57 Classic Replacements for ES335

[CrazyFingers]

Hi,

A few weeks ago I picked-up a used 2006 ES335 with stock 57 classic pups. I love the warm tone of the PUPs but frankly they are a bit too "dark" for my tastes. I am looking to replace them with something that will give me more high end (brighter) and a bit more note clarity. At the same time, I don't want to completely change the character of the guitar. What will give me the added brightness and other things I'm looking for without sacrificing most of the warmth of the Gibson PUPs and the tone of the ES335?

I play mostly blues, fusion and a bit of jazz. For "real" jazz I use my hollow body so I don't need to coax these tones out of my 335.
My amp: Fargen BB40 (Fender Blackface tone). I play mostly clean but sometimes add a bit of distortion using a pedal.

Thanks!

 

[Dirt123]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

How about a pair of Duncan Jazz pickups? They should be brighter. Or maybe a Jazz N in the neck slot and a '59 N in the bridge.

D

 

[CrazyFingers]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

I am thinking Jazz in the neck. I had them in my Epi Sheraton and liked them. I've also heard good things about the Antiquities, Pearly Gates, and Alnico 2 but don't know how they'd sound in a 335. I'm looking for that clear, bright sound with a touch of warmth.

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

335's sound great with Antiquities or Seth Lovers. Plenty of warmth and articulation. Dirt123's suggestion of the Jazz/'59 combo is good as well.

 

[Bludave]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

335's sound great with Antiquities or Seth Lovers. Plenty of warmth and articulation. Dirt123's suggestion of the Jazz/'59 combo is good as well.

Yep. I think the Ants would be great, but if your complaing about darkness of tone the Seths will probably add to this IMHO. I have a thinline Tele that has a JazzN and a 59 in the bridge and this guitar sounds a lot like a 335. I also have a 335 that has the stock PAF PUP in it (1 1985 dot RI) and the pickups inthat guitar are also great. No to change anything its my favorite HB guitar.

 

[stevesram]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

I replaced the bridge 57 Classic(A2) in my 61 RI SG with an Angus Young sig pup(A5 mag). It smokes. Alot brighter than the 57, and sweet string separation, and cuts better than a full set of Ginsu knives. It is expensive though.

 

[blueman335]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

I have a Duncan '59n & a Custom 5 in an Epi Sheraton 355, & they sound great. I'd recommend that combination to anyone who wants a blues/classic rock tone with some muscle & bite to cut through on solos.

 

[jeremy]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

i think a jazz neck with a 59b would be a good setup but youll lose some of the mid sweetness of the 57's. i really like pearly gates in 335 style guitars, especially the neck. it has the warmth of an alnico II but with more top end clarity and a tighter bottom end. the bridge is fantastic too but not for everyone

 

[CrazyFingers]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

Thanks for all the comments. Seems like this may make the most sense:

Neck: Jazz or Pearly Gates
Bridge: PG, Custom, or Custom Custom

 

[vegetablejoe]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

Before you spend for and change pickups, how about first trying swapping your pots with higher value pots? or switching to no-load pots? That may give you just an added tad of brightness that you need... along with that you can try swapping the caps in your tone pots....

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

Thanks for all the comments. Seems like this may make the most sense:

Neck: Jazz or Pearly Gates
Bridge: PG, Custom, or Custom Custom

The one warning I got when i was looking at pickups for my hollowbody is that if you go too hot it just makes it sound more like a Les Paul and less like that warm mellow round sound you can only get with a hollowbody.

That's why I stopped considering both the Custom and the Custom Custom as I was given the impression it would likely do exactly that.

The choice for me came down to Seth Lovers, 59's or a custom wind by Vintage Vibe Guitars. I ended up going with the Vintage Vibe pickups because of previous experiences with their pickups and having an email conversation with the pickup maker about what I really wanted the pickups to sound like and what he could do for me. In the end I'm very happy with the choice I made.

 

[jeremy]

Re: 57 Classic Replacements for ES335

vegejoe has a good point. if you have 300k pots, i would swap them out for 500k before you do anything else. i wouldnt however go no-load for the tones.