LP Jr knock off?

[olddawg]

I need another guitar like more holes in my head. But I owned several real 59 and 60 LP Jrs and Specials back in the day. I particularly miss one that was stolen... But I don't want to spend $5k for a beater and the reissues I've seen were both pricy and unimpressive. I saw this neck/body kit for cheap. Given my recent success assembling a 60s SG clone from Chinese parts I was thinking about pulling the trigger on this one. I know it's a crap shoot. Any opinions? Anyone heard of Eden?

https://reverb.com/item/6337706-eden...y-and-body-kit

[olddawg]

They say both body and neck are sealed with a light coat of polyurethane.

[bob p]

No experience, but it looks like a great DIY project. I noticed that you can upgrade to block inlays for $3.

https://reverb.com/item/6337698-eden...y-and-body-kit

[eschertron]

Their website doesn't look too bad. The body is described as 'unfinished' if that's more desirable.

edenguitars

[bob p]

I'd jump on this if I could get more information about neck thickness -- specifically if I could confirm that they offer a thick neck option.

The problem that I have with shopping for guitars/parts sight-unseen is that I need a thick neck, but nobody selling budget gear bothers to tell you much about neck thickness. I can't stand the thin necks that are so common on inexpensive guitars, and if a seller doesn't specifically state that the neck is a fat one, then I have to assume that every inexpensive guitar will have a neck that's so thin that I can't play it.

IMO these companies could increase their sales by giving better specs. They need to understand that all of the neck specs matter. Most of them don't specify neck profile or thickness, or even radius. In many cases you're lucky to be told the nut width. Aargh.

[eschertron]

IMO these companies could increase their sales by giving better specs. They need to understand that all of the neck specs matter. Most of them don't specify neck profile or thickness, or even radius. In many cases you're lucky to be told the nut width. Aargh.

Contact them. They look like a fairly young (read: responsive) company from the website blurb. I'd be curious too, BTW.

[olddawg]

I actually prefer a '60s slim neck. I really like a slim soft V but they are very rare. It won't break the bank either way. I'd be more concerned with the fretwork. They give some specs. The "unknown origin" probably just means China. Lol. The last $50 Chibson neck I got was as good or better than most Gibsons.

[olddawg]

So after much deliberation I bought one of these. It arrived in one day. It's everything they said it is. 2 piece mahogany body. Rosewood fretboard. Nice frets. Well made. Not old growth Honduran Mahogany of course but it should work. Seems to be a fairly exact replica except for the modern frets. The only drag is they didn't rout the lip of the back control cavity for the cover. That's going to be a pain. But for $150... lol. I'm going to take my time. I have most of the rest of it laying around. I'm trying to copy this one that was stolen from me decades ago.

[olddawg]

I probably won't get as carried away because my original had a bad refinish. I want it functional and looking good from 5 ft away, lol. But... I saw another luthier near me who is building replicas of vintage LP Customs starting with kits like these and selling them in the LA market. He uses premium replica hardware and electronics and pays great attention to detail in fit and finish with mild relicing. He gets thousands for them and you can't tell they aren't real without some real knowledge.

[olddawg]

ALSO... for anybody that's interested. The pickup rout is done so it will take a P90, a mini, or a full sized humbucker. Here's pictures of a Dog Ear cover over the hole and a DM Super D in it.

[olddawg]

http://youtu.be/K5MeoaiTRvM
Here is another guy’s take. Wish I could find his other videos if he has some.

[Steve A.]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]47469[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]47470[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]47471[/ATTACH] ... The only drag is they didn't rout the lip of the back control cavity for the cover. That's going to be a pain. But for $150... lol. I'm going to take my time. I have most of the rest of it laying around. I'm trying to copy this one that was stolen from me decades ago. [ATTACH=CONFIG]47472[/ATTACH]

So is the control compartment cover the same size as the cavity? I.e., will it fall inside the opening? If so I would add a few pieces of wood to hold the cover and secure it.
If not i would have a local plastic fabricator make me one the exact size of the opening and put the tiny blocks of wood in as described above.
I would NOT pay someone to rout out a lip or attempt it myself.

