upgrading humbucker pickups- which ones to get?

dtm

hi there,

i have an epiphone les paul "special" (cheap old thing) but i want to upgrade the pickups for better quality ones.
now before you say i should just buy a new guitar - i dont want to because im very attached to my ol axe!

which ones should i go for that will be a direct swap?

im into light rock so thats the kind of tones i would be lookin out for!

thanks!
dtm

Doctor J

You can't go wrong with the Seymour Duncan SH-4 (also known as JB). It's a classic pickup, perfect for rock application, both light and heavy.

Paolo_M

dtm wrote: »

hi there,

i have an epiphone les paul "special" (cheap old thing) but i want to upgrade the pickups for better quality ones.
now before you say i should just buy a new guitar - i dont want to because im very attached to my ol axe!

which ones should i go for that will be a direct swap?

im into light rock so thats the kind of tones i would be lookin out for!

thanks!
dtm

Obviously (I hope) for a Les Paul you'll need to go with humbuckers.
I'd suggest, for light rock, something like an Alnico II Pro from Seymour Duncan would work well. Slash uses these and seems to get on OK!! :pac:
They are a low-mid output pick up which suits general rock music.
Higher output pick ups like the Jeff Beck model produce a "harder" sound but have a higher output and therefore drive the amp a bit harder producing more gain/overdrive.
Active humbuckers like the EMGs (I've them on my Ibanez) are really more suited to metal so I wouldn't be looking towards those.
Bareknuckle and DiMarzio also make high quality humbuckers.
Manufacturers websites normally have soundclips of each pickup so it's worth having a look there too.
Hope this helps.

Karl Hungus

dtm wrote: »

now before you say i should just buy a new guitar - i dont want to because im very attached to my ol axe!

Don't think anyone would suggest that.

I'd second the Doc's recommendation of the Seymour Duncan JB, excellent and very articulate pickup. As for the neck pickup, the Duncan 59 is a great match.

68 lost souls

Yep Karl and the Doc are right. You cant go wrong witha JB/59 pairing. They are my favourate pairing for a nice sounding Les Paul.

dtm

thats abs brilliant lads thanks for the excellent advice.

now do you think i should upgrade the tiny wiring loom with it while im at it or will the old one be ok? the guitar is about twenty odd years old.

any good suppliers here?

thanks again lads!

Karl Hungus

Yes, it would be a very good idea to replace all the wiring while you're at it.

kranog

I'd recommend Seymour Duncan of course....either a Custom Custom, a Trembucker in the bridge and a Pearly Gates in the neck.

darrenw5094

Seymour Duncans SH-4 for bridge and SH-2 for neck is the best all round. Get them in from USA brand new on ebay for €100...all in, including shipping.
If they are good enough for Slash, then they are good enough for us.

I fitted an Epiphine Les Paul Custom before with Dimarzio X2N's and it was savage. Maybe too savage for you, but there you go.....Dimarzio's are top class.

Karl Hungus

darrenw5094 wrote: »

I fitted an Epiphine Les Paul Custom before with Dimarzio X2N's and it was savage. Maybe too savage for you, but there you go.....Dimarzio's are top class.

Yeah, probably not something I'd recommend for light rock.

darrenw5094

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Yeah, probably not something I'd recommend for light rock.

For light rock, just turn the knobs from 11, down to 10. Doesn't get any lighter than that......;)

cena

i'v got the jb pickups on my epiphone les paul. both on the bridge and neck. nice sound out of them

uprising matter

I've got a Greg Bennett Ultramatic electric guitar, I am very attached and want to upgrade my humbuckers!
I've no idea what type to get, I mostly play light music so I'm looking for a light sound thats not too tinny...

Any help would be very appreciated!!

Ravelleman

Reviving ghost threads is frowned upon. Start a new one.