Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

wickedmartini

wickedmartini

New member
Hello everybody! It's been a while.

I just picked up an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I haven't owned a Les Paul in quite a while. The stock pickups are a little too muddy for my taste. I want to keep the mods to a minimum on this guitar and was thinking about just replacing the bridge pickup. Most of my guitars are Strats. I have a JB in one and a PATB in another and have been very happy with them in terms of tone and versatility--rock, blues. I am looking for a covered pickup for my LP that will be just as versatile. Any suggestions? Can I get away with just swapping out the bridge and leaving the neck stock. Would a covered JB in the bridge be too hot to pair with the stock pickup in the neck? I'll probably change out the nut too but otherwise I am looking to keep this simple. I'm open to any suggestions. This forum has always been knowledgeable and full of great tips and advice. I considered the Pearly Gates as well but wasn't sure if that would deliver what I am looking for especially on the heavy end. Thanks!

Mike
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

wickedmartini said:
Hello everybody! It's been a while.

I just picked up an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I haven't owned a Les Paul in quite a while. The stock pickups are a little too muddy for my taste. I want to keep the mods to a minimum on this guitar and was thinking about just replacing the bridge pickup. Most of my guitars are Strats. I have a JB in one and a PATB in another and have been very happy with them in terms of tone and versatility--rock, blues. I am looking for a covered pickup for my LP that will be just as versatile. Any suggestions? Can I get away with just swapping out the bridge and leaving the neck stock. Would a covered JB in the bridge be too hot to pair with the stock pickup in the neck? I'll probably change out the nut too but otherwise I am looking to keep this simple. I'm open to any suggestions. This forum has always been knowledgeable and full of great tips and advice. I considered the Pearly Gates as well but wasn't sure if that would deliver what I am looking for especially on the heavy end. Thanks!

Mike
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The JB wouldn't be too hot (the physics of electric guitar is such that the neck pickup is naturally louder than the bridge so you need less output on the neck) but I do think that the JB tends to be muddy in Les Pauls. If you're looking for something a bit more versatile, I'd check out the 59/Custom hybrid.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

+1 the 59/Custom hybrid is an excellent pickup. Use the search function as there have been some excellent posts concerning this pick up.

Currently have one in the bridge of a LP Custom and a SG Standard. It covers more than one base nicely. Imagine a well bred cross between a 59 bridge and the SH5 Custom. And other board members will do a much better job of describing this pickup.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

You already know what the PATB series sounds like. I have a set of PATB-1's in my EPI LP. It's my favorite axe. The PATB-1 or 3, (Blues Saraceno model), would both be killer. (I had the Blues version 1st.)
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

ArtieToo said:
You already know what the PATB series sounds like. I have a set of PATB-1's in my EPI LP. It's my favorite axe. The PATB-1 or 3, (Blues Saraceno model), would both be killer. (I had the Blues version 1st.)
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I have used both the PATB-1 and Blues Saraceno. Two of my favorite pickups in my Strats. Can I cover them? I'd like to maintain the covered look on my LP.


Is this the 59 mentioned above? I will look into that. Wasn't on my list. How will this compare to my PATB's or the JB?

http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/59custom-hybrid-trembucker
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

wickedmartini said:
I have used both the PATB-1 and Blues Saraceno. Two of my favorite pickups in my Strats. Can I cover them? I'd like to maintain the covered look on my LP.

Is this the 59 mentioned above? I will look into that. Wasn't on my list. How will this compare to my PATB's or the JB?
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Know going into this that the same PU will sound different in Strats vs LP's. As a blues/rock player, my preference in LP's are PAF's, like Duncan's Seth's and A2P's, which cover a lot of ground. There's also the WLH and Slash set. All of these great PU's that have clarity and articulation, but are warmer & thicker-sounding than what you're used to. For a hotter bridge, I'd go with a C5 or '59/Custom hybrid, as both are pretty reliable in warm woods (unlike JB's which occasionally get squirrely in warm woods). A JazzN would be a good neck PU to match with it. '59N's can be boomy/bassy in some LP's. The PG set has very different EQ's between the two PU's; the bridge is bright; the neck is pretty warm. Some guys say they have 'sizzle' on the high end, and some guys say they've never heard any sizzle.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

Well, I would first ask what is the general tone of this EPI. While the pickups may be mud, the guitar itself could be quite bright.

