Members liko Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 So I got a new Epi LP Studio in worn brown a couple of weeks ago, and it saw its first performance last Sunday. Looks good, feels good, plays good, sounds like I covered the amp with a cardboard box. Muddy low end, mids were hard to coax out and when they came they sounded stuffy, and no sparkle to speak of. This is out of an amp that gives all my other axes a tight, round bottom end, good mids control (2-band parametric mid and contour controls) and all the high end you'd ever want out of a guitar (my Strat absolutely screams). Since the main variable in this equation is the axe, and I know Epi is infamous for this kind of thing from their stock pickups, I'm looking for some new 'buckers. Bell-tone clarity across all strings/frequencies is the primary goal, with a little additional high end and good fundamental definition. I'm looking for "vintage"/"blues" voicing/output otherwise; I'm not a metal player (this is about the crunchiest I get; yes I know that's a Strat) so high-gain mods are not my cup of tea. I've taken a look at the GFS Vintage '59s and Classic IIs, and it looks like either MIGHT do it, but at the same time I've read mixed reviews about them getting the high end desired by the reviewer. So, I'm open to suggestion. Lay em on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members darkcheef Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 What amp do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 Go with the good ol' Hotrodded Humbucker Set from Seymour Duncan. The set is $130 and everyone raves on how great it is. You get the ever famous SH-4 'JB (they say Jeff Beck had his paws in it) and the warm n' lovely SH-2 Jazz for the neck. Can't go wrong naw-..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 If you want a set of Gibsons let me know. I would go with Gibson or the Duncans mentioned above Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zemmy Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 burstbuckers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 So I got a new Epi LP Studio in worn brown a couple of weeks ago, and it saw its first performance last Sunday. Looks good, feels good, plays good, sounds like I covered the amp with a cardboard box. Muddy low end, mids were hard to coax out and when they came they sounded stuffy, and no sparkle to speak of. This is out of an amp that gives all my other axes a tight, round bottom end, good mids control (2-band parametric mid and contour controls) and all the high end you'd ever want out of a guitar (my Strat absolutely screams).Since the main variable in this equation is the axe, and I know Epi is infamous for this kind of thing from their stock pickups, I'm looking for some new 'buckers. Bell-tone clarity across all strings/frequencies is the primary goal, with a little additional high end and good fundamental definition. I'm looking for "vintage"/"blues" voicing/output otherwise; I'm not a metal player (this is about the crunchiest I get; yes I know that's a Strat) so high-gain mods are not my cup of tea. I've taken a look at the GFS Vintage '59s and Classic IIs, and it looks like either MIGHT do it, but at the same time I've read mixed reviews about them getting the high end desired by the reviewer. So, I'm open to suggestion. Lay em on me. I would make sure you have around 500K pots in at least the volumes first. Generally the higher the value the brighter. My Gibson Explorer came stock with pots only around 300K (Gibson is known to use 300K) and changing them out to around 500K's made huge dif' in tone for the better. Really "opened" the guitar up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody_in_MN Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 I like the GFS PAF Chrunchies. - w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 Burstbuckers, Imperials, etc... are all great but they may be out of your price range. What I would do is search ebay for a nice set of Gibson or Duncans. You probably can get a nice used set for a fraction of the cost of new pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members strat les sg Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 I like the GFS PAF Chrunchies. - w I agree ,if ya got more money then Gibson pickups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 burstbuckers For the price of two of those he should just return the Epi Studio and get a Gibson LP Faded Studio and call it a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members liko Posted June 30, 2009 Author Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 What amp do you use? Don't laugh; Fender Bassman 150 combo. It's a do all, and has to be; I need one amp that gives good cleans on anything from a bass to an acoustic-electric to a Strat to an LP. Those first two are the reason it's a bass amp; obviously it has to handle bass, and bass amps, with their transparent circuitry, tweeter horns and wide frequency response, make excellent acoustic amps. My Strat loves the thing too; great cleans, characteristic quack, and the Hardwire OD I have will crunch the sound very nicely without getting too grating or harsh. I will admit that a Deluxe Reverb really makes the Strat sing, but between space and price concerns I really can't justify a dedicated electric guitar amp. So, like I said, the amp has sparkle to spare if the source has it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 Don't laugh; Fender Bassman 150 combo. It's a do all, and has to be; I need one amp that gives good cleans on anything from a bass to an acoustic-electric to a Strat to an LP. Those first two are the reason it's a bass amp; obviously it has to handle bass, and bass amps, with their transparent circuitry, tweeter horns and wide frequency response, make excellent acoustic amps. My Strat loves the thing too; great cleans, characteristic quack, and the Hardwire OD I have will crunch the sound very nicely without getting too grating or harsh. I will admit that a Deluxe Reverb really makes the Strat sing, but between space and price concerns I really can't justify a dedicated electric guitar amp. So, like I said, the amp has sparkle to spare if the source has it too. If I was you I would take that guitar and try it on a Real GUITAR AMP first before you decide it's the pickups that need replacing. Like some others have said here there is really nothing wrong with the pickups if you dial them in correctly. I would at least attempt to hear it that way first.Using a bass amp for guitar sort of defeats it. The tones are much different and the overall characteristics of the sound output vary as well. Just a bad choice really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Riffer Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 I tried a slew of pickups in my Epi before choosing 57/57+. Great all around pickup. Came down to the 57's and a set of BB 1/2. The BB's had the better note definition,clarity. Fantastic sounding pickups. The problem arose at a gig, the BB1/2 aren't wax potted. A bit of uncontrollable feedback. The 57's are a bit more classic rock