How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Jazzfiend101

Jazzfiend101

New member
hello all, i've got a slight issue with an epiphone stock alnico classic bridge pickup. The pup in question was in an epiphone les paul that i've extensively modded/gutted. I stripped everything off it except one single thing, the bridge pup. It sounded suprisingly good, and very warm, but not dark or muddy. In comparison with my other lp's which have only pearly gates pups in the bridge, this factory stock pup sounded thicker, and roared through a jcm 2000 dsl 50.

I'll get to the point. I bought the guitar used at a guitarcenter over a year ago, and it was supposed to be a backup. However, as my other lp's had to go through maintainence, it wound up serving me for 3 straight months of gigs. I had to return it to my dad, a luthier at gc, to fix it when it finally suffered a broken pickup ring in the bridge at a rowdier gig. It stayed slumped in the pickup cavity for over a month with no strings until my dad fixed it with a new ring. He added different screws to the adjustometer size of pickup height thingy majig, ass the stock screws went MIA. I restrung it, and my God, this thing sounds terrible. High pitched shrieking whenever I face my amp, and terrible microphonic feedback. I was at a jam with my drummer yesterday and the guitar was pickup up my voice as i spoke while it was slung on me hip. I could literally hear myself through this solid state amp he had. I dont think its the strings (always use ernball pwr slnky 11s).

Any ideas, gentlemens?
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Epi pickups are prone to that. Best option: replace it!
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Yeah, some Epi pickups I've had in the past did that. But it's weird how it worked fine even for gigging before, then suddenly doesn't any more.
I'd be interested to hear what might have happened, although I do think you'd be as well replacing it regardless.
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

The only thing I can think of is that maybe the ground wire from the coils to the baseplate somehow got corroded or disconnected. I had a loose one in a Custom and it cause horrendous shrieking and feedback. I have no idea how that would have happened to yours though.
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Right, my dad recommended another seydunc change, but it chilled out in its case with no strings and the bridge pup just slumped in the cavity for over a month. Still its wierd
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Jazzfiend101 said:
Right, my dad recommended another seydunc change, but it chilled out in its case with no strings and the bridge pup just slumped in the cavity for over a month. Still its wierd
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Presumably when you were taking it out/putting it into place something got disconnected/damaged. I somehow damaged TWO coils on a pickup I had - once when it was a Custom Custom, then again when it was a hybrid. I have no idea how it happened, just like you , it was working fine, then after some minor changes to surrounding hardware or whatever, it got damaged.
I got another replacement for it, put a cover over it, and its never moving from the guitar its in! Sometimes these things just happen, I dont expect we'll ever know why.
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Oh noes! Wellllll guess who's shopping a new seydunc? This guy. But, I may get something aside from a pearly bridge. Its so damn bright. I stuck an alnico 2 pro in the neck of one lester, and a pg in its bridge, so I could get a GnR/ZZ top XXX era tone. Definitely wound up with my own sound. Sorta a psuedo-Darkness meets Aerosmithy jangle with the way my Marshall is set.

I notice that a warmer pickup has a bit more lower midrange than these brightass pups. In the guitar in question has a seydunc 59 in the neck which i like a lot, and of course the stock epi bridge.

I'm a low output guy (i like driving my amp harder, not boosting my guitar other than a lead boost) My buddy said to try a JB in the bridge, or a jazz in the bridge. I kinda want an A2Pro in it, maybe even the Slash bridge, tho i dont have the $ for a set. I see they have a 59 Custom bridge. Very curious. Any suggestions?
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

I'm selling a Seth bridge :lol:

Honestly, if you want an A2Pro, get one. I have one in the bridge of an Epi Black Beauty and it's perfect - the Darkness all over, just a great, fat rock tone.
Of course, the Seth is like that, just....MORE. ;)
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Even if the Epi pup isn't damaged, it's still a good idea to replace it. Epi pups are blah at best, muddy at worst.

Seth would be a good choice.
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

As the strigs in the guitar are acting like an antenna, picking up straneous noise, the wiring's grounding is the most probable culprit, because of the lack of shielding.

HTH,
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

im sure im not gonna be the only one to write something along these lines...but if you liked that epi pickup, you will mess your pants when you try something better.
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

You said the screws went missing... I imagine that the springs went missing as well. Might it be possible that there's not as much spring pressure between the pickup legs and the pickup ring now, causing it to be microphonic?

The reason I ask is that I have a couple Teles that wailed with feedback using regular springs. I replaced the springs with surgical tubing and I have zero feedback issues.

It's an issue you might have to deal with even replacing the pickup, so keep it in mind. :)
 
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Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

That thought occured to me? Where would I get surgical tubing, and what exactly would I have to do to install it?
 
Re: How to fix my squeaks, squeals, and otherwise horrendous honks from my pup?

Jazzfiend101 said:
That thought occured to me? Where would I get surgical tubing, and what exactly would I have to do to install it?
Click to expand...

AllParts dealers sell it. You might even be able to get the right stuff at a pharmacy, if they keep the stuff in stock.

All you would do is cut it to a length a little longer than the space available when the pickup is installed. That will depend on factors like if the pickup has long or short legs and how high you like the pickup. The stuff compresses so you have some fudge room.
 
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