Epiphone Les Paul: Guitar Rescue | Workshop Journal (with Bonus Content)

Welcome back to the shop. Recently, I did something a little crazy—I put an ad out to give away some guitars. A young lady reached out about her boyfriend’s beat-up 2007 Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Not only did he get a "new" guitar, but I decided to get his old #1 back under the hood to see why it went silent. In this episode, we’re diving into a "spa treatment" for this 15-year-old veteran. We're talking natural relicing, funky fingerboards, and a neck pickup that’s gone AWOL. Grab yourself a Diet Coke and a big bowl of popcorn—let’s get into it! In this video: The story of the "Marketplace Giveaway" and meeting a new friend of the channel. Full assessment of a 2007 Chinese-made Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Troubleshooting the "dead" neck pickup (and finding some surprises in the cavity!). My "secret" fret polishing method using 2000 grit and Lizard Spit. Deep cleaning a decade of "funk" off a rosewood board. Lizard Spit: lizardspit.com Timestamps 0:00 "If it's a day called today..." & Welcome 0:29 Moving on from Big Tex: The Giveaway Story 1:44 Meeting a new friend & The Epiphone Assessment 2:01 2007 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Specs 3:20 Natural Relicing & 15 years of "Funk" 4:40 The Mystery of the Dead Neck Pickup 5:06 Initial Tone Samples (Bridge Pickup Only) 11:14 Memories of "Honey" (The Honeyburst Obsession) 12:31 Heading to the Workbench: The Plan 14:42 Post-Cleaning Update & Strap Button Fix 15:59 The "Good News / Bad News" Coffee Break 16:38 Hidden Treasures in the Control Cavity 18:48 It's Alive! Testing the Electronics Fix 21:19 Fret Polishing Secrets: 2000 Grit & Lizard Spit 24:07 Shout out to the Jacks & Channel Members 26:34 How to support the channel (Merch & More) 28:05 Deep Dive: Polishing Frets with Lizard Spit 34:07 Howard Axe Wax: The Final Result 35:13 "Rock on with your best selves!" ____ Shoutouts: @SmokeEaterGuitars (Jon) @WickedFesterTR (TR) @StringsnPucks (Jeremy) @BCG5150GUITARS (Chris) @lizardspit2508 @HowardProductsInc Checkout our playlist page for more series and journeys https://www.youtube.com/@TedTalksGuitars/playlists Special Thanks to our channel members "The Jacks" Want to support the channel? Feel free to explore Channel membership options: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr6kaWeOvldTHvntB3tnMg/join Ted Talks Guitars & Life Merch Store: https://tedtalksguitars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3W3PZox *If you click on this link to shop at Amazon the channel will receive a modest financial commission from your purchases. Guyker Referral Link: https://www.guyker.com/?ref=tedtalksguitars If you use the link you will save 15% at Guyker Use the coupon code: TEDSMITH #TedTalksGuitars #Epiphone #LesPaul #GuitarRepair #WorkshopJournal #LizardSpit #GuitarTech #LuthierLife #GuitarsAndLife