Buy a pearloid sheet and make a custom pickguard - move the pots and jack socket - rout larger cavities for the pickups and put P90s in it - this guitar is made for modding!!
Added a Dimarzio SDS-1 in the bridge and some Proline 3+3 tuning keys from Guitar Center to mine, no drilling or routing, direct fit. Now sounds killer and stays in tune. Very cool guitar.
Well, after watching all these vid on the SL, I decided to replace the bridge pickup. I like the sound of the neck one, so not going to swap that. Got a new, unopened bag Fender MX P.N. 0073537002 pickup for $30 off ebay. It pushed right thru the plate hole, no carving required. I did not use the adjustment springs, as I wanted to get every bit of height I could. Since the stock pickup has a nice mini-co-ax wire, I chopped it pretty close to the old pickup and then trimmed the new Fender (which has no shielding) to about an inch, and then soldered them. The 6 rods in the new pickup are quite a bit lower than the stock ones were, but going back and forth between neck and bridge, I really don't hear a large difference in sound output volume. All in all, it was a simple swap, worked great, and I like this sound much better. Thanks for all the vids, wouldn't have ripped into this without them.
I know I’m three years late but I got a hot rail for mine and I just want to let everyone know this guitar cannot have hot rails installed. The selector only allows for two pickups and a hot rail adds two pickups so you either end up with three pickups or four depending on if you install just one hot rail or two. Just thought I’d let people know so they don’t screw up their guitar like I did to mine for thinking a hot rail was a good idea. It is a terrible idea and it isn’t possible.
I know you did not like this guitar, but I am making mine quite likable and since my wheelchair tends to "grab" the strap, it is quite relic'd naturally. I want to improve the sound -- I love the weight (nice and light and easy to manage for me). I have about a dozen guitars, so what would be a good pickup upgrade and since you threw yours off a bridge, you are my defacto expert. I want to get new tuners, bridge, but mostly new pickups. I could remove the pick guard and install some cool gold foils, but I would like your expert opinion and the easier the better. Thanks... anyone feel free to add their opinion. Thanks,
Thanks for making this video, I picked up a yellow SL for a song and was thinking about swapping in some lace sensors but was concerned they wouldn't fit. Any recommendations about making the bridge pickup height more compatible? Love the channel, keep doing what you do it's most appreciated!
I'll say again - Tex-Mex Strat pups didn't drop into my SL. I ad to widen the pickguard route end to end with a rounded file to get them to fit, and then the screw heads scraped the plastic pickup surround on the ends. But in the end they worked and are adjustable. And sound better.
Or P90s. There are so few P90 LP Special/Junior style guitars out there, I was considering buying one of these cheap SLs, and routing it for P90s if it was possible.
I think the body route is wide enough for mini humbuckers as is. That’s the direction I’m gonna go. Paul Gilbert just put out a video for his pg13 set. Hmmm...
@@socialdef3 cant sound any worst then it is i own yellow one its still like brand new outa all my guitars and i have many this is so boring to play maybe because i love fenders and squires cant get into les Paul style its just not for me this sl hangs on my wall has plastic wrap on pick guard still looks brand new I've played it maybe 5 times trying to give it a chance in 3 years of owning it from new
@@socialdef3 i built a 60s jazz master from scratch now similar to a jaguar but necks longer jag is short scale and the bridges are set in different places on the body before i put the neck in i tried a a squire mustang short scale neck on it as an experiment it played fine sounded sweet only thing was low e string was like a half an inch away from top pickup but made no difference it didn't effect the sound
If that stock pickup is that much taller than the Fender pickup it might be a hotter pickup than the Fender pic.But if you're looking for that jingle ,jangle of that Danelectro,tele sound these pickups will do the trick.Good choice for something other than that Fender type of pickups.Also try those doublestacked for strat.,Duncan's or Dimarzios.Keep up the good videos buddy.Peace
I pick up cheap guitars and tinker with them all the time. If you're going to experiment and do stuff like this you want to practice on cheap guitars. You'd be shocked at some of the turds I've polished and actually liked enough to take out live without fear of them being stolen. I still won't touch the frets on my old Gibson, but I picked up a Peavey Tracer for 80 bucks, leveled the frets, put on a nubone nut, put on locking tuners, new saddles and pickups, and now it's one of my favorites for taking out live.
so far what is your opinion on this guitar so far? Is it worth buying and modding? what you have done so far is a huge improvement. I guess my biggest concern (for me) is I had a special 1 with p-90's I got for a mod platform but I couldn't find any "love" for the neck and I sold it. I have heard that the necks on these have the same feel as the special 1...did complete set-up and fret level as soon as it arrived and put Ernie balls 9's on it before it was ever played. my modified special 2 I got at a flea market for $35 has a way better neck... almost feels like the real deal....anyways yada yada. Like the lipsticks btw gonna look killer and I am sure sound a lot better.
if you didnt like the neck on the special 1 you should skip this, its going to be about the same. Im really just having fun working on a throw away guitar. with the amount of time and recourses i've put in to it i could have gotten something else much nicer.
