Sniper1 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I did some research about Epi's pickups,seems there is a great dislike for them and are swapped out as soon possible,yet,when I go to Youtube and listen to a Epi with the stock Epi pickups,they sound great, Am I missing something here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EpiphoneFan1989 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I did some research about Epi's pickups,seems there is a great dislike for them and are swapped out as soon possible,yet,when I go to Youtube and listen to a Epi with the stock Epi pickups,they sound great, Am I missing something here? I think the Epiphone Pickups are okay for hobby players. I like the pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Depends on what you are playing. If they sound good enough then why swap them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamGuy Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 As Pfox mentioned, I think a lot of it has to do with what you're playing, and if what you're playing is metal then they aren't that kind of pickup (if you're talking about the Epi Classics and Classic Plus') For rock, jazz, blues, etc... I think they're fine. You could drop $300+ on boutique Alnico II PAF style pickups and they wouldn't work for metal either...it's just not what they're meant to do well. Ceramic pickups work much better for the super heavy stuff IMO... so if you like that sort of think the stock Epi ceramic pickups like you find in the cheaper models like the Special II would probably work well for you)I think the stock Epi pickups are fine sounding so long as you have a general idea of which type of pickup is best suited for a particular style of music, and honestly, through a good tune amp, they can sound great. Just my 2cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilm3 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I like my Epi pickup (P90) on the neck position in my Casino just fine. I don't like the bridge pickup at all. I'll eventually swap them out with a better matched set, probably Lollars. First thing to do is have a proper setup and play the thing a while before deciding on upgrades. Pickup's are not my first priority in upgrades. Replace the crappy plastic nut with a bone nut first. Then, replace or fix the bridge - I found that disassembling it, getting rid of the casting flash on the bottom where the thumb wheels contact the body of the bridge, and flipping the thumb wheels so that the dished side is down and the crowned side is up was so much of an improvement I am leaving it on. When I swap the pickups - which I may not do for a long time - I will definetly replace the pots and switches at the same time. I think the wiring is a weak spot in Epi's. Does not affect the sound much, but not as durable as a quality American setup. If a switch or pot fails, that will accelerate my pickup swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I did some research about Epi's pickups,seems there is a great dislike for them and are swapped out as soon possible,yet,when I go to Youtube and listen to a Epi with the stock Epi pickups,they sound great, Am I missing something here? What amp, and how much distortion and effects? Play stock Epi PU's thru a good tube amp, fairly clean, and you won't have a high quality tone. Not going to happen. Epiphone simply isn't trying to compete with high-quality/boutique quality PU's; certainly not at that price point. There's no attempt to make Epi PU's as good as quality aftermarket PU's. Do you wonder why Gibson doesn't put Asian-made Epi PU's in their guitars? Think there's no difference in sound? It's like fine wines: you don't know the difference between the good stuff and the cheap stuff until you've been taught what to look for. Have you played guitars with high-quality PU's thru a good tube amp? Do that, then play a stock mid-price import thru the same amp. The definition and clarity just ain't there. I've had plenty of cheap PU's, and before I knew better, they were fine. Once I tuned my ears to high quality PU's, there was no going back to the cheap ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I think the Epiphone Pickups are okay for hobby players. I like the pickups. I must not be a hobby player.............. :unsure: ...... Also, what Blueman335 says is spot on.......... ( Depending on the month, I'm a hobbiest, and/or pro )......... .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanatic Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Am I missing something here? Actually, yes, a lot. What you hear is at most only 1/2 the story. No less than 1/2 of the pictures is how they feel when playing them. Are they dynamic, do they respond to your picking dynamics tonally and volume wise? ETC ETC. Sound files tell you next to nothing. I've been playing 40 years and i can hear differences that some people will call BS on. But i couldn't tell you how good or bad a p/u is from a sound file if my life depended on it. And even if the feel part i mentioned weren't an issue, how do you get past the fact that you have someone else playing, the amp is different than yours, the guitar is different, he may be using pedals you don't use, the recording gear is a factor....it goes on and on. Sound files are a waste of time for evaluating p/u's. Trust me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNick Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Personally I think the Epi pickups in the new models, I have a 2011 LP, are much improved over their pickups of 4 or more years ago. The last ones I am familiar with are ones from a 2003 DOT I had. If your ears are used to single coil pickups most humbucker neck pickups are going to sound muddy. Play just the humbucker guitar for a few days and the tone will become clearer. You equipment, style of play, and type of music should dictate your decisions. Your amp settings need to be tweaked for each type of guitar you play. Settings for single coil types may not sound good for a humbucker equipped tone monster. Play at volume. Bedroom levels are not the way to go. Drag your amp outside or into a garage and crank it to real world volumes to listen to how the pickups really sound. Call a rep at Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio or whoever and tell them what guitar you have and what tone your looking for then let them tell you what fits. Trust in the pro's on this one. Pickups are usually one of the last mods I do on a good guitar. A great setup always comes first, Nut next, bone or white Tusq, wiring, then capacitors, pots then pickups. I like to try to keep the original pickups in a guitar if possible because that's what makes it what it is. If it is junk to begin with than that's a whole other game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upsidedown club Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I need a grant to do a scientific study on this . double blind test non partisan test subjects etc. then post to you tube shouldnt need more than a couple mil and a year or two.