Do different Pickups really make a difference?

[PuddleOfMudd25]

I was thinking about changing my pickups in my Epi Standard (Plus) to Gibson Burstbucker Pros. I have a Spider III 15 amp, and want a really clean classic rock sound something like Slash has (And yes, I know he uses Seymour Duncans). But from what I've heard, the Epiphone Classics just don't really give that sound. First, do pickups really make that much of a difference? Second, if anyone has the same setup as me (Which I doubt) is there some kind of MP3 file or video I can see for myself? Thanks!

[hbucker]

Yes, pickups do make a big difference. But so does the amp. Sounds like you're using kind of a practice amp. Nothing wrong with that. But spending $$ on new pickups may not sound that much different on the amp you're using.

I would recommend a better amp before you invest much in pickups.

Words to remember: A good amp can make a bad guitar sound good. But a good guitar cannot make a bad amp sound good.

[sarge40]

I don't have the same setup as you, but yes, changing pickups can make a huge difference to the tone.

[The_Sentry]

Pickups can make a big difference. I have burstbuckers in 2 of my guitars, and although I think they sound great (nice clarity and separation even with the crunch cranked up) , they're not per se high output pups...particularly on the bridge. A Gibson 498T has higher output.

But if you want the honest truth (and I am saying this 'cause to a degree I'm in the same boat) I don't know if that Slash tone is possible with that Line 6 amp insofar as the amp distortion goes. Clean? Sure, they'll do a nice impression of a Marshall but that crunch is just not going to get it.

I have a Line6 Spider II 210 that I want to play out with and I'm looking into a pedal which offers tube driven distortion. Those go for typically between 100 to 300 bucks and might get you closer to the Slash tone right off the bat before new pups will. (But, they certainly don't hurt!)

Also...found this link to turkey talk about Slash's gear. Good luck...

_.-+~* Velvet Revolver *~+-._

[Roman]

Yes

[PuddleOfMudd25]

OK, glad I asked the question before I spent $200! Yeah, a new amp would be great, but I pretty much just bought this Line 6 along with my Epi, costing all around $800. And by not having a job, spending that again on a new amp would be crazy, so I guess I'll just stick with my 15w. It still has a pretty decent tone anyways. Thanks everyone!

[LEFTY LES]

welcome puddle!!!

[Kate033]

Welcome!
The quick answer is yes! They do make a big difference...but I'm not sure it will be a noticeable difference with your current amp. If I were you, I'd save the cash and invest in a better amp (look into tube amps first) down the road when you're ready.
As for mp3s/videos...I'd check youtube. No guaranties that's they'll have it but it seems that people post demos of just about everything these days. Worth a look.
Also, you said you just bought the guitar/amp recently. I don't know if you are a beginner, or just switching guitars, but if you are still new to the guitar than I would really recommend sticking with what you have for a little while and just learn to play. Once you have a little more confidence and experience under your belt you'll be better equipped to pick out exactly what pickups/amp you need to get based on the tone you are looking for. If you are already an experienced player than ignore that last sentence!

[Iceman0124]

The pickups will change the overall amplified sound of the guitar, but you do have to keep the actual tone of the guitar in mind. Just because its an epi LP doesnt mean its going to sound like every epi LP, they vary greatly, if yours is a piece of dead wood that has little resonace or an extremely bright and lively piece, the same pickups will sound vastly different, the pups pickup the true tone of the guitar, the wood,construction and the hardware.

Another big reason why buying sight unseen isnt the best way to go if it can be avoided, the unplugged test is the first and most important one for me, if it doesnt pass, it goes back on the shelf.

All that being said, skill level has a great bit to do with it too. If your primary amp is a line 6 15 watter I feel its safe to say your not gigging or such, instead of dropping a bunch of cash in pups, I'd reccomend a good simple low wattage tube amp to help open up your sound and in turn improve your playing, as there is less garbage to hide behind. There are lots of good ones in the $200-$400 range. The vox valvetronix hybrid amps would be a good step up too if you want to keep the effects.modles, the fender champ xd series is also quite good, all tube with amp and effect modles.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...mbo?sku=483069

[calibud]

Originally Posted by Roman Rist

Yes

sweet and simple

+1

[Magnum22]

i think the epi pickups are fine. like any aftermarket humbucker, it has strengths and weaknesses. overall, i think they sound pretty good and they're versatile. keep playing with your amp settings using the vintage marshall model (if it has one) and roll the tone back some on your guitar to get somethin slashy. without his hands, no one can nail that tone.

Originally Posted by hbucker

Yes, pickups do make a big difference. But so does the amp. Sounds like you're using kind of a practice amp. Nothing wrong with that. But spending $$ on new pickups may not sound that much different on the amp you're using.

I would recommend a better amp before you invest much in pickups.

Words to remember: A good amp can make a bad guitar sound good. But a good guitar cannot make a bad amp sound good.

i agree with this and i'd just like to add that the spider has a bit of a 'cookie cutter' effect on guitars and you won't hear much difference, thus it's not really worth changing pickups.

Originally Posted by PuddleOfMudd25

OK, glad I asked the question before I spent $200! Yeah, a new amp would be great, but I pretty much just bought this Line 6 along with my Epi, costing all around $800. And by not having a job, spending that again on a new amp would be crazy, so I guess I'll just stick with my 15w. It still has a pretty decent tone anyways. Thanks everyone!

to this i have to say that you don't have to replace the amp. you'd have two. aren't they making decent tube amps now that cost less than a pair of gibson pickups? add a nice overdrive pedal and you'll rock.

