I know very little about maintaining or upgrading guitars, and I had a couple questions I thought I'd put out there:
- is it okay to put 0.12 strings on the guitar without making any adjustments?
- can anyone make a suggestion about upgrading the pickups? I've been thinking about going that way with it, but I've never done it before. I'd probably take it to the local shop after I figure out what upgrades to get.
Thanks for any input.
-cobalt
I just got a cheap Epiphone Dot Studio semi-hollowbody
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- KVRist
- 235 posts since 18 Oct, 2002
Hi, Cobalt:
As far as going to .012 strings, it all depends on what is on there now. If it has .009 now, you might want to have the truss rod adjusted. The more tension you put on the neck, the further the strings will be from the frets, and the more difficult it will be to push tnem down. Also, if the slots in the nut are to small you may need to have them filed out a little. You will also probably need to have the bridge intonation adjusted. I would get it to a dewcent guitar tech if you aren't sure what needs to be done and how to do it. It will be worth it.
As far as the pick-ups are concerned, it really depends on what type of music you are going to be playing. A little more information would be helpful. Good luck.
Baxter
As far as going to .012 strings, it all depends on what is on there now. If it has .009 now, you might want to have the truss rod adjusted. The more tension you put on the neck, the further the strings will be from the frets, and the more difficult it will be to push tnem down. Also, if the slots in the nut are to small you may need to have them filed out a little. You will also probably need to have the bridge intonation adjusted. I would get it to a dewcent guitar tech if you aren't sure what needs to be done and how to do it. It will be worth it.
As far as the pick-ups are concerned, it really depends on what type of music you are going to be playing. A little more information would be helpful. Good luck.
Baxter
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 223 posts since 2 Aug, 2004 from Boston, MA
Thanks Baxter.
Right now I like to play jazz-like stuff. I got the Epiphone to complement a Gibson Les Paul Studio DC. The way it sounds now, the new guitar on rhythm really cuts through, while the Les Paul is a little mellow with more mid and low range, which made it a little harder to follow in a mix. I'm not a great guitarist, but I like the sound of solo guitar and loungy/jazzy stuff.
Right now it has the stock strings that have been on there for probably a year or more in the store, which I would guess are .009. I've been using .012 strings on the Les Paul, but I wasn't sure if they would work so well on the Epiphone. Maybe I'll check out some .010 or .011's before I take it in to the shop.
-cobalt
Right now I like to play jazz-like stuff. I got the Epiphone to complement a Gibson Les Paul Studio DC. The way it sounds now, the new guitar on rhythm really cuts through, while the Les Paul is a little mellow with more mid and low range, which made it a little harder to follow in a mix. I'm not a great guitarist, but I like the sound of solo guitar and loungy/jazzy stuff.
Right now it has the stock strings that have been on there for probably a year or more in the store, which I would guess are .009. I've been using .012 strings on the Les Paul, but I wasn't sure if they would work so well on the Epiphone. Maybe I'll check out some .010 or .011's before I take it in to the shop.
-cobalt
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Stupid American Pig Stupid American Pig https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4753 - KVRAF
- 7065 posts since 25 Nov, 2002 from not sure
I think the epis ship with either 9s or 10s on them. I would stick with 10s or maybe go up to 11s. you prolly wont need to adjust it with 11s. As for pickups, theres alot out there. I have an epi sheraton mesself, and have stuck with the stock ones for now. I think I will upgrade eventually. Others on this forum have suggested some S-D jazz pickups
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- KVRist
- 488 posts since 2 Mar, 2004
My son was looking at getting the Epi-dot but ended up getting a Peavey JF1. We replaced the 9's with 11's and it actually improved both string height and intonation. Seems like it should've had the 11's on in the 1st place. There was a lot of fret buzzing with the 9's.
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- KVRAF
- 13444 posts since 14 Nov, 2000 from Hannover / Germany
Regarding the strings everything has been said allready. I've got 11-54s on my 335 Ibanez clone with a plain g-string and the jazz-ish sound I'm getting out of it is very pleasant, plus, I can still use it for bendings and overdriven riffy sounds.
Regarding the PUs I'd try to stick with what's in it as long as possible, simply because replacing them usually is a true pain. I tell you, it's no fun dealing with pots, switches and cables which all have to be pulled out and pushed back in through those f-holes. I've been there... a freaking nightmare.
Regarding the PUs I'd try to stick with what's in it as long as possible, simply because replacing them usually is a true pain. I tell you, it's no fun dealing with pots, switches and cables which all have to be pulled out and pushed back in through those f-holes. I've been there... a freaking nightmare.
There are 3 kinds of people:
Those who can do maths and those who can't.
Those who can do maths and those who can't.