And how will you use each position, neck and bridge?

And how heavy is heavy?

All of that said…


A PG neck in a Les Paul is almost never a miss. If not, consider a Jazz. Also, the 59/Custom hybrid is a a great all around for mild to wild. And, while I have not personally experienced them, it seems the Whole Lotta Humbucker set is fantastic overall.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

If you know what you like, I'd put the pickup I liked best in there.

If for you that's a JB, that's what I'd start with.

However, if you use an overdrive pedal through a good amp, even a paf can sound plenty heavy.

My favorite Duncan pafs are the Pearly Gates, Seth Lover, Antiquity and APH-1...although the APH-1 isn't really a paf.

The Seth and Antiquity come with covers installed. But they are not wax potted so you might experience feedback if you're the kind of guy who plays at home facing the amplifier rather than facing an audience with the amp at your back.

You might prefer a pickup without a cover like the PG or APH-1.

The PGb gets to many people saying it's to bright so I won't suggest it.

I'll say: JB because you already like it, or Seth Lover or APH-1 because I like them.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

Have been watching some YouTube clips of the 59/Custom Hybrid in LP's and it seems a little bright for my taste. Not a lot of warmth in the mids and the high end can get a little chimey. Is that typical?
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

Check out the 59/Custom Hybrid, the Whole Lotta Humbucker, and even the Custom, none of which sound muddy at all. They aren't as compressed as a JB, or as hot, and can be ordered with a cover.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

wickedmartini said:
Have been watching some YouTube clips of the 59/Custom Hybrid in LP's and it seems a little bright for my taste. Not a lot of warmth in the mids and the high end can get a little chimey. Is that typical?
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Hybrids have a bright sound because of the unmatched coils (the humbucker effect: balanced coils increase mids and decrease treble); most players like it in it's stock form. For me it's best with a warmer magnet.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

Yes, the 59/C can be a little bright (with the A5 magnet). At the bridge position, a 59/C with an A8 mag can sound great. The A8 softens the highs a bit and adds some mid. You still have great articulation/clarity.

Another too often overlooked pup (because of its unfortunate name) is the Screamin' Demon. Really good balanced EQ, great clarity, not too bright, excellent in bridge or neck (perhaps my favorite neck pup), also works well either split or parallel. It doesn't seem to have a particular wood preference...I've used it in mahogany, ash, basswood, etc. and it sounds great everywhere. It is an extremely versatile pup that covers a lot of tonal ground and different music types and handles overdrive/distortion very well. Whether in the bridge or neck, it also pairs well with just about any other pup.
 
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Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

GuitarDoc said:
Yes, the 59/C can be a little bright (with the A5 magnet). At the bridge position, a 59/C with an A8 mag can sound great. The A8 softens the highs a bit and adds some mid. You still have great articulation/clarity.

Another too often overlooked pup (because of its unfortunate name) is the Screamin' Demon. Really good balanced EQ, great clarity, not too bright, excellent in bridge or neck (perhaps my favorite neck pup), also works well either split or parallel. It doesn't seem to have a particular wood preference...I've used it in mahogany, ash, basswood, etc. and it sounds great everywhere. It is an extremely versatile pup that covers a lot of tonal ground and different music types and handles overdrive/distortion very well. Whether in the bridge or neck, it also pairs well with just about any other pup.
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I am definitely looking for something a little warmer and not as bright in the mids. I do use distortion / overdrive as well--Boss DS-1, Tube Screamer, SD Tweak Fuzz depending on my mood. I like dirt. I'm not looking to lay down any death metal tones lol. But a little thump is nice from time to time. The current stock pickup is very flat. I just want something with some more clarity and personality.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

If I was looking for the most versatile bridge pickup for an Epi LP, I would have several main thoughts. The 59' is a great pickup in an LP, but is even better with an UOA5 magnet. I just did this myself for grins, and it shaves just enough highs off the top end and adds some mids back. I'm struck by it.

