DennisMiller Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I'm curious about how close the Epi 57 humbuckers are compared to the Gibson 57's. I returned a Gibson Studio Satin for a variety of reasons recently and one of the things I want in a replacement guitar is the 57 sound. Epi makes the LP Tribute with 57's, but are those genuine American made 58's or an Asian version? If they are Asian, are they any good? Unfortunately, none of the stores near me has any Epi model with 57's in it to try. The closest I might come to trying them would be in the Dot with the fancy top. I'm not sure that's a good way to compare... What do you folks think? Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 Thanks Pete... I realize what I wrote now and I did know they were American. I should never post to a forum while watching football on TV ... What I meant to say was, there are other Epi guitars with their pickus described as 57's, like the Dot with the flame top. Are the Epi 57's other than the Tribute Asian made and are they close to the American version? Thanks again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 What I meant to say was, there are other Epi guitars with their pickus described as 57's, like the Dot with the flame top. Are the Epi 57's other than the Tribute Asian made and are they close to the American version? I can only speak from my experience. I have a L.P. standard which came with Alnico V pickups. The neck said 57CH on the back. I presume the CH means classic humbucker. The bridge says HOT CH. (same presumption.) I changed them out for GFS Vintage 59s. These are inexpensive upgrades that I believe to be similar. (These are also made overseas.) The difference was quite apparent to me. The GFS sounded almost identical in terms of sound and volume....But... What a difference in definition and clarity! To some maybe not much, but to me, like night and day. My point is that if the GFS (inexpensive import) made that much difference then I would expect that much more out of a set of Gibsons. (which I am sorry to report I have no experience with.) I do have some T-tops in an old Gibson and they are remarkable. Just an observation, Willy By the way, if you decide to go with the Gibsons the mounting rings are not the same size as the Epi mounting rings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 By the way, if you decide to go with the Gibsons the mounting rings are not the same size as the Epi mounting rings. Hey Willie - Thanks for that last tidbit. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to wait on parts to arrive and then find things didn't fit. I've done business with GFS in the past. Great people to work with and great quality for incredible prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloopy Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 I had the Epi "57's" in a G-400, and the Gibson 57's in the Les Paul Tribute, and the difference is night and day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSAR Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 one of the things I want in a replacement guitar is the 57 sound. don't know about pickups, but: http://www.samash.com/p/Les%20Paul%2057%20Goldtop%20Electric%20Guitar_-49951385 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumblinman Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 I've yet to hear someone regret upgrading pickups to Gibson 57's or Burstbuckers etc.. The majority of stock pickups are crap (IHMO, don't flame me.) because they have to cut corners somewhere, and more people will complain about bad binding or crappy fret dressing than pickups. Every guitar I've owned in my 35 years on this planet that hasn't been Gibson or PRS has required a pup change. GFS are good, I have been through several. But GFS still doesn't compare to true Gibson pickups. I'm not a snob, but if you've played both, you can tell a difference in clarity, eloquence, and bite. Don't skimp on pickups, it will only haunt you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrymac Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 What do you folks think? Dennis I think you were OK on Saturday Night Live, not Chevy Chase funny, but kinda OK. Monday Night Football was a disaster, do you really think the Cheese Heads watching the Packers got those obscure references you threw at them??? Hell, Jerry Rice couldn't have caught them on his best day. And this political satire (and I'm being kind calling it that) you do on Fox News is painful. It's like going to see Lenny Bruce and having him read his trial transcripts for two hours. I got an idea. You're a comedian. Try being funny for a change. As for the pickups, Peter makes a lot of sense. The Tribute is a super nice guitar, and it comes stock with the pickups you want. Plus a case, upgraded electronics, long tenon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted October 24, 2010 Author Share Posted October 24, 2010 I get that a lot Jerry. I met Dennis one time and he'a actually a really nice guy. We teased about the fact he had met 3 different people named Dennis Miller in the previous week and maybe we should have one of those conventions of only people with the same name,,, and he'd be the guest speaker. Can you imagine a hotel with hundreds of reservations for people with the same name? I always tease that since I'm older, his use of my name is identity theft... