Modifying a Gibson LPC to Kirk hammetts ebony

Updated
Modifying a Gibson LPC to Kirk hammetts ebony

so I have purchased some guitars I'd like to modify to kirks ebony Gibson LPC but they are not from 88 but I'm not sure since I just got the custom made 2 weeks ago with 490 and 498T open pickups and compared to the hetfield truckster n other ESP eclipses I find this Gibson to be amazing n I'm affraid if I mess with it it might not play as well but for now if I to the modification 

I know kirks binding is gold but mine is in ebony 2016 ebony/ chrome which maybe I just put emgs and 2014 ebony/gold I can't explain how good to me that guitar sounds anyways here's my list so far I'm not sure which one I'm modifying the other will prob be returned for refund or credit or a different color  both were new but I got them for $3000 and $2000 one of the dealers lost $1300 on one of them as he was looking to clear space if your looking for a deal on lots of gibsons selections message me I can give u dealers as a few of them are for whatever reason not staying Gibson dealers these 2 are new and I'm the original owner in other threads I'll do the red tiger flame or trans red n the Amber or gold he uses in the Mexico DVD again despite buying new all were deals most of you would buy n sell n in a day turn a nice profit so if your not going to help I'm telling you I did the research and I have questions if your not interested in helping out a tallica fan looking to modify a guitar to his fav guitar player I'll admit I don't know gibsons but they are heavy some I got these 2 at 8.8 lbs and 9.8 lbs maybe slightly less. The others were weight relieved and the 2014 is  I think 8-8.6 it's hard to be exact it has a 60s slim tapered thin neck n it's gold hardware so I'll prob modify that. 

This is what I have so far

1- emg 81 pickup blk

1- emg 60 pickup blk

plus I'll upload a photo of the guitar later on 

First the hardware should I work off the Kirk Gibson Flying V specs ? 79 reissue ?

i have 

1-schaller blk guitar lock set strap set blk

1-spretzels blk satin locking inline tuners

1-Gibson accessories black stop bar with studs 

1- schaller or Nashville black tune matic or tune o matic special order black 

does kirk use go to in this ?

and I have tone pros... 

 

If if anyone has something helpful to add about the parts I'd appreciate the help. 

All photos will come later on and I'm keeping this thread for kirks ebony gtr. 

 

Ty and I appreciate the help as I try to take a really nice guitar n make it like kirks 

I might just put in the emgs I mean blk is cool but the setup that it came with plays perfection plus is every guitar going to be emg ? But I'm honestly torn some custom fenders sound great n Prs n Gibson some are just as good as my esps msybe it's the builder they're all customs all though I did compare a riff emg 81 ESP eclipse n truckster with 81/60 not truckster with JH pickups. Perhaps it needed a battery change the 498T Gibson n the guitar the build was very impressive n it was nearly identical same amp and same settings to an ESP eclipse the dark blue I think James used in the death magnetic world magnetic met club videos warm up n tested to a truckster. 

Does kirk use gotoh on the LPC ebony? 

NRudy

 

Gibson LPC 2014 new. 

In store 1 year. Brand new. I'm original owner on both. 

 

 

Ebony/ chrome LPC 2016 took off pick guard. Sent 3 weeks ago or less to dealer. From the custom shop. Gibson Nashville .

 

 

 

 

 

 

ESP 348

I LOVE the black with chrome hardware LP! Very very nice guitar when they are new.

NRudy

I'm torn guitar sounds amazing why mess with it ? Maybe just put in emgs ? Maybe all blk hardware but this guitar as is plays amazingly well and it's so well made really I'd love to see an ESP guitar made this well ? Fender custom shops this is better ESP Kirk Hammett n James hetfield ur paying for the name the kh-2 vintage ur paying for a great gtr thats hand distressed the ouijas and kh20 I think would be 70 percent less if not only limited runs n Kirk Hammett name. 

I think fender Gibson and Prs are better and I have many esps every Hammett the khdc is not close to this guitar. With no emgs. I'm not sure what to do I'll think about it. 

I think I got crazy lucky n got especially the chrome gtr just one of those great guitars it's sustain is forever and harmonic are impeccable it's set up perfectly and it's very musical playing a chord progression you can hear the root note hold throughout the pattern or progression it's like playing 2 gtrs Metallica for sure recorded with some gibsons n fenders for certain songs. Prob Prs as well. I'm wondering if ESP made a lp replacement why Kirk uses gibsons but he uses emgs which maybe I do that n trade 1 in for a choice of many other colors. Or maybe I make the most evil Hammett mod of them all. I don't know.

if anyone knows what the bridge is like tune o matic n gotoh or schaller stop tail ?? Please see above so if moding is what I do I get it right. Plus did I miss anything ? 

