Help my Epiphone Lucille needs a transplant

[The Starving Busker]

Hi guys & gals,

New to here, but could really do with some advice. As the name suggests I come here as an average Joe, playing pubs and stuff, standard MOR rubbish and the odd slot where I can play a bit of Blues and rock.

I recently bought an Epiphone Lucille - beautiful action and nice finish ... but the PUPs are .... well ghastly to be honest. very tinny and when you bend the strings you can't hear the note.

I already have an Epi LP to which I've fitted a 59 to the neck and a PG to the bridge - love it.

Before I go out and buy some new PUPs for this thing I would like to get something nice and clean, that would overdrive a bit and give me a nice sustain without being to harsh. We don’t play big clubs.

The body is maple and the fret board is rosewood.

I like what I've heard of the SH 2 Jazz for the neck, and I know the JB 4 has been recommended for the bridge, however I don't want some screaming hi powered very trebley unbalanced bridge PU, that has me rushing to the volume pots or expression pedal at the flick of a switch.

Would any of you have an idea if I should just go for matched SH2 Jazz pups or would the JB/Jazz combo work on the 335 Epi - and with the Varitone as well.

The only thing I would have against the 59’s are they are very bass heavy and muddy on my set up.

I use a Fender HRD and a few boss pedals for overdrive and delay, and the odd phaser sounds.

Thanks in advance.

TSB

 

[Mark Le Comte]

Re: Help my Epiphone Lucille needs a transplant

I would buy a PG neck and 59 bridge so that you have a PG set and a 59 set.

PG set goes in the LP. 59 set for Lucille, she should be less muddy/bass heavy than the LP.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Help my Epiphone Lucille needs a transplant

'59N's can be bassy in 335's too (I have one in a Sheraton). Solutions for that are lowering the bass side of the neck PU, or swapping the magnet to an A3 (bright) or A4 (balanced EQ).

PGN's have a rounded high-end, from the A2 magnet, but have a wind that counteracts that and adds brightness. It gives them a bigger, wider sound than a '59N, which has a sharper high-end and scooped mids. A2P's are a little darker and warmer than PG's. JazzN's are clear and bright (it's not a PU normally used in jazz music), and are sometimes considered to have a little less 'flavor' compared to a PAF.

For the bridge, a PAF like a PGB or '59B are good choices, both of which can be a little bright so some guys will use two 250K's with them (volume and tone). For more output, a C5 with an unoriented A5 magnet has a warm, rich tone with lots of dynamics, and it's not overpowering. A stock JB is probably not what you want, but with an A2 magnet, the out is lowered and the downsides of a JB are negated, and it becomes a full-sounding PU with some bite.