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View Full Version : Opinions sought....pups for my Epi LP



duhvoodooman
March 4th, 2006, 10:19 AM
As much as I love my new Epi Elitist LP Standard, the stock pickups are pretty bland and I'm strongly considering replacing them. Initially, I was leaning toward the Seymour Duncan "Hot Rodded Humbucker" set with the SH-4 JB bridge and SH-2 Jazz neck pups, but I've heard some mixed things about that set. Nelskie has recommended the SD '59 for the neck and Pearly Gates model at the bridge. For what I like to play (blues & classic rock), that may be a great combo. SuperSwede likes the classic PAF-type pups, too.

Anyway, I just thought I'd throw it open for a few more e-pinions. The more, the merrier! Geez, maybe I ought to take a poll.....;)

Justaguyin_nc
March 4th, 2006, 10:58 AM
I purchased the SH-1 59 Blues set Duncan sells http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Accessories?sku=300022 and put them into a 335 clone hoping to improve the sound alot over the stock muddy pickups... mind you I am a novice at this and tone is still something I am searching for... Although these pickups have a much cleaner sound over the stockers and warmer then a set of carvins(I think the 22 series) I had in a lp copy I am still not satisfied with the sounds they produce..This could also be due to buying the set and not singles which I think I read someplace makes a difference.. these are also 2 wire pickups not the 4 wire ( http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Replacement/Parts?sku=300011 ) .. If there is that much difference in the designs I wish I knew it before buying the set.. I am still in a search for a warmer neck pickup.. again Im new at this so it could just be me... my next venture if at all will be towards the gibson 57 pickups... seeing thats the sound I really wanted anyway...

Tim
March 4th, 2006, 01:29 PM
Learn more about Seymour Duncan pick ups here: http://www.seymourduncan.com/

Spudman
March 4th, 2006, 04:08 PM
I like the combo Nelski recommended.

Tone2TheBone
March 4th, 2006, 11:43 PM
Again I recommend, as Nelskie and Spud pointed out to you, on the Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates bridge and the Duncan '59 on the neck. As per your musical interest in classic rock and blues this pup combination will please you tremendously I believe. While I do not have the '59 in the neck on my Les Paul Studio I know Nelskie's recommendation is right on the money. I do have the Duncan Pearly Gates bridge pup and for any Les Paul I would think it a requirement! My neck pickup on the Gibby is the stock Gibson PAF pickup which they installed on Les Paul Studios during the mid '80s. That pickup also produces tasty tones.

Robert
March 5th, 2006, 07:39 AM
Another vote for the '59.

Nelskie
March 5th, 2006, 11:01 AM
Yo Voodoo - What you might not be aware of is that both of these pickups sound amazing clean. Sure, you can bust stuff out like a nasty dog all day with both the Pearly Gates and the '59. But when you stroke them softly, they purr like kittens. Mrrreeeyyyyooowww! ;)

duhvoodooman
March 5th, 2006, 12:31 PM
Well, the PG-bridge/'59-neck combo sure is getting a lot of love here! Looks like that may be the way I should go.

Most of the big online music emporia seem to have the same pricing on these SD pups. Anybody know any places that offer them a bit cheaper? I looked on eBay, and pretty much all the new pups were "buy it now" with the same pricing as everybody else....

duhvoodooman
March 5th, 2006, 06:37 PM
Done did the deed! Ordered the two pups from Musiciansfriend.com. I looked at a bunch of places online, and everybody had 'em at the same price. (I think the internet is turning out to be a great tool for price-fixing! ;) ) Decided to go with the black & creme "zebra" color.

Now I gotta start studying up on how to install 'em. Seymour has videos posted on his site, so should hopefully be pretty straightforward....

Spudman
March 5th, 2006, 07:20 PM
Nice. That will look sweet in your rig.

r_a_smith3530
March 6th, 2006, 07:43 AM
Done did the deed! Ordered the two pups from Musiciansfriend.com. I looked at a bunch of places online, and everybody had 'em at the same price. (I think the internet is turning out to be a great tool for price-fixing! ;) ) Decided to go with the black & creme "zebra" color.

Now I gotta start studying up on how to install 'em. Seymour has videos posted on his site, so should hopefully be pretty straightforward....

So, the deal's gone down, eh? Congrats man, I think you'll like that setup.

