Which pickups ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter leedon
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leedon

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I own an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, and I recently read an article regarding the pickups this model ships with.

Apparently the pickups aren't that good, and it was suggested to replace them with something like a pair of Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers.

Can anyone suggest any other pickups that would be a good change, and also, would it make a notable difference ?

Cheers
 
EPI PU are SHIT! and not like in "THE shit", plain shit. poopoo. so yes it would be a big step up. think about the 496 R and 500t... but try 'm out. whatever floats your boat ... what kinda music do you play?

guhlenn
 
I play mostly rock/metal. I also have an Ibanez which I use a lot, but after reading about the pickups, I wondered if it was worth changing them and fixing up my Epi. Apparently, the body and construction of the Epi is very good - just the pickups are shit. Is this true ?

Anything in particular I should look out for when getting new pickups for and Epiphone ?
 
uhmmm anything but the materials used is crap in an epi. as i 'm told. but i think if you got lucky and have an epi that is of good quality then the guitar is more then fine. changing pickups is definately necessary though stock pickups sound like shit . which ibanez have you got?
anyway for rock metal in my opinion either get the emg's or the 496r and 500t or the seymour duncan '59 and sh-4 (jeff beck model).

but everyone jhas a different taste hey? so try 'm out if you can or at least read and ask a lot!

greetz guhlenn

ps the construction isn't that good. but then again why didn't you buy that gibson? cuz it cost like 4x times more! there ya go...;)
 
hey bruce...

you say JB series. what is the serie? i have an old sd which i'm trying to rtrack down but with no result so far. the back only has a little paper sticker saying JBL. nothing more. have any clue?

guhlenn
 
While we're at it, I might as well ask if there's anything else I could do to my Epi (can't afford that Gibson) to improve the sound/tone/quality ?

I've never really thought about it before - always just accepted things as they are, but lately I've been getting a bit more serious and would like to look at my options...

Suggestions ?
 
I say series because they have the JB model, which is a full-size humbucker, and they have the JBjr model which is the same as a JB, but in single coil size. I mod'ed my Kramer with three of the JBjr's and they are unbelievable (for rock, not great for blues!) That guitar now sounds really quite good!!

I searched on SD info for a JB-L model - found no references to it - why don't you email tech support at Seymour Duncan and ask them?

:)

Bruce
 
thanks bruce!

could try yeah. but it's hard. tried the serienumber check but it revealed nothing. no hits on "JBL". the sound is just great, it has an agressive bite combined with a mellow fuzz in the midrange... great to shred but lovely for those more fuzzy and disoriented chords too! ok i'm drifting away ... i'll try mailing them... wonder why i didn't think of that...;)

to Leedon;

there are a lot of things;

but with an epi in mind these are the most bang for buck type of mods;
new tuners , and man do those epi's need them! tuning stability.
bridge; arguable but still no wasted money.
pu ok been there.

well if you're serious about that epi get it resoldered (the wiring) while your ad it-> if you're handy you can do it yourself... the soldering on epi's is supposed to be CRAP!

well that leaves you with the wood which i guess is fine. but before you start to upgrade think about the cost and match it too guitars you wnat but cannot afford...hehehe... gibson.... no really keep in mind what you wanna spend and don't go over it , it's so easy to spend too much money...

guhlenn
 
Thanks guhlenn

I'd been thinking about the tuners - and you're right - they're crap. My 'G' strings keeps losing tune. Any suggestions again ? I would really like a chrome/silver set like the Gibson comes with...

What about Gibson P90 Humbuckers ? Any good ? And what about EMG pickups ?
 
you're welcome, besides i like it when someone actually listens when i talk about guitar, my girlfriend automatically loses attention when the word guitar drops;)

anyway the p90 are designed for clean sound without the usual single coil hum. they are sweeeeeet. for rock they don't cut, neither for overdrive (someone will surely correct me) but they are really good for clean really good. you might go outrageous and put in one p90 (at the neck) and a really rippin humbucker at the neck (p90 are single coil). which brings me to EMG. they are active which means less noise and less influence from your guitar. it ripps and is reall good for distortion but i don't think the clean is too good. don't know for sure though. they need a battery.

greetz guhlenn
 
Well, so far, after reading a lot of forums etc. I think the one choice that stands out is a SD SH-6 Duncan Distortion (Passive humbucker) in Bridge position. Seems to work for EVERYONE who's ever tried it. The other suggestion is a SD SH-1 in neck position, but I can't seem to find this model... any other suggestions for a neck pickup ?
 
www.seymourduncan.com what works for everyone does not work for you... necessarily. try it. i personally think the sh-6 sucks donkey balls... but then again you might love it!

guhlenn
 
guhlenn,

Where I am, I don't have access to shops where I can actually 'try' different pickups, that's why I need some advice.

I am currently looking at the SD '59 (SH-1) in neck position with a SD Distortion (SH-6) in bridge.

I need a good distortion/overdrive/rock sound. Play a lot of punk/metal/rock.

Any advice ?
 
yeah i know but that's no excuse. try 'm out. force your guitar shop dealer to help you... insist. you'll be spending enough cash... if they don;t let you try out different pu take your money to another shop tell 'm you will buy 'm somewhere else. a good guitar shop will let you try.

anyway you had my advise; a '59 and SH-4. the 59 is so you wont grow out of your guitar (nice creamy tones good on clean and overdriven) the SH-4 is just most versatile. if you want extreme sounds take an invader, but this pu doesn't do clean. at all.

there. look at the site for some descriptions of the character of dif pu's.

though you need to hear 'm i really think you need to. if you believe the majority of guitarplayers is right go with the 59 and SH-4.

greetz guhlenn
 
I have one of the early Epi/Gibson Sheratons........made when they were still tryin to impress with their quality and I fitted SD's about 8 yrs ago..............a JB at the bridge and the 59 at the neck...........all I can say is that it sings anything from sweet to a growl.......just depends on how I play it.
And dont forget your choice of amp and pedals will colour it different again. For me straight into my JCM900, no pedals..............:o)

Peace.........................
 
Hi all,

Just wanted to drop a thank you to all who helped out. After a LOT of reading other newsgroups and reviews, I went with the SD '59 in neck and the SD JB in bridge.

BLOODY HELL !!!!!

What a difference. Like chalk and cheese. I can now hear EVERY note I play. Clean sound is shweeet, distortion even better. I'm really impressed. I also bought new machine heads and re-wired everything. I now have a very decent guitar.

Thanks again guys !
 
Glad to see you are pleased with the results. Oddly enough the original p/ups on my Sheraton weren't bad, but the SD's were just that much better.

BTW, leedon.....where actually are you (just curious).

Peace..........
 
see... you can trust the general opinion after all...;)

greetz guhlenn
 
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