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Need advice on new pickups.

one way needleone way needle Posts: 196
edited March 2008 in Musicians and Gearheads
Hi hi!

I want to upgrade my epi les paul (don't have the money for a new guitar just yet) and I'd like some advice on what kind of pickups I should be looking at please. I feel kinda swamped with the amount of choice out there.
Basic stuff: I definately want to stick with humbuckers. I use this guitar for blues, rock, hard rock & stuff the light side of metal :P My price range is around £100 (about $200) per pickup.
Any info would be really appreciated! Thanks in advance
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Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    wow ok.

    Go to http://www.projectguitar.com and check out the reference page.

    But basically you're pretty safe with almost any company

    I highly recommend Lollar, WCR, Bare Knuckle; Lindy Fralin and Harmonic Design

    http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/pickup.htm

    http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 Posts: 23,303
    personally i would put that money towards a new guitar and $400 could get you a nice upgrade from your epi les paul. i made the mistake of upgrading my epi LP with seymour duncan distortion pickups, and they would not clean up well with a single channel amp, even the neck pickup was really dirty, so for what you want i would definitely not go that route.

    i have several gibson les pauls and sgs and they have a combination of the gibson 490R in the neck position and the 498T in the bridge. i really like the way these two sound together. the 490R sounds really warm to me and it cleans up very well. it also kicks and sounds very full if you do some soloing on the neck pickup. the 498T in the bridge position boosts your treble and seems to cut through the mix for soloing or playing with distortion. In my SG especially i get a really nice clean with both pickups on at once. both pickups are about $110 each on musiciansfriend.com.

    if it was me i would save the money for a new guitar or go with the old reliable gibson 490R and 498T combo. i would go to the guitar store and play guitars with different pickup combos and see what sounds good to you.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • seanw1010seanw1010 Posts: 1,205
    i would suggest just waiting and buying a new guitar rather than spend more money on the one you have now if you arent satisfied with it
    they call them fingers, but i never see them fing. oh, there they go
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    If you're happy with the feel and playability of your Epi, then a pickup upgrade could be just what you need. If you're not at all happy with it, then I'd probably wait and save up for something that will make you happier overall.

    If you do want to do the pickups, I'd seriously recommend the Bare Knuckle pickups. I have really wanted to get a set, but being in the States, it's a little expensive. With you in the UK, though...

    For a really nice PAF humbucker tone, the Bare Knuckle Mules are awesome. I still might put them in my LP when I swap pups in this summer.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • dcfaithfuldcfaithful Posts: 13,076
    yeah, if your comfortable with the feel of the guitar and all you want to change is the sound, go for it. I have a Tony Iommi signature pickup (only 1 :( ) but it sounds great...it's capable of all kinds of tones. It's a lot of what you say you want.

    if your interested, message me man.
    7/2/06 - Denver, CO
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    9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
    9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
    9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
  • PJim87PJim87 Posts: 18
    I just threw some gibson burst buckers in my epi les paul, and i love it. Sounds awesome, was surprised also that the burst buckers were a little better for distortion and such, than i had thought. So all in all was a good deal. Not to mention the price i got them for was insane. Paid 136 a piece at christmas time at guitar center.
  • The VacantThe Vacant Posts: 271
    gimmesometruth27 wrote:

    i have several gibson les pauls and sgs and they have a combination of the gibson 490R in the neck position and the 498T in the bridge. i really like the way these two sound together. the 490R sounds really warm to me and it cleans up very well. it also kicks and sounds very full if you do some soloing on the neck pickup. the 498T in the bridge position boosts your treble and seems to cut through the mix for soloing or playing with distortion. In my SG especially i get a really nice clean with both pickups on at once. both pickups are about $110 each on musiciansfriend.com.

    if it was me i would save the money for a new guitar or go with the old reliable gibson 490R and 498T combo. i would go to the guitar store and play guitars with different pickup combos and see what sounds good to you.

    That's how I have one SG set up. Sound nice and crunchy, especially with both pickups on at once. Love that one for drop tuning and tunes need that thick bite.

    I also have a SG that I just put in a P94 in the neck and a 57 Classic Plus in the bridge. The P94 gives a nice warm, fat sound (early Santana like) while the 57 gives a brighter tone.
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