What pickup will help brighten a dark/muddy epiphone LP custom pro?

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: What pickup will help brighten a dark/muddy epiphone LP custom pro?

You only need one magnet for the JB.

There is a difference between rough and smooth but it's subtle. Not a big difference, and mostly in the treble. Smooth magnets generally tend to be just slightly brighter.

 

[oohwee]

Re: What pickup will help brighten a dark/muddy epiphone LP custom pro?

Epi LP Custom Pros come with full sized 500k pickups, so I doubt that is the issue. If I was doing a full rewire, I'd use a .018uf for both neck and bridge, but if the tone controls are on 10 that won't make a difference. Same as with 50s wiring, it won't make a difference with the knobs on 10. I'm also pretty certain if the previous owner replaced the pickups and the frets, they probably replaced the pots as well.

I'm still 99.5% certain the issue is the JB. Mahogany and the Gibson scale length tend to make a JB sound dark and muddy. The ceramic should remedy this problem, making it more akin to a Distortion.

Hey just an update. The ceramic magnet arrived in the mail today. It took me about 15 minutes to install and I have to say I am very pleased it definitely helped clean up the muddy low end and give me a little more top end which is exactly what I wanted for that guitar. Thanks again for the helpful advice you saved me from buying another pickup.

 

[RockinProf]

Re: What pickup will help brighten a dark/muddy epiphone LP custom pro?

Perpetual Burn is worth checking out as an alternative. Tighter, brighter, and less compressed than the JB but not entirely removed from a JB-type tone and feel. Excellent choice for a darker sounding guitar. And unlike the JB it cleans up well with the guitar's volume knob. The PB is an underappreciated pickup IMO.

I totally agree, the Perpetual Burn is bright but not harsh and angry sounding. I have one in the bridge of an early 80's Ibanez Artist (double cutaway Les Paul style) and I ended up going to a 300K log pot (volume and tone) to back off the top a bit and get my dynamics though. Keep in mind that this is a pickup that's very sensitive to string to magnet spacing. With the wrong setup(too close), this is a really thin and brittle pickup. Too far back, it's just not right in a way I can't describe. Also, fret buzz is ugly through the PB, so a good setup is necessary.

Anyways, I think this is the right pickup for what you've described and terrific in general; however, you need to be really patient with the setup of this one and your guitar. If you drop it in and expect it will be magical... you'll be disappointed. If you wire it up and spend the afternoon getting it just right you'll be amazed.

Hope that helps.