Members Mikeo Posted September 27, 2018 Members Share Posted September 27, 2018 The only problem with classical style guitar for me is the width of the fretboards. Taylor seems to make em with 1-7/8 width fretboards. I might be able to handle that.The old Gibson Chet Atkins was 1-13/16, which would even be better. The Martin is 1-7/8 too. 2" is out of the question. I could get used to a 1-7/8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbengs1 Posted September 28, 2018 Members Share Posted September 28, 2018 I've got many pickups from dimarzio, Seymour Duncan and emg. from dimarzio I have some bridge pickups. the paf pro, tone zone, evolution, steve's special, super distortion, air classic, mo joe, fred, d activator. they all sound like the different models of gibson les pauls. The paf pro seems to be the best since they all sound like they came from the paf pro, the original for powerful pickups (except the super distortion though since that came on in the early 70's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted September 28, 2018 Members Share Posted September 28, 2018 I've got many pickups from dimarzio' date=' Seymour Duncan and emg. from dimarzio I have some bridge pickups. the paf pro, tone zone, evolution, steve's special, super distortion, air classic, mo joe, fred, d activator. they all sound like the different models of gibson les pauls. The paf pro seems to be the best since they all sound like they came from the paf pro, the original for powerful pickups (except the super distortion though since that came on in the early 70's.[/quote'] I'd do Seth Loves, before the Dimarzio Super Distortion. I had Dimarzio SD's in a Les Paul knockoff back in the late 70's. It made the guitar better, but it was not really a great guitar, to begin with. Seth Lovers are not waxed potted, just like the old school PAF's. I'd also check out the Tone and Volume controls and get to make sure they are some of the best. Stew McDonald has Emerson, CST's pots and Warmoth has em too. Sweetwater has Bumblebee caps too. for 17 bucks. Gibson is selling them for 117bucks a 2 pack, which is just crazy. Unless they're putting some special tone voodoo in them, and I doubt it, they are not worth that kind of money. IMO You could also get a pre wired vo/ tone switch craft jack with the Bumble Bees already soldered in for like 117 from Sweetwater. You know what they say time is money. Sweetwater has the pre-wired masonite board with long shafts and a .022uf in the bridge and a .015 uf in the neck. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPBBLong--emerson-custom-prewired-kit-for-gibson-les-paul-guitars-long-shaft https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPLongPP--emerson-custom-prewire-kit-for-gibson-les-paul-guitars-long-shaft-with-push-pull. I think this is the best for the old Les Paul sound. Maybe a switchcraft switch and some old cloth braided wire wouldn't hurt either. You could even wind you own pick ups. Should be a fun afternoon. I couldn't do it without a winder. You could do it on a variable speed drill. Now you're like your own Josefina Campos or Abigail Ybarra. O'Keefe's Custom Shop. You're looking at 5000 turns give or take, depending on what you want. I have wound wire on a coil before and the key is not kinking the wire as you go. I didn't have to count the number of turns, and did it on a lathe. Mixed reviews. But you could do it. Don't forget the wire(s). You'll need a soldering iron. https://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and_Electronics/Pickup_Kits_and_Parts/Humbucker_Pickup_Kits_and_Parts/Humbucker_Kit_With_Alnico_2_magnets_and_zebra_bobbins.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2018-09-gp&gclid=CjwKCAjworfdBRA7EiwAKX9HeL98nB49wA42wHngGU58b0BFUfLjuezyfQP6bws634De3P7IkT8MBxoCYvQQAvD_BwE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 28, 2018 Author Share Posted September 28, 2018 The only problem with classical style guitar for me is the width of the fretboards. Taylor seems to make em with 1-7/8 width fretboards. I might be able to handle that. The old Gibson Chet Atkins was 1-13/16, which would even be better. The Martin is 1-7/8 too. 2" is out of the question. I could get used to a 1-7/8. I have the same issue. There are a few different options that I'm currently aware of - Ibanez makes a couple of models with necks that are less than 2" wide, and Cort makes a nylon solidbody with a narrower neck. Epiphone just launched a couple of Chet Atkins style solidbodies, including a nylon string called the CE Coupe that has a 1.81" wide neck - I've been trying to get a review for one set up so I can check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 28, 2018 Author Share Posted September 28, 2018 I'd do Seth Loves, before the Dimarzio Super Distortion. I had Dimarzio SD's in a Les Paul knockoff back in the late 70's. It made the guitar better, but it was not really a great guitar, to begin with. Seth Lovers are not waxed potted, just like the old school PAF's. I'm sure the Seth Lover Seymour Duncans are great pickups, but the guitar probably doesn't warrant anything quite that expensive. I'd also check out the Tone and Volume controls and get to make sure they are some of the best. Stew McDonald has Emerson, CST's pots and Warmoth has em too. Sweetwater has Bumblebee caps too. for 17 bucks. Gibson is selling them for 117bucks a 2 pack, which is just crazy. Unless they're putting some special tone voodoo in them, and I doubt it, they are not worth that kind of money. IMO Yeah, I