Beat-to-shit Epiphone ET-270 repair/mutilation

Painting? Routing? Set-up tips? Or just straight-up making a guitar from scratch? Post here, and post pics!

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Grant
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Beat-to-shit Epiphone ET-270 repair/mutilation

Post by Grant »

I submitted a lowball offer on an ET-270 that had been sitting on Reverb for two years.

Based on shape that it's in, perhaps I should've balled even lower.

Regardless, the guitar is now in my possession.

(Insert pictures/analysis here)

Needs:
- Nut
- Pickups
- Electronics, Knobs

Wants:
- fretwork
- new pickguard
- body crack repair

Unknowns:
- new tuners?

Hopes and dreams:
- mod/clone the bridge/trem

My plan right now is to CNC a graphite nut and 3d print pickup covers and knobs. Pickups will be G&L soapbar MFDs that I happen to have sitting around, and which are almost the right size
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Grant
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Re: Beat-to-shit Epiphone ET-270 repair/mutilation

Post by Grant »

Grant wrote:3d print pickup covers
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progress!
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Grant
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Post by Grant »

This thing has two fairly impressive neck pocket cracks and a spattering of blue paint (?!). Neck seems straight but had an odd shim on one side only.

Mulling.

Pics. Click for unreasonably huge.


Overall. I love how goofy-big the headstock is:
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Crack #1, and shot of odd shim:
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Crack #2. pretty impressive, tbh:
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Frets aren't too bad, tho:
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Trem. Don't wanna even think about the nasty gunk in that bridge:
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Gross
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Why
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Front:
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Back!
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(please do not hack my fingerprints, I need them)

todo: Explore the virtues of structural epoxy.
Last edited by Grant on Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:30 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by dylanafghjkl »

Damn this thing looks super cool.
Looks like it has heaps of potential too especially if you got it for cheaper than the price listed on reverb
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Post by HNB »

I am guessing the shim used to be in the correct spot and either slipped during some work with the neck off or was put in the wrong spot by mistake. You can see a line in the finish where the shim should be that makes me think it was in the right spot at one time.
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Post by Grant »

dylanafghjkl wrote:Damn this thing looks super cool.
Looks like it has heaps of potential too especially if you got it for cheaper than the price listed on reverb
I submitted what I thought was a borderline insult of a low ball. Now I'm not so sure. :lol:

I'm keeping the finish as-is, for sure.
HNB wrote:I am guessing the shim used to be in the correct spot and either slipped during some work with the neck off or was put in the wrong spot by mistake. You can see a line in the finish where the shim should be that makes me think it was in the right spot at one time.
Yeah that seems like the most likely case.
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Post by Grant »

Leaning towards going with the Duncans (Distortion and 59 neck) I have sitting around. Gonna save the MFDs for now. Not feeling teh EMGs.

Aesthetically, I wish I had some creme Super Distortion but ohwellll
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Post by Grant »

Either I accidentally ordered frets from two places (ENTIRELY possible), or Warmoth just drop-shipped me some frets? Probably the former, I guess we'll see when the pickguard blanks and nut show up.
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Post by jamba72 »

nice one ;)
I had one, too some years ago..I really like the neck..

a pity that most of these ( or silimar Arias) all are missing the trem cover..
the screws at the bridge have very strange specifics, neither US nor Japanese..couldnt find replacement for those..

without the shim, is the neck crooked?
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Post by Grant »

jamba72 wrote:nice one ;)
I had one, too some years ago..I really like the neck..

a pity that most of these ( or silimar Arias) all are missing the trem cover..
the screws at the bridge have very strange specifics, neither US nor Japanese..couldnt find replacement for those..

without the shim, is the neck crooked?
If the shim was necessary, it was too thick for the job. We'll see what I need when I get it all back together.

I managed to be the only bidder on a trem cover on Ebay, and picked it up for less than $20 shipped. Sometimes I'm lucky.

I do dig the neck, from what I can tell so far.

Speaking of the neck, it turns out that I did, in fact, order a guitar's worth of frets from both Warmoth and Amazon. I'll get around to using them all eventually, probably, so I ain't too fussed.
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Post by cur »

FYI I did one of these as a project a while back. It was the Aria version, but I think the exact same guitar except for the fender style neck.

link

link

have fun with it, they are sexy guitars.

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Post by Grant »

cur wrote:FYI I did one of these as a project a while back. It was the Aria version, but I think the exact same guitar except for the fender style neck.

link

link

have fun with it, they are sexy guitars.
That is one sexy, sexy guitar there, cur. I'll sit down and properly digest your thread soonish. :)
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Post by Grant »

The BWB pickguard blank showed a little while ago. I debated modifying the original (or original replacement?) instead, but I hate the stock volume knob placement.

I hate it SO MUCH
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Post by Grant »

Purchased some epoxy, but apparently you actually have to mix the stuff (gross). Gonna need a syringe of some sort, too, which I'll get at the art store when I go get spray paint for The Portmanteau of "Duo-Sonic" and "Rails."
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