Tomorrow I'll be trading my PRS SE CU 24 for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard as I missed the feel, tone, and general mojo that a Les Paul has ( don't get me wrong the PRS was great but I didn't bond with it as I thought I would).
After Xmas I'll be looking to upgrade the pickups to something a little nicer than stock. I don't want to spend a fortune and I'll most likely be buying used, but there's such a wide range out there that I'd appreciate a bit of advice on what to look for.
Im more concerned about cleans and not after anything too high gain. I'm currently playing straight into a Blackstar HT-1R.
So what's out there that will give me a decent increase in tone but not break the bank?
Comments
They could well be fine.
Bridge/Treble position suggestions depend on exactly how hard you wish your guitar to drive an amplifier.
This forum's friendly UK pickup builders probably have something to suit. Trawl their websites for descriptions and pics.
It won't cost a fortune.
I have G&B-made pickups in a Paul Reed Smith USA S2 guitar. They sound fine. I have a second pair of PRS/G&B pickups removed from another Les Paul derivative guitar. These might fit the OP's brief. (Vintage output. 4-con + shield cable. Nickel plated covers.)
Put a Hot Slag in at the bridge, and Rolling Mill at the neck. Lovely combo.
A Hot Slag in a Les Paul sounds epic.Great pickups.
Change and upgrade the pots and caps with the current pickups first. Inexpensive and likely to yield a marked improvement.
Buy a pair of Gibson 57 classics that someone upgraded from. They have great tone and you can resell without a huge hit if they don't suit.
'Expensive' - Seymour Duncan JB/59
'Affordable' - Iron Gear Tesla Sharks
And also as mentioned above, change out the pots and caps too to get the most out of the replacement pickups.
I'll certainly have a look at the Iron Gear ones, they seem to be very popular and not too expensive.
I would go for 2nd hand Gibson pickups, I sold my Burstbucker 1 and 2 set for about £80.
They were nice pickups with good cleans, not too hot. Gibson pups are a great upgrade to an epi, if the budget fits.