agree - I can't see myself ever paying over a hundred bucks for a pair of caps for a guitar - especially a used Epiphone that's only worth a few hundred bucks. But I definitely plan on redoing all the electronics in the Epi if I replace the pickups - new switch, wires and pots - and yes, I'd go with CTS pots. I might even consider repro bumblebee caps for it if I can get some at a reasonable price. Seventeen bucks doesn't sound too unreasonable, although I'm not convinced they'd make any significant audible difference - but they do look cool. You could also get a pre wired vo/ tone switch craft jack with the Bumble Bees already soldered in for like 117 from Sweetwater. You know what they say time is money. While I'm not really a fan of Madonna, I like what she allegedly said back in the 80s - "Time is money and the money is mine!" Since time and money are both usually in short supply, it always varies as to whether I'll decide to do a job myself or have someone else do it. Wiring a guitar and replacing pickups is something I can do relatively fast, so it's not likely to be farmed out. You could even wind you own pick ups. Should be a fun afternoon. I couldn't do it without a winder. You could do it on a variable speed drill. Now you're like your own Josefina Campos or Abigail Ybarra. O'Keefe's Custom Shop. You're looking at 5000 turns give or take, depending on what you want. I have wound wire on a coil before and the key is not kinking the wire as you go. I didn't have to count the number of turns, and did it on a lathe. I've had the pleasure of meeting both Abby and Josefina - both are very nice ladies, and IMO they're among the best pickup winders (along with MJ at Seymour Duncan and some custom pickup folks like Jason Lollar and Curtis Novak) in the world. Even if I had a winder, I don't think I'd want to try to DIY when it comes to winding pickups. I'll leave that to true experts such as the aforementioned folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted September 28, 2018 Members Share Posted September 28, 2018 Here's pretty inexpensive. 60 bucks, plus 7 bucks to ship. Came out of a PRS 245 SE Tremonti guitar so they are not American made. Might work for ya.https://reverb.com/item/13788531-prs-245-pickups#description-tab They are probably made in Korea, but PRS import stuff is not bad for the coin.The Tremonti guitars run a little hotter. Could work for a 200 dollar Epiphone.[video=youtube;jF9LF2xCupY] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted October 1, 2018 Members Share Posted October 1, 2018 Phil when you get out of the HCPP, let me know if this helped. I went easy on ya. The PRS 245 SE Tremonti, are gonna run hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted October 3, 2018 Members Share Posted October 3, 2018 https://reverb.com/item/15490191-seymour-duncan-alnico-ii-pro-slash-pickup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ΨWindingΨ Posted October 3, 2018 Members Share Posted October 3, 2018 Tom Holmes PAFs [video=youtube;XmC-zQPZ4Ng] Tom Holmes is the guru for PAF's. Ask Reverend William Gibbons and others and you'll understand. P.S. He designed the 57 Classic for Gibson.https://www.vintageguitar.com/3054/paf-test-run/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted October 4, 2018 Members Share Posted October 4, 2018 I'm not sure if they count, but I've always been a big fan of BurstBucker 3s. I suppose they would be classified as a bit hotter than a PAF, but I swear I can still hear the character of a PAF in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Juicy Elk Man Posted October 15, 2018 Members Share Posted October 15, 2018 Tonerider AC4 Classic pickups. Good bang for my $. Love those Alnico 4 magnets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted October 16, 2018 Members Share Posted October 16, 2018 I listened to some Holmes demos and I don't hear the magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 Tom Holmes PAFs [video=youtube;XmC-zQPZ4Ng] Tom Holmes is the guru for PAF's. Ask Reverend William Gibbons and others and you'll understand. P.S. He designed the 57 Classic for Gibson. https://www.vintageguitar.com/3054/paf-test-run/ I did not know that he designed the 57 Classics for Gibson - very interesting. Thanks for posting that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted October 24, 2018 Members Share Posted October 24, 2018 Do you have any particular favorites? I really like the 57 Classics that are in my 2013 SG Standard, but I'm wondering what else is out there that people like... My top preference is the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combo (don't care much for the BB-3 though-too hot for me). But the '57s are up there for me. I've got them in two of my SGs and they sound great. If I had a complete A/B test I'm not sure if the BBs would stay my top choice vs the '57s, but my ears pickup on that "uneven scatter-wound" characteristic. When I first got my '59 RI, I heard more warmth from the bridge than I was accustomed too, and the uneven wound coils sounded like two voices singing in chorus. I also like the 490R/490T combo. I'm not much of a fan of the 498T since it just sounds a bit too hard and woody for me. The 490T has more of the soft fuzzies which work better for me for cleans to classic OD rock tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted October 24, 2018 Author Share Posted October 24, 2018 Thanks GAS Man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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