Next would be the new Slash bridge. I haven't played it personally, but from the clips and reviews it's a fantastic hard rock pickup.

Next, I would look at the Whole Lotta Humbucker. Same as the Slash in that I haven't tried it yet, but I trust what I've heard and read, plus I trust SD build quality and sound.

Last and most expensive, the BroBucker from the Custom Shop. I just installed one in the bridge of my Dean USA Handrail. As soon as my amp is back from getting new power tubes biased I am going to give this thing a workout. At 10k, it's hotter than the other pickups, but not overly hot. I might like it better with a UOA5 magnet, but I'll rock it stock for a while.

Those are my suggestions. I don't think you need to get too crazy here to cover a lot of great rock tones. SD makes several moderate output pickups in the PAF range or flavor that, along with your dirt pedal, will do almost any rock tones you could want... from the 60's right up to todays latest tunes.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

wickedmartini said:
Agreed. My head is spinning. But in a good way.
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That's the effect this forum has on many of us. So much more to guitars, PU's, and wiring than we had ever imagined. We learn how to take control of our tones and get what we want, instead of being at the mercy of how a stock guitar happens to sound.
 
Re: Versatile bridge humbucker for Epiphone LP

I have a Epi Les Paul Standard which stock pickups were too muddy for my taste. After listening to the SD website clips, I decided myself for a set of Seth Lovers.
Unfortunatelly, and altough they improved the sound of the guitar, the tone I got was still a bit dark for my taste, and with not enough output. I guess that the natural tone of this guitar is dark itself, and as I want to play mainly Hard Rock with this one, Seths were not hot enough.
This past saturday I removed the Seth's (after a guitar ex-change, I found myself with an Ibanez semihollow AS53, and I though they will be great for that guitar, much better than in the LP), and put a SH-16b 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge and a SH-18n WHL in the neck. WOW, now I got everything I wanted for with this guitar. The Hybrid got me were I needed, It has all the balls I was looking for, and being a brighter pickup, it cured the darkness tendency on my guitar. Works great on this guitar.
The WLH on the neck is superb too. I think I like it even more than the Hybrid. It is much warmer than the Hybrid, but being at the same time articulate and with enough clarity. And it has a lot of balls too.
I need to say also, that I hear quite a diference in tone when going from neck to bridge -from really warm to quite bright-, but this adds versatily. And happily enough, the middle position is a great sounding middle ground between the warm WLH and the bright Hybrid. So I can have all grounds covered. Also, it surprised me that I percibed the WHL being a tad louder thant the Hybrid. But maybe it was just me.
Also, I have the guitar wired with a Page-Style system. And I found out than the single coil sounds of the WHL and the Hybrid are more usable for me than the ones from the Seths. A lot more output. The only weird thing is that when I activate the vol. push pull pot of the Hybrid, I got the 59 coil sounding -which is too weak, not really usable-. But as the phase change push pull is set on the tone pot of the bridge pickup, when activating that push pull pot while in bridge single coil mode I can go from the 59 coil to the Custom coil working... which is the good one. Having those 2 single coil sounds available from the same pickup adds some versatility. Although the 59 coil is too weak for my taste, who knows... it may be usefull in the future for some specific application.

I am really happy with this setup. Great combination for having versatility and balls, perfect for anything hard rocking to bluesy.

Edit: I was tweaking today with the height of the pickups, and now the small difference in volume I had noticed yesterday has dissapeared. Also, after tweaking a bit, I found a better single coil tone for the 59 coil on the Hybrid. So now, everything is just perfect.
 
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