Pickup Suggestions For Stock Older Epiphone Les Paul Custom

[Charvel1975]

I also have an older (one of the really heavy ones) epiphone les paul custom w/ stock pickups that I want to swap out both pickups because my band plays modern metal and I have the guitar strung with .010-.060 ghs zakk wylde strings and tuned to drop B. What about a seymour duncan SH-5 Custom in the bridge with a sh-2n Jazz in the neck? Would that be a versatile combination?

[smorgdonkey]

I hate the Custom 5 in the bridge at all and I don't like the Jazz in the neck of a solidbody. I do love the Jazz in the neck of a hollow or semi-hollow.

 

Hmmm...maybe other posters could help you with a less jaded opinion on those 2 pickups. My 'go to' for modern metal is EMGs. Despite the haters, they get you where you need to go really quickly when it comes to modern heavy tones.

[kayd_mon]

I'm not much for metal, but I have an early 90's Epiphone Les Paul with a Duncan '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. It sounds huge, and it easily overdrives amps. The JB gives you a lot of crunch and midrange, but that can be tamed a bit with the tone knob. It's a fairly versatile (albeit common) combination. I once bought a guitar with a Duncan SH-6 in the bridge, and I honestly hated it. No dynamics, just muddy crunch.

[dkal24]

Duncan Blackouts will do a killer metal tone.

[cratz2]

The Custom 5 would be my first choice for a guitar where I want to cover metal AND get into somewhat vintage-ish tones. I had one that I liked so much, I put it in 4 or 5 different guitars. I don't know that it would be my first choice for a pure metal guitar though. In an LP, I'd probably try to avoid anything too thick sounding.

 

The Jazz is OK. I've had one in a Parker and it never really blew me away, but my buddy has one in his Parker and it's one of his favorite neck pickups.

 

 

 

I think if I had to order something today for my needs while looking towards some metal, I'd lean towards the Custom 5 and the 59 for Duncan stuff or a Fred/Mo Joe of Fred/Joe. Not a big fan of Satriani's tone, but the guitar always sounds great.

[diceman1000]

Rose Pickups Alchymist

[Norcal_GIT_r]

My HellaRail pickup would be a great choice for your bridge position. It's a 17.5k A5 pickup setup to for hard rock to death metal. It has great note definition that's important for drop tunings.

I make several different necks that work great with the HellaRail.

yE9mK2GWCy8

[lincoln40]

Seymour Duncan Custom in the bridge position of a LP sounds phenomenal. Not Custom 5, Not Custom so and so, just Plain SD Custom. Read about it.

[diceman1000]

if you're gonna drop the $$ just go with a BG or a Rose Pickup. both offer custom hand wounds that cost less and out perform the "big guys"... if you're dead set on a "name brand" though, i would go Dimarzio...

[Charvel1975]

 

Seymour Duncan Custom in the bridge position of a LP sounds phenomenal. Not Custom 5, Not Custom so and so, just Plain SD Custom. Read about it.

 

 

 

Are you referring to the Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5?

[lp_junkie]

I prefer the 59's in Les Pauls, the JB/Jazz combo sound too thin to me.

[Charvel1975]

 

I prefer the 59's in Les Pauls, the JB/Jazz combo sound too thin to me.

 

 

What about a Duncan Custom SH-5 in the bridge and a Duncan sh-1 '59 in the neck?

[Charvel1975]

So I've been reading a lot of pickup reviews, especially for people that have the epiphone les paul custom like what I have, and from what I'm seeing I see a lot of good reviews for the Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker Set. Any thoughts?

[lincoln40]

 

Are you referring to the Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5?

 

 

Yes, the Custom AKA the Custom SH-5. There are different kinds of Customs-The Custom, custom 5, custom custom etc etc. But I am talking about the plain old Custom. The SD Custom SH-5, its not the same as the Custom 5 dont get it confused. I absolutuely love the Custom I have it in my backup geetar an Ibanez SZ520 and it kicks absolute ass. I love how it is distorted with a lot of chunk, but you can still hear each individual string intead of a mush of distortion. Go to the seymour duncan site they have sound samples. seymourduncan.com

[GAS Man]

If your set on Duncans, I'd think the Jazz, like you're thinking, would be good in the neck and I agree with lincoln40 that I'd got for the Custom over the Custom 5 or JB.

 

The ceramic magnet they use in the Custom has a more flat EQ than the other bridge pickups you've mentioned and I think that works well for that crunchy tone while still having good note definition.

