I’ve got a Gibson ES Artist that I want to change pickups on. Do I have to stay with epoxy potted as Gibson advises or will any type humbucker work ? My information is coming from the owners manual for the guitar. Hoping you’ll be able to see what I’m talking about
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Replacing epoxy potted pickups
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I don't think I would want to do anything to lessen the collector's value of the guitar. The pickups are designed to go with the internal electronics. Do you know the specfications for the pots or the pickups? Because a passive pickup may not work too well with the value of the pots or the wiring scheme and you might need to gut the electronics to go with passive pickups.
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The ES Artist was famous for its unique Moog electronics, and the pickups were a big part of it. It was used by Steve Howe in ASIA, and has a very unique sound.Administrator of the SDUGF
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The original pickups work just fine as well as the Moog effects. My only reason for considering a pickup swap was the gold pickup covers are tarnished bad. I wanted to just change out the covers but the limited research I did led me to believe trying to remove epoxy potted pickup covers would likely compromise the pickup itself due to he potential of cracking the epoxy. My only issue has been cosmetic only.
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Originally posted by Suburban View PostThe original pickups work just fine as well as the Moog effects. My only reason for considering a pickup swap was the gold pickup covers are tarnished bad. I wanted to just change out the covers but the limited research I did led me to believe trying to remove epoxy potted pickup covers would likely compromise the pickup itself due to he potential of cracking the epoxy. My only issue has been cosmetic only.
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If you don't want to work on them your self, I am sure the Custom Shop can replace those covers. Contact them for a quote. On a side note...what does the expander sound like on that guitar? We were just talking about that circuit on this forum a few weeks ago, but none of us had ever used one.Administrator of the SDUGF
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Originally posted by Mincer View PostIf you don't want to work on them your self, I am sure the Custom Shop can replace those covers. Contact them for a quote. On a side note...what does the expander sound like on that guitar? We were just talking about that circuit on this forum a few weeks ago, but none of us had ever used one.
These guitars are for sale at http://www.gregsguitars.de (please check: if it is still available you can see more photos and infos. In case the guitar has b...
Gibson ES Artist rare vintage guitar from 1980 made in Kalamazoo. Played through Bias amp software then through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier tube amp.
Last edited by idsnowdog; 08-14-2020, 09:25 AM.
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Those are Tarbacks or made the same as Tarbacks. The covers can't be replaced because the epoxy holds the pickups together. They don't even have a full base plate. Everything was placed in the cover and then the epoxy was poured in to hold it all in one piece.
Personally I would leave it completely alone, but if the worn gold really bothers you maybe replacing the pickups is not a terrible idea. if they are Tarbacks you'd need something bright but high-ish output to get a similar sound. Just be sure to keep the original pickups! (Or send them to me...)
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