$230 Lil' Junior Garage Rocker

A couple weeks ago I released a video called “Epiphone Les Paul Special II - The Lil Les Paul That Could?”

In the video I cleaned and setup a $99 Used Epiphone Les Paul Special II that I picked up and in the video I promised that I would also buy an Epiphone Les Paul Junior Special and was going to do upgrades to see what sounds I could get out of it. I ended picking up a used Epiphone Les Paul Junior Special used from Guitar Center for $89.

When I got it out of the box I discovered a few things – one – the guitar was shipped upside down resting on the headstock (arrows on the outside of the box pointing to the top of the box). It did not have a case or a gig bag. I was amazed it got to me in one piece. The second thing I discovered was the PVC nut was missing, and I found it later in the bottom of the box. I had already ordered a GraphTech TUSQ XL Black Self-Lubricating Slotted Nut for an Epiphone Guitar for only $12. So, it saved me a step. I highly recommend doing this upgrade on this series of Epiphones. The PVC nut is horrible. I used the old nut to compare to the TUSQ nut and found it was the same height as the one I was replacing but was too thick. I set about removing a little at a time off the back of the nut with sandpaper until it fit like a glove. The replacement nut was already the correct width, and the slots were cut for what I estimate to be at least size 10 strings. All in all, the easiest nut replacement I have ever done.

The second thing I set out to upgrade was the tuners. It was a good thing because two of the tuners were locked and would not turn. I originally was going to install a set of Guyeker locking tuners I had that I had pulled off another guitar. I did not even get through the installation before they disintegrated before my eyes. I grabbed a set of used Gibson Custom tuners that I had in my parts bin. The Gibson Custom tuners were used but very serviceable. You can pick up a used set on eBay for around $25.

I did not have a good time drilling out the 10mm holes on the headstock. The other Epiphone I did this upgrade on went without any issues. This time I chipped some of the paint. Luckily this was covered by the Gibson tuners when I installed them. I should have slowed down and used tape and also slowed down the speed of the drill.

Next, I ordered a Seymour Duncan SH8 Invader Humbucker Bridge Pickup for $109. This single addition to the guitar exceeded the cost of the original guitar.

I get comments all of the time on the channel like – “You are an idiot! You took a piece of crap guitar and put many more times its value in upgrades into it. Don’t you realize you could have purchased a {Enter Name of Guitar Here} for the same price?”

Here is my response. And? Seriously, what have I done wrong? I am not an idiot. I actually know what I am doing. I do this because it is f’ing fun. A lot of fun. Anyone can buy a guitar. I get enjoyment from modding guitars. I would totally understand if I was modding a vintage collectable and someone gave me a hard time for doing that. I have built at least a hundred plus guitars over the years and will probably build a lot more in the future. To me it is amazingly fun and gratifying. Plus – I don’t really care.

Back to the pickup from Seymour Duncan – here is how they describe this pickup - Built to sound as mean as it looks, the Invader SH-8 is the ideal pickup for any kind of aggressive music. Capable of producing some of the heaviest tones a passive pickup can conjure, the Invader SH-8 merges three ceramic magnets, over-wound coils, and 12 oxide cap screws to create an extremely powerful pickup. The wide magnetic field makes it easy to pump a ton of signal through your amp, really pushing the gain. Drive your tone to metal mayhem extremes with the Invader SH-8!

One thing I agree with – it does look mean!

I decided for the time being to try not replacing the wiring harness. The guitar came with full size pots and a single .47 uf capacitor. Pretty much exactly what I would install it – albeit I would install quality name brand components like CTS pots, etc.

So, the total dollars spent on the guitar are –

$89 for the guitar
$25 for the tuners
$12 for the nut
$109 for the Pickup
For a grand total of…$235

Not bad for a cool looking and amazingly loud lil rocker of a guitar that would make for one hell of an indestructible garage band rocker. That was a mouthful!

The sounds that come out of the pickup? If you go over half volume you start to overdrive any amp. It sounds really clean below the mid-way point. Over half way and it breaks up like it is going to explode. Putting a distortion or overdrive pedal in front of it almost seems unnecessary, but I did it anyways.

The tuners and the new nut make for a very tunable and stable guitar.

In the end I have a very inexpensive guitar that I made a few tweaks to and majorly improved how it works and sounds. A guitar that I am not afraid to carry around from place to place.