[Eclipse_#3]

I have a Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 and it is a little too bassy. Could this be from the pickups ( which I assume) or do the strings have something to do with it to? Thanks.

[GlittermekaiN]

It could be either.

[Count Drugula]

[Eclipse_#3]

Originally Posted by Count Drugula

Great LAWL! of China.

[borrihong]

first things first... get your guitar to a shop (guitar center or so) and have them fine tune it, (adjust neck tension and so fourth) then while your guitar is there, spend a good 20-30 minutes just talking. you will deffinately be SHOWN the right strings for you, and gain knowlege!

[xxxeightballxxx]

strings have nothing to do with tone at all,a les pauls trademark sound is heavy bottom end bass as a fender (tele or strat) is a high end thin sound.my experance with les pauls is that when i play them,to me it sound to bassy,but in reality the tone is perfect.les pauls use a double coil pick up thats where ur bass comes from,fenders use a single coil.make sure your using the bridge pick up not the neck one.neck postion is bass,neck is more thin sound.

[B2K4-SuperHonkey]

Originally Posted by xxxeightballxxx

strings have nothing to do with tone at all,a les pauls trademark sound is heavy bottom end bass as a fender (tele or strat) is a high end thin sound.my experance with les pauls is that when i play them,to me it sound to bassy,but in reality the tone is perfect.les pauls use a double coil pick up thats where ur bass comes from,fenders use a single coil.make sure your using the bridge pick up not the neck one.neck postion is bass,neck is more thin sound.

Your grammar makes me totally believe you. Neck is bass AND thin sound? By Odin's loincloth, you just may be on to something!



Just a thought, but you can also adjust the bass through the tone knobs on your guitar and your amp. Strings also do have something to do with tone as different size strings vibrate different and sound different. Don't believe me? Put you low E string where your high E is, tune it (don't really, this is hypothetical), and see if they sound the same. Correct answer is no. How big of a difference? Well, that's an arguable point.

And for the love of god, don't pay to have some stranger **** with your truss rod. That only adjusts the curve of your neck and it's pretty easy for some 18 year old n00b at Guitar Center to ruin a guitar because you asked him to adjust your truss. Only go get your guitar set up if it needs it, such as if the intonation is off or you have fret buzzing you don't know how to fix, and go somewhere you know that the guy setting it up can get the job done right.

As for tone, the biggest portions for tone on an electric are in the pickups and your amplifier and any effects/stompboxes/et cetera you have along the way. Pickups are expensive for a good set, but I'd go with some gibson pickups. Maybe a 496r and a 500t. I have them in my Les Paul and they scream. I wouldn't change them our for Duncans or anything if they sponsored me.

My opinion? Adjust the bass on your amp and live with it until you get a better guitar. I personally don't think Epiphone is really as good as people think they are.

[Eclipse_#3]

Originally Posted by B2K4-SuperHonkey

Your grammar makes me totally believe you. Neck is bass AND thin sound? By Odin's loincloth, you just may be on to something!



Just a thought, but you can also adjust the bass through the tone knobs on your guitar and your amp. Strings also do have something to do with tone as different size strings vibrate different and sound different. Don't believe me? Put you low E string where your high E is, tune it (don't really, this is hypothetical), and see if they sound the same. Correct answer is no. How big of a difference? Well, that's an arguable point.

And for the love of god, don't pay to have some stranger **** with your truss rod. That only adjusts the curve of your neck and it's pretty easy for some 18 year old n00b at Guitar Center to ruin a guitar because you asked him to adjust your truss. Only go get your guitar set up if it needs it, such as if the intonation is off or you have fret buzzing you don't know how to fix, and go somewhere you know that the guy setting it up can get the job done right.

As for tone, the biggest portions for tone on an electric are in the pickups and your amplifier and any effects/stompboxes/et cetera you have along the way. Pickups are expensive for a good set, but I'd go with some gibson pickups. Maybe a 496r and a 500t. I have them in my Les Paul and they scream. I wouldn't change them our for Duncans or anything if they sponsored me.

My opinion? Adjust the bass on your amp and live with it until you get a better guitar. I personally don't think Epiphone is really as good as people think they are.

Well the amp I have is a Marshall MG250DFX and my guitar sounds like crap on it. I am not getting the amps full potentiality out of this guitar.

[reactionkilla]

The amp isn't helping much. Big transistor amplifiers I have found to not ever really sound good. I would just tweak with the amp and find a setting where it sounds good. It also could be something with your string height or pickup height, so look into that and see if its something there. I think that when the strings are too close to the pickups it can get really boomy, but it might just be your EQ. Set the bass at about 3 or 4 and set everything else around 6 or 7 and see where that takes you.

[Eclipse_#3]

Originally Posted by reactionkilla

The amp isn't helping much. Big transistor amplifiers I have found to not ever really sound good. I would just tweak with the amp and find a setting where it sounds good. It also could be something with your string height or pickup height, so look into that and see if its something there. I think that when the strings are too close to the pickups it can get really boomy, but it might just be your EQ. Set the bass at about 3 or 4 and set everything else around 6 or 7 and see where that takes you.

Thank you. But it doesn't hurt to get new strings right?

[reactionkilla]

New strings will definately brighten it up for awhile while they are new, but its a short term deal with the strings.

[A-5best]

First make sure your tone knob isnt all the way down which would be the obvious problem. Also switch to your bridge pu i prefer the bridge for more rhythm trebly attack tones. Maybe adjust pu height if you really need to, just google it Im sure youll find plenty of info.

[tonysk83]

I think you need to adjust the tone knobs on your guitar.

[PaintballBandito]

As has been said, Les Pauls have double coil humbuckers and a fat body, which contributes to their fat, bassy sound. Now, with an Epiphone Les Paul Special 2, you are about at the bottom of the barrel as far as Les Pauls go so it is bound to sound like crap a lot of the time. That little marshall is a decent amp and should be able to get a fine tone once you get a better guitar. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio is really good for the money and retains the classic low end of a Les Paul, but sounds leaps and bounds better than the Special 2. If you are really wanting to stay with an Epiphone but you don't like the Les Paul's bassy tone, you may want to look into the Epiphone g-400 or g-410. These are both SG's which have a more balanced lead tone and are great guitars for the money.

[B2K4-SuperHonkey]

Originally Posted by Eclipse_#3

Well the amp I have is a Marshall MG250DFX and my guitar sounds like crap on it. I am not getting the amps full potentiality out of this guitar.

I agree with reactionkilla, your amp is no good. I've never been a fan of solid-state effects (minus some stompboxes and effect boards like my digitech rp14 which slays) because they really don't do much to enhance the guitar. Out of all the small practice solid-state combos I've played, I like line 6, peavey, and this fender ultimate chorus I'm using now which absolutely blends magically with my les paul and my digitech board.

[Teamacidplayer]

your gonna have to mess with the tone knobs or put the switch on lead for the more "high" sound