The Epiphone Les Paul Custom, the tuxedo Les Paul, uses a LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece with Grover Rotomatic tuners at an 18:1 ratio.
16 mods reviewed: 10 drop-in, 3 need verification, 3 need modification.
Places we know sell the Epiphone Les Paul Custom.
Andertons
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom, the tuxedo Les Paul, uses a LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece with Grover Rotomatic tuners at an 18:1 ratio. Its ebony fretboard and gold hardware set it apart cosmetically from the Standard models, but the hardware footprint is the same Nashville-style Epiphone setup. ProBucker 2 and 3 pickups sit in a standard humbucker route.
Tailpiece
LockTone Stop Bar
String spacing
52mm (2.05")
Scale length
24.75" (629mm)
Tuner hole size
10mm (25/64")
Not published by Epiphone: bridge mounting spacing. Measure this before buying a bridge.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It doesn't change the price you pay. How we make money
Purpose-built for this bridge style. Locking studs mean it won't fall out when you change strings.
TonePros markets the NVR2 specifically as their Nashville-spec locking retrofit. Consistently reported as a straightforward install in Epiphone-specific threads, including on current-production Les Paul models across the range.
See current price at Amazon
View at Amazon
Should fit, but post spacing on Epiphone Nashville bridges varies slightly by year. Measure your studs before buying if you want a guaranteed fit.
StewMac lists Gotoh's drop-in Nashville replacement at 73.99mm post spacing, but multiple owner caliper measurements on Epiphone LPs range from 73.0mm to 74.4mm depending on model year. Same underlying Nashville-spec bridge family as the rest of the current Epiphone LP range.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonThis swaps only the saddles, so you keep your existing bridge. Graph Tech sell different saddle sets for different bridge stamps though, so check the stamp on the underside of your bridge and order the matching one.
Graph Tech match their TUSQ saddle sets to the stamp on the underside of the bridge rather than selling one universal set, and their own fitment guide lists a distinct SKU per stamp. The Epiphone-spec set, PQ-8633-00, is the correct SKU for a modern Epiphone-style import Tune-o-matic, which is the bridge style on this guitar. What has not been independently confirmed is the exact stamp on this particular model, and that is the detail that decides which set to order.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Amazon
View at Amazon
This bridge is built for genuine Gibson Nashville posts, not Epiphone's. You'll need to swap in Faber's own conversion posts first, no drilling required if you use their simplest kit.
Faber's own FAQ states Epiphone and other imported guitars use bridge posts that screw into bushings, not original Nashville inserts, and require Faber conversion bridge studs (NSWKIT, BSWKIT, or iNsert) to use any Faber bridge including the ABRN. NSWKIT is a straightforward stud swap with no drilling. BSWKIT is more invasive, needs the body inserts removed and tapped. The plain ABRN alone is not a drop-in for this guitar.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Reverb
View at Reverb
Fits the standard humbucker route like this guitar's other pickup options. This set leans toward a mellower, more vintage-voiced tone rather than higher output.
Same route and mounting as the Pearly Gates set. Also a commonly recommended Epi LP swap, leans toward a mellower, more vintage-voiced tone rather than higher output.
See also
See current price at Reverb
View at ReverbThe exact pickups found on the USA Gibson version of this guitar. Direct fit, still needs soldering.
This is literally what Gibson ships in the USA Les Paul Custom; it's a genuine drop-in for the Epiphone's standard humbucker route, not just a similarly-sized third-party part.
Fits the standard humbucker route. You'll need to solder it in, this isn't a solderless swap.
Standard humbucker footprint and mounting, matches the ProBucker routing shared across the current Epiphone LP range. One of the most commonly recommended Epiphone LP upgrades in Seymour Duncan's own forum threads.
See also
£309.99 at Andertons
View at AndertonsCheck the pole spacing note before buying, this pickup is built for slightly wider necks. This guitar's exact nut width hasn't been confirmed, so measure before ordering if pole alignment matters to you.
F-spaced (2.01" pole spacing), which DiMarzio recommends for guitars with a nut width over 1.69" (43mm). A closely related Epiphone Les Paul model measures exactly 43mm, right at that boundary, but this guitar's own nut width has not been independently confirmed, so the same boundary concern applies without a confirmed number to check it against.
Help confirm this fit
Gotoh specify a 10mm bore for these, matching this guitar's holes. A straight locking upgrade, no reaming.
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom ships with Grover Rotomatic tuners on a 3-per-side headstock drilled at 10mm, and Gotoh specify a 10mm bore for the SG381 housing, so the posts seat in the existing holes.
See current price at Amazon
View at Amazon
Built for 10mm holes, same as this guitar's. A direct swap for the stock tuners.
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom ships with Grover Rotomatic tuners on a 3-per-side headstock drilled at 10mm, and the Gotoh SG381 housing is built for a 10mm bore, so the posts seat in the existing holes.
See current price at Amazon
Matches this guitar's confirmed 10mm tuner holes directly, an easy swap within the same tuner family it already ships with.
This guitar already ships with Grover Rotomatic tuners at a confirmed 10mm hole size, so a same-family Grover swap is about as safe a fit claim as there is.
See also
£129.99 at Andertons
View at Andertons
The locking version of the Rotomatics already on this guitar, using the same 10mm holes. A direct like-for-like swap.
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom ships with Grover Rotomatic tuners on a 3-per-side headstock drilled at 10mm, and Grover's Roto-Grip locking housing uses the same 10mm bore as their non-locking Rotomatics, so this is a like-for-like replacement of the stock part.
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonKluson's Revolution uses a screw-in bushing sized for 10mm holes, which is what this guitar has. No reaming needed.
The Epiphone Les Paul Custom ships with 18:1 Grover Rotomatic tuners on a 3-per-side headstock drilled at 10mm. Kluson's Revolution uses a screw-in hex bushing built for a 10mm peghole, so it threads into the existing holes.
See current price at Amazon
This tuner is sized for vintage tuner holes, not the modern holes on this guitar. You'll need Gotoh's conversion bushings, sold separately, to fit it.
This tuner is vintage-hole spec (8.73 to 8.8mm), not the modern 10mm hole this guitar actually has. Gotoh sells conversion bushings separately for exactly this situation. Not a direct swap, but not a drilling job either, it is a bushing change.
Help confirm this fit
A Bigsby vibrato mounted with an adapter that uses your existing bridge screws, no drilling and fully reversible.
The Vibramate V7-LP adapter uses the existing stop-bar bushings and the strap-pin hole, no new holes required, per Vibramate's own spec, which lists it as fitting carved-top Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul style guitars generally. Fully reversible.
A real modification, not a drop-in. New holes go in the guitar, best left to someone experienced or a tech.
This guitar ships with a fixed LockTone Stop Bar, not a vibrato. Direct-mounting a Bigsby means new holes in the top.
Help confirm this fit
See also
See current price at Amazon
View at AmazonIf you have fitted any of these to this Epiphone Les Paul Custom, tell us what you found and we'll update the data.