While you're waiting for them to arrive, bop on down to your local Radio Shack and pick up a small soldering gun and some resin core solder. You want the thin solder. Also get some 22ga. wire to practice with. Clip the wire, strip two pieces, and then tin them and solder them together. When you get a nice, clean, tight joint, you're ready to go.

Here's a link that might be helpful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering

duhvoodooman
March 6th, 2006, 08:38 AM
Thanks, Rob. How did you know that I've never soldered anything in my life? Well, you're never to old to learn, eh? I'll check out that link.

BTW, are those "cold heat" soldering guns I've seen advertised any good? I'm always skeptical of those TV ads....

Tim
March 6th, 2006, 09:22 AM
VooDoo – May I add one more piece of information on soldering? If you have any alligator clips lying around, I would like to HIGHLY recommend that you clip the alligator clip on to each wire before you solder. The clip will act as a heat sink and not allow the plastic to melt on the wire. Normally individuals new to soldering apply to much heat and also longer than needed. This is due to not having a skill in soldering techniques. This skill will come with time.

Tone2TheBone
March 6th, 2006, 10:25 AM
Zebra color scheme is THE ONLY WAY TO GO for that rippin rock and roll look and vibe. ;)

Wiring them is easy. The hardest part is cutting back the rubber sleeve on the wires without damaging the leads. Twist up the green wire and the outer bare wire and solder those together before grounding them to the top of your volume pots. Then solder together the white and red leads (I believe its that pair on the Duncans...other brands it's black and white)...tape those so they don't come in contact with anything...and then solder the black wire to the hot end of the volume pot which is the far left lug (or right lug depending on how the pot was soldered to ground). Easy.

duhvoodooman
March 7th, 2006, 09:52 AM
Zebra color scheme is THE ONLY WAY TO GO for that rippin rock and roll look and vibe.

Yep, I thought so, too! :R


Wiring them is easy....

Well, that may be true. But, after opening the back of my LP last night and looking at the pots, I decided that it may not the best idea for me to learn soldering on this particular job! It's pretty "busy" and cramped down in there, so I think I'll enlist the services of an experienced solderer. Fortunately, we have several where I work and I'm sure one of them would help me out. And I'll look over his shoulder throughout the procedure so that I learn something, too.

Tim
March 7th, 2006, 11:35 AM
VooDoo - Great thinking on your part. The LPs are very cramped for any kind of work. Even the wires are tuff to install though the small cavities. I think it will be worth your trouble to have an experienced solderer (sp?) perform the work.

Being that I am ham radio hobbyist, soldering is a skill. I still have problems doing some projects. I have been known to melt the inside of a pot trying to solder the grounds wires to it.

As Tone described, stripping the covering without breaking any strains of wire is important. It becomes the weakest link of the wire and the solder joint.

duhvoodooman
March 17th, 2006, 10:41 AM
Ended up taking my Epi LP to a small local guitar shop, after hearing that they would do this pickup installation for a mere $20. Though we have experienced solderers here where I work, they aren't guitarists who could then adjust the pickups for sound. So, for $20, I decided to let a pro do it.

Anyway, just got the guitar back this morning (a friend here at work who lives right near the shop picked it up for me last night), and she sure LOOKS HOT with those zebra pups!! Can't hardly wait to get home tonight and see if she sounds as good as she looks!! :R :R :R

SuperSwede
March 17th, 2006, 01:18 PM
Have a bottle of wine with her and see if she comes up with any screaming solos.

warren0728
March 17th, 2006, 01:51 PM
and she sure LOOKS HOT with those zebra pups!! Can't hardly wait to get home tonight and see if she sounds as good as she looks!!
pics....we need pics! (if you don't have a digital camera you can send it to me and i'll take some pics of it for you!...just to help out of course :D )

duhvoodooman
March 17th, 2006, 02:08 PM
Have a bottle of wine with her....

pics....we need pics!
Lemme see--I'm suppose to ply her with wine and then take photos?? You guys obviously have some experience with this! :D

Yeah, I'll take some pics tonight when I get home and post 'em.

duhvoodooman
March 17th, 2006, 10:06 PM
Here's some shots of my Epi Elitist LP Standard with the new Seymour Duncan pups installed. Pearly Gates at the bridge and '59 at the neck. Gotta play it a lot more to really explore the sound, but very impressed so far. The guitar's tone just seems to have a lot more authority, if you know what I mean.

