EVH Star help?

[Hot Octopus]

I recently picked up and EVH Star guitar and something about the tone just doesn't sound right to my ears??? The guitar sounds like the pickup is ON FIRE and not in a good way! Way too much gain and little harsh sounding. The guitar comes stock with a Wolfgang pickup and while they're usually dark sounding, it's very bright and uncontrolled in this guitar. So I'm on the hunt for a different pickup. I know its an EVH guitar, but I'm not on looking for ED's magic sound. Its a basswood body/ maple neck/ rosewood board with a top-mount floyd. I just want something different than all my other guitars have. I usually tune down half a step or play in drop C#. My current Fav pickup is the Dean Baker Act, and if all else fails, maybe I'll just install one of those, but for now, I want to look elsewhere.

One thought is something a little more on the vintage side of things- big round notes but not exactly warm sounding. What PU would that be? There's not a humbucker version of the YJM, is there?

The other direction is to go active. I've never liked EMG's but so many guys have used them, that part of me thinks having one guitar with an EMG in the bridge might not be a bad thing. Is there any pickup that's almost like a cross between the 81 and 85. Maybe the sound of the 81 with the tight feeling of the 85? I'm curious about the Glenn Tipton model but can't find much info on them.

TIA for any help you can provide.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: EVH Star help?

On the Vintage side , look into the Custom/59 hybrid. No too vintage, not too modern.

For active, the EMG 57 could get close to the EMG sound you're describing.
It's got the tightness of the 81 and the organics of the 85.

 

[Mincer]

Re: EVH Star help?

I am not aware of a humbucker that sounds close to the YJMs. That doesn't mean one couldn't be built.

 

[Hot Octopus]

Re: EVH Star help?

I am not aware of a humbucker that sounds close to the YJMs. That doesn't mean one couldn't be built.

Would the custom shop do two single coils on a humbucker baseplate? Say a YJM and a Quarter pounder. So it looks like a humbucker, but its really 2 single coil pickups that share a baseplate (or something like this).

 

[Mincer]

Re: EVH Star help?

Would the custom shop do two single coils on a humbucker baseplate? Say a YJM and a Quarter pounder. So it looks like a humbucker, but its really 2 single coil pickups that share a baseplate (or something like this).

If anyone can, they can. Go ahead and ask.

 

[51501984]

Re: EVH Star help?

I recently picked up and EVH Star guitar and something about the tone just doesn't sound right to my ears??? The guitar sounds like the pickup is ON FIRE and not in a good way! Way too much gain and little harsh sounding. The guitar comes stock with a Wolfgang pickup and while they're usually dark sounding, it's very bright and uncontrolled in this guitar. So I'm on the hunt for a different pickup. I know its an EVH guitar, but I'm not on looking for ED's magic sound. Its a basswood body/ maple neck/ rosewood board with a top-mount floyd. I just want something different than all my other guitars have. I usually tune down half a step or play in drop C#. My current Fav pickup is the Dean Baker Act, and if all else fails, maybe I'll just install one of those, but for now, I want to look elsewhere.

One thought is something a little more on the vintage side of things- big round notes but not exactly warm sounding. What PU would that be? There's not a humbucker version of the YJM, is there?

The other direction is to go active. I've never liked EMG's but so many guys have used them, that part of me thinks having one guitar with an EMG in the bridge might not be a bad thing. Is there any pickup that's almost like a cross between the 81 and 85. Maybe the sound of the 81 with the tight feeling of the 85? I'm curious about the Glenn Tipton model but can't find much info on them.

TIA for any help you can provide.

What amp are you playing the EVH Star thru and do you have any other high output pickups you could compare using the same amp settings ? I`m assuming the EVH pickup is high output and I`m gonna assume you made height adjustments ?

 

[Demanic]

Re: EVH Star help?

I'm surprised that no one has suggested adjusting the pickup height.
To the op, have you tried this yet?

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Hot Octopus]

Re: EVH Star help?

I'm surprised that no one has suggested adjusting the pickup height.
To the op, have you tried this yet?

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

It's screwed directly to the body. I dunno' if I can.

 

[Demanic]

Re: EVH Star help?

As far as I know, direct mount pickups can still be adjusted. You might have to put a piece of foam under it through. But then you should be able to raise and lower it against the tension provided by the foam.
Not saying for certain that it will work, but you might give it a try.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[51501984]

Re: EVH Star help?

It's screwed directly to the body. I dunno' if I can.

I knew most of the EVH guitars had the pickups direct mount but for some reason from pictures I`ve seen I thought the Star guitar had the pickup mounted to a pickup ring

Edit - I looked at some pics online and the Star has a pickup ring. I`m guessing the pickup ring is just for show ? You should be able to mount the pickup to the ring and then you can make your adjustments . My Charvel had the pickups direct mounted and I installed pickup rings just so I could make height adjustments easier

 

[Adieu]

Re: EVH Star help?

I still dont get what a floyded striped rosewood star guitar has to do with EVH

Is he trying to knock-off the "good destroyer"????

THAT definitely was Ibanez Super 70/ A8 PAF powered... which is also why he never bonded with its off-the-shelf replacement after he messed up the original, different year model came with different pickups

 

[51501984]

Re: EVH Star help?

I still dont get what a floyded striped rosewood star guitar has to do with EVH

Is he trying to knock-off the "good destroyer"????

THAT definitely was Ibanez Super 70/ A8 PAF powered... which is also why he never bonded with its off-the-shelf replacement after he messed up the original, different year model came with different pickups

It`s a copy of the guitar he played on the 1980 tour

 

[Adieu]

Re: EVH Star help?

It`s a copy of the guitar he played on the 1980 tour

Whoa that was actually a thing??

I thought they just took a variation on the stripe series theme and threw it on another body shape....whoops

 

[Bodeanicus]

Re: EVH Star help?

Whoa that was actually a thing??

I thought they just took a variation on the stripe series theme and threw it on another body shape....whoops

Right? I'm an old man, and have never seen that guitar. Thought I knew about most of Ed's guitars. I'd still never buy one, though.

Sent from my KFGIWI using Tapatalk

 

[BlueStrings]

Re: EVH Star help?

About the idea of two singles under one baseplate, remember that they would be quite close together. I do remember people complaining a 4 pickup guitar(Steve Morse model?) had problems with close pickups sounding weird. They will affect each other, in unpredictable ways.

Good luck!

 

[Hot Octopus]

Re: EVH Star help?

Well, the guitar is at a friend's shop. He's going to wire it up a 250k pot and some kind of capacitor. Hopefully that helps.

 

[51501984]

Re: EVH Star help?

Well, the guitar is at a friend's shop. He's going to wire it up a 250k pot and some kind of capacitor. Hopefully that helps.

So is the pickup ring from the factory just there for show ?