Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

V

Vastard

New member
So I bought a SH-6 (Distortion) for my Korina Epi V and I don't like it. It's a bright sounding guitar, I realise now, and this pick up makes it sound very
synthetic and shallow, it lacks depth and a bit of oomph in the low register, it sounds very dry and cold in general. Soloing high in the neck sounds very shrill and unpleasant. I like the clarity of it when it comes to rhythm riffs, as I don't like muddiness, it's very tight, but this pickup is not going to stay in the guitar. The search continues...

I play old school heavy metal and 80s speed/thrash metal. I sometimes also like to go into the slow Sabbath kind of thing.

So now I have a few other options in my head: SH-5, SH-4, or even Invader...

Do you guys have any recommendations?

Thanks!
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

My first thought is a Custom, which is tight, but does speed metal and sludgy stuff really well. The JB might be a choice, although the upper mids take it away from the sludgy stuff.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

I have read that the Duncan Distortion and the JB are the same pickup, only the Distortion uses a ceramic magnet and the JB an Alnico 5 magnet.

Magnet swapping is easy.

I'd order a roughcast alnico 5 magnet from Addiction FX, and replace the ceramic magnet. That will turn it into a JB.

I find ceramic to lack some of the organic vowel like tones that alnico magnets seem to impart to a humbucking pickup.

"Shrill" is another description. I avoid ceramic magnet pickups for that reason.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Thanks for the ideas.

By the way, I didn't mean to say that the D. Distortion is ****, it is not. I put it in my other guitar, a Jackson KV, just to try and it sounds great, much fuller and focused.

It's just a matter of finding the right pickup for that bright Epiphone I guess.

What about a Duncan Designed Detonator (some people say it's something in between a Distortion and an Invader, I'm very curious about this, have anyone tried this in a
bright flying v?
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

I've been down this road with a fixed-bridge Jackson Rhoads, a very similar guitar to yours that was also notoriously bright.

After trying literally dozens of pickups, the Distortion and Black Winter sounded the most balanced in this guitar and had great crunch, harmonics, and attack, which I really liked, but they were ultimately a bit too biting and sharp on the high end.

I had tried a JB in the guitar multiple times and, while it had the right amount of output, it wasn't nearly as tight and clear on the bottom end as I wanted, even though I liked everything else about it.

Solution: DiMarzio AT-1

Totally happy with this decision. It shares the tightness of the Distortion down low with the fluid voicing of the JB in the mids and smooths out the top end without losing clarity or harmonic character.

Alternatively, you could try a simple mag-swap into your existing SH-6 as others suggested. An A5 (Alnico V) mag will get it very close to the JB

BTW...the Detonator is a cool pickup in terms of budget options, but it is not as refined as the Distortion you have now and won't cure your brightness issue. The actual Invader would be a better choice for that.
 
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Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Masta' C said:
Solution: DiMarzio AT-1

Totally happy with this decision. It shares the tightness of the Distortion down low with the fluid voicing of the JB in the mids and smooths out the top end without losing clarity or harmonic character.


BTW...the Detonator is a cool pickup in terms of budget options, but it is not as refined as the Distortion you have now and won't cure your brightness issue. The actual Invader would be a better choice for that.
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for that. I'll definitely check that DiMarzio out.

I guess the Detonator is ruled out then...
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Lewguitar said:
I have read that the Duncan Distortion and the JB are the same pickup, only the Distortion uses a ceramic magnet and the JB an Alnico 5 magnet.

Magnet swapping is easy.

I'd order a roughcast alnico 5 magnet from Addiction FX, and replace the ceramic magnet. That will turn it into a JB.

.
Click to expand...


Why a roughcast magnet and not a plain one?
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Vastard said:
Why a roughcast magnet and not a plain one?
Click to expand...

Roughcast gives a more complex tone and the treble seems to be less steely sounding. It's what Duncan usually uses in the Antiquity humbuckers. I can only recommend stuff I like. If I don't use it or like it I'll just stay out of the thread. But I LOVE the Duncan Antiquity humbuckers and most of my guitars have them.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

If you generally like the Distortion, but want it less shrill/harsh, you might look at a PATB-2 Parallel Axis Distortion. It's hotter, growlier, and has much less presence, without being dark. Amazing gonzo metal pickup. Absolutely searing harmonics, without the harshness of the conventional Distortion.

Invader is another good choice, deeper bass that can be excessive in some guitars, but if yours is thin or bright, it may fix the problem. Depending on whether it needs more lower mids or deeper bass.

