Best metal picks ups for LP black beauty?

corganrocks · #1 04-23-2007, 06:50 PM

Hi all,

Apologies if this has been discussed before but I haven't found it searching around the forum... I have an epiphone les paul black beauty and am looking to turn it into a major heavy metal guitar to compliment the more all-purpose sound of my Ibanez.

At the moment I just have the stock epiphone pick ups in which I hate, does anyone have any recommendations for pick ups for this guitar? Obviously it has 3 pick ups so any suggestions of what people who own this guitar have or what people think would work would be greatly appreciated so I can start thinking about changing the pick ups.

By the way the sound I'm looking for is basically the real 80s shred type sound, George Lynch etc... pick ups that make notes snap easily off the fretboard, I know the amp and the whole chain have a lot to do with that but good pick ups clearly help.

Thanks

Hellraizer · #2 04-23-2007, 08:08 PM

I say get a Duncan Screamin Demon thats George's signature pickup.

MadRyan · #3 04-25-2007, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellraizer

I say get a Duncan Screamin Demon thats George's signature pickup.

The Screamin Demon is cool but it doesn't bite enough for a mahogany guitar. IMO the JB is the ultimate high output pickup for a LP. You'll have a big fat sound with alot of bite and nice mids.

cyberman · #4 04-25-2007, 11:32 PM

Or, you could always go w/ the John Sykes set (That's a Gibson Dirty Fingers in the lead & a Gibson '57 Classic in the neck). But I gotta warn you: Not only are they only sold seperately, but they'll cost you around $90-$100 per pickup. However, what you get for your money (From what I've heard) is a MONSTER lead sound & a really singing, liquid tone from the neck pickup (Just listen to the solo on Whitesnake's "Is This Love?" to see what I mean). Anyways, just thought I'd make the suggestion. Laters!

KyleChx · #5 04-26-2007, 02:04 AM

man i love my EMG set up the 81 and 85's ether in a LP sound awesome... versatile and deep... listen to anything Zakk Wylde (ozzy or BLS) and youll know

Stygian · #6 04-26-2007, 02:32 AM

Good suggestions so far. You may also want to consider the Dimarzio X2N, though it may be a bit too hot.

j.arledge · #7 04-26-2007, 02:29 PM

yeah emg 81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck , leave the middle pickup in there just disconnect it or you could do an 81 85 60 or 81 60 85 .

bikeman · #8 04-26-2007, 02:43 PM

Go for hand made in the UK heaven and a Bare Knuckle Pickups combination - a "Miracle Man" in the bridge and a "Cold Sweat" in the neck:

www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk

markg5150 · #9 04-26-2007, 03:04 PM

You could go for Suhr Doug Aldrich signature pickups - His sound out of a LP is superb

corganrocks · #10 04-29-2007, 10:07 PM

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies guys I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out, I was already considering the EMG pick ups but I'l look into the other ones you suggested as well, thanks again!

MadRyan · #11 04-29-2007, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corganrocks

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies guys I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out, I was already considering the EMG pick ups but I'l look into the other ones you suggested as well, thanks again!

I had EMG's in my LP standard and IMO they kinda sucked. I tried several combinations and they really didn't do it for me. The JB has at least as much output, or at least it drives a tube amp really well. Clips the preamp nicely.

You have to look at the natural characteristics of the guitar. EMG's work really well in some guitars, and many people think they're great in LP's but in a mahogany guitar with a mahogany neck it helps to have a pickup with lots of treble and mids that cut through. If you do go the EMG route buy an 81 and an 85 and try them in different spots. I have that combo in my Jackson and prefer the 85 in the bridge rather than the neck. Try out running them at 18v rather than 9v which requires you to solder another battery harness in in series so you can run two 9v batteries.

NEWYEARKID · #12 05-04-2007, 04:47 PM

Suhr Doug Aldrich set is awesome for a Les Paul as are the Bare Knuckles Cold Sweats or Steve Stevens sets. The Suhr are $ 130. each and the Bare Knuckles
are 90 pounds sterling each-at the current rate of conversion 1.99240 this equals $ 179. a pickup. Thats about right for a custom wound pickup-the duncan custom shop charges $160 for one 1978 pickup...formerly known as the EVH(evenly valenced harmonics....yeah right Seymour). Todd Duane use this pickup in his Les Paul...sounds amazing. The old standby Duncans like the JB,custom or distortion always work.

waylay00 · #13 05-04-2007, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markg5150

You could go for Suhr Doug Aldrich signature pickups - His sound out of a LP is superb

+1

On a side note, a lot of the best metal tones from the 80's were actually used with lower powered pickups than one would expect, so don't always rule out lower powered pickups like the Seymour Duncan 59, etc...

MadRyan · #14 05-05-2007, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waylay00

+1

On a side note, a lot of the best metal tones from the 80's were actually used with lower powered pickups than one would expect, so don't always rule out lower powered pickups like the Seymour Duncan 59, etc...

This is true. The best sounding pickups are usually lower powered because they allow the string to freely vibrate a little better. You shouldn't be relying on your pickup for output, but for tone. If you have a dark warm sounding guitar like a mahogany Schecter it does great with a JB in it. In fact, throw a really high output pickup in front of a modern high gain amp and it can actually sound worse than a lower output pickup.

waylay00 · #15 05-05-2007, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadRyan

This is true. The best sounding pickups are usually lower powered because they allow the string to freely vibrate a little better. You shouldn't be relying on your pickup for output, but for tone. If you have a dark warm sounding guitar like a mahogany Schecter it does great with a JB in it. In fact, throw a really high output pickup in front of a modern high gain amp and it can actually sound worse than a lower output pickup.

Yep. Take for instance the X2N. That pickup was made before the days of the Dual Rectifier, before the days of the ENGL Powerball, before the days of the Bogner Uberschall...

Because those types of amps didn't exist back then, the X2N's purpose was to push the relatively lower-gain amps of the time (Plexi's, etc) into super-high gain metal land. But now, since we have amps that can reach that zone to boot, an pickup like the X2N isn't necessary. When I played my RG550 (with X2N) on a Dual Rectifier, it didn't sound too well. But when I use the X2N to drive my lower powered Crate VC50H 50w head, it works a charm.