Ty ESP for the kind words. Cheers.

yea gtrs brand new plays amazing 

NRudy

did u mod yours big dad B  ?

im just curious ? maybe i should leave as  is or just put in 1 emgs ? the 490 and 498T i forgot the letter on the 490R ? those are such amazing pickups  anyways thanks those are the ebonys i have some nice class 5 in the kh red, and gold and an amber burst the goldish or amber burst can be seen in the mexico 3 nights DVD and its the acoustic or rather clean NEM intro solo kirk played on the world magnetic tour. i think the red shouldve been a 59 historic but i chose class 5 and 7.14 lbs and 60's slim neck, same with amber although the amber is  i think a reissue standard LP , i saw u had a nice burst cool color did u modify any of those ? with emgs or the whole way ?

NRudy

1- new 2015 gibson les paul custom ebony/chrome all warranty and coa and extras some more not pictured and in case like emg 81/60 set blk.

 

2- new 2016 gibson les paul custom ebony/gold (made in late june) extras in this package were 9 sets of nyxl strings, a prs signature leather strap in red/tan,2 dunlop string cleaners small blue bottle, lizard spit guitar polish,a 15 ft monster cable,and pickup covers from gibson in chrome all coa and warranty in the case as well as 4 bags picks of dunlop .88 mm tortex all some extra screws and other stuff and the pickup guard was removed when the setup was done and in the middle pouch. the other extras that came with this guitar are not pictured. JH set emgs and emg 81/85 set here in the middle- with blk hardware on the way.

NRudy

thats funny no, but i was considering buying a clas 5 gibson LPC since the store im buying it from is giving them away guitars that are $4000 or $4899 from $7899 for $2000 new. so maybe i return the class 5 in red or the lpc in amber burst or the 59 reissue and buy that-1 i know 1 thing it would sure be better than the khdc.

im just modifying here 1 of these ebony guitars prob will just put in emgs... or change the gold to blk  im not into the gold. also will be modifying some fender custom shops and esp snappers that 1 is see thru blk, with emgs. nice photo.

AK

Im so confused. I love the gibson chrome custom. Very nice photos. I found one chrome at a local dealer. Richlite fretboard. They have a huge discount on it. Brand new at almost second hand price.  Here is where the confusion sets in. Should i get it or not? Because i also want to get an esp explorer, a gibson explorer and a black iron cross. I have money for only one guitar at the moment and i cant choose. The gibson lp, like you mentioned can be modded with black hardware and emgs and would look very nice i think. And another dilemma is: i will need to go into a studio for my album soon, so maybe the right thing to do is just save the money and dont buy anything at the moment. Grrr, too confused. Seeing the photos of the chrome not helping at all

NRudy

AK-  if u want an advise message me i can help u get great prices on a few dealers that are selling new guitars and just getting rid of them some at losing $1200 for good customers because they arent going in to 2017 going to gibson dealers 1 dealers said gibson the guy who took over priced himself over the market and these hew g force or HP were non great and he made dealers take too many, so i know of 4 dealers dropping gibsons. the chrome ebony is 1 of my fav guitars except 20 prs guitars and 10 hammett esp custom other customs and hetfield customs i only on hetfield gets eclipse or les paul shape guitars or flying . those explorers should only be played by papa het. thats my opinion. i love the new vulture i read a review the LTD is best bang for your buck i never tried an LTD except the white zombie and i noticed a huge difference every other guitar thats esp is not LTD or E-II only true ESP, most custom shops and the flying V JH Vulture is amazing.

re: gibsons

i paid new 2016 and 2014 really almost 2015 model for both gibsons lpc guitars $2000 delivered with a setup and a lot of sets of strings high end cables and nice leather straps

theres dealers giving them away these days

as for the trans red flame and see thru black class 5 i got brand new for $1800 and $2200. those had other bustbuckers and other pickups that also were amazing NOS gibsons make amazing guitar in the nashville custom shop.

im just waiting on a few too come like the honey amber burst 60 cuz i like the slim neck custom les paul, these are decked out and the 490r and 498T pickups are as good as emgs 81/60- i pulled out my JH truckster 1 of 3 the blk asged satin JH truckster with emgs 81/60 the other had the JH set and i played a few riffs the chrome 2016 gibson was almost the same, i got lucky i got that special guitar set up perfectly 2 mm above the emgs low action fast action its an amazing guitar. i got another blk or ebony lpc /chrome made june late of 2016 and sold it for $4500 and paid $2000. so buying them and selling them i get the gear free pretty much

as for modifying them with the emgs i got all new from gibson schaller and gotoh and emgs the whole thing new everything was $280.

i can list each item everything was changed on the gold hardware ebony to black. sprezel tuners emgs  eveb black ring around the push pull, schaller strap locks gotoh and nashvile stoptail and tune o matic black special orders  left on the black speed knobs and took off the pick guard and filled in the screws with black screws. then satin tuners and spretzels tuners. i think that was it. i kept the chrome and ebony uncovered the pickups and they sustain amazingly and sound so good. really impressive. only thing is they have not the thickest neck rounded 50s neck profile, but its not the slim taper 60s neck like i have on the 2 class 5's. i have 3 of them 2 on the way and thinking of ordering another. point is if u buy them new and geta deal u can buy 2 sell 1 at $500 off reg guitar center price and u basically get yours for free, thats what i did with gibson and fender.

