SD pickups in ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - OK for splitting?

[Airfish]

Hi there.

I am planning to buy a new guitar (nr. 3 in my collection). One of my candidates is ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - according to the description on the web-shop it has "1x Seymour Duncan JB & 1x Seymour Duncan 59 humbucker pickups". Could you please give me more specific information about these pickups in that particular guitar? The thing I need to know most: ARE THESE PICKUPS SUITABLE FOR HUMBUCKER/SINGLE-COIL SPLITTING OPTION (via push-pull pots)? Are they 4-conductor type? And as for sound: would they sound good in single-coil mode in that guitar? It´s a set-neck-and-body mahogany....

Thanx in advance for your answers.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: SD pickups in ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - OK for splitting?

That's one of the guitars I used to have (in tobacco burst). They sound good, and stay in tune much better than a lot of guitars in their price range. Are you going to mod the guitar for coil splitting? The JB in that particular guitar may be a 4 conductor pickup, but since there's no push/pull pots on the guitar, it's hard to say. I never opened up the cavity on mine to check. The 59, on the other hand, almost always comes as a single conductor type. They can be special ordered as a 4 conductor though. Musician's Friend had them as a 4 conductor version in addition to the standard version at one point. Not sure if they still do, though.

 

[Evan Skopp]

Re: SD pickups in ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - OK for splitting?

Hi Airfish. Welcome to the SDUGF.

Pretty much all modern JBs use 4-conductor cable. '59s generally use single conductor. The quick way to tell is by looking at the cable itself. If it's black vinyl, it's 4-con. If it's got a metallic, silver, braided jacket, it's single conductor.

I hope that helps.

 

[Airfish]

Re: SD pickups in ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - OK for splitting?

Thanks guys for your replies...

I´ve been out for some time, and during that time I tried to get answers also from ESP and directly from SD. The guys on the SD support told they didn´t keep records for what pickups they supplied to specific guitars... No answer came from ESP yet (emailed them at least twice).... The only answer I got so far is from Thomann cyberstore, where I often buy my gear - and they said they are 4-conductor pickups. So probably I buy the guitar from them and if I find a 2-con PU in it, I will return it....

And yes, I want to modify the guitar with push-pull pots. Maybe 250k, maybe 500k, depends on what kind kind of tone will come from that guitar connected to my amp.... ;o)

And yes, I too heard about the 59 being mostly 2-con. Which is no good for me, because most of the time I split my neck PU, and just occasionally the bridge one - and that guitar has the 59 at the neck....

HOWEVER, if anybody on this forum can give me a certain answer about THOSE pickups in THAT guitar, I could avoid the "blind-shopping" issue....

So thank you again everybody!

 

[ogandou]

Re: SD pickups in ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - OK for splitting?

Well, this is probably too late but... I own an LTD EC401VF myself with the exact same pickups and just like you I want to split the coils and install a push pull tone pot - and the 59 is definitely a vintage, single conductor type. You CAN'T split it. I'm going to have to buy another 59 with the 4 conductors option at some point and replace the one that's currently on it to be able to split both coils. I was really interested in splitting the neck pickup, but I guess for now the bridge one will be the only one split. :-( Poor choice of pickup option on LTD's part I feel... anyway, hope it's not too late.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: SD pickups in ESP LTD EC-401VF STBLK - OK for splitting?

I have the exact same pickup pair, removed from a Hamer XT Sunburst. These are the ones in chrome covers with a small SD logo printed in one corner and the usual RHOS sticker on the underside.

As has already been pointed out, the SH-4 JB comes with 4-con + foil screen cable whilst the SH-1n '59 has the traditional single con + braided shield type.

To coil split the '59, it will be necessary to decover it, ease the bobbins away from the baseplate, desolder the original output cable, connect a 4-con + foil screen cable to the individual coil end wires inside the pickup, ground the screen to the baseplate then close everything all back up again. In my opinion, this is a very involved task to obtain a sound that isn't all that special.

EDIT - There is another alternative. The PRS method. The braided cable remains in situ. Smith just adds a separate insulated single con cable to the series link inside the HB. This way, you get the option to coil split AND preserve the tone associated with the single con cable.