i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

[oohwee]

Hi everyone. I am a new member and I need some advise from you guys. I have an epi lp customs that feels and plays great but the stock bridge pickup just doesn't seem as hot as the ones that come stock in the gibsons. I would love to replace it but there are so many choices I'm not sure which one I need. I play mainly hard rock and heavy blues occasionally some old school metal. But I don't want a "metal" pickup that will drain my mids. I love the way the bridge pickup sounds in the gibson les pauls but I'm not sure which seymour duncan pup I should use to help me get that aggressive sound with clarity and punch . Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Aceman]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Well, you may have heard the Gibson 500T in some LP's. That's the equivalent of a Duncan Distortion.

And the Custom has a dip in the mids, but I would by no means call it a scooped mid brutalz metal pup. It's more like MEGA PAF, and pretty flexible as Hot pups go.

Everyone here pretty much agrees that Epi pickups take a decent guitar and turn it into a merely fair instrument.

You also might consider a JB. That may work very well for the blues part and will definitely have the punch yo want. You'll find the JB and Love/Hate pup here.

Oh yes - Welcome!

 

[allstarrme]

I would recommend a custom for you. Some people like the JB as well but I find it lacks low end definition in mahogany. If you want less bight end cut than the custom because of the maple top and ebony board I would use a custom 5.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

I put a Dimarzio Super Distortion in my Pro/Fx and it just kills.

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Either a custom or a super D.....

 

[oohwee]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Hi and thanks everyone for your helpful advise. One more question.. When you guys talk about the seymour duncan "custom" pickup, which one are you referring to? Is there different models of the custom pup?

 

[oohwee]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

I would recommend a custom for you. Some people like the JB as well but I find it lacks low end definition in mahogany. If you want less bight end cut than the custom because of the maple top and ebony board I would use a custom 5.

Hi and thank you for the advise.. Which custom do you recommend? I have a rosewood board and mahagony body I believe..

 

[75lespaul]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Hi and thanks everyone for your helpful advise. One more question.. When you guys talk about the seymour duncan "custom" pickup, which one are you referring to? Is there different models of the custom pup?

Yep, three different models. The Custom Custom with an A2 mag, the Custom 5 with an A5 magnet, and the Custom which has a ceramic mag. Now don't get the NAMES confused with the NUMBER. In other words, the Custom is the SH-5 for standard spacing, and TB-5 for trem spacing. The Custom 5 is SH-14 and TB-14, and the Custom Custom is SH-11 and TB-11. IMO, all three are incredible pickups, depending on the wood and tone of the guitar. I have a very, very bright Les Paul Custom that I have a Custom Custom in that gets such beautiful vintage and modern crunch, and an ash bodied strat with a C5 that just rips.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

There are many pups that may fill your needs for a hot bridge pup. In Gibson pups, you could try a 498T or Burstbucker Pro (5); in Duncan, try a Custom5 (my favorite is any of the Customs with an A8 mag in it, making it a C8) or a Distortion or a JB (sometimes it seems to be a hit or miss pup in mahogany short scale guitar).

 

[grey]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

I would recommend a custom for you. Some people like the JB as well but I find it lacks low end definition in mahogany. If you want less bight end cut than the custom because of the maple top and ebony board I would use a custom 5.

Maybe the JB doesn't have the tightest lows but I disagree on the definition issue(even in mahogany).
Try play some Edge's stuff where he hits some full upper chords snaping the treble notes.You'll find that the melody is there,clear and articulate.
If fast sharp metal isn't the challenge here,you'll be fine with the JB.

 

[blueman335]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

A pair of PAF's is always a good choice for an LP, Duncan makes some of the best, like '59's, PG's, and Seth's.

If you want a hotter bridge, a C5 (SH-14) or C8 is ideal for mahogany. JB's are very hit or miss in mahogany (shrill high end, flabby low end...doesn't do that in brighter woods); it may work fine, but you probably don't want to deal with the issues if it sounds lousy in your guitar.

Oh...CC's (SH-11) are usually too warm and too rounded on top in LP's, and I find Customs (SH-5) to be bright and harsh, from the ceramics. All of these and the C8 and UO C5 are the same PU, just different magnets.

 

[NoelH]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Y'know, I played a bud's LP las night. Had the traditional JB/59 Neck combo. I was reminded just how good a JB sounds in a LP. Tried it in my '76 Detroyer and the frequencies felt all wrong, but in a Lester, sounded/felt great. Been interested in trying a JB8 at some point though.

