Epi Lucille pickups

R

RockinJohnson

New member
I just got an epiphone Lucille. Love the guitar but wanted to upgrade! I am looking for a big, fat, robust tone for blues and blues rock. Needing a big punchy clean that can also handle medium overdrive. Wanting to be able to go from BB king to Freddie King and Gibbons to Bonamassa. The middle position is just as important as the pups by themselves.

I swapped out the pots w/cts 500s and mojo vitamin t .022 caps. Put in a set of Seth Lovers and I hate to say it but I'm not really digging them. I know I know, everyone loves the seths and I'm not saying I don't like them but they aren't really that BIG tone that I am after.

So I am looking for suggestions as to where to look from here. I have a Gibson 57 classic I am going to try in the neck. But I don't care for them in the bridge. I also have a SD Slash set I could try but would have to add gold covers.
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

RockinJohnson said:
I just got an epiphone Lucille. Love the guitar but wanted to upgrade! I am looking for a big, fat, robust tone for blues and blues rock. Needing a big punchy clean that can also handle medium overdrive. Wanting to be able to go from BB king to Freddie King and Gibbons to Bonamassa. The middle position is just as important as the pups by themselves.

I swapped out the pots w/cts 500s and mojo vitamin t .022 caps. Put in a set of Seth Lovers and I hate to say it but I'm not really digging them. I know I know, everyone loves the seths and I'm not saying I don't like them but they aren't really that BIG tone that I am after.

So I am looking for suggestions as to where to look from here. I have a Gibson 57 classic I am going to try in the neck. But I don't care for them in the bridge. I also have a SD Slash set I could try but would have to add gold covers.
Click to expand...
For what I understand from your description, you'll probably like the '57 Classic in the neck, so for the bridge I'd suggest a '57 Classic PLUS.

However, if you decide for Duncan p'ups, then an APH2N, (aka Slash neck) for the neck and a Custom Custom in the bridge would get you where you wanna go.

/Peter
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

Welcome!
Why not try an A5 (roughcast or polished) in the bridge Seth?
I bet you that would really get you where you want to be. As far as polished or roughcast, I am not knowledgeable enough to be sure for a hollow body. I DO know an A5 of either type would really liven it up for you. I've done it myself on the say so of the custom shop many years ago. By MJ herself. She is a legendary master winder at S. Duncan.
Taking covers off and changing magnets looks very daunting if you haven't done it before, but slow and easy does it, there are many here that can help, also some good videos on YTube how-to's on the subject, should the idea seem like a good way to go. Magnets are very cheap, most get them from addiction-fx on eBay. Like 5-10 bucks.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

Discharged said:
For what I understand from your description, you'll probably like the '57 Classic in the neck, so for the bridge I'd suggest a '57 Classic PLUS.

However, if you decide for Duncan p'ups, then an APH2N, (aka Slash neck) for the neck and a Custom Custom in the bridge would get you where you wanna go.

/Peter
Click to expand...
I had a 57plus in a lp once I didn't like it at all. Seemed VERY thin and lifeless. It may have been the guitar though. It has a Slash set in it now and it's great. Do you think the plus would work better in the Lucille than the lp?
I will have to look into the custom custom. I have no experience with it.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

SJ318 said:
Welcome!
Why not try an A5 (roughcast or polished) in the bridge Seth?
I bet you that would really get you where you want to be. As far as polished or roughcast, I am not knowledgeable enough to be sure for a hollow body. I DO know an A5 of either type would really liven it up for you. I've done it myself on the say so of the custom shop many years ago. By MJ herself. She is a legendary master winder at S. Duncan.
Taking covers off and changing magnets looks very daunting if you haven't done it before, but slow and easy does it, there are many here that can help, also some good videos on YTube how-to's on the subject, should the idea seem like a good way to go. Magnets are very cheap, most get them from addiction-fx on eBay. Like 5-10 bucks.
Steve Buffington
Click to expand...
I have zero experience with magnets or modifying pickups! What impact would changing from A2 to A5 have on the tone/output?

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

What amp do you have???