124 125 126

Spudman
March 17th, 2006, 10:14 PM
Nice! Can I have one too?

marnold
March 17th, 2006, 10:42 PM
Respect Mah Authoritah!

warren0728
March 18th, 2006, 05:51 AM
sweet guitar...those pickups look awesome....can't wait to hear them!

ww

duhvoodooman
March 18th, 2006, 07:25 AM
....can't wait to hear them!
Just fooling around, but there's a short clip HERE (http://duhvoodooman.com/audio_clips/LP_gas.mp3). Hope to have a chance to post something a little more serious sometime this weekend.

SuperSwede
March 18th, 2006, 03:01 PM
I really liked that clip Voodoo... keep em coming

duhvoodooman
March 18th, 2006, 03:44 PM
Thanks for the encouragement, SS! I've been having a ball with the "new" LP this afternoon. I was never all that big of a ZZ Top fan, but between having a Pearly Gates pup at the bridge and recently having bought their Greatest Hits CD, I've been trying to learn a couple of their tunes. Got my AD30VT set to the UK70's model, with my Tone Driver providing a little "dirt", and the tone sounds pretty close. Can't quite play 'em yet, but gonna learn a-how, how, how! :D

warren0728
March 18th, 2006, 04:28 PM
Just fooling around, but there's a short clip HERE (http://duhvoodooman.com/audio_clips/LP_gas.mp3). Hope to have a chance to post something a little more serious sometime this weekend.
sounding good voodoo!

ww

SuperSwede
March 19th, 2006, 02:20 AM
Voodoo, you got it all now. Time to grow the beard, Gibbons style! :)

WelcomeBack
March 26th, 2006, 09:04 AM
duhvoodooman,

Can you describe the difference between the stock pups & Pearly Gates at the bridge and '59 at the neck.

You said more authority.....Hmmm....more treble, bass...? Hotter output?

I've been thinking of new pups. Also have heard that upgrading the tone controls helps tremendously.

Tone Seeker...
Paul

Tone2TheBone
March 26th, 2006, 09:21 PM
Thats an absolutely sweet looking baby you got now. You did good.

duhvoodooman
March 28th, 2006, 09:03 AM
Can you describe the difference between the stock pups & Pearly Gates at the bridge and '59 at the neck.

You said more authority.....Hmmm....more treble, bass...? Hotter output?

I've been thinking of new pups. Also have heard that upgrading the tone controls helps tremendously.
Lemme see....turning subtleties in what I hear into words can be kind of challenging, but I'll give it a shot.

I believe both of the SD pups I had installed are slightly hotter than the stock ones, but not by a large margin. Neither the Pearly Gates nor the '59 are among the Duncan "hot" models; they're both considered "vintage humbuckers". Which is exactly the sound I was looking for.

The sound of the '59 at the neck strikes me as somewhat richer and with better clarity than the stock 50SR humbucker. Think of it as a photo where the colors are more vibrant and the focus is sharper. That's about the best way I can think of to describe it.

As far as the Pearly Gates bridge pup goes, the top end is definitely a bit more pronounced and you get a real nice dirty break-up with it. This overdriven tone seems to come on somewhat earlier than for the stock 60ST, and is definitely more pronounced in character--"dirtier", if you will. This model is basically an emulation of the early ZZ Top "Texas tone", when Billy Gibbons used a Les Paul extensively. Think Tush/LaGrange.

Maybe Nelskie can chime in here--he's very good at this sort of thing!

Re: the tone controls, since my Epi Elitist came with the US-made electronics, I didn't see the need for replacing them. I've heard the tone pots used in the cheaper Epi LP's are pretty cheesy.

Nelskie
March 28th, 2006, 08:47 PM
Maybe Nelskie can chime in here--he's very good at this sort of thing!

Indeed, I do have the exact same p'ups in my Epi Les Paul. Voodoo, I think you've done a good job of covering the overall nuances of the sound of each, esp. in relating the Pearly Gates to the Reverend Billy G.'s most substantial electrified groove.

The Pearly Gates is abound with mid-range note definintion, and also possesses that ever-so-desirable low-end grind with a little roll-back of the vol. / tone controls. Another word that comes to mind is "bite". By itself, the harmonics jump out of that pickup as if they were on fire. It's a hot rod and a grocery getter all at the same time. Consistent, usable classic rock and blues tones, and when you press that go-pedal, she'll melt those rear tires to the belts!