Steve A.

[bob p]

The problem with DIY projects like these is that they need to stay DIY or you end up blowing your budget. If that happens you could end up sinking more into the project than if you bought a completed guitar.

I'd avoid hiring out any of the work. Me? I'd find a cover that I like and then expand the control cavity as needed and then rout out the lip. Rather than trying to freehand the router work, I'd build a jig and practice on a piece of scrap to avoid screwing up the guitar body. This kind of router task is actually pretty easy if you build a jig. Once you've practiced enough to have the routing down pat then move the jig to the guitar.

For those of us who are thinking about taking on one of these kits, it would be very interesting to know how many hours of work and how many dollars in parts go into the project. dawg, do you have to buy all of the parts for this project or do you have some parts sitting around that you're planning to use?

[olddawg]

The problem with DIY projects like these is that they need to stay DIY or you end up blowing your budget. If that happens you could end up sinking more into the project than if you bought a completed guitar.

I'd avoid hiring out any of the work. Me? I'd find a cover that I like and then expand the control cavity as needed and then rout out the lip. Rather than trying to freehand the router work, I'd build a jig and practice on a piece of scrap to avoid screwing up the guitar body. This kind of router task is actually pretty easy if you build a jig. Once you've practiced enough to have the routing down pat then move the jig to the guitar.

For those of us who are thinking about taking on one of these kits, it would be very interesting to know how many hours of work and how many dollars in parts go into the project. dawg, do you have to buy all of the parts for this project or do you have some parts sitting around that you're planning to use?

A lot of people do these things as “winter projects”. I’m in San Diego, lol. I’m doing this because I recently put a Chibson neck on an Epiphone G400 body with a shattered neck I was given. (See my earlier post) The whole project cost me around a $100 because I had all of the Epi parts... and people keep asking me about my “Vintage” SG in the clubs. I learned a lot on that one. It’s my go to standard tuning slide guitar and looks and sounds great. I do have a lot of parts laying around and picked up some inexpensive stuff from Allparts, Stewmack, and Amazon for this one. I have a cabinet maker friend that will rout the cavity lip for me. But yeah.... I’ll have around $300 into it when I’m done plus time. It’s a hobby of sort. I’m still recovering from my heart attack. It gives me something to think about and look forward too. There is also a certain satisfaction in playing instruments you made yourself at a gig. When someone walks up and says nice 59 DC and I say I made it... it’s a plus. The most expensive thing other than the initial kit will be the pick guard if I have one made and don’t make one myself. If it doesn’t turn out to be a player I’ll hang it on the wall or sell it. No fortune spent. It’s like the amps I build. Irresistible crimes of opportunity. Lol. I’m an old guy with a bunch of skills, tools, and time. I’m retired. I play gigs on weekends and I piddle with stuff. The gigs pay cash and I probably buy more "stuff" than I should. I am threatening to scale down.

[olddawg]

So... the $12 Bad Ass clone arrived over night from Amazon Prime. I have a real old Leo Quan if I want to use it later. Should have a $16 set of 15:1 Kluson clone (better than the original) tuners coming this week. They even say "Deluxe" on them. Also a $6 chrome jack plate, a pair of CTS pots, and a brand new Switchcraft jack. And a clone Gibson truss rod cover. If I rub the tuner buttons with brown shoe polish they will look old. I have a decent P90 laying around. As you can see I have to dress the neck pocket a bit. When it's all together.... how serious I get with the finish depends on how much I like it after it's assembled, strung up, and played for a week. Thennit gets a bone nut. A restoration quality clone Gibson waterslide logo is $15 from eBay. But I've been impressed with these necks. AND all of the holes are for American spec hardware. The Epiphone was all metric.