Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

[Carpercen]

Well, that's the deal! Last year I bought my Epi Prophecy, it came with the EMG 85/81, but the difference in output bwtween them is a bit awkward... 85 is louder so when I switch them is awful... Si I was thinking is about time to try a new set...

I'm trying to achieve a versatile sound, to be able to play from classic rock, to metal and even try some jazzy tones...
(From Camel, Yes, King Crimson, to Opeth, Judas Priest, Steven Wilson, to Django... maybe Guthrie...)

I don't know is there's a combination that can give me that kind of versatility but what pair of pickups would give the most of what I'm trying to sound?

I heard that the Hot Rodded Set was a very good option, so I was thinking I should buy it but I think first I should read some opinions about this!

Hope you can help me! Thanks

P.D. Also heard the P-Rails Hot are SD most versatile pickups... what do you think?

 

[Carpercen]

Re: Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

no help?

 

[allstarrme]

Re: Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

Given that this is an active guitar you are gonna need to replace everything to go passive, why not try what will work easily first. I actually like the EMG's as far as versatility goes, but it needs a 60 in the neck rather than the 85,then you can try the 81 or 85 as bridge pickups.

Also the SD blackouts or live wire classic 2's give a bit more than the EMGs . a blackout AHB-1 set or a blackout bridge with a livewire 2 neck will be pretty versatile. These drop straight in and plug into the emg harness under the pickup.

if your gonna go passive, sell the guitar for something that's already passive, it will save a lot of trouble later.

 

[Carpercen]

Re: Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

Given that this is an active guitar you are gonna need to replace everything to go passive, why not try what will work easily first. I actually like the EMG's as far as versatility goes, but it needs a 60 in the neck rather than the 85,then you can try the 81 or 85 as bridge pickups.

Also the SD blackouts or live wire classic 2's give a bit more than the EMGs . a blackout AHB-1 set or a blackout bridge with a livewire 2 neck will be pretty versatile. These drop straight in and plug into the emg harness under the pickup.

if your gonna go passive, sell the guitar for something that's already passive, it will save a lot of trouble later.

Excuse me for the late answer bro. can you explain me why I should sell my guitar? Is that really that difficult to change to a passive Pick Ups system? I've seen videos and it doesn't seem hard... plus I'll take the guitar to a luthier for the change of PU.

But, why should I sell the guitar? cause I don't think someone will buy it, not many musicians near my place...
Plus, when you say Livewire, are you talking about SD dave mustaine PU?
and in case you know... do you think that I'll be able to achieve the tone of the bands I stated before with the SH-2 y SH-4?


Thanks for your answers bro!

 

[Despised]

Re: Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

First off regarding the active to passive swap, you could do it yourself if you know how to solder. The hardest thing you'll need to do is ground the bridge, since active systems do NOT have a bridge ground. You'll have to pull the bushing out of the guitar (side closest to the control cavity, high E side... The bushing is the metal piece the bridge post screws into...), drill a small hole from inside the control cavity to the bridge post hole, and run a wire to ground the bushing and/or post, then reinstall the bushing, as we as remove all the actual controls - minus the 3-way switch - and replace them with 500K pots. The 25K ones you have now are only for active systems.

I do agree that staying as simple as possible is your best bet, and either getting an EMG 60 for the neck is a good start. But before you do that, I would take a look inside the control cavity first and see if you have any bad connections that are causing the signal on your bridge pickup to be weak like your saying. I can almost guarantee that this is the case, and that there is nothing wrong with the EMG's you have. If by some SLIM chance that one of them is bad and that all the wiring and connections are good, then get the 60 for the neck, and swap the 85 to the bridge position.

However, if you insist on getting a set of passive Duncans, then here's the answer to your question:
*Yes, the hot rodded set consisting of the JB & '59 would be a really good choice, and extremely well rounded and versatile for the stuff you're playing.
*If you wanted something a little bit more aggressive yet still equally versatile, then the Distortion Mayhem set is another good choice.
*if you want to stay active and make the jump to the Duncans, then I would look into the Blackouts as well. And yes he was referring to the Dave Mustaine Live Wire. In which case, the DM LiveWire set isn't bad sounding either... a buddy of mine had them in a BC Rich Warlock, tuned to B, and they still sounded really good and surprising. So you do have a few options if you wanted to stay active.

Hope this helps, and good luck. But I would start with having the current wiring checked for a weak connection somewhere. I would even take the bridge pickup out and see if the connector plug on the back is even the slightest bit unplugged or coming off the terminals. Your issue is more than likely something that simple.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

Need to ask, which EMG pickup is in which position?

Typically, the -81 is supplied in the bridge/Treble position and the -85 in the neck/Rhythm position. Some users prefer them the other way around. If your guitar has the Quik Connect wiring system, it would be extremely simple to test other 9v active pickups before finalising your choices.

Volume differences can be ironed out with careful pickup-to-string distance adjustment.

There is an argument for going passive but, I suspect, this change will expose shortcomings in the construction and materials of the Epiphone guitar. Probably wiser to stay active but chose pickups intended to have a more traditional output and tone. SD offers the Live Wire Classic II. EMG has their -57/-66 pair.

 

[allstarrme]

Re: Epi Prophecy Les Paul Custom EX New Pups Advice!

I said what I did about selling it because you buy one of these for the active sound, even if you replace all the pots, the pickups and the output jack and rewire it, you still have a battery box hole in the back and a bill for more than new pickups cost. get a prophecy GX or pretty much any les paul if you want passives, they are cheap used.

I meant either the livewire 2 classics or the dave mustaine livewires, which are really active versions of the JB/jazz. I think the dave mustaines versions use 100k pots though rather than 25K.

I still say grab a 60 for the neck and try the 85 in the bridge, this will cover a lot of ground, I hate the 85 in the neck but love the 60 for cleans.