ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

[Tommy_Be Lycan]

Hi guys! not new to the forum, but this is my first post.

I got this EC1000 fr wich I haven't been able to connect with, to be honest I grab my epiphone les paul gothic more often. I'm sure that this is mainly because of the EMG's, not a fan anymore, specially dislike the 60 and after a while on the 81 I just feel bored, unitone, monotone, 1 trick pony. It just sounds exactly the same as in the other millions of 81 equipped guitars no matter how cheap or expensive, american or import.

I'm thinking about the following sets for this insane apathy and the guitar will be plugged in a Peavey JSX:

- EMG 57/66, mainly because of the easy swap, no pots, capacitors or output jack needed and I've been reading lots of good stuff about them. That's it with the actives and I'm not a fan of Blackouts either, the neck was gold but the bridge was dark and it didn't growl.

- EVH Wolfgang set, yeah now a smile is upon my face, but checking the price tag, plus wiring harness needed, my smile is gone, I'm a new father and my wife might not be very happy about it.

- Dimarzio's? Mmmm I've been a user for ten years, all Petrucci sets except the Illuminators, but, but, I mean I've heard the Crunchlab vs Evh on YouTube, but in my fingers they didn't feel much different from the EMG's, the Steve's Special was so dynamic, and the liquifire, oh my god that's the greatest soloing pickup ever but it has some dark and wick cleans. Mainly my issue with Dimarzio's the feeling of a blanket on the speaker cabinet, oh and I hate the Super Distortion.

- Seymour Duncan, yes sir my main pleasure good all around pickup, awesome cleans and screaming leads, my personal experience is with the AP2 set, SH-14/SH-2, and a JB wich much to my surprise, I didn't like it. So now I'm between SH-14, SH-6, SH-5 or 59/Custom hybrid. The SH-2 is the definitive neck winner, the Alnico 2 pro has the greatest clean and bluesy tones I've ever heard, but doesn't cut it for fast leads. I tried the black winter and it was cold and shrill.

You guys are awesome advisers and so I ask for your help with your Jedi Knight Pickup knowledge on bringing this mahogany body and neck, super thin maple veneer and Floyd Rose looking trem to life, I would really like to know her, to hear what's behind all that flash and preamp circuity. Who knows maybe we'll fall in love.

 

[Synapsys]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

Had an ESP LTD EC-1000 ASB, and I liked the JB/'59 set it came with. Although I'm not the greatest JB fan out there, it sounded good on that guitar.

Unlike you, I really don't care about the Jazz neck, feels sterile and with no character of its own no matter the guitar or woods I put it in.

My suggestion are: Custom/'59, Custom/Pearly Gates neck, '59 set, Distortion/'59, Distortion set, JB/'59.

Styles played and a short summary of gear would help us out more.

 

[RStabler]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

I just switched the 81/60 out of my Eclipse-II for a 57/66 set. I'd say give them a try. I'm not even really a fan of actives but I think these will stick around for a bit.

 

[Tommy_Be Lycan]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

Thanks Synapsys!

I see your preference is on the 59 neck, to be honest I haven't tried that one, how would you say it compares to the jazz. In my experience the AP2 or slash neck does have more character but it gets muddy under high gain.

Styles played are progressive rock and metal, VH and bluesy Gary Moore style chops. I'm a single cut guitar junkie and my amp is a Peavey JSX, straight in connection, only a wah in between and a occasional Line 6 POD HD 500 X though the loop handling delays and long reverbs only.

 

[Tommy_Be Lycan]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

That you RStabler, one more for the 57/66, I've heard them playing the blues!

 

[Synapsys]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

Well, although I find the Jazz neck brighter than the '59 neck, the '59 is still a fairly bright pickup, but much mor mid-scooped than the Jazz. Under gain the '59 is woolier.sounding than the Jazz, because the lows are more present, whereas the Jazz sounds much more transparent. But I like a neck pickup with more "grain" than transparency, hence my preference for the '59 over the Jazz. On clean, I also prefer the '59.

Even if the two are Alnico V pickups, they are wound differently, so I find the '59 to be more in the vintage PAF area, and the Jazz a more modern-sounding pickup.

If you live in the USA, you can try either pickup on the 30-day SD garantee.

Never played th EMG 57/66 set. From the few YT videos it sounds different from the classic EMG sound, which really isn't my cup of tea, but still far away from passive sounds. Active pickups, no matter of what brand, always sound way too clinical for me, and seem to have an almost ever present chorus pedal on the hid mids/ highs, that I really don't like.

Considering the styles you mentioned, I think passives will be more of your liking.

 

[Tommy_Be Lycan]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

Indeed, there's no way around the fact that actives won't be close to passives in terms of dynamics and colors, or nuances of pick attack. Being a Van Halen and Petrucci fan, for my the right hand goes a long way on terms of expression.

