VGS classix LP mods!

  A good friend bought this 2012 VGS "classix series" Single-cut guitar. It's a fine LP electric guitar made by VGS guitars Korea. The build quality of the guitar is pretty high. These guitars are probable built to old "made in Korea" Epiphone standards. The use of G&B brand Korean pickups is a strong indication that VGS uses factories were good old Epiphone guitars were produced until 2002.
 This particular VGS model had no issues but we wanted to modify it to suit my friend's playing style and taste. First of all, the highly polished glossy finish made the guitar look a bit too shiny. A slightly aged satin finish would make the guitar look really classy. The aged finish is nothing like the relic' d beaten-up look as we only make the top clear coat of the finish look less shiny. The color of the guitar stays intact and we make no artificial dents or marks.

In order to finish the guitar in satin lacquer, I had to remove all hardware and electronics. Then, the hole guitar was gently sanded with soft grit papers to prepare its surface for the new satin clear coat. Once the guitar was ready for paint, I sprayed it in satin clear and let it dry for a few hours. The surface of the guitar became much smoother and the satin finish made the neck a bit "faster" in terms of playability.

The next step was to upgrade the electronics. The stock pickups were a pair of G113 humbuckers made by G&B pickups in Korea. These pickups had Alnico V magnets and about 9kOhms of DC resistance. Their medium "PAF" style output was not what we were looking for so we changed these pickups for a hotter set of ceramic Wilkinson WVHZ "zebra" humbuckers. The Wilkinson ceramic bridge pickup has a resistance of ~14kOhms which is pretty hot! Then, I changed the bridge tone capacitor to a 10nF to get all the output and highs this pickup has to offer. Disconnecting the tone pot or tone cap could make the pickup sound too bright. 

 http://www.jhs.co.uk/wilkinson.html

Once I changed the pickups and rewired the electronics, I placed every bit of hardware on the guitar and changed the golden "top hat" knobs with metallic chrome ones. Then, I set the guitar up with a fresh set of 0,010" strings in standard E tuning. The result is awesome! Not only does it look good but it also sounds and plays wonderfully!


-Thanos