Updated my Dot

Kerry Brown

Kerry Brown

Ambassador of the Great Northern Bar Jams
Country flag
I bought a used stock Epiphone Dot a while ago with the idea of turning it into a really nice playing/sounding guitar for live use that I wouldn't be freaked out if it got a few scratches. It has worked out really well. I installed some Sigil "Lips" Kudlow Signature pickups and a prewired Stay Tuned pots, switch, and jack kit. I added some black tophats to complete the black look. It looks great and plays even better. Can't wait to try it live. Stay Tuned is local to Vancouver but he will ship. If you're in Canada cross border shipping can be a pain so it's good to have a Canadian supplier. The kit was very well assembled and fit into the Dot with minimal hassle. Anyone who has changed pots in a 335 style guitar knows how frustrating it can be. The kit had enough stiffness that it was fairly easy to find the right holes for everything. Only needed a string to get the jack in place. The pots and switch were close enough to the holes I could jimmy them into place with my fingers and a couple of probes my wife uses to work on sewing machines.

2018-09-08 13.55.17 copy.jpg 2018-09-08 13.55.25 copy.jpg
 
Last edited:
Gahr said:
Sweet guitar. Dots are great!



As in Lips from Anvil? What are the pickups like?
Click to expand...
Yes, Lips from Anvil. They are like really strong PAF pickups. They have very strong A5 magnets. You have to adjust them lower than most pickups because they will pull the strings too much and affect the intonation. I've had them in few guitars. If I sell the guitar they are in I take them out because so far they are my favourite pickups. They are very versatile and react very well to changes in the guitar volume and tone controls. They work for everything from clean to full on metal. Easily the most versatile pickups I've used. They are not wax potted which may be a problem at gig levels in a semi-hollow. I'll find out tomorrow night.
 
Kerry Brown said:
Yes, Lips from Anvil. They are like really strong PAF pickups. They have very strong A5 magnets. You have to adjust them lower than most pickups because they will pull the strings too much and affect the intonation. I've had them in few guitars. If I sell the guitar they are in I take them out because so far they are my favourite pickups. They are very versatile and react very well to changes in the guitar volume and tone controls. They work for everything from clean to full on metal. Easily the most versatile pickups I've used. They are not wax potted which may be a problem at gig levels in a semi-hollow. I'll find out tomorrow night.
Click to expand...
I think Lips' Flying V is semi-hollow, so if he's using them in that one, I guess they will work at high volumes too.
 
KB... Your Epi is looking real nice... :yesway:

I had a little trouble finding Stay Tuned. But here's the link to their site:
About Us

Their products look really good. The prewired packages are very well thought out with nice presentations. Good choice.

Sample of their work:

DSC_0019.jpg
 
syscokid said:
KB... Your Epi is looking real nice... :yesway:

I had a little trouble finding Stay Tuned. But here's the link to their site:
About Us

Their products look really good. The prewired packages are very well thought out with nice presentations. Good choice.

Sample of their work:

View attachment 17964
Click to expand...
My kit was for a 335 style. guitar. It looked very similar to that but included the jack and switch. The diagram on the card made it simple to hook up. The braided ground wire was a little thicker making the assembly a little stiffer. It was flexible enough to feed through the F hole but stiff enough that once inside the body it maintained it's shape and was easy to use my fingers to get the pots into place. The only string I had to use was the for the output jack to feed the assembly through the F hole then the jack into the hole that was out of reach for my fingers. I got this kit with 50s wiring.

1510471210879.jpg
 
Took the Dot to a local bar jam last night. It was a total let down. I plugged into my Pro Junior, turned it on with the volume right off. After it warmed up I turned the volume up and there was a horrible hum. The ground wire from the bridge to the ground on the wiring had come off. I ended up playing a borrowed guitar all night. When I looked at it this morning I was able to fish the ground wire and one of the braided pickup wires out through the F hole and solder the ground wire to the braid. Problem solved. I had originally soldered the ground wire to the back of one of the pots but I guess the soldering iron I used wasn’t up to that.
 
Kerry Brown said:
Took the Dot to a local bar jam last night. It was a total let down. I plugged into my Pro Junior, turned it on with the volume right off. After it warmed up I turned the volume up and there was a horrible hum. The ground wire from the bridge to the ground on the wiring had come off. I ended up playing a borrowed guitar all night. When I looked at it this morning I was able to fish the ground wire and one of the braided pickup wires out through the F hole and solder the ground wire to the braid. Problem solved. I had originally soldered the ground wire to the back of one of the pots but I guess the soldering iron I used wasn’t up to that.
Click to expand...
Aw, that sucks. But at least you solved the problem in the end...
 
Gahr said:
Aw, that sucks. But at least you solved the problem in the end...
Click to expand...
I did try a couple of songs. The band was loud enough that the hum wasn’t that noticeable. It was only in between songs that it was really annoying. A friend, who is also a player, told me later that he didn’t even notice it between songs in the audience. He complimented me on how good it sounded. Me, it drove me crazy. Yes, luckily it was an easy fix. Even though the kit went in pretty easy I wasn’t looking forward to pulling it all out then back in through the F hole.
 
Glad to hear it worked out Kerry. There is nothing worse than wiring something up and being excited to try it out, only to find an issue. Such a letdown.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top