 

The Jazz is also a good pickup for good string definition which comes in real handy if you're playing with a long of gain in the neck position as well.

 

So my 2 cents if you want to go Duncan:

 

SH-2 & SH-5

[Charvel1975]

 

If your set on Duncans, I'd think the Jazz, like you're thinking, would be good in the neck and I agree with lincoln40 that I'd got for the Custom over the Custom 5 or JB. The ceramic magnet they use in the Custom has a more flat EQ than the other bridge pickups you've mentioned and I think that works well for that crunchy tone while still having good note definition. The Jazz is also a good pickup for good string definition which comes in real handy if you're playing with a long of gain in the neck position as well. So my 2 cents if you want to go Duncan: SH-2 & SH-5

 

 

The one guy I know who will be probably doing the pickup install and possible setup recommended the SEYMOUR DUNCAN HOT RODDED HUMBUCKER SET and said that he'd use Orange Drop caps with them, I forget what value of the caps he said, but he was saying that a lot of pickup installs he's done he said a lot of guys liked that combination. He recommended the sh-13 dimebucker as well but said that pickup is kinda expensive new though.

[mikecheckstudio]

I have a '92 Epi Les Paul Custom that I put an SD Full Shred in the bridge position. To this day it is the best sounding humbucker equipped guitar I've ever owned (out of dozens) for my playing style.

[Charvel1975]

 

The one guy I know who will be probably doing the pickup install and possible setup recommended the SEYMOUR DUNCAN HOT RODDED HUMBUCKER SET and said that he'd use Orange Drop caps with them, I forget what value of the caps he said, but he was saying that a lot of pickup installs he's done he said a lot of guys liked that combination. He recommended the sh-13 dimebucker as well but said that pickup is kinda expensive new though.

 

 

I just now remembered it might not be a bad idea to post what amp(s) I'll be running the guitar through :poke: I use a mesa tremoverb head and I also use a line 6 flextone 2 head but I'll probably be mainly using the mesa. As far as cabs right now I'm borrowing my buddy's older genz-benz gb 412 4x12 cab.

[GAS Man]

 

The one guy I know who will be probably doing the pickup install and possible setup recommended the SEYMOUR DUNCAN HOT RODDED HUMBUCKER SET and said that he'd use Orange Drop caps with them, I forget what value of the caps he said, but he was saying that a lot of pickup installs he's done he said a lot of guys liked that combination. He recommended the sh-13 dimebucker as well but said that pickup is kinda expensive new though.

 

 

Well, if that's what you want to do, then go fer it.

 

I recently bought an Epi Slash LP that has a Sprague Orange Drop Capacitors in it and I am indeed impressed with how nice that guitar drops off the top end without mudding up the tone. In that respect I think you'll get a more versatile guitar than with the Custom. The JB is more to my tastes anyway, but I'm not at all into metal.

 

I know the JB is used for that but I tend to think of the JB more in line with stuff like.

 

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[MyEmergency]

I am suprised no one has suggested the Seymour Duncan Invader for the bridge position, its my favorite pickup hands down for any guitar that will require lots of a gain, it is an amazing pickup if not too versatile.

[ArmyGuitar]

 

 

 

Id go with this for sure! Bryan is one hec of a guy to deal with. Just e-mail him and tell him exactly what you are looking for and he will set you up for success!

[tawraste]

i've got a 92 epi with a pearly gates in the bridge - works great for megadeth, metallica, anthrax, acdc etc.

got it running through a vs265 valvestate with the extension cab for the full 4x12. on the high gain channel its awesome, fabulous solos and killer metal riffage; but i have the ability to get it all back bluesy with the crunch channel.

[gh0st]

I have two Epiphone Les Pauls that I've put new pickups in

 

JB sounds like {censored}

Alnico Pro II sounds great

 

Your results may vary.

[ashasha]

I personally would steer clear of the JB unless you are familiar with it and know that you love it. I think that it's the singular most polarizing pickup on the market. There is no "it's an ok pickup", it either love or absolute hatred and for me it's the latter.

 

It's super mid heavy and has none of that stuff that I love about humbuckers. I know that it is advertised as having all of this harmonic overtone, but I never heard it. It was sterile, lifeless and just blahh.

 

If it was me I'd probably look at something from DiMarzio or look into an L500XL. It's got to be the hottest passive pickup I've ever heard and it's well balanced.

[Charvel1975]

Dropped the epi off last night and I'm having the seymour duncan hot rodded pickup set and the orange drop caps put in and a setup.