60 Cycle Hum + I hear ya .. the throw-aways are the most fun to mod for sure though! if it gets f.u.b.r. oh well, but the end result may be a pretty decent guitar if all goes well.
the same seller carries these on reverb too. www.ebay.com/itm/TOG-LIPSTICK-PICKUP-SET-CHROME-SINGLE-COIL-SIZE-FITS-FENDER-STRAT-STRATOCASTER/281869989279?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
Very interesting, but I would appreciate the cavity being shown because some people might make their own pickguard, so just showing the pickguard or ordering a customer dimensions of the other parts of the body. The main cavity is being more important even if they go with the pick up size you're commenting on there are diamond shaped there are side screw shaped etc the cavities would have been important to show early on and extensively rather than discovering the card which could be done with a file Is a wood file or any kind of file
Why don’t you get a mini humbucker from Seymour Duncan like the mini 59er for neck and bridge position and should drop right in the pick Guard with no problem 🤔🧐
that would work, i'm personally not going to load this with anything other than the lipsticks for now but i made the video for people who were curious about other pickups fitting.
Great series of videos on the sl. Giving me lots of ideas on what direction to go with my sl. Bummer that the pick guard doesn’t fit a standard strat pickup without modification.
using a router tool i may put jaguar wire kit in here there is room at bottom cavity for all the wiring /switches pickups fit no prob with simple mods to scratch plate and pads as stock its to boring to play no joy just hangs on wall
I have one. I kept the stock pickups because of their unique voice and height, but upgraded pots, caps and wiring harness. I know it sounds silly to do those upgrades and not change the pups, but it’s good enough for me. Got it set up by my tech and shimmed-plays very nice
The question should be "What size trash can will the Epiphone Les Paul SL fit in?" lol its still cool seeing what people come up with for these things though...
Buy a pearloid sheet and make a custom pickguard - move the pots and jack socket - rout larger cavities for the pickups and put P90s in it - this guitar is made for modding!!
Added a Dimarzio SDS-1 in the bridge and some Proline 3+3 tuning keys from Guitar Center to mine, no drilling or routing, direct fit. Now sounds killer and stays in tune. Very cool guitar.
The SDS-1 seems like a great match
It looks amazing with Lipsticks!!!!
Good topic! Enjoyed episode 200, by the way. Congrats, fellers!
Well, after watching all these vid on the SL, I decided to replace the bridge pickup. I like the sound of the neck one, so not going to swap that. Got a new, unopened bag Fender MX P.N. 0073537002 pickup for $30 off ebay. It pushed right thru the plate hole, no carving required. I did not use the adjustment springs, as I wanted to get every bit of height I could. Since the stock pickup has a nice mini-co-ax wire, I chopped it pretty close to the old pickup and then trimmed the new Fender (which has no shielding) to about an inch, and then soldered them. The 6 rods in the new pickup are quite a bit lower than the stock ones were, but going back and forth between neck and bridge, I really don't hear a large difference in sound output volume. All in all, it was a simple swap, worked great, and I like this sound much better. Thanks for all the vids, wouldn't have ripped into this without them.
What kind of pickup is that? The number is meaningless to me. Maybe I'm stupid
Hot rails is wat u need my friend
I know I’m three years late but I got a hot rail for mine and I just want to let everyone know this guitar cannot have hot rails installed. The selector only allows for two pickups and a hot rail adds two pickups so you either end up with three pickups or four depending on if you install just one hot rail or two. Just thought I’d let people know so they don’t screw up their guitar like I did to mine for thinking a hot rail was a good idea. It is a terrible idea and it isn’t possible.
@@ayjay579 hi you must of wired it wrong lol it can have rails just fine.
@@destroyerdestroy87 I figured it out after a while. My mistake was looking up wiring diagrams which all turned out to be totally wrong.