I am thinking that the 'big' tone will come from that to the tune of about 80%. The rest will be guitar and pickups.
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

^ Actually there are a lot of people who have issues with the 57's. It perhaps the most ripped out pickup of the entire Gibson line in history. And a good proportion of that in the bridge is top end. Mine was like that too.
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

I have a '99 €pi Joe Pass Hollowbody.
It came with €pi Classic AlNiCo V's.
They sounded good but, very generic
and lacked versatility.
I swapped them out for a set of S.D. APH II's.
And now I'm able to get tones from Jazz clean
to Nugent.
Suggest you look into these p'ups.
Cheers,
Big Paully ;)
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

I'd go with A2P's for a big fat blues sound. I'm a big PAF fan and the worst PAF's I've ever heard are Gibson '57 Classics.
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

RockinJohnson,
I asked which Duncan would sound most like a real PAF (patent applied for) pickup. I had one I wanted to replace. The custom shop said Seth Lover. But it sounded loose to me, not bright enough, less high end, not as much "sparkle". So MJ at the custom shop told me to swap the A2 mag with an A5 magnet and I had never done it before, so I was a little freaked out. But I asked the forum here, and they recommended videos, and I saw it was not all that hard, and after the first time I did it I saw how easy it was. The A5 really changed the sound of my Seth Lover to a much more lively and "kick-ass" kind of sound, and I have tried others too, but I guess that is for later.
There are many many threads about how magnets can really change the sound of many different pickups. I am sorry to have brought it up as it seems now is not the time for you to be doing that I guess. I just saw a new thread on the pick up forum that said "teach me about magnets" so that might be worth reading. The longer you read hear or search for "mag-swap" you'll find many many threads devoted to mag swaps in different pickups. Sorry to jump the gun on you like that.
Quick example: A lot of people here like the '59 pickup but like it better with a roughcast A5 magnet than the polished A5 mag it comes with. Some even like what is called an un-oriented A5 magnet instead of a polished A5 magnet. So there is a lot of fun stuff to know and learn about magnets, and it comes up a lot.
Good luck, these folks here will set you straight. I was going for the cheap fix. But that will come later.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

The "Teach me about Magnets" thread is from 2010, and has been updated and has about 45 answers. So that should be full of great new information if you feel like taking a look at it.
Steve Buffington
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

You've already got the '57 so go ahead and try that in the neck. Although I always respect Blueman's opinions, and agree with him most of the time, the '57 is one pup I disagree about. I am one who loves the '57 in the neck. It has all of the qualities you seem to be looking for in a neck pup.

For the bridge, you want "big, punchy cleans" and able to handle overdrive well. You are describing the Alt 8. It's punchy but very articulate and it splits well and sounds great when in parallel...lots of sparkle, very clean and clear (it's 4 conductor wiring so you can wire it to a micro-switch for series/split/parallel or to a push/pull pot series/parallel).
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

Many seem to dislike the 57 Classic/Classic+ set. I think maybe these pickups are just more particular than most about which guitars they'll work well with. The only guitar I've really loved them in is the Johnny A. In general, more people seem to like them in ES types than in Les Pauls. But the same qualities that make them feel dry and bright at the bridge can be great in a neck pickup. IMO the 57s have a certain immediacy to the attack that belies their description as being vintage inspired. But taken on their own merits, without expectations, I think I prefer them to Gibson's standard 490 set.

OP, I think your Slash set could be really great in a Lucille. They're warm & rich sounding, with a little extra juice to drive your amp harder than the Seths can. And they do nice cleans too- their character seems very well suited to the sounds you're looking for. I'd strongly suggest trying those, especially since you have a set on hand already. You might put them in uncovered to try 'em out for a while, and then attach the gold covers once you've fallen in love with them. I have a set of these in a Mockingbird and I like them more than I expected to.

If you're thinking about mag swaps in the Seth Lovers, there are many options. Definitely read the magnet thread as suggested, and a few of the many of mag swap threads hereabouts.
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

AlexR said:
What amp do you have???

I am thinking that the 'big' tone will come from that to the tune of about 80%. The rest will be guitar and pickups.
Click to expand...

I am going back and forth between a few different amps. My main is a Weber Princeton Reverb clone w/12 Weber speaker. I am also using a Fender super sonic 22 and a bass breaker 15.
 
Re: Epi Lucille pickups

Thanks everyone for all the great info/advice! Really a lot to take in! A friend is giving me a Gibson 490t and I am a going to try it with the 57 in the neck. Also going to look into magnet swapping in the seths. Then if I am still not happy I am going to try the Slash set I have.
 
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