and it helps if u buy in canada as u get 30% off so things that cost $2799 for say a fender custom shop u can get a free setup free shipping to the US or NY it costs them $200 cad. and then u pay 75 cents on the dollar. at 1 point $9250 CAD was $5100 USD this year or 5-8 months ago.it goes up and down from 70-78 cents or so to $1.

i did had my wife who helped me so much take everything to my guitar tech he did all the instals  and then sold them to people who didint want to wait and would pay more.

then i modified 3 custom shop fender custom shops with emg hss 81 and single coils in white so its an all white fender i did 3 of those sold them, i paid $1700 new for the april 2016 custom shops, used profit to order an all choice rosewoods fender everything is all wood neck body back headstock and its finished with satin nitro so its a thin smooth neck and 2 custom emg build like that its going to take a while but its going to be very cool, fender custom strat. from the custom shop.

NRudy

What did u end up getting? 

Best of luck with ur album... 

 

I ended up up getting really almost 2 guitars a week or more this summer because the deals n pricing were for new guitars amazing. As for Esp n hetfield or kh guitars I modded lp gibsons after Kirk Hammett n James hetfield n Flying V after them. Through ESP custom and Gibson custom and did some custom shop fenders as well like Kirk Hammett n James hetfield. 

 

I hope everything turned out well for you I had a whole lot of issues with the LPC modding it with special order blk hardware n emgs. 1 was trashed, by an employee or patron of the store my gtr tech works out n instead of brand new the gtr after weeks ended up coming out well just not brand new. But save for a tiny ding on the back like pen size n some light surface tiny scratches plus a 2 mm dent really blocked by the stop tail the front neck headstock binding fretboard is mint overall came brand new n now it's in 9.6/10 but is setup n plays great it hard to photograph blk guitars for me n not use flash on cloudy days. Mine came out ok- the others all perfect. Best of luck 

Nate 

 

 

ESP 348

IF you had to get a guitar, buy the rarest one of ones you want because they will only be harder to find and more expensive years down the road.

The original Iron Cross and the ESP Explorer would be the hardest to find at the moment. I am sure you can find a Gibson Exlporer and Gibson Les Paul anyday of the week.

If you don't need any of those guitars, sink your money into your new album because if that all goes well..............you will be able to buy all those guitars you want in one hit.

AK

Thanks a lot man. You are right, makes sense.

ESP 348

No worries man, good luck with it all.

NRudy

I think the 490r and especially the 498T are basically very close sounds of an emg 81 I tried it with a truckster ESP lp style with the old 81/60 set of emgs n on the same amp it was emgs 10/10 and 498t 9.3/10 n the pair on the ebony chrome are amazing I'm moding ebony /gold both are same guitar just 1 is from dec 2014 and the chrome ebony LPC is from June 2016. I have those picks big dad on the chrome class 5 on trans red flame moded like kirks but I thought since I like the 81/85 configuration on other ESP custom and standard series horizons I did the trans red mod in emg 60/89.

NRudy

my last one I'm looking for now is a LPC 60 slim 8 lbs honey or Amber burst.

NRudy

Yes I'm going to get the class 5 see thru blk big dad.

there are dealers selling them for $1800 new LPC in every color 

in fact I sold 2 and these 2 custom shop strats $500 off the Sweetwater prices and got the LPC mostly for free. 

 

NRudy

Modfying custom shop fenders with emgs selling a few keeping some as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NRudy

 

Modifying custom fenders while I modify some Gibson LPC and true historic 59 and 60 plus a other gibsons LPC with Kirk Hammett mods waiting for all the parts to come. 

Before . Will find other photo of rosewood metallic sunset custom shop also doing H/H with emg 85/89

white 3 emg sa pickups with different pickups and hardware 

many pick guards above doing 2  in white 2 in black like a kh-4 style all other styles from single coils to hss to H H to the Hammett emg pick guards.

2- metallic sunset

2- Olympic white

2- blk 

1- surf green like (I disappear video)

all fender custom shops 

a few ESP vintage plus strats in other colors regular and distressed with Duncan's and emgs 

Custom fenders 2 I have 1 custom shop we'll both custom shops in metallic sunset from 2013 and 2015 both are in process of being modified with the various emgs 

I read up on kirks fender setups and made a few modified to how some of his are here is 1 

After

 

 

 

NRudy

Just got in the parts for the Kirk Hammett ebony LPC mod all blk hardware everything eith emg 81/60. 

NRudy

Will show b4 and after photos cost and every part later on so if anyone wants to mod a ebony LPC like Kirk Hammett they can.

will do another thread for his 2004 class 5 cranberry trans red flame 

another for his true historic 59 and 60 maybe in Amber honey burst 

and a couple of others. As I get them I will finish up the thread on the b4 middle  and after photos of the blk or ebony blk hardware LPC 

then do other threads for the 4 other les Pauls customs.

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