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mint14 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I am new comer, very curious about this question too. Last night I upgraded my pickups on my Epiphone Les paul Studio's stock pickups to Gibson 57' classic and 57' classic plus (neck - bridge). My original pickup is stock HOTHB8B on bridge, and the matched one (no label on hand now) on neck. Why I wanted to upgrade: the neck pickup was muddy and outstandingly muddy on B string, and the Low E were just too shaking and muddy (no drive, overdrive the same defect). The bridge one is bright and clean After I changed to Nickel covered classic 57 /classic 57 plus originally made by Gibson. I really love them! the warmness on neck are very consistent across strings, the no drive sound, the heaven metal and the extreme distortion are all great from both neck and bridge. What I mean great is not a flavor thing: The sound on lower string is more steady vibrated, warmer in a way that ugly resonance frequencies doesn't standout, very consistent across strings - notes, from the highest on E high to the lowest E. I am not export on tuning pickups, new gibson pickups works great right after installation. maybe my old Epiphone neck pickup's output is too high that causes losing fidelity, I have no idea. But overall I am very happy my upgrade is very satisfying. Someone said, Gibson pickups are just paid for its brand, I am confused, $40 vs $200 dollar have no quality different? I found they are very different. But it should be most comparable if I switch epiphone's 57 classic to Gibson's same pickup. I'm curious about how close the Epi 57 humbuckers are compared to the Gibson 57's. I returned a Gibson Studio Satin for a variety of reasons recently and one of the things I want in a replacement guitar is the 57 sound. Epi makes the LP Tribute with 57's, but are those genuine American made 58's or an Asian version? If they are Asian, are they any good? Unfortunately, none of the stores near me has any Epi model with 57's in it to try. The closest I might come to trying them would be in the Dot with the fancy top. I'm not sure that's a good way to compare... What do you folks think? Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 You upgraded to very good pickups of a very consistent and known quality. The results you are enjoying are certainly worth what you paid for. In the case of less expensive pickups, there are a lot of useless cheap pieces of equipment out there, but there are a few places that sell well made, inexpensive pickups with sound very similar to the high quality factory originals. Those places, like GFS, (otherwise known as Guitar Fetish), get known by word of mouth among the guitar playing community. Via internet forums, they get known pretty quickly too. As for my original question, I don't believe the Epiphone pickups going back about 3 years ago were anywhere near as good as the Gibson pickups, but I've gotten the impression that Epiphone has upped their game a whole lot in the past couple years. My original Dot was OK, but the GFS pickups I put in it were better. I sold that guitar and recently bought a Dot Deluxe from a friend in another forum. It's not just gold hardware and a flame maple top that makes the difference. This guitar feels and sounds very differently. I'm convinced the pickups are closer to 57 Classics than anything Epi has made before. I also have a very inexpensive Rondo Music SX hollow body the same ES335 shape. When I first got it, I messed with pickup heights looking for 3 distinct tones by just flipping the switch. I didn't feel I was getting it, so I pulled out the old GFS pickups and put them in it. Honestly, in this case, it must be something to do with the structure of the guitar or the other electronics because they didn't improve it. In fact, I'm not totally sure I didn't prefer the original pickups regardless of the lack of difference between the neck and both setting tones. I'm trying to get in touch with a local luthier who I'd like to rebuild it with American made guts, but using whichever pickups he and I can decide upon, maybe a combination of one from one set and one from the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I don't believe the Epiphone pickups going back about 3 years ago were anywhere near as good as the Gibson pickups, but I've gotten the impression that Epiphone has upped their game a whole lot in the past couple years. My original Dot was OK, but the GFS pickups I put in it were better. I sold that guitar and recently bought a Dot Deluxe from a friend in another forum. It's not just gold hardware and a flame maple top that makes the difference. This guitar feels and sounds very differently. I'm convinced the pickups are closer to 57 Classics than anything Epi has made before. +1. Epi PU's over the last 2 years have improved by leaps and bounds. Their old '57's' bear no resemblance to Gibson '57's, or any other quality PU. They were functional, generated a signal, and that's about it. Not meant to be competitive tone-wise. Many Epi owners over the years have upgraded their PU's, as that was the weakest link on the guitar. That's changed. I was skeptical myself, after years of muddy Epi '57's and whatevers. But now that I've tried Probuckers and Alnio Classic Pros, I'm a believer. They are very good PU's. Clear and articulate. Probuckers use Gibson materials and have scatterwound, unbalanced coils and roughcast A2 magnets. This is good stuff. Some of the key components of the original 1950's PAF's. Alnico Classic Pros are similar, but maybe have polished A2's and balanced coils. I used to always say: "Epi's sound pretty good with better PU's." Now I don't have to make that qualification