What do you think of my Modifications??

[ExCaptain]

Hi All,
I just recently went through a G.A.S. attack but did not have a great budget to perform with. So I went to my local Guitar Center and picked up an Epi Les Paul Junior. You know the one, they come in either black or silver with one pickup. Anyway, I got it for $89.00 on sale and went home with my new toy. It sounded pretty good right out of the box, but I had the itch to do something with it. I changed out the stock pickup with a fairly new EMG 81 I had lying around (along with the ugly cream p/u ring and electronics) Gave it an all black look. Then I changed out the tuners with a set of Grover style keystone tuners that I took off my Gibson LP Special many years ago. The tuners are brand new and even have "Gibson" on the housings. Gave it a much more "stable" feel when tuning it. I cranked it through my Marshall combo along with my Digitech RP50 and HOLY S#*&!!! It was the tone of my dreams. Sounded just like my Epi LP Standard with the Dimarzio Super Dist. p/u in it.

What do you think of my new toy? My mods didn't cost a dime and I got a "beater" guitar that cranks almost as good as my Epi and Gibson Les Pauls. I think I got a pretty good deal for myself and helped cure my G.A.S. attack pretty cheaply!! At least my wife didn't go crazy because I spent a fortune on ANOTHER GUITAR!!!!

P.S.: The neck on this thing is pretty good too! A little chunky but I like it that way.

[wierdsley]

Hey ExCaptain...I have one of those Jrs too but have not done anything to it except change out the bridge for an adjustable TonePros model (Thanks again Chet) so that I can set the intonation more accurately.
Your mods sound very good to me. I will probably end up changing the tuners soon and the nut as well. Did you change the plastic nut on yours?
I love the neck on the Jr, you're right it is a bit chunky but still very fast. I like the stock pickup and truth be told, I play the Jr much more than I do my LP Classic Quilt!
Best of luck with your new guitar

[ExCaptain]

Thanks Wierdsly for the vote of confidence. The answer is no, I have not changed the nut yet. These mods were done on a whim mostly because I had the pickup and tuners lying around doing nothing and I know they were much better. Anyway, You're right, the neck plays great, a little thicker than I am used to but I noticed that I am in fact liking it more all the time. My stlye of playing includes using my thumb to wrap around onto the low e string to play certain chords. On my other guitars with thinner necks I noticed that sometimes I make the string bend alittle when I wrap my thumb around which makes the low e go sharp. Drives me crazy, but with the thicker neck I noticed it doesn't do that. The string doesn't get affected the same way. I think I am on to something here!!! I also must say that before I changed the pickup, the stock one was pretty decent too. It had a bit of power to it. I will probably use it somehow. Have fun with your's I am with mine!!! Take care.