Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

[blueman335]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Rick I agree that splitting a humbucker utilizing one coil from said humbucker by itself or in combination with the other humbucker single coils would indeed be usable only insofar as the single split coil was at least 6K DCR or > like a Fender single coil. Anything less is going to sound thin and wimpy. All I know about the three humbucker configuration is that some people can make it work for them (Peter Frampton, Ace Frehley, etc.). The "Freeway 6 Way Toggle Switch" is a great idea to use for a project like this. I have a 6 way rotary switch myself.

Using push-pulls can give you many more combinations than a 6-way switch. The Jimmy Page system has 21 sounds, not that you'd ever use all of them, but then most people aren't using all the options on a 6-way.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Thanks Mincer, do you mean this one in particular? In your opinion combining a Whole Lotta Humbucker set ad this Phat Cat would better allow to expand the sound possibilities of the guitar (without creating too many magnet fields overlapping)?

This is it, exactly. You can combine it with some coil split switches for the other 2. I might just you a master coil split push/pull (or, more preferred, push/push) to split both at once. I like things simple to get from one sound to another though.

 

[giopas]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

4 push-pulls, the standard ones (like Stewmac's) are fine for Epi's. You don't need long shafts as the wood on Epi LP's isn't as thick as it is on Gibsons.

Hi blueman335,

I come back on this part: do you confirm that for my Epiphone I just need these "#1216 500K-ohm push-poll pots" and not "#1213 500K-ohm,long shaft pot for Les Paul®"?

I am about to place the order and I would be ensure to get the right ones

Thanks,

giopas

 

[blueman335]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Hi blueman335,

I come back on this part: do you confirm that for my Epiphone I just need these "#1216 500K-ohm push-poll pots" and not "#1213 500K-ohm,long shaft pot for Les Paul®"?

I am about to place the order and I would be ensure to get the right ones

Thanks,

giopas

I've gotten all my push-pull pots from StewMac and always used the regular ones for all my Epi's, including LP's. I've never needed, or used, long shaft pots. I use 250K's on some bridge HB's and P-90, and StewMac doesn't carry those in long shaft.

 

[giopas]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Thank you all for your help, order placed now!

• Neck : http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/whole-lotta-humbucker-neck (version gold plated)
• Middle : http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/phat-cat-neck (version gold plated)
• Bridge: http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/whole-lotta-humbucker-bridge (version gold plated)

1 Free-Way Pickup Selector
3 Push-pull Pots regular shaft size (1 for neck volume pot, 1 for bridge volume pot and 1 for the tone pot).

The idea is to have the following options:

• Position 1: Neck only
• Position 2: Neck and Bridge
• Position 3: Bridge only
• Position 4: Neck and Middle
• Position 5: Middle only
• Position 6: Middle and Bridge

Push-pull on the neck and bridge pots are to switch the relevant HB from parallel to serial (for the Single Coil-like sound) and the push-pull on the tone pot to out-phase neck and bridge HBs.

I hope that the output will be great... in any case I think better that what it is now!

I will share my impressions after I will receive the items and made the work done (I am scared to do it myself!).

giopas

 

[Mincer]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Make some recordings, too! I'd love to hear how it sounds.

 

[giopas]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Sure, I will!

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Detroitblues]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Don't bother with the pickups until you replace the entire wiring harness. That is most important to make any pickup sound good.

Personally, after the wiring harness is upgraded, I prefer Seth Lovers in all my humbucker loaded guitars.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

I love Seths too, but I don't agree that the whole harness needs to be changed if you like the taper of the pots and the sound of the tone controls.

 

[always SD]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

the best pickups for a LP are in a Gibson

 

[blueman335]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

the best pickups for a LP are in a Gibson

Yeah, the PU's in 1950's Gibsons.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Don't bother with the pickups until you replace the entire wiring harness. That is most important to make any pickup sound good.

There's plenty of tests that have shown otherwise.

 

[giopas]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Hi all,

I am waiting for the delivery of the pick-ups (can't wait much longer) but I already received the pots and the selector, and I thought it would be a good time before I forget to record the original sound of my old pick-ups so that it would be easier to appreciate the before/after "surgery".

In order to be as much accurate as possible, I used a Zoom H4n to record the sound and a Boss GT-100 as 'medium' for my guitar. I say 'medium' because I used an empty pedalboard patch to play over as I wanted to keep exactly the sound of my guitar without effects or equalizations [*].

I wired both Left and Right channels of the GT-100 to the two channels of the Zoom and recorded my guitar with my earphones connected to the pedalboard.

I started with the neck pick-up, then the middle and finally I went to the bridge one.

Of course I did not wanted to show my (always too limited) guitar skills, but just give an idea of the overall sound with a super easy strumming arpeggio (E - G). :lol:

If you are interested you will find the result here on Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w4py9zgprjwtnlx/160905-003.wav?dl=0

Of course the sound is rough, really awful, but the intention is to get an idea of the frequencies and possibilities I will gain with my new set.

I will of course do the same test once the new pick-ups will be on and post here to show the difference.

Cheers,

giopas

[*] except, I realize now, the fact that I kept by mistake the output method as small amp and not line, I as I will do the same "mistake" with the new pick-ups the test will not be voided.

 

[giopas]

Re: Advice on new pickups for Epiphone LP

Dear all,

I made (make) the change!

I will record the sound as soon as I can and post here.

giopas