Fergus12 Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Can anyone tell me what pups/ electrics will improve the sound on a standard 90's Korean Epi Les Paul? I know it will never sound like a vintage 59 but how do i get it to sound "a bit" more like Jimmy Pages depth of sound? I guess double pups help? Fergus12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Practice, Practice, Practice. There is no substitute, nor shortcut. Seriously, you could own Jimmy's entire rig, including all his guitars, but I don't think you would sound like him. It's in his fingers. Find your own sound, with your own fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergus12 Posted November 17, 2012 Author Share Posted November 17, 2012 Good point brad, i am no genius i know that. Its the sound of tbe guitar i want to improve. A bit lacking in depth and i think its the cheap electrical parts. Fergus12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrRogerFisher Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Practice, Practice, Practice. There is no substitute, nor shortcut. Seriously, you could own Jimmy's entire rig, including all his guitars, but I don't think you would sound like him. It's in his fingers. Find your own sound, with your own fingers. Hi Brad, While I agree with you fundamentally about finding your own sound, with your own fingers, there's still the issue of at least approximating the sound of great players. For example, I'm a great Santana fan, and work hard to recreate his "sytle" relying mostly on my fingers, but I would sure like to get closer to his instantly recognizable "sound". Of course, as you say, "it's in his fingers", but he also uses a whole expensive set of gear to create his unique sound. So there's a combination there: practice, practice, practice; but also experiment with combinations of gear. For example, here's my rough version of Santana's classic Samba Pa Ti. I think I'm getting some of his style, but not really his "sound". Even tried a Pod 2.0 sound modeller (it's the round red thing on the table in the background) but just can't get that unique Santana sound. Wish there was a nice little pre-set box called "Santana sound"; then a combination of 10,000 hours of practice, plus that box, and I'd be gettin' there. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergus12 Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 Hi Brad, While I agree with you fundamentally about finding your own sound, with your own fingers, there's still the issue of at least approximating the sound of great players. For example, I'm a great Santana fan, and work hard to recreate his "sytle" relying mostly on my fingers, but I would sure like to get closer to his instantly recognizable "sound". Of course, as you say, "it's in his fingers", but he also uses a whole expensive set of gear to create his unique sound. So there's a combination there: practice, practice, practice; but also experiment with combinations of gear. For example, here's my rough version of Santana's classic Samba Pa Ti. I think I'm getting some of his style, but not really his "sound". Even tried a Pod 2.0 sound modeller (it's the round red thing on the table in the background) but just can't get that unique Santana sound. Wish there was a nice little pre-set box called "Santana sound"; then a combination of 10,000 hours of practice, plus that box, and I'd be gettin' there. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergus12 Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 I have liked Santana for a long long time. Think you have got a nice sound there Dr R.. Ill be happy if and when i can play like you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagwood Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 I have liked Santana for a long long time. Think you have got a nice sound there Dr R.. Ill be happy if and when i can play like you! Practice... Time in the seat with your guitar is the ONLY way you'll get there. This ain't Guitar Hero kid and 10 hours later you shred, nope. If you want it bad enough you'll make it happen (as with most anything in life I guess). Keep practicing, keep playing, never stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrRogerFisher Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I have liked Santana for a long long time. Think you have got a nice sound there Dr R.. Ill be happy if and when i can play like you! Thanks for the kind words, Fergus. Like so many others have said, practice practice; time on the strings improves your knowledge, skill, performance, etc. But there`s something more important, whatever your level of skill or learning or progress, and that`s to totally enjoy doing it. I've been playing for almost 50 years, but can honestly say that I`ve loved every minute of it. We say "practice" but practicing never has the sense of "work" for me, it's really pure joy. Sure I want to improve (there`s others I feel the same thing as you: wish I could play like them). But I`m happy now, have always been happy playing whatever I`m playing, even 50 years ago when I knew maybe 3 chords. Loved it then, love it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Putting some Gibson '57 Classics or similar PAF style humbuckers in will improve the tone considerably. I'm not a Jimmy Page expert but I believe he also had a specific wiring scheme that employed coil splitting. Should be easy to find info on the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNick Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 New 500k CTS pots, .022 capacitors and a Switchcraft switch would do a world of good to the tone of your 90's model. Try that first with your pickups. If your still not getting it then get some good pickups. The Seymour Duncan "Seth Lovers" are as close to the real deal Gibson 59's as you can get. IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankinzel Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 If you can find them for under $100, see if you can grab some Epi Elitist pickups. I went that route not by design, but just because they popped up, and they're awesome! They're sort of a middle ground between modern and vintage in terms of output and frequency response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Cage Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I've got a '96 MIK Epi Les Paul Standard and I haven't needed to change a thing. I'm sure I could swap out the pups, but I really like the way it sounds now, so I see no reason to do that. At some point I'm going to put a Switchcraft selector switch in, but other than that, I'll keep this one stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thanks for the kind words, Fergus. Like so many others have said, practice practice; time on the strings improves your knowledge, skill, performance, etc. But there`s something more important, whatever your level of skill or learning or progress, and that`s to totally enjoy doing it. I've been playing for almost 50 years, but can honestly say that I`ve loved every minute of it. We say "practice" but practicing never has the sense of "work" for me, it's really pure joy. Sure I want to improve (there`s others I feel the same thing as you: wish I could play like them). But I`m happy now, have always been happy playing whatever I`m playing, even 50 years ago when I knew maybe 3 chords. Loved it then, love it now. +1 Doc. We're about the same vintage and I also feel the same way as you do about playing. Hoping someday to get satisfied with my playing but until then I don't want to quit playing and learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trelf Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I have a 1994/5 epi les paul goldtop. I've ended up with Dimarzio Gravity Storm in the neck position (Steve Vai's new pickup - not as full on as you might expect) and the classic Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge. Works for me - love my epiphone now - not changing anything ever again! The stock pickups on mine were terrible if I remember correctly (it's been a few years though - all I remember is the mush and microphonic feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Seymour Duncan '59s. For quality PAFs this set is the best value to be had (IMO of course): http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/pickups_detail.asp?stock=07051710142529&gclid=CNeCzYGiyLQCFQzKtAod2RcAXA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KVL Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 New 500k CTS pots, .022 capacitors and a Switchcraft switch would do a world of good to the tone of your 90's model. Try that first with your pickups. If your still not getting it then get some good pickups. The Seymour Duncan "Seth Lovers" are as close to the real deal Gibson 59's as you can get. IMO. Can I ask a silly question here, because I get how pots/caps and p'ups can improve tone, but how does the switch affect tone? I could see it affecting your switching reliability, but not necessarily the tone of the selected pot/cap/p'up. I'm not trying to be a wise-***... I just dont get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Can I ask a silly question here, because I get how pots/caps and p'ups can improve tone, but how does the switch affect tone? I could see it affecting your switching reliability, but not necessarily the tone of the selected pot/cap/p'up. I'm not trying to be a wise-***... I just dont get it. I always thought switches (and jacks) were changed out because of poor reliability/quality too. I've never heard of them being upgraded to improve tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Seymour Duncan '59s. For quality PAFs this set is the best value to be had (IMO of course) For a Jimmy Page sound '59's are a great choice. There are even better PAF's (like Duncan's Seth's, or PAF's from Lollar, Fralin, Bare Knuckles, Smits, etc). You're also right about pots, caps, and switches; they have little or no impact on tone. You change them when they short out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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