Best Pickups For Epi Les Paul

[BobbyD]

I have a 90's Korean Epiphone Les Paul, it plays nice, but screams like a banshee when I turn it up. What is the best way to modify this guitar so I can play out?

[Ripthorn]

Your pickups are likely either not potted or poorly potted. Most any potted pickup (which is most of them) will do. You can do GFS if on a budget, or bare knuckles if you have boatloads of cash.

[BobbyD]

Your pickups are likely either not potted or poorly potted. Most any potted pickup (which is most of them) will do. You can do GFS if on a budget, or bare knuckles if you have boatloads of cash.

Thanks Rip, but I'm not sure what that means, is there a certain brand name that I can search ebay with? What about pots and wiring, any certain electrics that you would recommend?

[pauliemc]

Thanks Rip, but I'm not sure what that means,

Potted = wax potted.

Some humbuckers are not wax potted. These tend to be based more on the original PAF model from Gibson. The problem with un-potted pups is that they have a tendancy to be squealy bstrds at high gain levels, making them unweildy for a lot of players.

Later models of humbuckers were subjected to a process called potting. this involved emersing them into a solution of hot wax to fill up every little space in the wire coil, between the bobbins & sometimes inside the metal cover aswell. These "potted" pickups were better able to handle high gain levels without going microphonic (squealing).

So you need a set of "Potted" humbuckers. Seymore duncan & Dimarzio are the usual port of call for a lot of upgrades. they both have a large range to suit most budgets.

But GFS make very nice pickups for a budget.

My link

So do these guys

My link

both a decent budget pickup.

Just be sure you get POTTED pickups.

Hope this helps

[Prostheta]

The "brand" choice would be Seymour Duncan I guess. Mid-range. Do some reading. This is not entirely difficult to find out.

Edited May 3, 2012 by Prostheta

[BobbyD]

Thanks guys, how about pots and wiring, would an upgrade help? I think the original wiring is probably cheap, would it be an advantage to get a wiring kit from StewMac or someone like that?

[Prostheta]

With all respect, there are hundreds of threads over many boards dealing with upgrades which will answer your questions more fully than the responses in this one. For what it is worth, buying a loom means less work and thought. Whether it will be "better" is debatable. Epi make some fine instruments. Change one thing at a time. Pickups is an immediate one.

[Workingman]

You could always pot the pickups you have. That would be the cheapest way to go. Do a search here or on the web for instructions.

[Prostheta]

Overview:

Take 70-80% paraffin wax (white candles are cheap for this) and the rest of the weight in beeswax. Put this in a small pan, and heat the wax by putting the small pan in a larger pan in which you have simmering water (boiling water spits and can be dangerous). Once the wax has melted through, drop the pickups in and leave them until bubbles stop rising. No open flames. The wax will be highly flammable.

Search on "potting pickups" either here or on Google.

[Tim37]

Thanks guys, how about pots and wiring, would an upgrade help? I think the original wiring is probably cheap, would it be an advantage to get a wiring kit from StewMac or someone like that?

unless the pots are scratchy (makes noise when you turn it) or the switch is weak i would leave it alone. there are tuts on how to pot a set of pickups if you want to do that or just buy some that suit your playing style there are about a million and one diffent humbuckers to choose from. like rip said the gfs's from guitarfetish are good budget pickups but the sky is the limit on diffent styles and prices.

[ansil]

actually you can get some really nice replacement pickups that are that are quite good for pennies on the dollar. ibanez v series pickups. they go on ebay for next to nothing and i have used them for years before moving on to active systems. sometimes incorporating them into the active arrangement

[Juntunen Guitars]

A friend put some Tesla humbuckers in his epi les paul this spring and they sounded pretty nice and they are pretty cheap too. I like seymour duncan though.