PICKUPS

[rednefceleb]

Does anyone have experience with Epi Probuckers ? I am wondering how they stack up to Gibby Burstbuckers and their 490's 498 line. I am playing the 57s's included with the Epi L.P. Trib. Plus. I like them very much..

[Bluemans335]

Some guys are not impressed by '57's, me being one of them. They're an average PAF. There are a number of better PAF's available, especially considering the retail price of '57's. I think 490's sounds a little better than '57's. The pairing of 498T's and 490R's in the same guitar frustrates many players, as the bridge is bright and thin, the neck is thick and warm, and it's hard to get an amp EQ setting that works well for both PU's. For Gibson's current-production HB's, I think Burstbuckers (not BBP's) are their best; I don't know why they're in so few models.

 

I like Epi's Probuckers and Alnico Classic Pros. Very good PU's. I think they sound better than '57's. The high-ends aren't as rounded, and they have a little more clarity, especially in the neck. I've had a couple sets of '57's (one came in a Tribute LP), and sold them. I play blues and classic rock, and wasn't getting the tones I wanted. The upper echelon of PAF's tone-wise are Duncan's Seths and A2P's, Gibson BB's, DiMarzio's 36th Ann PAF's, Lollars, Fralins, etc. Most of these are aftermarket PU's, which means people only buy them if they sound noticeably better than the stock PU's in guitars. They cost around what '57's do, or less.

[Old Rocker 59]

I was at Guitar Center yesterday returning a Fender Mustang II amp which I got during the week and after I got my refund, I decided to try out one of the Epi Pro LPs Standards. I was blown away at how great it sounded . Now I know what I want next !

[mcgruff]

It's hard to figure out where you'll find your favourite tone.

 

I got a dot just before Xmas, an older one with 57CH(G) pickups which are pretty muddy and characterless so I started browsing through pickup catalogues, wondering what to get. Eventually I learned so much about magnets, wire and pickup design that I realised that I probably knew enough to make them myself. Fast forward a bit and now I've got a couple of home-made humbuckers installed in my dot which are a huge improvement on the old mudbuckers.

 

The brilliant thing about winding your own is that magnet wire is relatively cheap so that gives you the freedom to experiment. If some coils don't work out, just rip 'em up, tweak the formula a little, and try again. I found it doesn't take long to home in on a tone you like - provided you do your homework on pickup design. Most people, including me, couldn't afford to buy a couple of boutique buckers from each of Jason Lollar, Lindy Fralin, Bare Knuckle and Seymour Duncan and then keep the ones they liked best.

 

So I started with a very ordinary, dull-sounding guitar and now I'm in tone heaven :) If anyone is wondering about rolling your own I'd say go for it. It really doesn't take long to get the hang of it.

[Bluemans335]

I was at Guitar Center yesterday...I decided to try out one of the Epi Pro LPs Standards. I was blown away at how great it sounded . Now I know what I want next !

 

+1. I'm also impressed by the quality, and price, of the current Epi line. LP's are my favorite guitar design, and they have a number of great models these days.

[Bluemans335]

Eventually I learned so much about magnets, wire and pickup design that I realised that I probably knew enough to make them myself. Fast forward a bit and now I've got a couple of home-made humbuckers installed in my dot which are a huge improvement on the old mudbuckers.

 

So I started with a very ordinary, dull-sounding guitar and now I'm in tone heaven :)

 

 

You can also make hybrid humbuckers (without having to wind your own coils) by combining coils from two different HB's. Using unmatched coils gives you some of the vintage 1950's PAF vibe, a little of a single coil sound combined with a humbucker.

 

I'm one of the big proponents on the Duncan Forum for swapping magnets. Most of us get our magnets from Addiction FX. He's got a great selection I haven't seen anywhere else.

[mcgruff]

Yeah I'm a big fan of experimenting to find your perfect tone. I used Alnico III and IV for my first two humbuckers but some II and V just arrived in the mail a couple of days ago so I'll be swapping them in and out to compare the sound.

 

Finally got Jimmy Page wiring installed last night as well - really exceeded my expectations.

 

Hope I'm not getting too off-topic. As well as the SD Seth Lovers, Lollars, Fralins etc mentioned above, Bare Knuckle make some nice pups. Some of these makers will be glad to make something customised to your specific needs if there's a particular sound you're looking for.

 

The main things to consider are how much output do you want from the pickup and how bright do you want it to be? For clean sounds, I love old-style low-output PAF designs. They'll still rock too, of course.

 

However, they might not split so well, if that's something you want. I've kind of had mixed results with that. One thing you can do is put a tap in one of the coils so that the split gives you one full coil & the tap, adding some more turns of wire to fill out the sound a little. That can give you anything from single-coil type sound to a subtle bright switch, depending where you put the tap. Zhangbucker call this their "splat" option (split & tap).

[Bluemans335]

Yeah I'm a big fan of experimenting to find your perfect tone. I used Alnico III and IV for my first two humbuckers but some II and V just arrived in the mail a couple of days ago so I'll be swapping them in and out to compare the sound.

 

A couple more very popular magnets on the Duncan forum: A8 and UOA5 (unoriented A5, which tone-wise is like a cross between an A2 and an A5).

 

There's also roughcast magnets, which have a smoother, less sharp high-end (more complex magnetic field), ideal for bridge PU's.

[bill67]

Is there a way to make a single coil from a dual coil pickup?

[mcgruff]

Is there a way to make a single coil from a dual coil pickup?

 

Yes: you just switch off one of the coils. You need a humbucker with four wires to do this, and a DPDT switch - a push-pull volume pot is often used to avoid having to install an extra toggle switch.

 

It is possible to adapt a two-conductor pickup but you'd need to take the cover off and dismantle the pickup so you can add the extra wires. It's not that hard but there is a risk of damaging the pickup. Magnet wire is very fragile and easy to break.

 

It's not going to turn a Les Paul into a Strat, but it can give you some useful new sounds. I'd recommend going the whole hog and installing Jimmy Page wiring to get the most out of a dual humbucker guitar. This gives you coil splits and more.

[rednefceleb]

Is there a way to make a single coil from a dual coil pickup?

[rednefceleb]

You don't want to tap it ? I don't know what I'm doin' wrong coming up with blank posts...such as above.

[CheapShoes]

The simplest way to turn a dual coil to a single is to remove one set of poles. Push them right out. Alternatively and even easier, if one coil has screws, just screw them right out. Fully reversable and no soldering required. Better, the coil without the poles acts as a dummy coil and retains the hum-free character. End result is more like a P90 in tone and mostly hum free. Also retains the look of the guitar unless you are 2 feet away and looking specifically for it. If the remaining coil with poles is facing the wrong way, you can flip the pup around if the wiring has enough slack. Usually they do.

 

Edited to add that if you do this to the neck and leave the bridge a full HB, I like the mid position tones a lot. More like a Telecaster tone. Retains the bridge for rock... but be prepared for loss of punch in the single pole vs the othe pup.