anymore. This is on top of them holding prices or lowering them. Better guitars for less money. They're giving their competitors some sleepless nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 I was thinking about this thread a little while ago while I paid some bills and sort of stared at my 2 ES335 looking guitars. I had the pickups juggled into very different positions to make the guitars sound differently from one another, so I did a little experiment. I tried my best to set the pickups to as identical heights as I could make them and then played a little through a Fender Pro Junior. The GFS pickups in the SX guitar were still more clear note to note. The original Epi pickups in the Dot Deluxe were a bit muddy until I raised the bridge and lowered the neck back where I had them before. They regained the warmth on the neck and the piercing tone on the bridge, but I guess I realize I still prefer the GFS pups. Part of this also might have to do with volume. The Epi pups aren't as hot as the GFS pups and for my needs, (just playing at home), the GFS work better at lower volumes than the Epi pups do. I don't know if they would reverse my opinion at high volumes, but I've seen single coils I liked one way and not the other, so I guess anything is possible. The best at low volume, in my opinion, is the Gibson 490 set in my Gibson SG Faded. I wonder what they would be like in a hollow guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The best at low volume, in my opinion, is the Gibson 490 set in my Gibson SG Faded. I wonder what they would be like in a hollow guitar? Have you tried Seth's? They beat any Gibson humbucker for PAF tone quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 FWIW, the Epi P90 pickups in my Korean '04 Peerless Casino have an excellent tone, but Epi humbuckers I've owned were a muddy mess compared to a Gibson '57 Classic. Don't have any experience with recent issue Epi pickups, but you can hardly go wrong with a Gibson '57 Classic swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 No, I haven't tried any Seth Lover pickups. I've been a fan of Bill Lawrence pickups and I didn't like some Lindy Fralin pickups I once tried in a Telecaster. Other than that, I haven't experienced too much in the way of boutique pickups. At my age, I don't invest much at all in electric guitars. My guitar interests lie 90% in acoustic, so my electrics are just toys. I have 2 Gibsons, 1 Fender which is for sale, but everything else is less expensive, like Epiphones or SX guitars from Rondo. I'm happy enough with what I have and when I feel like messing around with my electrics, stuff like GFS pickups is about as far as I'm likely to go these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzchief1 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I put Gibson 57's in an jazz model Ibanez Artcore and the sound and definition are amazing. I like the sethlovers (G&L ASAT Bluesboy). The best sounding pickup around (in my Opinion) are the custom ones by Pete Biltoff. It's always worth the money to upgrade the pots, wiring and capacitors. That doesn't usually cost much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisMiller Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 The best sounding pickup around (in my Opinion) are the custom ones by Pete Biltoff. I tried some of his Strat pickups many years ago in his early days. They were OK, but I don't remember being thrilled by them. And I totally agree that better pickups deserve good quality pots, switches and wiring. It's a total waste to put good pickups in a guitar and leave in cheap foreign electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STLOUIEPLAYA Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm curious about how close the Epi 57 humbuckers are compared to the Gibson 57's. I returned a Gibson Studio Satin for a variety of reasons recently and one of the things I want in a replacement guitar is the 57 sound. Epi makes the LP Tribute with 57's, but are those genuine American made 58's or an Asian version? If they are Asian, are they any good? Unfortunately, none of the stores near me has any Epi model with 57's in it to try. The closest I might come to trying them would be in the Dot with the fancy top. I'm not sure that's a good way to compare... What do you folks think? Thanks, Dennis no idea what year epi you have but i have a 2014 epi lespaul plust top standard pro ,,,& the pickups in that are awsome ,,,,,i also have a 2014 sg original gibby with 57 classics on it ,,,in my opinion i play the epi most of the time it kicks *** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankinzel Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 It's not just the new models of pickups that are improved. I've owned a MIC '05 Epiphone Les Paul Standard and a MIK '97 Epi G400. Both came equipped with Epiphone's '57 Classic/'57 Classic Plus set. Bridge was passable; neck was a muddy mess of awful. The same was true of other guitars in the same model at the shop. Fast forward several years, and I find that new Epiphones coming out with that "same" Epiphone '57 Classic set sound a LOT better than what I used to have. Whatever Epiphone has done, they've redesigned their pickups from the bottom on up. The ProBuckers are definitely more articulate, and it was smart of Epiphone to designate them as a separate series to generate some buzz around their newer lines - BUT the new '57 Classic set sounds fantastic, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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