Classic tones to EX-351!? Lew?

[charliethedog]

I have ESP LTD EX-351 with EMG 60 in neck and EMG 81 in bridge. The neck is so muddy and dark it's almost useless. And the bridge is too harsh, pushing the amps frizzy sounding. I have now noticed that high gain PU's are not for the tone I desire.

From the neck I would like to have Cream "Sunshine of your love" sound and from the bridge the "classic" rock sounds, from Cream, Sabbath to ZZ Top and like.

I was thinking Seth at neck and '59 bridge? I'm just scared will the Seth be too dark in the neck again, like EMG 60? Would '59 be better to neck also? How about Seth to the bridge also?

I'm positive about low output! I can get all the gain and push from pedals and amps if needed!

It's solid body mahogany, maple neck and rosewood fretboard!


Please, some advices?!

 

[Bones]

Re: Classic tones to EX-351!? Lew?

EMG60 too muddy? are you on drugs? I know Actives aren't for everyone, but thats not true. Seth's, or 59's would work well.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Classic tones to EX-351!? Lew?

Is that a semi-hollowbody guitar? Has a model number similar to a Gibson ES-335 or ES-355 so I thought it might be...

Clapton used an early 60's SG and the pickups in that guitar would've been very close to a Seymour Duncan '59. I saw Clapton play that SG guitar a couple of times: his neck pickup/chord tone was always muddy. :smack: His lead tone was to die for! :laugh2: He also played mostly on the bridge pickup of his SG the nights I saw him and the third time I saw Cream he used a Firebird I with just a single bridge mini-humbucker all night.

Peter Green has mentioned that Clapton, in the 60's, seemed to stay mostly on the bridge pickup all night too.

A set of 59's will get you into the tonal territory of your heroes you mentioned...they all used pickups similar to the '59 for thier most classic recordings.

Or spend spend a couple of more bucks and get a set of Duncan A2 Pearly Gates (ZZ Top) A2 Seth Lovers or A2 Antiquity Humbuckers. The Antiquitys have a little clearer, more hollow tone than the Seths but are very similar.

The 59's are awesome, but, like most A5 humbuckers, they have alot of bass and you might find it hard to get the clarity from your neck pickup you seem to be after.

The Jazz neck is similar to the '59N, but has more chime and harmonics on top and a little less bass...it works well with a hot pickup like the JB because, IMO, the JB is so strong you can turn your amp down a bit and get a clearer tone overall.

Getting true clarity from ANY neck humbucker at ROCK N ROLL volumes is difficult.

Lew

 

[charliethedog]

Re: Classic tones to EX-351!? Lew?

Thank you Lew!

Muddy might be wrong word what I ment was really dark and bassheavy; muddy...?

EX-351 is a explorer-model by ESP, so it's a solid body like the SG. Althought it's lot thicker than SG. I was also wondering about "shaving" it from the back to make it thinner; lighter and maybe even more resonant...? No, I'm not on drugs, maybe just out of my mind.

I'm almost positive about the fact that the "classic" rock albums have been made with low output PU's and with light gauge sets of strings too! Why to fight all those big strings, just turn your amp on!

So Lew, '59 in the bridge, but how would that Seth be on the neck on my solid mahogany? Or would it be safest bet to just put the '59 on the neck too?

You have been praising that Seth soooo much... but is it best for Les Paul types?

And thank you veeryy much indeed!