Help with Pickups!

[Jeff5]

Hello everyone this is my first post! I'm having a bit of trouble choosing which pickups I want in my new epiphone les paul that I recently bought.

I bought a JB for the bridge and a 59 for the neck and installed them. While they both have a really nice sound, I find that they just don't seem....right (not sure how to describe it) for the style of music I play. I play a lot of hard rock and heavy metal, with some classic rock stuff mixed in. (Zepplin, Eagles, etc.)

My old guitar has a hotrails at the bridge and a JB at the neck, and I really liked that set up. Maybe I'm just used to how that sounds and that's my problem.

The JB, while sweet on leads with great sustain, harmonics, and high end, just seems too.....mushy (I don't know how else to describe it) for really heavy rythym work. And the 59, while a very very nice buttery kind of pick up (again sorry I don't know how else to describe sound!), just seems too timid for me.

So I need some opinions. I'm thinking about the dimebucker, or distortion, for the bridge, and maybe putting the JB in the neck position. But I want to make sure that both pick ups sound good together, and also that I can still get good clean tones. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Jeff5]

Re: Help with Pickups!

Bump.

[WARRENLEELYNCH]

Re: Help with Pickups!

Hello everyone this is my first post! I'm having a bit of trouble choosing which pickups I want in my new epiphone les paul that I recently bought.

I bought a JB for the bridge and a 59 for the neck and installed them. While they both have a really nice sound, I find that they just don't seem....right (not sure how to describe it) for the style of music I play. I play a lot of hard rock and heavy metal, with some classic rock stuff mixed in. (Zepplin, Eagles, etc.)

My old guitar has a hotrails at the bridge and a JB at the neck, and I really liked that set up. Maybe I'm just used to how that sounds and that's my problem.

The JB, while sweet on leads with great sustain, harmonics, and high end, just seems too.....mushy (I don't know how else to describe it) for really heavy rythym work. And the 59, while a very very nice buttery kind of pick up (again sorry I don't know how else to describe sound!), just seems too timid for me.

So I need some opinions. I'm thinking about the dimebucker, or distortion, for the bridge, and maybe putting the JB in the neck position. But I want to make sure that both pick ups sound good together, and also that I can still get good clean tones. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

custom at the bridge and a demon in the neck

[Surgeon]

Re: Help with Pickups!

Hi and welcome to the board!
Well, I second the Custom in the bridge, really nice crunch, a lot of bite, sounds great for what you describe, I have it in a mahogany ltd and it sounds superb for heavy things... As for the neck I'm not sure but a demon sounds like a good idea, maybe a pearly gates, which would have more bite than a '59 without having more output... hope this helps a little, good luck!

[Mac-P]

Re: Help with Pickups!

A JB at the neck works really well if you have a powerful enough bridge pickup to compete with it.

I used to use a DiMarzio X2N bridge with a JB neck into a Marshall JCM 800. Believe it or not it was a very balanced guitar when switching pickups.

If you wanted to stay Duncan (and a bit clearer than the X2N), the Invader or Distortion could work.

[Jeff5]

Re: Help with Pickups!

Thanks for the replies! I have a custom in my first axe, and I really did like it. Maybe I'll just go back to that. Should I do a custom, or try the custom 5?

I'm still unsure about the neck. Even though its not recommended, can I put my JB in the neck position? I had a buddy that played a JB in the neck and it sounded nice. I have a JB jr. in my strat in the neck position and I love it. Too many choices!

[52-pickup]

Re: Help with Pickups!

Try a Gibson 486R (neck), 500T (bridge). Those are the stock pickups in a 1960
Gibson LP Reissue and are matched and scream.

[Jeff5]

Re: Help with Pickups!

I may actually try a Dimebucker at the bridge and put the JB in the neck and see how that works out. Hey, if I dont like it I can always take them back with Duncan's return policy. I'm not concerned if I have to back off on the volume or even tone a bit to get a better clean sound. I'd rather have more to work with than less. I'm also hearing that a distortion in the bridge and Jazz in the neck is pretty popular as well, but I may want more "umph" than the Jazz.

[Jeff5]

Re: Help with Pickups!

Try a Gibson 486R (neck), 500T (bridge). Those are the stock pickups in a 1960
Gibson LP Reissue and are matched and scream.

You know, that was my original plan. But I wanted to do something different rather than making it sound like a typical les paul, and I've always used Duncans. So that's why I went this route.