In cahoots with the '59 on the neck, the tone can be either tight and funky, or loose and subdued, depending on how much you're running each p'up, and where you have your tone controls. I like running the neck a little more than the bridge, as it cools down the top end of the overall tone. What does that mean? Imagine putting a small ice cube in a hot cup of coffee to cool it down a bit. Myself, I don't play in this yard very often, but occasionally, I'll find a toy that I like, and it'll keep me interested for awhile.

The '59 neck is thick and creamy, with just a smidge of grind. The tone is ominous, yet deliciously inviting; warm, yet with a bit of chimey lustre when pushed a bit. A song that comes to mind in that tonal mode is "Blue Jean Blues", where the Rev lays back in the pocket, and serenades the bass line with dispersed, beckoning fills.

Now you combine these two hombres with that trademark Les Paul sustain, and you got yourself one spankin' plank. She'll lay rubber in all four gears, and then, seductively coo your name from a dark corner of the room. Line 'er up with a tube amp, and the mojo is as thick as the fog rollin' in from that swamp down yonder a spell.

As for the pots / caps, I had already changed mine out when I dumped a DiMarzio Super D in it way back when. Really, I honestly can't remember what the others sounded like when I played the guitar totally stock back in the early 90's. Since I know the Voodooman has his stock units in, and he has some rather tasty sound clips already posted, I would have to be of the mind-set that it probably isn't a huge deal. That opinion, however, won't get you a bean burrito at a Tijuana taco stand, so take it for what it's worth. Also remember that my ears and Voodoo's ears hear things differently than yours.

There are a ton of great pickups out there, Welcome Back, so plan on doing some research before you buy. Pickups are a big part of that overall tone equation. Without question, the right set will do wonders for your sound, and your playing. ;)

duhvoodooman
March 29th, 2006, 08:22 AM
Now you combine these two hombres with that trademark Les Paul sustain, and you got yourself one spankin' plank. She'll lay rubber in all four gears, and then, seductively coo your name from a dark corner of the room. Line 'er up with a tube amp, and the mojo is as thick as the fog rollin' in from that swamp down yonder a spell.

The man is the poet laureate of tone & timbre, I swear! The "Bard of Brown"! You have a real gift for painting a vivid mental image, Nelsk!

BTW, Paul, the Seymour Duncan website has a whole library of tone samples from their extensive product line-up. For many of the pickup models, you can hear both "clean" and "dirty" samples at both the bridge and neck positions. You can check out the humbucker/P90 models HERE (http://www.seymourduncan.com/SDToneWizard/hummer.shtml).

WelcomeBack
April 8th, 2006, 07:31 AM
Nelskie....

If it weren't plagiarism, I'd submit this to a poetry contest....

Thanks for the inputs from both of you. I've alot to learn and unfortunately like to tinker with tone more than practice, but it's all part of the puzzle.

Thanks
Paul

Nelskie
April 8th, 2006, 08:06 AM
Puzzles are fun an' tinkering is fun an' playing guitar is fun, an' so are finding new tones. It's all fun! Good luck w/ your p'up search. ;)

6STRINGS 9LIVES
April 8th, 2006, 10:29 AM
Talk about guitar erotica ...Nelsk...you rock , dead on sonic description ..6s9l

Nelskie
April 8th, 2006, 10:59 AM
Guitarotica? Now there's a good name for a band!

6STRINGS 9LIVES
April 8th, 2006, 11:07 AM
In Stores Now!!!! "hands On " The Debut Album From Rocks New Bad Boys .. Guitarotica...

Nelskie
April 8th, 2006, 05:36 PM
Talk about guitar erotica ...Nelsk...you rock , dead on sonic description ..6s9l
Just here to entertain, gentlemen, and most happy to oblige. ;)

tot_Ou_tard
April 9th, 2006, 08:27 AM
The man is the poet laureate of tone & timbre, I swear! The "Bard of Brown"! You have a real gift for painting a vivid mental image, Nelsk!

HERE (http://www.seymourduncan.com/SDToneWizard/hummer.shtml).
No kiddin'! Voodoo, I think you asked him that question just as an excuse to hear him riff.

duhvoodooman
April 9th, 2006, 02:03 PM
No kiddin'! Voodoo, I think you asked him that question just as an excuse to hear riff.
Who, me??? :eek:

Algonquin
September 10th, 2007, 12:29 PM
Sorry about that Duhvoodooman... skimming through the posts a little too quickly I guess. (Rookie enthusiasm)

You already answered my question in a previous post, so I editted this one to reflect.

The pickups sound great!

Regards...