Kong Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Got a new Epiphone Silverburst Les Paul Custom at Christmas. I really just play for myself, and I've been enjoying the guitar as it is. I play through a Line6 Spiderjam (75W). I find the tone I get very satisfying, and the amp/guitar combo seem very versatile. With that being said, I have read about a lot of Epi owners installing Gibson Pickups. I'm looking for opinions. Should I give Gibson pickups a try? Which model pickups and why? I look forward to reading some of your insights. Almost forgot, I like blues / rock. Jimi Page is a hero. I also like Stevie Ray Vaughan (I know he plays a strat). I also enjoy a clean blues sound with a lot of reverb from time to time. thanks ~Kong PS - apologies for another pickup thread - I did not see the pickup poll until after I posted this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderstruck507 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 gibson pickups or some of the gfs pickups would give you a much clearer sound, great for blues and I like them for rock because the sound doesn't get muddy when you add drive or distortion to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap_Iron Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Kong, if you like what you are hearing now with that guitar/amp combination, don't change. We all spend a lifetime chasing tone. If you were recording or playing with a band, you might need to adapt your equipment. Save the money and enjoy working on music, and your needs will evolve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gashole Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 If you can at all do it...take your Epi to a store that has a Gibson Les Paul and play them side by side through the same amp...it'll be expensive to experiment...I think you should try to know prior....you sound pleased already-which is why I think you should save your money for a little while and try to make a comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin134 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 As mentioned if you really like the tone maybe stick with what you got. With that said if going with Gibsons, the Burstbuckers might be a option. Lots of guys do like the GFS stuff, though I do not which model to reccomend, maybe the vintage '59's. With Seymour Duncan I would go with the Seth Lovers or the '59's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 yup, you should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLesPaul2006 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 yup' date=' you should.[/quote'] I have to say that the guitar on your signature makes me drool. :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 For not much more than the cost of a set of burstbuckers, you could buy a second guitar, if you look at a studio, or maybe an Agile. I wouldn't recommend anything more than maybe GFS pickups for what you're doing, and if it was me, I wouldn't even bother with that. You said you like your current tone, why screw with it? Really, with your setup, your tone is about 85% amp anyway, pickups won't make that huge of a difference, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I have to say that the guitar on your signature makes me drool. It''s the blue-ness, isn't it? That's my most trusted and beloved Blue Bomber, they're gonna hafta pry that guitar from my cold, dead hands, by crackies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 If you're happy with your tone now, don't waste your money. If you do want even better tone, think about chopping your solid state amp in for an all-tube, especially if you play at gigging volume. Might be a better investment than expensive pickups. Take your own guitar to a shop and try a few tube amps. You might be surprised at the difference. Stock Epi pups don't sound bad through a decent Fender or Marshall tube amp. Some of the people who express disappointment with Epi pups are using cheap low-end amps, and that's more of a problem. (I realise yours is a better than average solid state). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 If you're happy with your tone now' date=' don't waste your money. [/quote'] +1 There you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valriver40 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 i play my epipi les paul tru a peavy c30 and cube 30. both stock pickups sound great. of course pushing 69 years of age everything sounds good!!!!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcooper830 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 If you're happy with your tone now' date=' don't waste your money. If you do want even better tone, think about chopping your solid state amp in for an all-tube, especially if you play at gigging volume. Might be a better investment than expensive pickups. Take your own guitar to a shop and try a few tube amps. You might be surprised at the difference. Stock Epi pups don't sound bad through a decent Fender or Marshall tube amp. Some of the people who express disappointment with Epi pups are using cheap low-end amps, and that's more of a problem. (I realise yours is a better than average solid state). This is my recommendation also. You're going to see a much better tone improvement by getting a better amp. Not that the Spider Jam is a bad amp. I have a Spider II and I love it. But my stock Epiphones sound AWESOME through my Peavey Classic 30 or my Marshall JCM 800!! Makes me not need pickup replacements. I say.... get a nicer amp first. Then replace pickups if you're still curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdy27 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Genuine Gibson BurstBucker Pro is amazing :-k/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generation zero Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Funny, my experience is opposite... I was fine with stock epi pickups through my solid state behringer rig, but once I got the Mesa, the transparency of a "real" amp exposed the weaknesses of both the guitars and the cheap cables I was using. I ended up putting duncans in my epi, buying two 54 dollar mogami cables, and eventually a Gibson Les Paul studio. I think, from what I have seen, better guitar/pickups through solid state (especially modeling amps) will be more tolerable than lower quality pickups through a good tube amp. The modeling amps are far more forgiving, where the tube amp will expose every weakness in both your gear and your playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwbant Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Sorry to resurrect this, but some more insight to someone who stumbles across this thread...I've been on both sides of the amp/pup world. I had a crap epi LP special II and played though solid POD XTL and solid state amp. I upgrade the pups to EMG ZW, and there was not a bit of difference! In fact, I now have a G-400 and Les Paul Custom (both epi's) and the both sound almost the same through the modeler's and solid state amps. HOWEVER, I'm come over to the tube world now...I have a 1973 Fender Twin ($150 at a pawn shop, in good shape, just had to retube it ) and also the newest addition, an Orange Rocker 30 into a Marshall cab. I can tell a HUGE difference between the guitars now. I've noticed the SG cuts through while the LP is a little muddy. So if you start playing through tube amps, you'll probably want to change pups, or just get a new guitar in general. But if you are going to remain playing through solid state amps, you REALLY aren't going to be able to tell the difference. Maybe a small amount, but not a lot. So until you're ready to move up to tubes, I wouldn't waste your money on pups. :) If I'm wrong then email me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 A couple of other factors to bear in mind: Les Pauls tend to vary in their sonic qualities. If the unplugged tone of your LP is paricularly fat and resonant you may feel that a more expensive Gibson or SD upgrade is warranted. Similarly, Epis (and Gibsons too) have variation in their quality of finish and playability/feel, so if you have a particularly nice example it might be worth spending more money on. In any case, if you ever sell it you can always put the stock pickups back in. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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