How to Wire an Epiphone Les Paul Special Guitar

The Epiphone Les Paul Special guitar uses a slightly different control schematic than is typical of Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul guitars. The Les Paul Special has two humbucker pickups and a three-way switch, which are standard for Les Paul guitars. The difference is that the Les Paul Special only has a single volume and tone potentiometer that controls both pickups rather than having separate potentiometers for both pickups. This changes how the guitar needs to be wired to function.

Solder the hot wire of the neck humbucker of the Epiphone Les Paul Special guitar to the three-way switch. You should solder it to the left-most prong of the switch if the group of three prongs is facing down. Place the tip of the soldering iron on the electrician’s solder so that a drop melts onto the tip of the iron. Place this drop onto the end of the hot wire and the switch prong. It will solidify almost instantaneously once the soldering iron is removed. The color of the hot wire will vary based on the manufacturer of the pickup.

Solder the hot wire from the bridge pickup to the right-most prong of the three-way switch. Use the same procedure as used in Step 1.

Solder a wire to the center prong of the three-way switch in the group of three prongs. Solder the other end of the wire to the right-most prong (if the prongs are facing down) of the tone potentiometer.

Solder a wire to the prong on the three-way switch that is separate from the group of three prongs already used. Solder the other end of this wire to the back of the volume potentiometer. This can be anywhere on the back of the potentiometer; this is the switch’s grounding wire.

Solder the grounding wires for both humbucker pickups to the back of the volume potentiometer.

Solder together the two remaining wires for the neck humbucker together. You only need to do this for some pickup models.

Solder together the two remaining wires for the bridge humbucker together. You only need to do this for some pickup models.

Bend the right-most prong of the volume potentiometer (if the prongs are facing down) so that it touches the back of the volume pot. Solder this prong in place.

Solder a wire to the left-most prong of the volume pot. Solder the other end of the wire to the right-most prong of the tone pot.

Solder the 0.047 capacitor to the center prong of the tone pot. Solder the other end of the capacitor to the back of the tone pot.

Solder the wire connected to the guitar bridge to the back of the tone pot.

Solder a wire to the back of the volume pot. Solder the other end of the wire to the back of the tone pot.

Solder a wire to the back of the tone pot. Solder the other end of the wire to the sleeve of the output jack. The sleeve is the prong of the output jack connected to the inner metal circle.

Solder a wire to the center prong of the volume pot. Solder the other end of the wire to the remaining prong of the output jack.