JoiseyEpiBoy Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hello Epiphone friends, I recently purchased an Epi ES-339 Pro. Used it at a gig and need to get more out of it. I'm looking to change the bridge pickup - looking for something with higher output. This is my first semi-hollowbody guitar, so wondering if the experts out there have any advice. My band plays a wide range of songs - pop, classic rock, country, hard rock, metal, blues. Thanks in advance! Greg Edison, NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardog Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hello Epiphone friends, I recently purchased an Epi ES-339 Pro. Used it at a gig and need to get more out of it. I'm looking to change the bridge pickup - looking for something with higher output. This is my first semi-hollowbody guitar, so wondering if the experts out there have any advice. My band plays a wide range of songs - pop, classic rock, country, hard rock, metal, blues. Thanks in advance! Greg Edison, NJ If money is not a concern replace both with a gibby 57 classic in the neck and a 57 plus in the bridge. I did this on my 339 ultra, super happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoiseyEpiBoy Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 If money is not a concern replace both with a gibby 57 classic in the neck and a 57 plus in the bridge. I did this on my 339 ultra, super happy with the results. Wardog, Thanks for the advice. What type of music do you play? Similar to mine? What type of amp/pedals do you play through? Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardog Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 really working hard to get blues down, but I like folk, rock, alternative and jazz. i listen to alot of genres though. I run a boss me-70 mostly, threw fender blues jr. currently working on a book called "blues you can use" by john ganapes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwich Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I second the 57 Classics. That's what Gibson puts in the ES339/ES335, and if I were to swap the ones in my Ultra, I would go to the 57 Classic. I wouldn't necessarily say they are higher output, but can be played louder because their top end doesn't get harsh like the Pro Buckers IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 '57's are not high output at all. They're wound to PAF level (around 8K, low output) and have a low output A2 magnets. I don't think '57's sound that good to begin with, and if you're looking for more output in the bridge, you're going to be very disappointed with one. Gibson automatically puts '57's in many models, so don't assume a lot of thought's gone into putting them in 339's too. I'd recommend a Duncan C5 (SH-14). It's a 14K bridge pickup with an A5 magnet, so it's fairly high output, but doesn't lose the alnico flavor. If you want to go with a Gibson, the 498T is similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dporto Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Hello Epiphone friends, I recently purchased an Epi ES-339 Pro. Used it at a gig and need to get more out of it. I'm looking to change the bridge pickup - looking for something with higher output. Seriously? 1 gig? What kind of amp are you using? What are you comparing to in order to come to the conclusion that you "need to get more out of it"? Is it the metal songs that it doesn't work on? If so, that's not really surprising - it's not a "metal" guitar so to speak, but as far as pop, classic rock, jazz, country, even hard rock... it should be fine as is. FWIW The Alnico pro's drive my amp (2 EL 34's cathode biased running at about 22 watts into a celestion greenback g12m) way harder than either my Tele or Strat and about the same as the other humbucker guitars that I use. I'm not trying to break your chops here, but maybe save you a little $... Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgruff Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 A clean boost pedal might be all you need if you want to push the amp harder. Boosting the mids a little with an EQ pedal might help as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoiseyEpiBoy Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 Seriously? 1 gig? What kind of amp are you using? What are you comparing to in order to come to the conclusion that you "need to get more out of it"? Is it the metal songs that it doesn't work on? If so, that's not really surprising - it's not a "metal" guitar so to speak, but as far as pop, classic rock, jazz, country, even hard rock... it should be fine as is. FWIW The Alnico pro's drive my amp (2 EL 34's cathode biased running at about 22 watts into a celestion greenback g12m) way harder than either my Tele or Strat and about the same as the other humbucker guitars that I use. I'm not trying to break your chops here, but maybe save you a little $... Good Luck dporto, Thanks for your reply. Appreciate your feedback. I've used it a few rehearsals as well. I have a strat and an Epi LP - both have DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers in the bridge. Both are coil-tapped so I can get a variety of tones. I play through a Fender Frontman 212 (solid-state) through the clean channel with a Fulltone Plim Soul. I'm aware of the guitar's limitations with respect to metal, and I don't plan on using it on the more metal tunes we play, but I want a bit more bite when I play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoiseyEpiBoy Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 A clean boost pedal might be all you need if you want to push the amp harder. Boosting the mids a little with an EQ pedal might help as well. Thanks mcgruff. I do use a clean boost pedal during my solos, but don't want to use that throughout an entire song. Appreciate the feedback. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dporto Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 That's fair enough - from your original post it sounded like you really didn't give it a chance... Super Distortions are "a breed apart" from most pick-ups (not particularly my cup O'tea) - it's not surprising that the Alnico Pro's sound "a little weak" comparatively. Good luck in your quest for tone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwich Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 More logic dept...since the 57 Classics come in the Gibson ES339, why not make an Epi sound like - well - a Gibson ES339? It certainly would add value, if that's possible. I had a Sheraton once that the previous owner had upgraded the pups to Gibson 57 Classics. Man, it was awesome. The only reason that I let it go was that I finally got to a point financially where I could own an ES335. All subjective of course, which makes these kind of discussions fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I had a Sheraton once that the previous owner had upgraded the pups to Gibson 57 Classics. Man, it was awesome. It would have been even more awesome with Burstbuckers or Seth's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagwood Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Yeah, I'll chime in here. I've been playing my ES339 Pro since right after Christmas every week but two. It still has the stock ACP's in it. So far everything is fine for me and what I use this guitar for, (worship music with mostly cleans and a slight crunch every so often). If I were to upgrade my PUPs I'd look at the Seth Lovers first before I did anything. Beyond that I'd only change something in my Signal path. But as I said, this guitar is just fine the way it is. /.02cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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