I also watched a video of a Custom vs a EMG 81, it seems that I narrow the search to Custom or Custom 5, the Distortion sounds awesome with big and tight ass but it seems to me for what I heard that she can be a screamer, and also due to the fact that I didn't like her A5 sister the JB, I'm sticking with customs, my experience with a C5 was great, I just don't know how a Custom will be like.

 

[Synapsys]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

I have a Distortion on a Dean Old Skull V, and while it's great for rhythms, especially palm-muted and stacatto, I find it somewhat lacking for lead work.

As for the Custom, had one installed on an Ibanez S series (Floyd clone, mahogany body, maple top) and it sang in there. Same guitar had a Jazz neck, hence I since got traumatized.

Funnily enough, I'm considering trading the pickups on the V (Distortion/Jazz, since I got them in a trade and wanted to see how the Jazz sounded on an all-mahogany guitar) for a Custom/PG neck.

Never tried the C5, and I'm curious how it may sound on a V, since the C5 is supposed to be mid-scooped, and v-shaped guitars tend to have a mid-heavy emphasis.

Anyway, don't forget that you should get a trembucker, since your EC is a Floyd-space guitar.

 

[guitar74]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

I LOVE the '59 in the neck. Great for cleans, great for blues, and an awesome high gain neck p/up solo type thing. As far as the JB goes, I always use a 250k pot with it. I use the JB, Pearly Gates, The custom custom on my maple neck guitars, which you might be able to get away with on a maple cap.

I've used the Distortion on a couple of single cut guitars, and found it to be a great metal pickup, and never really had problems with it as far as lead work. Now that I'm a little older, however, I'm finding the PG/59 combo works great for me, even under high gain. I'm starting to lean a little more towards low-medium output these days as my amp/preamp has plenty of gain so I don't need to hit the front end that hard, and end up with the bonus of not having to keep adjusting my volume when I go clean, and I can use one guitar for many things. Also, the PG in the bridge does NOT mush up when you play fast alternate picked runs. In fact, your technique had better be up to task with that pickup as it hides NOTHING even under high gain.

That's my two cents however irrelevant it may be

 

[Tommy_Be Lycan]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

You guys just keep making me curious about the 59 shredding, I've never hear her doing that super fast passages, my Alnico 2 pro couldn't handle the speed specially on the D, A and E strings, while palm muting fast licks it got mushy. Never happened that with the jazz and again, I'm curious about how the 59 will handle it.

Since this is a very thin mahogany body and neck with a FR, I think this particular guitar will sound too bright with a Custom, leaning more and more to the C5.

 

[oneblackened]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

I would say try an SH6. I love that pickup in mahogany - though YMMV.

 

[Archer250]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

You guys just keep making me curious about the 59 shredding, I've never hear her doing that super fast passages, my Alnico 2 pro couldn't handle the speed specially on the D, A and E strings, while palm muting fast licks it got mushy. Never happened that with the jazz and again, I'm curious about how the 59 will handle it.

Since this is a very thin mahogany body and neck with a FR, I think this particular guitar will sound too bright with a Custom, leaning more and more to the C5.

I'm a proud owner of the JB/Jazz and JB/59 combos. I find the Jazz has slightly compressed highs and a flatter feeling, which makes it good for cleans. The 59 has more lows, and nearly as much highs as the Jazz, which makes it sound scooped (the fact that it has little mids in itself doesn't help, either). Overall, I prefer the 59 in anything but basswood.

 

[tombogiri]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

another one for the 57/66

 

[Tommy_Be Lycan]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

So archer250 at 00:36 is that the jazz or the 59? Pretty nice clean and soulfull tasty playing man!

Oneblakened I don't know, I didn't like the JB, and as I read here, they are sisters with different magnets as the customs are.

Tomobogiri, it's the easiest thing to drop a set on there, I'll check out some more vids

 

[guitar74]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

I would go sh6 bridge 59 neck. If you want some soundclips of the 59' under high gain in the neck position here's the link to Meeooww Mix. I used the '59 on the parts that are non harmony during the bridge sections with two different amps, one for left one for right, both with the gain set on kill, so you can hear what it does under high gain on fast passages.

Live I just use my presets on the old MP-1 and forget it, have fun, and play.

http://aladams.bandcamp.com/track/meeeooowww-mix-2

 

[RStabler]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

You guys just keep making me curious about the 59 shredding, I've never hear her doing that super fast passages,

Check out anything from Gus G pre-Ozzy Osbourne. May not be your cup of tea, but you get an idea of what the '59 can do in the neck.

 

[Archer250]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

So archer250 at 00:36 is that the jazz or the 59? Pretty nice clean and soulfull tasty playing man!

Oneblakened I don't know, I didn't like the JB, and as I read here, they are sisters with different magnets as the customs are.

Tomobogiri, it's the easiest thing to drop a set on there, I'll check out some more vids

I can see that it's the Mexican Jackson, so it's the 59. BTW, not sure if you know, but that's not me playing. That's the insanely talented James Ryan.

 

[Archer250]

Re: ESP Ltd EC-1000 FR

A good example of the 59 BRIDGE in the NECK position shredding would be Dimebag.