@@ayjay579 so... Can you put the hot rails? Does it work?
I can't wait to hear it
I suggested this a few weeks ago :) can't wait to see more mod videos!
I'm enjoying this mod journey.
Thanks for sharing Ryan, useful to know...
The original pickups seems to have the dimension of old Japanese single coils.
That color just seems to lend itself to lipstick-style pickups.
yeah,that color reminds me of danelectro
Lace Alumitones mayhaps?
I know you did not like this guitar, but I am making mine quite likable and since my wheelchair tends to "grab" the strap, it is quite relic'd naturally. I want to improve the sound -- I love the weight (nice and light and easy to manage for me). I have about a dozen guitars, so what would be a good pickup upgrade and since you threw yours off a bridge, you are my defacto expert. I want to get new tuners, bridge, but mostly new pickups. I could remove the pick guard and install some cool gold foils, but I would like your expert opinion and the easier the better. Thanks... anyone feel free to add their opinion. Thanks,
After watching your vids on the SL...well i'm tempted to buy 2 more to modify...thanks mate...from the UK :)
Do fishmsn fluence pickups fit?
Thanks for making this video, I picked up a yellow SL for a song and was thinking about swapping in some lace sensors but was concerned they wouldn't fit. Any recommendations about making the bridge pickup height more compatible? Love the channel, keep doing what you do it's most appreciated!
Added some Axetec Jailhouse Rail II pickups in both positions, sounds very good
I'll say again - Tex-Mex Strat pups didn't drop into my SL. I ad to widen the pickguard route end to end with a rounded file to get them to fit, and then the screw heads scraped the plastic pickup surround on the ends. But in the end they worked and are adjustable. And sound better.
I'm thinking about getting two closed black covers, Fender Mustang style, for my SL.
Do you think it could be routed out for humbuckers, the pickguard wouldn't but body-wise
well dang it, now i need to make another video.
Or P90s. There are so few P90 LP Special/Junior style guitars out there, I was considering buying one of these cheap SLs, and routing it for P90s if it was possible.
ua-cam.com/video/HTtzc2TdgwY/v-deo.html here you go boss
60 Cycle Hum wow that was quick lol I appreciate it
I think the body route is wide enough for mini humbuckers as is. That’s the direction I’m gonna go. Paul Gilbert just put out a video for his pg13 set. Hmmm...
Pls link to the lipstick finished follow-up?
I would carve the neck pocket to enable a full access to the high frets
I've watched many of your vids but still wondering if a telecaster neck pickup will sound good on this....
Still wondering...
@@socialdef3 cant sound any worst then it is i own yellow one its still like brand new outa all my guitars and i have many this is so boring to play maybe because i love fenders and squires cant get into les Paul style its just not for me this sl hangs on my wall has plastic wrap on pick guard still looks brand new I've played it maybe 5 times trying to give it a chance in 3 years of owning it from new
@@socialdef3 i built a 60s jazz master from scratch now similar to a jaguar but necks longer jag is short scale and the bridges are set in different places on the body before i put the neck in i tried a a squire mustang short scale neck on it as an experiment it played fine sounded sweet only thing was low e string was like a half an inch away from top pickup but made no difference it didn't effect the sound
Anyone have any luck with installing Seymour Duncans on these things? I want to put a Hot Rails in the bridge and then a Cool Rails in the neck.
I would like to see a Piezo bridge on one of these things.
@@Blitzkrieg_Wolf i plan doing it.
If that stock pickup is that much taller than the Fender pickup it might be a hotter pickup than the Fender pic.But if you're looking for that jingle ,jangle of that Danelectro,tele sound these pickups will do the trick.Good choice for something other than that Fender type of pickups.Also try those doublestacked for strat.,Duncan's or Dimarzios.Keep up the good videos buddy.Peace
Is the neck bolt on? It's a cheap enough guitar for me to put in a spare telecaster neck I've got around.
VomaSaurus Rex scale length might be an issue, I’m not sure the neck heel is the same dimensions either
At what point is it worth just buying a more expensive guitar which won’t need as much work/mods?
id say its worth spending money on a better guitar than this, the SL is really just an opportunity to experiment imo.