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My335 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Amen to that Blueman335. Just picked up a 2000/Fujigen 335 and p'ups were ok. But, the Fralin Pure PAFs kick their arse. Playin' through my ToneMaster Reverb 6V6s, she kills. And that's not the only upgrades done to her. You and SNick said it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Call a rep at Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio or whoever and tell them what guitar you have and what tone your looking for then let them tell you what fits. Trust in the pro's on this one. Pickups are usually one of the last mods I do on a good guitar. A great setup always comes first, Nut next, bone or white Tusq, wiring, then capacitors, pots then pickups. PU's are the first thing I change on a mid-priced import, because I know what a difference they'll make, and that I can get them used for a good price. Yes, current Epi PU's are better and more consistent than they used to be, but they're not in the same league as Duncan, Gibson, DiMarzio, Lollar, Fralin, Rio Grande, etc. Nowhere near it. Better than calling Duncan, is joining their forum and asking the members. You'll get more ideas and insights that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNick Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 PU's are the first thing I change on a mid-priced import, because I know what a difference they'll make, and that I can get them used for a good price. Yes, current Epi PU's are better and more consistent than they used to be, but they're not in the same league as Duncan, Gibson, DiMarzio, Lollar, Fralin, Rio Grande, etc. Nowhere near it. Better than calling Duncan, is joining their forum and asking the members. You'll get more ideas and insights that way. I believe the new Epiphone LP that I have stands on it's own. About the only things I am going to fix are 1. A setup, to my preferences. 2. New Nut. 3. Pointers for the knobs - I just like the look that way. That's about it. I have Gibson's so I don't need to make this one another one of those. Just my humble opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I believe the new Epiphone LP that I have stands on it's own. About the only things I am going to fix are 1. A setup, to my preferences. 2. New Nut. 3. Pointers for the knobs - I just like the look that way. That's about it. I have Gibson's so I don't need to make this one another one of those. Just my humble opinion. But, it would sound better with a nice pair of PAF's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNick Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 But, it would sound better with a nice pair of PAF's. Ya, maybee. But I bought mine to be an Epiphone. Not a Gibson or anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Ya, maybee. But I bought mine to be an Epiphone. Not a Gibson or anything else. +1 Good onya mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretter Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 On the recommendation of some good people at this here place, I just ordered a pair of GFS Pro Series Alnico IIs for my ES-339. Not because the stock Alnico Classic Pros were all that bad, they just weren't quite as good with that guitar as the Probuckers that were on the ES-339 Ultra that I test drove. So really as it has been stated, it's really a matter of taste, needs and feel. Another reason for replacing Epi pups that hasn't been mentioned is the uncontrollable desire to MOD that most of us here seem to share. It's just that little mad scientest in all of us , I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I think there is no absolute right or wrong, good or bad, when it comes to pickups. there is only what you perceive to sound right or wrong through your amp. yes more pricey pickups are more likely to produce favorable results but that isn't always the case. The stock pickups fitted to most guitars are fine, but are often changed out in a quest to achieve a certain tone. Some spend hundreds some spend very little. I found the stock pickups on my Epi LP to be nice smooth sounding well made pickups. However, they lacked definition when the gain got cranked up, so being a bit of a rocker I had to get different pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick2099 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I have not heard the pickups in the new Les Paul Standards, but I can tell you that the pickups in the Traditional Pro are excellent. Unfortunately, there aren't many videos of this model, though. I ordered the guitar online (which I have to exchange because of other reasons) and fully intended on replacing the pickups, but after hearing them, I will definitely be leaving them in, once I get the replacement. The pickups seemed very versatile, had higher output than I was expected, and sounded very smooth. I also like that you can split the coils on them, to get a much greater variety of sounds. All of the sounds that I got out of them sounded great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldhippie Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I love the sound of all my 4 Epis They all have the fabric PUs For me.....that makes the sound of the Epis. To get a different sound I take another guitar of my small collection and I´m satisfied with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazerface Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I have a 94 lp custom that I finally got around to swapping the pickups in. Bought a stock 57 classic and burstbucker out of my friend's gibby lp trad, as well as all the pots and wiring, huge difference in sound. Plus, when the tech took the epi neck humbucker out, he said it just fell apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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