Epiphone 1966 G400

[jhuntshell]

Ok, so I got the guitar, and being the way I spend my money I decided that since I have it now to spare, I may as well put it into something good like music as opposed to bar tabs, restaurants and movie tickets. I want to put some pickups to really increase the overall quality of the guitar. The sound I'm aiming for is something capable of some pretty serious distortion, but not anywhere near hardcore metal. Something, basically that's solo worthy. At the same time, I love playing jazz and mixing with my sax on blues, so I want some crisp, clean tones. The guitar has Alnico classic humbuckers, which are decent don't get me wrong, but I know I will out grow the sound very soon/get upset with their limitations on the number of tones/quality of them. Especially the fact that it's muddiness (although not terrible) is still evident, to a trained ear, even though I haven't been jamming the guitar so long I can tell the difference between my G400 and my friend's Jimmy Vaughan. I want it to be able to approach some more of the style/quality of that guitar, but mostly I want a relatively good distortion, with good crisp clean tones. Would I be well served going for some seymour duncans (the jb/jazz combo) or something else involving phat cats or pearly gates?

[Duffy]

jhuntshell,

 

I have the cherry transparent finish '66 Epi SG copy of a Gibson and it is an awesome guitar with great sounding pickups. I understand your concern about the muddy sound of the neck one in particular and I think it is useful for some mellow blues.

 

On two guitars I have put in the Jazz neck and JB bridge. On two other guitars I put on a SD '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. One of these is an Epi Std LP, very similar to my other Epi Std LP that I have the Jazz and JB on.

 

The "hot rodded" sets are open coil black Jazz and JB. The '59 an JB sets are individual boxes with nickel plated covers.

 

My amateur experience is that the'59 and JB sound better, far less muddy. The SD '59 is high gain similar to the JB and is not muddy at all and has great clear note definition when playin chords. The Jazz kind of melds in the notes of the chord a little more, which can be a nice thingk, but I like the clarity of the '59 better and the middle position is also superior to my liking.

 

the JB in the bridge is real hot and a great pickup, open coil as well as covered, super clean and really a neat pickup that gives you a tone close to a strat all the way down to roaring bass and sounds good clean and distorted. The neck '59 sounds great clean as well as distorted.

 

These are the only SD humbuckers, except for the single coil sized humbuckers, that I have personally owned. I prefer the '59 and JB combination for clarity and overall quality of sound I'm looking for.

 

The hot rodded Jazz and JB also sound really nice but not as clean and clearly defined in the neck and combined. But these pickups are supposedly Seymour Duncan's favorite pickups and with some additional time "learning" the pickups, I think I will learn to find some unique and great sounds. Both of those Epi LP's sound great and are really fun to play. One has round wounds and the other has flat wounds so the tone is quite different based on strings alone. I like to have at least one or two flat wound string guitars around because I like that really mellow tone. I just put a set of pure nickel D'darrio Pure Nickel round wound tens on my brand new ESP LTD Viper-50 and it has some strong treble and great bass roar; but the pure nickel, not nickel plated, is supposed to produce a mellower tone. These strings have great note definition in all pup switch positions with the stock, hot, Vipe-50 pups. This is a great sounding inexpensive guitar, as well as is my EC-50, but that has replacement pickups on it, chrome covered. The EC-50 sounded very good with the stock ESP open coil HB's as well, just sounds better now and the chrome gives it a classy look.

 

Maybe tomorrow I'll take pictures of those guitars and post them.

 

The Epi SG copy of a '66 Gibson SG, SOR "Sounds of Rock" limitted edition, Epiphone Custom Shop guitar:

 

 

 

 

And the flat wound SD '59 and JB in bridge:

 

 

 

 

Round wound with Jazz and JB in bridge:

 

 

 

 

Flat wound with Jazz and JB in bridge, ESP LTD:

 

 

Visuals might help you get the SD image a little bit,

 

Duffy

Winfield, Pa.

[Gashole]

Have you considered single coils? Namely, P90's? (or P100's so you don't need to cut your guitar) P90's are very articulate, can take a lot of gain, and can sound alot like buckers or single coils. My SG Classic stock w/ P90's, of which I'll brag most chances I get, is a screamer. Or a moaner, or a growler, depending on what I want. Think Pete Townshend Live at Leeds, or Santana on his first 3 albums. Thats that sound. Well, minus amplification.

 

Also, I like to push for SD Pearlygates. They handle gain very well too-think Billy Gibbons. Or for that matter, check out my Epiphone sound sample post-those are Pearlies on the guitar parts, albeit in a semi hollow form rather than solidbody slab.

[Duffy]

P90s sound really great and I have them on a coupl guitars and love them. Guitarfetish.com sells the dream 90s and dream 180s, n/affl, and they are inexpensive and are supposed to sound great. I wouldn't mind trying some Seymour Duncan ones though, as replacements on one of mine with generic p90s without the reverse wound neck for noise cancelling in the middle switch position. My other one is noise cancelling. It is a set neck all mahogany, neck and body, copy of a Gibson LP Special and would benefit from some really classy P90 replacements with the middle noise cancelling effect. I need to get on that one. Great guitar by the way, antique burst is beautiful and the mahogany grain is astounding. The other on is that Squire Telecaster Custom II and it sounds really great. Looks great in that black and has all the controls to get some great variety of sound. Glad I got into P90s.

 

Duffy

Winfield, Pa.

 

Peace