbs up!!
Dave here's a little educational facts about Epiphone China facility....its State of the art it is American owned and operated American luthiers and supervisors at the China facility Scott Lewis is plant manager and Master builder and Mr. Lewis was also Master builder for Gibson some years back so this whole china made crap with you dave in this case is Voided Also Epiphone Les Paul's and Sgs are 70% hand crafted just like the Gibson's and the have CTS Electronics and ABR bridges
I have a 2012 baked maple fretboard from when the US government took their wood. And it is dry we're and what do you use for the oil is that lemon oil?
Hey dave - there are shims you can adjust a dog ear up with, but to your point, there isn't much you can do for a dog ear that is too high.
Love your videos my friend!
Glad you like them!
dave this guitar makes me cry. I had to sell an old casino to pay my bills, but it was made in Korea at the peerless factory. the thing was amazing. they all require work though. people who love playing guitar should learn how to do some basic shit, because you can make a guitar like that way better. it's cheap and a platform to get somewhere better.
When I started off I learned how to do electric and even acoustic setups pretty early on. When you can only get cheap stuff you had to figure out how to lower action, intonation and check neck relief.
9/64 is rough for an electric! I'd set my electrics low! But that also depends on the scale. The longer the scale, the lower the action!
Is there any difference in adjusting a two-way truss rod vs single? 4:23
oh yes..lefty tight and righty tight
I just bought a PRS S2 McCarty 594 off the shelf at a real store...took it home, changed the strings to 9’s...the neck relief was perfect...the string height was perfect...the intonation was perfect....just saying!!!!!
People in the 70s: "- Hey dude, check my Epi MIJ. - That's shit man, the good Epis are MIA."
People in the 80s: "- Yo, check my Epi MIK. - Those are crap, you should get a MIJ"
People in the 21st Century: "- Look at my brand new Epi Made in China. - Duh, from where else !?"
I love this video - it's like Mike from Breaking Bad setting up my guitar for me.