I pick up cheap guitars and tinker with them all the time. If you're going to experiment and do stuff like this you want to practice on cheap guitars. You'd be shocked at some of the turds I've polished and actually liked enough to take out live without fear of them being stolen. I still won't touch the frets on my old Gibson, but I picked up a Peavey Tracer for 80 bucks, leveled the frets, put on a nubone nut, put on locking tuners, new saddles and pickups, and now it's one of my favorites for taking out live.
yeah, sometimes its just having fun and experimenting. People do it with hot rod cars all the time.
so far what is your opinion on this guitar so far? Is it worth buying and modding? what you have done so far is a huge improvement. I guess my biggest concern (for me) is I had a special 1 with p-90's I got for a mod platform but I couldn't find any "love" for the neck and I sold it. I have heard that the necks on these have the same feel as the special 1...did complete set-up and fret level as soon as it arrived and put Ernie balls 9's on it before it was ever played. my modified special 2 I got at a flea market for $35 has a way better neck... almost feels like the real deal....anyways yada yada. Like the lipsticks btw gonna look killer and I am sure sound a lot better.
if you didnt like the neck on the special 1 you should skip this, its going to be about the same. Im really just having fun working on a throw away guitar. with the amount of time and recourses i've put in to it i could have gotten something else much nicer.
60 Cycle Hum + I hear ya .. the throw-aways are the most fun to mod for sure though! if it gets f.u.b.r. oh well, but the end result may be a pretty decent guitar if all goes well.
Thanks for this! When you get a chance, would you mind linking to the lipsticks you found on the 'bay?
the same seller carries these on reverb too. www.ebay.com/itm/TOG-LIPSTICK-PICKUP-SET-CHROME-SINGLE-COIL-SIZE-FITS-FENDER-STRAT-STRATOCASTER/281869989279?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
Gracias!
Have you gotten tubed yet? How do they sound?
Can't wait to see this guitar in Polish shop... mostly to mod the shit out of it :) SL is looking so ridiculous that I have to buy it :D
Very interesting, but I would appreciate the cavity being shown because some people might make their own pickguard, so just showing the pickguard or ordering a customer dimensions of the other parts of the body. The main cavity is being more important even if they go with the pick up size you're commenting on there are diamond shaped there are side screw shaped etc the cavities would have been important to show early on and extensively rather than discovering the card which could be done with a file Is a wood file or any kind of file
What brand lipstick pickups Ryan?
nicolamontoro no name cheapies I bought on eBay
Anyone tried tele neck pickups?
Why don’t you get a mini humbucker from Seymour Duncan like the mini 59er for neck and bridge position and should drop right in the pick Guard with no problem 🤔🧐
that would work, i'm personally not going to load this with anything other than the lipsticks for now but i made the video for people who were curious about other pickups fitting.
Great series of videos on the sl. Giving me lots of ideas on what direction to go with my sl.
Bummer that the pick guard doesn’t fit a standard strat pickup without modification.
you just want a routeing tool make a jig buy blank scratch plate
Maybe it'll sound a bit better now!
Just get some sandpaper or a dremmel tool and wide the slots. No big deal. Obviously you can't do too much or you'll hit the screw holes.
using a router tool i may put jaguar wire kit in here there is room at bottom cavity for all the wiring /switches pickups fit no prob with simple mods to scratch plate and pads as stock its to boring to play no joy just hangs on wall
You know what fuck it im going full eddie van halen style on this one
carve some wood out, cut some of the pick guard and put on some humbuckers
The SL's tag line should really just be "Not Worth Modding"
its the only thing you can do with it though, lol.
Totally worth modding. It's a $99 guitar
I bought 2 and love them ! No issues with them at all !Great guitars for the $.
A decent player can make anything sound good.
I have one. I kept the stock pickups because of their unique voice and height, but upgraded pots, caps and wiring harness. I know it sounds silly to do those upgrades and not change the pups, but it’s good enough for me. Got it set up by my tech and shimmed-plays very nice
You gotta have a bit of wiggle room... but snug is nice too....:-)
The question should be "What size trash can will the Epiphone Les Paul SL fit in?" lol its still cool seeing what people come up with for these things though...
Tbh I think the pickguard doesn't look right
its a throwback to the original melody maker pickguards.
60 Cycle Hum Really I never knew that. Maybe I should do more research on guitars and guitar parts
LiquidNukeAcid meh, there are better things you could do with your time, lol
Thanks for not showing the body routs, so we can see what will fit
You should give the body a different color
i like the color
60 Cycle Hum we all have our preferences
the colour is amazing, one of the best bits for me at least!
LiquidNukeAcid the color is the best thing about it
The colour is the only reason to buy this guitar