marcbc Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 OK so i know its time for a pickup upgrade im in love with my sheraton and tricked it out a little i put new tuner keys on it and also added a bigsby now i want some pickups. im really thinking about geting a pair of gfs vintage 59s. how are they? are they? is there a big/better diffrence between them and the stock pick ups? the gibson ones are expensive! also can i put a nickel on in the brigde pos and a zebra in the neck? or do they have to match? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 im really thinking about geting a pair of gfs vintage 59s. how are they? are they? is there a big/better diffrence between them and the stock pick ups? the gibson ones are expensive! also can i put a nickel on in the brigde pos and a zebra in the neck? or do they have to match? I haven't actually tried a set of GFS yet but so far I've heard almost 100% positive comments about them. Also the price is unbeatable' date=' so they have that advantage over Gibson pickups. One thing is for sure, you will notice an improvement over the stock Epi pickups. You can mix and match the 'look' to suit your tastes, although usually people tend to go with two covered or two uncovered; a zebra goes well with a double black in my opinion... [img']http://www.marantatech.com/Graphix/pickups.jpg[/img] ...but it all boils down to your own desires. Jimmy Page's 'Number one' Les Paul has one covered and one uncovered pickup for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankS1281734010 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 i'm not sure what pups come stock on Sheratons, but if they're anything like the ones that came stock on my LP and my G400 the Vintage 59's will make a WORLD of a difference. i have one in the bridge of my les paul. they're brighter and have a LOT more clarity than the stock pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I love the three GFS pickups i have but my 125$ gibson classic plus is costly but great.Stan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Well, I put a GFS vintage 59 in the neck and mean 90 in the bridge of my dot(along with upgrading almost everything else), and I've been told after gigs during jams, that it beats out a gibson. Given, nobody there is hearing an ES-335, it's generally up against an SG or a paul, so the sound is partially the holllowbody. But I myself know the clarity, depth, and particularly pick attack response have improved vastly. The mix of pups I have is meant mostly for blues and earlier rock n' roll, but it CAN go heavy when I want it to. You overdrive that amp, chugging palm mute rhythms on the neck bucker, pure blues bite on the bridge 90, just how it should be. I'd recommend this set, the vintage 59 double, or dual mean 90s, to ANYONE. Also, pot and cap upgrade, even the switch, all are well worth replacement. Toss in the guitarfetish les paul upgrade kit, and you're set with control, tone, responiveness, and feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I highly recommend the Vintage 59s. I have never tried the Gibson Classic 57s to make a comparison, I'm sure the Gibsons will sound better, but you can buy 2 vintage 59s for less that the price of 1 Classic 57. Yes there is a noticable difference over the Vintage 59s and the stock Epi pickups. I put the 59s in my Sherry, Dot and one of my G-400s. I put a set or Gibson Burstbuckers in the G-400 in my Avatar, and I love them, but it is hard to beat GFS for their price. To be honest I really can't tell that much af a difference between the 59s and the Burstbuckers, both sound great. The Burstbuckers might have a little more bottom end. I put gold 59s in my Sherry. The neck pickup is clear and well defined, not overly bassy. Not muddy at all comparred the the stock neck pickup. The bridge pickup it bright, but not overly so. It is a very good bang for your buck. I don't recommend GFS switches. I tried one and it was a little noisy for me, I prefer switchcraft, or All Parts if I can't get the Swichcraft. Some All Parts parts are Switchcraft, but I don't think all of them are. Also, it you are gonna swap out the wiring harness, make sure you get the extra long Switchcraft jack. I didn't the first time I did it and I couldn't get both the washer and the nut on. I bought the longer shaft and no problem. Also, mine is an '06 and I put in the full sized Alpha pots without any problem. Spud, everytime I see that LP I just drool. That has got to be the most beautiful cheryy sunburst finish I've ever seen, and I'm sure it's even better in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manimal Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 WOW!! That Sheri is awesome!! I really miss my Dot, but if I ever buy another semi-hollow, I think thats the one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 GFS pickups are pretty good but without something to compare them to it's a bit hard to say if they are as good as, say, the original Gibsons. Almost got myself a pair of '59s for the LPC but in the end I bought Burstbuckers because I wanted to save money. I think I would have GASed for the "original" Gibson PAF pickups later, even if I got the good GFS pickups now. Also since GFS didn't have anything that was even close to an unpotted PAF with unmatched coils, the choice was clear. I ended up with an extra Gibson '57 Classic in my hands, because some old witch sent me one thinking it was a BB#2 ("how could I know, the guitar shop told me so!") but after I replaced a Mean P90 in my Dot with it, I forgave the wench immediately and I haven't ever been so happy. It's just soooooooooooooo-o goood. Wasn't happy with it in the LPC (not enough crunch and "honk" compared to the BBs) but in the Dot it's just perfect - like I think some of you Dot/Sherry owners may know. Sadly, I haven't got a GFS Vintage '59 to compare any of the pickups to but what I've learned with the Mean P90 and the ultra-cheap Crunchy PAF they really can make an Epiphone a sweet guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesstringer Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I would highly recommend the GFS 59s for paf sound. In my Sherry, they are virtually indistinguishable from the Gibsons. While I didn't absolutelu hate the sound of the stock pups in my 95 Sheraton, there is no comparison with the improvement of the GFS. Much greater tonal range and clarity. AS said here, the neck pup is the most noticible difference. Not at all muddy, great jazz/blues tones. Best thing i ever did. I'm still considering putting splitting them to add the single coil sound but haven't checked if pudsh pull pots will fit. i don't hink i really want to change the look by putting tap switches on it and like Jc said, the f-holes are a little larger on the newer Sherrys. Good Luck and let us know what you end up doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I've got a set of GFS Vintage '59s in my Dot and they sound GREAT!! Drastic improvement over the stock Epi pups and I don't lay awake nights worrying about how close they sound to Gibby '57s... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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