fixing up old epiphone les paul studio

dizzymenace

hi all, I was sorting out some IT issues for my neighbor when he told me he had a guitar he never learned to play, i was eager to see it and i was appalled to see that he neglected this lovely epiphone les paul. I offered to teach him how to play but instead he just gave me the guitar. the guitar is 25 years old and is in decent shape. I thought it was a lot more damaged than it was. i was able to tighten up everything with just a Philips screwdriver and a washer wrench. i just need to string it (getting strings on tuesday) .

there's just an awful lot of surface scratches that i really need to buffer out. what's the best way of doing that. there are 2 somewhat deep scratches also. the knobs and pick guard are also scratched.

theres a crack about a millimeter wide and an inch long coming from one of the tuners. it;s more aesthetic than structural. is there a way to repair it.

also, what kind of strings did the epiphone les paul studio originally have as those are the ones i'd like to have.

p.s. this is going to be my first big names guitar. i learned how to play on an acoustic in terrible condition and then bought a strat copy so i'm pretty psyched for this.

Ravelleman

You'd really have to post photos of the damage to get a good response.

The strings it came with were most likely of low quality. I imagine they were 9-gauge. Pick a brand and see what you like, if you haven't already. You might find you prefer 10-guage strings on a Les Paul though.

DamianK

My Les Paul manual says stock strings 10-guage. My friend changed to 9's and got tuning issues and had to set intonation and other things.
Even the guitar nut where the strings were held at the head might be worn to suit heavier guage strings.
Though might be helpful for you
guitarrepairbench.com/electric-guitar-repairs/finish_repair.html

dizzymenace

thanks guys. i'm going to post photos in a while when I charge my phone.

DamianK

For many player some kind of a worn body is making the guitar more attractive
Saw Fender jaguar Kurt Cobain signature that is specially scratched and the paint isn't looking like new.

Celly Smunt

Honestly I'd keep the guitar as it is in terms of paintwork etc,its a 25 year old guitar why would you want to make something that old look new?,like whiskey I think guitars look better with age but each to their own. Maybe change the plates and stuff?

I'd concentrate on the crack though,a good luthier would probably sort I fairly handy and cheaply,but then again if its not too bad then you could probably do it yourself with some glue though that could get messy if you don't know what you're doing.

Strings are down to preference I suppose,once you break your fingers into 11's or so you'll never look back,nothing beats that warm tone heavier gauges give on gibsons especially playing clean with a little reverb.


Throw a nice tusq nut on it as well.

il gatto

10s are grand on a Les Paul. If you're used of an acoustic, they'll feel light anyway.
Get the crack repaired. Should be a glue and clamp job so shouldn't cost much.
Get a soft cotton cloth and some Gibson Pump polish. It'll probably take out the smaller scratches or at least minimise them. Once it's shiny, it'll look great so I wouldn't bother trying to make it like new.
Enjoy it:)

dizzymenace

DamianK wrote: »

For many player some kind of a worn body is making the guitar more attractive
Saw Fender jaguar Kurt Cobain signature that is specially scratched and the paint isn't looking like new.

well i can see the attraction in guitars that are worn from being played to death like cobains or rory gallaghers but this guitar isn't like that. the damage is from neglect and for one weird reason or another that's why it bugs me.

dizzymenace

il gatto wrote: »

10s are grand on a Les Paul. If you're used of an acoustic, they'll feel light anyway.
Get the crack repaired. Should be a glue and clamp job so shouldn't cost much.
Get a soft cotton cloth and some Gibson Pump polish. It'll probably take out the smaller scratches or at least minimise them. Once it's shiny, it'll look great so I wouldn't bother trying to make it like new.
Enjoy it:)

where would i find the polish.

dizzymenace

Celly Smunt wrote: »

Honestly I'd keep the guitar as it is in terms of paintwork etc,its a 25 year old guitar why would you want to make something that old look new?,like whiskey I think guitars look better with age but each to their own. Maybe change the plates and stuff?

I'd concentrate on the crack though,a good luthier would probably sort I fairly handy and cheaply,but then again if its not too bad then you could probably do it yourself with some glue though that could get messy if you don't know what you're doing.

Strings are down to preference I suppose,once you break your fingers into 11's or so you'll never look back,nothing beats that warm tone heavier gauges give on gibsons especially playing clean with a little reverb.


Throw a nice tusq nut on it as well.

i quite like the paint on it now, it. it's like a yellow and red sunburst, very cool.

it didn't even occur to me that i could change the plates, where would i find a replacement.

il gatto

dizzymenace wrote: »

where would i find the polish.

I got it from Thomann but I'm sure Waltons stock it. Most decent places will have it or something similar. I like it because it works well, is good for nitro or poly finishes and smells lovely.

Celly Smunt

dizzymenace wrote: »

i quite like the paint on it now, it. it's like a yellow and red sunburst, very cool.

it didn't even occur to me that i could change the plates, where would i find a replacement.

Ebay and the likes are usually littered with them and they're fairly inexpensive.