 

[Bludave]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

You want to make sure that whatever pickup you pair the neck with that they are in balance. If the bridge pickup is a lot hotter then the neck when switching from neck to bridge will give you a significant volume boost. IMHO the bridge should be a bit louder but not too much. I like the 59B. Its a good starting point on adjusting the Epi Les Paul. Keep in mind that there is a lot more to a Les Paul then just pickups. The EPI Les Paul has a maple neck, the Gibson has Mahogany. The body woods are inferior to a Gibson; good but not great, this will also have an effect on tone. If you really like what you are hearing in a Gibson..... Save your money & buy a Gibson!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Or....

Save your money and buy a couple Epi's and several Duncan pups to go in them.

 

[Khriss Bliss]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

+1 guitar doc says. Epi pickups are routinely swapped out. As a total pickup junkie, i admit you can get the same tones with different pickups, but how the tone feels to your fingers is what the right pickup gets you.
also, since youre playing a LesPaul, def get a usable match between neck and bridge. Metal superstats tend to be about the bridge pickup, maybe no neck pickup, maybe bypassing the tone knob like that Van whatshisname guy. but a Les Paul is about using the middle position and blending with the right pots with right circuitry, maybe coil tapping or 50's wiring... Etc. Guys like Brian Robertson and Jimmy Page actually adjust their pots from phrase to phrase- its a sweet science so dont over focus on just bridge tone.
welcome to this wonderful addictive forum.
Let me add, you can get a bonafide metal pickup on cheap guitar & get a bonafide metal tone for about $ 200. So get a fantastic blues hard rock sound with somethin like Pearly Gates or Seth Lovers or whatever on your Les. Dont go too versatile- if you learn how to swap pickups, you can nail THAT tone splendidly- then on another ax, go ALL OUT uncompromising hair metal with a jb or dunc dist. Once you see how the right pickup delivers the specific justice you need, then you dont need to compromise by being too versatile. If you want metal tone, just go for it. If you want bluesrock, just totally go for it. The feel of a compressed jb with supercrunchy rhythms yet singing leads is so different from a Sey Dunc Antiquity PAF type with its open dynamic chime and animated harmonic warmth. One helps you execute controlled shred and hellfire, the other beckons you to squeeze out rich character from just one or two dripping notes. So dont halfass your tones- for $125 you can get another ax and pop in a wonderfully different $75 pickup that jets to the other side of the globe. Get the work boots AND the tuxedo shoes, its more better awesome than just black sneakers.

 

[Khriss Bliss]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

Okay, that being said, i will admit, when i hear Slash and Akira Takasaki, i often think, gee the Alnico II Pro (A2P) kinda sounds like a dynamic JB. So if you dont mind how they sound...
But i think if blues rock is what u mostly play, look into Pearly Gates for neck, and possibly bridge. Or maybe Seths, Antiquities, if you want gourmet character.
Admittedly, Ive seen guys on youtube convincingly play JakeELee w PGates or VanHalen w a Fred, but i still think theres a defined line where PaF type pkups can deliver exquisite bite, harmonic gold and dynamic feel that seduces your picking. On the other side, alot of winds and a beefy magnet deliver "METAL" into your amp. In the middle ground, Customs, brobuckers, hybrids etc deliver a great brown sound.
but it is so unsatisfying to play metal on an unmetal pickup. It is on the hand, truly satisfying to play metal with great metal pickup.
By the way, you may want to look at the Bachtorock hybrid. (search for the big thread on this forum)
Describe how the pkup should feel. should the leads sound clean if picked lightly, distorted if picked harder? Then you want a weak magnet, easywound paf. Do want to go from rhythm to lead fill and back without kicking a boost pedal a la 80s metal? Then you want a hot wind like a JB. Do you strum alot like an acoustic? Paf. Do you pick economically with a tight controlled right hand? Get a jb type. Should the attack feel tight or spongy? What should the chords ring out like? how did feel about mids? How "round" should the eq spectrum be? How smooth should the tone be?
Some pickups barely need your picking hand that play so easy, others dont so they compel you to dig in, or stroke lightly or pluck. And this mojo can come down to mainly windings, magnet type, and a few other mysterious elements.
Ive gone on way too long,im sorry, so, good luck! Youll def get the advice you need on this forum! Its the best forum in the world.
( so ill say get PGates neck& Seth bridge, and get another guitar w a JB or DD bridge for classic metal- you can always resell those here and describe what you would improve. But dont stop until you find the pickups that make you pick up & play too much- theyre out there, so dont settle until you find em)

 

[Hartfeltmusic2010]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

I have a epi les Paul custom myself and after going thru everything from emgs ,burstbucker pros, and the slash aph2s, I finally settled on a PG in the bridge and and a burstbucker in the neck. The PG is great for everything from blues to metal in my opinion. But its nails the blues/rock thing really well.

 

[Push to Shuv]

Re: i need bridge pickup advise for Epiphone LP custom please, thanks!

+1 PGs are pure blues/classic rock gold