Need help choosing a 3 humbucker setup!

[Gibsonated]

Hey everyone. So I'm looking to change the stock p'ups in my Epiphone g-400 custom but am still currently deciding what to put in there.

I was thinking that I should stick to gibson p'ups not only to keep the authentic gibson sound but also I want to keep the covers on my pickups and ensure that they are a good fit! So I was thinking about a 500T (but lowered a little to cut some of the shrillness) in the bridge and a 496R in the neck. Also, if I did install these really hot pickups, would I still be able to do classic, hard and 'pop' rock?

Now one of my other main dilemmas (the other being whether or not the previously mentioned pick ups are the right ones for me) is what to put in the middle humbucker position! As well as metal and hard rock I would also like to be able to play good cleans and some blues as well (though that's just for personal fun, my band would never play any blues) so should I just put an entirely new pickup in the bridge that is good for that? The common thing seems to be just putting what ever you have in the neck in the bridge.

Now I have thought about SDs but like I said before I want to keep a good gibson sound and I'm also concerned about the p'up covers. So while my first question is more important to me and I would rather you answer that, if you want you could also throw in your two cents about any SD 3 humbucker configurations I could use as well as try to solve my cover dilemma.

I run my guitar through a Marshall amp and mainly use my Boss Metal zone MT2 and Fuzz FZ 5 pedals

Some of my favourite guitar sound come from metallica, My chemical romance, The amity affliction, Zakk Wylde and really anything chunky and metal-like.

Guitar specs:
Body: mahogany
Neck: mahogany, glued-in
Scale: 24.75”
Neck Profile: SlimTaper™ “D”
Nut width: 1.68
Fingerboard: rosewood, 22 fret with vintage style SG Les Paul signature at end of fingerboard
Fingerboard Radius: 12”
Trussrod cover: Les Paul signature
Pickups: 3 Alnico Classic Plus™ humbucker
Bridge: Gold LockTone™ Tune-O-Matic
Tailpiece: Gold Stopbar
Controls: Neck pickup: 1-Volume, 1-Tone/ Bridge pickup: 1-Volume, 1-Tone w/full-size 500K O potentiometers
Hardware: Gold
Tuners: Gold Grover® 14:1 ratio
Color: Antique Ivory (AI)

http://www.mustapekka.fi/verkkokauppa/documents/517661ac45056/37165_l.jpg <--- Thats the guitar for anyone who wants a look

Thanks in advance!

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Need help choosing a 3 humbucker setup!

I can't advise on the recipe for Metallica/Wylde tone in an Epiphone SG, but I think we should dispel some misconceptions. I don't think sticking with Gibson, or any particular parts manufacturer, guarantees a certain sound. If you stick with Gibson, you are only guaranteeing that a certain amount of what you pay for is having their logo/name on the product and a certain level of warranty/quality assurance, whatever that company provides. Materials and construction of the pickup is more influential on tone than brand.

Gibson has had a variety of humbuckers over the years and many non-Gibson pickup manufacturers come closer to the most sought-after "Gibson" tones than some of Gibson's recent product lines. Keep in mind Gibson pickups, like 490-series, are designed for a balanced compromise of the wide variety of styles players have used Gibson for over the years, so they are ok at a lot of things but maybe not the greatest at anything (some personal taste involved there).

I think it would be better to pay much closer attention to all the materials and construction techniques involved in the pickups and various elements in your target signal path. Then you can make more informed decisions about what to choose and where to compromise to get close in tone, using what you have. And there will be some trial and error. You may swap out a couple types of pickups only to find replacing the pots and tone caps, or bridge and nut, would have solved that last 10% of your tone deficiency.

 

[LatsMcGee]

Re: Need help choosing a 3 humbucker setup!

Try a Custom/59 hybrid in the bridge, a 59 bridge in the middle, and PG neck!

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Need help choosing a 3 humbucker setup!

Try a Custom/59 hybrid in the bridge, a 59 bridge in the middle, and PG neck!

That sounds like a groovy setup, for the most part. Not tried a PG neck, so I can't speak for that, but the choice of bridge and middle is solid. The part about that suggestion that I'd like to point out is the choice of a bridge-voiced model for the middle position. That is an awesome option that I think makes a guitar a little more versatile for the styles the OP is playing, as opposed to a neck/middle-voiced model in the middle.


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