Epiphone les Paul custom pro upgrade

[jumpcut81]

Hey all,

I want to upgrade my pickup and I cant decide between sh4 or sh6. I will mainly play Tool with this guitar so a lot of drop D tuning. Also, my amp is a katana mk2 100watt and I play most of the time with Headphones. I have watch a couple of youtube comparaison video between these 2 pickups and sometimes I prefer the sh6 and on other video I prefer sh4... Does somebody have a similar setup than me? What would fit better in my epiphone lp custom pro?

thanks

[Zheddar]

Welcome to the forums, lots of good info and cool guys around here. Adam Jones used the Sh4 most of the time. I read that it allowed him to control the mids the way he wanted in his specific Les Paul Customs that he hunted down. I think were all mohagany or something not commonly done.

[jumpcut81]

Thanks!

yeah on some forum I read that he was using sh4 and on other sh6 or a modified verison of the sh4 and the result was near the sh6.. but 2 minutes after creating that post I had a GAS black-out and I ordered the sh6 . I guess ill see soon if it was the good choice!

[Zheddar]

I dig the sh6, it's a good pickup that can get Tool types of tones for sure. Lots of that Tool sound is in how one uses delay effects.

[jumpcut81]

Do you think it would be easier to achieve is tone with the sh4 than the sh6 considering I only use a boss Katana?

[AlexR]

I would suggest that its easier to achieve the closest tone by practice and selecting the closest amp sim.

His recorded and live tones are surrounded by the rest of the band, at very high volumes, and in the studio are possibly the result of studio effects. Generally speaking if you were to hear the isolated guitar, and even moreso the in-room tone it would not resemble the tone you are trying to replicate from the finished product. A change of pickup is a minor thing by comparison to the major change in player, guitar and rig.

[jumpcut81]

I never looked at it from that angle. It make lot of sense. At that point I am just wondering if the sh4 would not be a better fit for my guitar, everyone seems to prefer the JB over the distortion. Its not to late to cancel my order and go for the JB.

[pskorz]

If you've already got a Duncan Distortion on order, I'd say go with it. It's a very cool, good sounding pickup. Big, bold tones, and pretty fat sounding. With a modeling amp as diverse as the katana, you'll be able to dial in your sounds no problem.

[jumpcut81]

Ok, ill keep my order. Thanks everyone for your advice, it really helped me make a decision!

[Hsb]

Between the two, I love the Distortion, the JB not so much. Either one you will get in the neighborhood though.

[AlexR]

I never looked at it from that angle. It make lot of sense. At that point I am just wondering if the sh4 would not be a better fit for my guitar, everyone seems to prefer the JB over the distortion. Its not to late to cancel my order and go for the JB.

If you want perhaps a more indepth analysis.....well your guitar will be very different to a 1979 Custom. I'd guess every wood aspect is different......body is not Mahogany, neck is not 3 piece laminate maple, and your epi may well sport a rosewood fretboard rather than ebony.
In which case the extra biting top end and tighter bottom of the SH6 might help to compensate for the 'chassis variation'

[SZjammin83]

There is alot of good info youre being given here. I've learned so much since joining this forum. One of the things Iearned long ago though, was to stop trying to chase down an Adam Jones tone by spending money on guitars and pickups and pedals and pedals and amps and then trading or selling amps and guitars to get other amps and guitars. It can turn into an addiction, and just when you think you are getting close, you'll get that one piece of gear you could swear will put you there, only to use or install it and realize it did nothing, or worse, put you 10 steps further away.

I reached a point where I accepted that I just had alot more to learn about EQ and my guitar technique among many other things before I should allow myself to spend anymore money on gear. You have to be realistic about the fact that what you are hearing on an album is worlds away from what you are going to get just plugging into an amp and playing in a room. The album tracks are highly produced and mastered, not to mention the fact, that as someone mentioned before, its all happening in a mix. The bass and drums play a huge part in the overall sound, I dare say more so in Tool than in any other band Ive ever heard. Oftentimes it can be very difficult to distinguish whether a given part is being played by Adam on guitar, or by Justin on bass. They have a sincerely magnifacent way of weaving their parts togther so that they often sound as one. Also, you have to remember that guitar alone on a track is produced in a way that there is almost always at least one backing track to every bit of guitar part you are hearing, sometimes its layered with 3 or even 4 guitar tracks, but it's all put together to where we just assume its just as simple as a guitar. Metallica is another band that has made some sincerely badass music and had many guitar tracks layered together to make one killer sounding guitar part on an album. If you get an official sheet music book for a tool album and begin to research it and pick it apart and learn the songs, it will truly blow your mind just how much of the music you thought was a guitar part, but really is Justin Chancellor on the bass, and vice versa. I think Adam and Justin are by far the coolest and most innovative, original, and amazing guitar and bass duo in modern rock music. I am 37 and Tool is still my favorite band hands down, and it's been that way since I was 15 years old. Sitting and picking apart, and learning, and playing their songs played an incredibly massive role in my learning how to play the guitar, and then getting better and better. I still jam out on all my favorite tool songs to this day on a regular basis. And FWIW... I play a Gibson Les Paul Standard with stock Burstbucker Pro 1 & 2 pickups, into either a Peavey 6505+ 120 watt head, or a Marshall DSL40CR combo, and whichever of the two I'm using, I run it through a Mesa 2x12 Rectifier Cab. None of it is what Adam uses, but it sounds pretty darned great to my ears when I play, and while I do love SD pickups, I also really like the stock pickups in both of the Gibsons I own. I really like the sound of the 57 Classic/57 Classic Plus as well.

Hope your pickup sounds great for you. I believe it will. And good luck with all your Tool tone journeys! Cheers

[SZjammin83]

Hey all,

I want to upgrade my pickup and I cant decide between sh4 or sh6. I will mainly play Tool with this guitar so a lot of drop D tuning. Also, my amp is a katana mk2 100watt and I play most of the time with Headphones. I have watch a couple of youtube comparaison video between these 2 pickups and sometimes I prefer the sh6 and on other video I prefer sh4... Does somebody have a similar setup than me? What would fit better in my epiphone lp custom pro?

thanks

You can finally get EXACTLY what you are looking for now. Check out Gibson's website, they JUST released it only a matter of a day or two ago. You can even get one with Adam's signature on it... Correction, COULD get... They sold out of of the signed and unsigned models. They made les than 100 of each.

You can find them being scalped and circulated on other websites though. Unsigned model is going for $15,000.00 and UP.

Of course I realize you can't get this. I dont know ANYONE who could. But, seeing as you are a fan, I thought I'd post this n you might get a kick out of it. I know I still did.

The un-attainable FINALLY becomes attainable, yet still remains un-attainable.... what a paradox. I think Adam himself would like that perspective!