Look Who it Was Random video

Tokai Les Paul copy pickup change and set up

4,343 views · Published 12 November 2018 · 2:38:22 · Indexed 7 October 2026

Channel: Sam Deeks · 2018 · Howto & Style

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Feedback received from Col:

"Tokai is brill I love the work you have done to it, The sound from the Iron gear pickups have definitely made every note stand out now, glad I went for them.  I am now able to get much more discernible changes of the sounds by adjusting Vol / tone pots. I can now hear the sustain on the chords rather than a muddy sound that wasn’t quite right. Thanks once again I love it and it is a definite keeper now"

Here I'm swapping out the pickups on Col's Tokai Les Paul copy in wine red. While I'm at it, I try out some Chinese 'orange drop' capacitors - to see if (and how) they work. The verdict from the above feedback is that they do indeed work for a fraction of the price charged by UK sellers for similar and sometimes the exact same thing. 

The video shows me setting the action using the original nut although I planned to change it out later for an adjustable one. I then do precision fret levelling to free up choked out bends around the 11th fret that Colin had reported. A high 10th fret was the main culprit for this. Once I'd taken the strings off I was able to swap out the pickups for a pair of IronGear 'Blues Engine' humbuckers.

If you want to do the same precision fret-levelled set ups that I do in my videos - using everyday tools that cost next to nothing – you might like my '5 Steps to Guitar Set Up Heaven' eBook. 
Details how to get it direct from me are here:
https://www.facebook.com/relovedguitars/photos/a.1434485003475282/1831237983799980/?type=3&theater

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