hawkfanatic Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 So far i'm fine with the pickups in this thing, tho i know they could be better even if they are 90% there. I'll likely keep them, but i'm curious if anyone with the current epi nighthawk has tried either one of the 2 slanted offerings from SD and if so how they sound and compare to the stock bridge pu? I'd also like to hear if anyone has replaced the mini in the neck, which is actually the one that IMO needs replacing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretter Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Yeah, I feel about the same on the bridge pup and I think I will eventually swap that out for the SD. It's a little low on my list of guitar related priorities, so maybe with this guitar being so popular, there might be a few more options available. I have to disagree somewhat on the mini HB though. My favorite setting on this guitar is the neck PU with the coil split. Almost P-90 like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I don't plan to put any 90-100 Euro Pickup in a 300 Euro guitar The sound with the stock pickups is just fine - to my ears B) Here in the colonies (USA) there's a thriving market for used PU's and I get most of mine used for around half price. But for something really specialized, like a slanted Nighthawk HB, you'd have a tough time finding them used, but you might. Other options to improve the sound of stock Epi HB's: - Get the wax out (and I'm not talking about your ears)! They're buried in a half pound of wax, look like a bar of soap, which muffles the tone. I've taken apart dozens of models of American made HB's, and they use only a few drops of wax. Carefully scrape as much out as you can, just be careful around the coils and the wires at one end of the coils. - Most Epi's have A5 magnets, which have a lot of treble and bass, with scooped mids. To get a warmer, fuller bridge sound, try a replacement magnet, like an A8 or UOA5 (unoriented A5), which will bring the treble under control and add mids and body. Takes 10 minutes to change a magnet (no skill required) and most of that is loosening strings and retuning. You can get mags online from Addiction FX on eBay. There's another mag supplier in the UK. - Another way to warm the bridge PU tone is to use one or two 250K pots, or put a 1/4 watt 470K resistor on the bridge volume pot (soldered to the two outside lugs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Already put 250k pots in as i do in every guitar. As for the mag swap, i'll keep that in mind. I may however try making my own slanted pu out of a regular HB and making a slanted plate for the coils, assuming the magnets can be implemented in that slanted position. But i asked because i'd really like to know what the SD's sound like. I'm pretty burned out on modding and building things at my age and prefer the easier way out when possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemike Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Specs say the hawk pickups are alnico II. I am pretty satisfied with the stockers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 the 2 slanted offerings from SD For what it's worth: I remember Seymour himself saying that they could wind you any existing Duncan 'bucker onto the slanted base-plate. Probably cost you a pretty penny though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mKwatra427 Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Apparently it's a JB pickup in a slanted housing. If you've played that popular JB Model in a standard humbucker, then you'll know the sound. It's a sort of highish-output tone that's pretty much their best pickup. But seriously, how many of those weird-shaped Epiphone Nighthawk pickups are there on the market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfine Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 As far as I know, Duncan is the only company making a replacement pickup for the Nighthawk. They're doing both a JB and a PAF version. I haven't tried a stock Nighthawk yet, so I don't know how their bridge pickup sounds, but I'd go with whichever model would give me the most Tele-like sound as a single-coil, and the humbucker sound can be whatever it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Already put 250k pots in as i do in every guitar...i asked because i'd really like to know what the SD's sound like. I just tried the 470K resistor mod, in lieu of 250K pots. Much easier and much cheaper. I have a pile of 500K's I've pulled out of guitars, that I can reuse now. I've got a bunch of SD PU's (HB's and P-90's). They have a huge selection; there's something for everybody. I'm a blues-classic rock player and they have some of the best PAF's you can buy (Seth, '59, PG, A2P). Also very good is their Custom series of PU's, along with one modded with an A8 magnet ('Custom 8'). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 ...popular JB Model in a standard humbucker, then you'll know the sound. It's a sort of highish-output tone that's pretty much their best pickup... Not in mahogany, where the JB is notoriously hit or miss. It was made for bright woods (a Tele). Mahogany can bring out some really awful tones in JB's in some guitars ('ice pick spike' and 'farty low end'). The JB was their first PU, and has been pushed heavily in their marketing, but it's very fussy about the wood it's in, moreso than most PU's, due to the JB's 16K ohms with thin wire and narrow coils. May work very well in mahogany, even an LP, or it may be 'atrocious'. No telling in advance. It's really unlike their other PU's, certainly not representative of the Duncan line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telemike Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Hated the JB in a Schecter PT alder body. Too midrangy. Replaced with a Custom5, which was better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hated the JB in a Schecter PT alder body. Too midrangy. Replaced with a Custom5, which was better. Right. JB's are made for bright woods, the Custom family is great in warmer woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Ah ha....that may be why i always wondered why i liked JB's back in the 80's in at least one if not 2 of my guitars back then but hated them when i tried one again in the mid 90's. Sounded tinny in my strat which was a warmer sounding one than the guitars i was using in the 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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