Anyone had experience upgrading Epiphone Dot's?
 

I recently snagged a Korean made Epi Dot on the bay. I had read somewhere that there were those who had bought one of these and done improvements which might include a new bridge and pots, and certainly new pickups.
I decided on a set of Seymour Duncan Seth Lover p/u's and that is the only move I've made other than a nice set-up.
The guitar is totally transformed into this big woody, chiming bell, piano. I own three other very nice guitars and this one has a tone on par with ny of them. I just couldn't be more surprised and pleased.
Has anyone tried this themselves and what did you find and what did you do to get there?

I hear stories like yours all the time from people who have bought a Dot, modded it a little, and now play it more than their more expensive guitars. Here's my story...

I got my Dot from GC two years ago at a very good price. It's the cherry red finish. I loved the playability and the beautiful workmanship right from the get go...but it had two issues that needed immediate attention. First was the tuners...they were basically non functional. Those got replaced first. Next was the pickups. They worked OK but were rather blah sounding. I bought a set of Di Marzio Bluesbuckers for it and installed those...and wow!...instant tone monster! Bluesbuckers are humbuckers, but the second coil is basically just there to cancel hum, the result being a single coil-ish, P90-ish sound. Also, per Di Marzio's suggestion, I flipped the bridge pup around so the functioning pole pieces were away from the bridge rather than next to it. That takes just a bit of the bite out of it. That's all I've done to mine, and I couldn't be happier with it.

People ask how it stacks up to a 335. The answer is that you really can't compare the two. They look alike, but that's where it ends. The Dot is its own guitar, and a very good one, and...you can own a Dot in every finish available, do the mods I've done, and still be under the price of a 335. Amazing.

Interesting. The surprising thing about the sunburst Dot I bought is that it came stock with Grover tuners! I've read the stock PU's (on Korean made Dot's) were Gibson Probursts or some off the wall name. Crap basically. A friend of mine had a Chinese made Dot and they were even worse pckups.
Shocked is the only reaction I can come up with after the transformation.
One thing I can share with you is that after modding mine I was in Rudy's Music in NYC and they were telling me that modding Dot's was something they touted on their website and had been doing for years.
Can't comment on how far apart they are from 335's having not owned one, so I appreciate your observation. I only know I have an under $500 guitar that holds up with some that retail for over 6K. Might be worth someone giving it a try!

I got a great deal on one a while ago. First gig, the pickup selector busted. So I took the plunge and replaced all the wiring, jack, input switch and put in two Gibson pickups. This thing sounds great and even with the upgrades was about 1/4 the price of the real thing. I'll probably breakdown and buy a 335 someday but until then my Epi Dot is my go to electric.

I don't have an Epi Dot but I've upgraded plenty of guitars. Pickups and pots can make a significant impact. Sometimes tuners are also needed.

Goodallboy - congrats on your new guitar. It sounds like everyone here has some great upgrading stories. How did you find the nut on your Epi?

Dru, if you mean the width of the nut, it's a bit more narrow than some but less narrow than a couple of 335's I've played. I tend to like it and the neck seems fast to me and notes come very easy. I'm a freak about intonation and it's intonated far better than I thought it might. My next upgrade will most likey be a tone-pros bridge. At this point I just don't want to mess with what has become a very pleasant surprise.

Mine had tuners that said Grover on them too. I can only guess that they were either knockoffs, or Grover is outsourcing some really crap low end tuners...but whatever. I bought the guitar intending to upgrade it wherever needed, so I expected to be replacing some parts.

What do you think of the neck on yours? Mine is very chunky...almost like an acoustic neck. But that's fine...I don't like a narrow skinny neck.

Since the tuners work quite well I believe they are Grovers. As for the neck, it doesn't seem large to me. Smaller than an acoustic for sure and smaller than my PRS Wide-Fat necks.

Epiphone Dot Upgrades
 

I recently had my Epi upgraded with the following:

1. Grover locking tuners
2. Graphite nut
3. Gibson pots…vintage wiring
a. Everything is now handwired
4. Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa pickups
5. Strings (10)
6. Complete set up at a local store

Future upgrades include an ebony Fretboard, and aged nickel bridge and tailpiece.

It sounds and plays great.

Your Thoughts…

Funny, I just posted this thread yesterday.
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=285329