Custom might do it, and if it is too bright, swapping in an A8 pickup might get it where you want. Custom tends to have more bass than the Distortion, but not as much upper mids, and especially less harsh, tearing presence. A8 takes off all the ceramic sizzle, but some players don't like the upper mids.

Alternative 8 is another good option for a tight, hot pickup that doesn't have harsh treble/presence.

L-500XL is a terrific pickup, but there's a lot of reports that in a thin/bright guitar, they can exacerbate the problem.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Despair said:
If you generally like the Distortion, but want it less shrill/harsh, you might look at a PATB-2 Parallel Axis Distortion. It's hotter, growlier, and has much less presence, without being dark. Amazing gonzo metal pickup. Absolutely searing harmonics, without the harshness of the conventional Distortion.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for all that info.

What about PATB-1? I happen to have one but haven't tried it on this guitar. One thing that puts me off is that I don't like the looks of it (I know... LoL). Does it sound any close to the PATB-2? What's the difference?
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Guys... the bridge. I changed the BRIDGE (not the bridge humbucker), and it sounds great now.
I remembered I had a replacement bridge that I bought and never used, so decided to put it on, just for curiosity, and the tone of the guitar has improved A LOT.
So I guess I will keep it now, at least for the time being.

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Change one thing at a time in the combination until you like what you've got.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Vastard said:
I play old school heavy metal and 80s speed/thrash metal. I sometimes also like to go into the slow Sabbath kind of thing.
Click to expand...

I play similar music. I have an Epi korina Explorer and an Epi Les Paul standard, and I have SH-5 customs in the bridge of both. I also have a Dimarzio Super Distortion in my Jackson RR5, it's a little darker sounding, but works well in that guitar.
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Instead of a pickup swap, try wiring the guitar VTT instead of VVT. Much more useful controls that way IMO. You can roll off tone from the bridge pickup, while leaving the neck pickup alone. While you are at it, put high quality pots in, and consider linear taper for the bridge tone control, and a lower valued cap. That pickup will sound excellent for the styles you like, if you can subtly control the high end a bit better (and give yourself a tone control for each pickup, instead of a master tone).
 
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Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Epi Korina/Limba is not made of Limba/Korina. So, there is that...

The Distortion/JB are NOT the same as just a magnet swap. But they are sort of close, or very close. Or very very close. YMMV. Try the mag swap just to see. Worth it just to learn to do it. See what a Roughcast A5 does.

Lots of variables in the equation. Cool move trying the bridge!
 
Re: Bridge Humbucker for Epiphone Flying V - HELP!

Vastard said:
Thanks a lot for all that info.

What about PATB-1? I happen to have one but haven't tried it on this guitar. One thing that puts me off is that I don't like the looks of it (I know... LoL). Does it sound any close to the PATB-2? What's the difference?
Click to expand...

I love the PATB-1b, but it is very different from most of the pickups you've discussed. It's sort of like a higher output Custom 5, but with more harmonics. It's a bit mid-scooped, but very managable in midrange-heavy guitars. Can do wailing leads nearly as well as a JB, but it's tonal footprint is closer to a PAF, but with way hotter output, but without losing the high end. I have one in an RG570 that was really muddy with the JB, PATB-1b saved a guitar I'd started to really hate the tone of-- with the JB it managed to sound congested and flubby for anything but high gain leads, and even those were sometimes annoyingly nasal. Killer guitar with the PATB-1b, can do almost anything with it.

PATB-1b is a versatile pickup, great for low gain to high gain, but can be a bit tricky to get to not clip for low gain because of it's high output.

PATB-2b wants a really clean preamp to do cleans, and is probably too stiff for most tastes for low gain, though it is possible to control for that. It's most comfortable with high gain, monster fat riffs and wailing leads.

The PATB-3 is like a '59B that's been overwound without losing the high end, with better sustain and singing harmonics. It's the best of the Parallel Axis bridge pickups for clean to low gain, pretty competitive with the PATB-1b for medium gain, and still solid for high gain. Great all-around pickup.

Parallel Axis pickups in general have a softer attack and very interactive feel. Some refer to it as an exaggerated tubey response.

If you have a guitar that needs a bit more lower mids, and some push to offset a vibrato system that took out the bass/low mids while leaving too much of some low mids, something in the PATB-series is likely to be a good match. They work well in solid body guitars, too.

Before you get too worried about the low end or attack on the Parallel Axis series, if you have control over your pick articulation, you can get them to do thrash more than fine. It's just that with the interactivity, they are fun to play so much more.
 
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