sounding and do not squeal. I do play very loudly at gigs though. You may not have that problem.The BB's were put into an SG that is not a giging guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 I have an older Epi Studio that I LOVE how it feels and plays, but don't care for how it sounds. The guitar has gold hardware so I got a set of GFS Fat PAFs used for pretty cheap. Big improvement, and for someone wanting a hotter sound, they might even be great, but they just aren't what I'm looking for. I have an Ibanez AX120 with Gibson 57 Classics installed and that guitar sounds about ten times better than the Epi. Not knocking the GFS as I generally love the GFS strat pickups, but it's just not the tone I'm going for at all but then, the pickups only cost me 1/6 of what the Gibsons did. I have other projects going on but as a back burner project, I'm about 90% sure I'll get the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combo in either gold or zebra coils or I might go for the Burstbucker Pro for the bridge. If you are an eBayer, don't underestimate the value of the 490 and 498 pickups. I had a faded SG with the 490t/r set and I thought I'd replace them with 57 Classics immediately and after a couple months, I realized they were about 95% similar. They just have a tad more upper end than the 57s. Not bad at all and nowhere NEAR as back as some folks would have you believe. But because of the negative rep, they go pretty cheap on eBay. I got a second set for $60. That's half of what the 57s sell for, even when discounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 58flame Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 SD Pearly Gates. Nice pickup with good bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny Two Tone Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 If you want bell tones check out Q-Tuners. I have the GL-6 super high Z and it's note definition and picking characteristics are crazy. Since you don't play high gain a set of Gl-6 medium Z and high Z would nice. They are expensive though! EDIT: Oh, and for the love of God don't put a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck. I actually have an Epiphone LP Studio (my first electric guitar purchased about 8 years ago, or something like that, back when Epiphone made them with really thin bodies) and I currently have an SD '59 in the neck and an SD Distortion in the bridge. The Distortion sounds wicked in high gain (no good to you) but sounds far too country twangy clean, but the '59 is like mud central. It's so boom-y I can't stand it. I never play that thing though, so I just leave it with that setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echale3 Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Since the main variable in this equation is the axe, and I know Epi is infamous for this kind of thing from their stock pickups, I'm looking for some new 'buckers. Bell-tone clarity across all strings/frequencies is the primary goal, with a little additional high end and good fundamental definition. I'm looking for "vintage"/"blues" voicing/output otherwise; I'm not a metal player (this is about the crunchiest I get; yes I know that's a Strat) so high-gain mods are not my cup of tea. I've taken a look at the GFS Vintage '59s and Classic IIs, and it looks like either MIGHT do it, but at the same time I've read mixed reviews about them getting the high end desired by the reviewer. So, I'm open to suggestion. Lay em on me. Given what you are looking for, tone-wise, I'm definitely in agreement with several others on here--check the pot values, and if they are 250K or 300K pots, swap them out for a set of 500K pots before you go swapping out pickups. The switch upwards in impedance will let more top end through, and if you are really brave and want something that can shatter glass with the top end, try 1M pots. I disagree with another poster--if you can only have one amp, then you need your guitars to sound good through that amp. Having a guitar that sounds good on an amp that you don't have and sounds bad on the amp you do have defeats the purpose of having the guitar. In your stated case, playing the guitar through another amp to see if it sounds good on that amp is an exercise in futility. Barring the pot impedance working out for you, you might want to consider a set of the GFS Mean 90s. I had an Epi LP that really sounded stunningly good with a pair of them installed. It had everything you are looking for--bell tone clarity, excellent articulation, moderate output, good top end. Too bad the neck on it would choke out in the upper registers, if it hadn't been for that, I'd still have that guitar because it sounded SWEET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alfsboy Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Can I suggest Tonerider Rocksongs .They do what they say on the label .Alnico II and clear and sweet ,distort well and have a classy tone for Jazz,blues,rock and even have a country clarity ,.If I bought a high end Les Paul I would still install them ,just love em .Very high quality but very low price .Dont let the" made in China" spoil your decision .They are a quality build .I have the nickel cover set and in the UK they cost about 50 quid a pair.I also have a Tonerider bridge pickup in my Telecaster . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesbend Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Duncan Pearly Gates or '59s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 59humbucker Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'm a big fan of gibson p'ups. In my epi I've got some 490's and it was transformed, so as the poster above said, don't count em out and they tend to be a bit cheaper. My Gibbo's got 57 classics in and they're now my favourite humbucker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DavidMgT Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 burstbuckers burstbuckers a great pickups! I just got a LP Standard with them and I am really liking them - especially pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norcal_GIT_r Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 I really like the way my BG Buckers sound in my Epi LP Standard. At times I use Pure90s in it also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcooper830 Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 For the price of two of those he should just return the Epi Studio and get a Gibson LP Faded Studio and call it a day. Epi Lp Studio - $349Set of BB pickups - 240 = $589 + Hardshell case ($80) = $669 Gibson LP Faded Studio = $799 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 For the price of two of those he should just return the Epi Studio and get a Gibson LP Faded Studio and call it a day. Or a used Reg' Gibson LP Studio for about $700, which usually comes with hard case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JOn` Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Iron Gear Rolling Mills..........cannot say enough good stuff about them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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