help! epiphone les paul and pickups

[buddythegoldfish]

i know there has been a few posts similar to this already, but i figure i'll make this question a bit more specific.

i have an epiphone les paul standard, and i was considering changing the pickups. what kind of pickups does that guitar come with stock, and how do those compare to say, 490s, or burstbuckers, or other more expensive gibson pickups. basically, i want to know if i can make my epiphone sound like a gibson by changing out the pickups. i know there are other subtle differences in manufacturing, i'm just considering overall tone and output. to continue this, what pickups would best create the sound of a gibson les paul?

on a related note, would this kind of process work with a fender strat? for example, taking a mexican strat and swapping pickups to make it sound like an american. what would be some good single-coil alternatives to stock fender pickups?

[guitarjoe]

Why woulld you change the pickups in a Epiphone. no offense - It won't ever ever ever sound like a real les paul . Even if you don't plug thme in the difference is substantial. save your money and your time buy the real deal. You'll be much happier!

[ESPELIPSE]

Find an emg pick that suits your needs Emg is versitile and cheap. http://www.emgpickups.com you can select from active or hz pickups
you will have to tell me your style to tell which pickup you would want

[buddythegoldfish]

wow, the EMGs are lookin pretty good. i just bought a fender strat, so this epiphone les paul is going to be used mainly for heavy stuff. lots of distortion, metal, punk, etc. i'm gonna rely on the strat for all my clean and blues tone. however, a part of my previous question remains unanswered: what does the epiphone come with stock, and are aftermarket pickups, like EMGs, that much better or not?

as an afterthought, EMGs are often found in ESP guitars, right? they have some pretty good metal tone.

any comments on dimarzios? i hear those are fairly popular pickups.

and in reply to guitarjoe, i would buy the real deal if i had $2500 lying around. however, i can probly get a set of pickups for around $150 on ebay or something. i know its not gonna sound exactly like a real gibson, but i figure it might improve the sound a little bit.

[buddythegoldfish]

another question - whats the main differences between the active EMGs and the passive EMGs?

[ESPELIPSE]

emg 81 is an active pickup that what kirk hammet uses on his esp good lead pick for the bridge.Emg makes excellent pickups for metal they are very pronounced tonally and have good definition they also make good passive pickups like what you would find in a stock les paul.

An active pickup is one that uses electronics to improve the sound and enhance its operation. There are a variety of ways to "Activate" a pickup. A simple "buffer" pre-amp will do the trick, but it will also amplify the hum and buzz the pickup produces. Just because a pickup is "active" doesn't guarantee you'll get great results. EMG pickups utilize an internal pre-amp (inside the pickup), which not only makes the pickup louder, it also reduces the noise.

the only problem with active pickups is that you have to install a long shafted push pull pot so you can switch from active to passive and wireing it is not that fun if you want to install a active pick up you should probably take the guitar to a place where they can install it for you it might cost you some money but its much better than have good pickups with bad wiring.I would recommend not buying the push/pull volume pot from esp because they are rather expensive considering you can get one for 7 bucks at a guitar shop.

[guitardude4life]

The stock pickups in the Les Paul standard are alnico classic pickups. I am looking at replacing mine with Burstbucker pickups because i want to get a more classic rock tone. The Dimarzio are great high output pickups for metal, but they are certianly not going to make it sound like a real deal Gibson Les Paul.

[Bluesman48]

I'll answer your question from personal experience. I own an Epi Les Paul in which I put Gibson pups, a 490R in the neck a 490T in the bridge, very happy with the results. I also own a Fender Squire Strat in which I put a set of "Texas Special" pups, again very happy with the results.

[gaxeman]

OK, this thread went a bit to the left with the talk about EMG. They are a good pickup, so are the 490's, the BB's, even the Epi alnicos, it is simply a matter of taste. I have an Epi LP, and Gibson LP Studios both with the 490's and with the burstbucker pros, also have guitars with EMG 81/85 combo.

I could tell you my favorites but that is irrelevant. If there is one thing I've learned in 30+ years of playing guitar, it is that everyone's tastes are different, sound cannot be adequately described in words, and consequently, you just have to hear it yourself. I actually like the sound of the Epi LP stock pickups, but it is a different guitar than the Gibsons. If you want a Gibson, get one, if you can't afford it, wait till you can, because it is inevitable that you won't be happy with a 'copy' of a Gibson if you are like me. If you go the EMG route, that is another thing, and it won't be like an Epi or a Gibson, except of course in feel. For myself I would prefer the Gibson with Gibson pickups, and would want my metal pickups (EMGs) in a metal type guitar like where you usually find them (ESP, etc.).

[Bluesman48]

OK, this thread went a bit to the left with the talk about EMG. They are a good pickup, so are the 490's, the BB's, even the Epi alnicos, it is simply a matter of taste. I have an Epi LP, and Gibson LP Studios both with the 490's and with the burstbucker pros, also have guitars with EMG 81/85 combo.

I could tell you my favorites but that is irrelevant. If there is one thing I've learned in 30+ years of playing guitar, it is that everyone's tastes are different, sound cannot be adequately described in words, and consequently, you just have to hear it yourself. I actually like the sound of the Epi LP stock pickups, but it is a different guitar than the Gibsons. If you want a Gibson, get one, if you can't afford it, wait till you can, because it is inevitable that you won't be happy with a 'copy' of a Gibson if you are like me. If you go the EMG route, that is another thing, and it won't be like an Epi or a Gibson, except of course in feel. For myself I would prefer the Gibson with Gibson pickups, and would want my metal pickups (EMGs) in a metal type guitar like where you usually find them (ESP, etc.).

I answered his question as I said from my own personal experience. I agree with you gaxeman the only true way to make an informed decision is to listen for your self. When I made my modifications it was after extensive online research. I labored under no illusion that upgrading my pups would bring dramatic improvement, and I did listen before I spent any money. Always a wise thing to do if possible.