Originally Posted by Iceman0124

The pickups will change the overall amplified sound of the guitar, but you do have to keep the actual tone of the guitar in mind. Just because its an epi LP doesnt mean its going to sound like every epi LP, they vary greatly, if yours is a piece of dead wood that has little resonace or an extremely bright and lively piece, the same pickups will sound vastly different, the pups pickup the true tone of the guitar, the wood,construction and the hardware.

Another big reason why buying sight unseen isnt the best way to go if it can be avoided, the unplugged test is the first and most important one for me, if it doesnt pass, it goes back on the shelf.

all of this is true and i perform the same test. you get lucky sometimes and find a cheap guitar cut from a good plank that puts expensive guitars to shame. those should never be left at the store. take em home and hot rod the mess out of em.

[Akahito]

So, how much did you pay for the Spider? Classic rockers use tube for a reason: The clarity and richness of tone and the warm, natural harmonic distortion of amplifier tubes just can't be replicated, no matter what the digi-fanatics say. Even the steadfast minority of classic rockers who use solid state amps seldom use digital modeling amps, and rely on analog equipment. This is not to put digital amps down, there are great digital amps out there as well, but they're quite expensive, just with your budget a low-wattage tube amp would serve your quest for tone better. Something you can drive the power amp to distort without leaving your whole neighborhood with shattered windows and busted eardrums.

Check this:
Fender Pro Junior Combo

The new Peavey tube combos have been great as well, and pretty much offer the most for an amplifier for the money. This little thing even has a power attenuator, so you can easily crank it in an apartment as well.
Peavey Windsor Studio 20W 1x12 Tube Combo

Realizing the Spider into some cash and the $200 you were about to spend on the pickups will get you quite close to either of those, and there's tons of usable stuff floating around second hand.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by hbucker

Yes, pickups do make a big difference. But so does the amp. Sounds like you're using kind of a practice amp. Nothing wrong with that. But spending $$ on new pickups may not sound that much different on the amp you're using.

I would recommend a better amp before you invest much in pickups.

Words to remember: A good amp can make a bad guitar sound good. But a good guitar cannot make a bad amp sound good.

+1 best piece of advice you will hear IMO For goodness sake get a real amp will ya!

[Iceman0124]

i do understand to a point about the parents money issue, I've been there, my first guitar was the one I begged my folks not to get me, an unplayable untunable toy with a built in speaker, that said it was probably a good thing as it got me working at a very early age so I could buy something useable for myself.

I really wouldnt invest in pickups right now if I were you, a good amp is your next best purchase bar none, shop your spider around if you have to. I know a great player that refuses to buy a guitar over $150....he gigs on a regular basis with an unmodified affinity strat, BUT, he has a 1965 near mint and babied fender twin blackface, and thats his sound, and its a truely beautiful sound.

[delkabong]

the epis are fine - especially in the neck position which is what slash uses.

How about playing and technique? If slash, eddie, warren haynes or jeff beck pick up a cheapas ibanez starter pack, they will sound better than many of us here would sound on our wet dream set up...hands down. These guys got good by practicing, not parting. and when you get good, you can hire a tech to worry about your pickups for you.

That being said, I agree with most here - go for an amp first if you feel like throwing some money around, tubes are nice...but those line 6 amps are not all that bad. you could sound great on that setup if you pour your heart into playing. You can make that guitar sound just like slash, not by changing pickups - but by practice practice. When you start to sound like your faves through your current gear, then worry about gear.

[Iceman0124]

[QUOTE=delkabong;454843] You can make that guitar sound just like slash, not by changing pickups - but by practice practice. [QUOTE]


Well said, you could play through Slashes rig in his most favored environment, and you will get close to his tone (not his sound).....I said close because an important comppnent of tone is in you, your fingers, your technique, tone really is like fingerprints, no one sounds alike. I know a lot folks who cant understand how I get my sound, they play through my gear and hate it, but love it when I'm playing, and vice versa.

No one had mentioned this so I spose I will, if your not taking them already, lessons from a good teacher could be the best money spent. By good I mean teaching ability over playing......you dont have to be the best to help make someone great, look at football and basketball coaches, hell pro playing pro football coaches are the minority. Find someone that understands what your trying to achive and knows him/her can make that happen and you will be amazed at the results.

I'm a good beginenr teacher, I was actually appointed by my old teacher to hone in early players and get them ready for him. A lot of my students will hear me noodiling around and beg me to teach them how do "that"....and I cant, I know how to do that, but I dont know how to teach it, once you master what I can teach you, you'll move up to the man that taught me how to do "that".

[vladmaximus]

Yeahhh...for me...
a good pickups can produce a great GOOD SOUND...
thats it...
thanks...

[Bowhunterwt]

When you swap your stock V8 in your car to a high performance motor does it make a different??? Yes it does~!!!!! So swapping pickups do help~!!

[vladmaximus]

+++1
hell yeah bowhunterwt...
u r right....

vrommmmmm vroooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

he he heee...

[JimmyPageNo1Fan]

i changed the pups in my epi and i made a HUGE difference

[tintin]

Originally Posted by JimmyPageNo1Fan

i changed the pups in my epi and i made a HUGE difference

What did you switch to and what were the diffs?

[klohiq]

it will make a difference but the effects on your amp are probably not the greatest. i have an older spider 112 which is said to have better tone. i use a gt3 for all my effects. with the preamp on the gt3 it sounds pretty good to me...a tube amp would probably sound a little better.

you could buy a used peavey classic 30, epiphone valve jr, etc for cheap. or buy a brand new blackheart killer ant head for $180 and find a used 1x10, 1x12, 2x12, etc cab...depends on what you need, the killer ant is a 1/4watt amp so dont expect it to blow you away, but it is quite loud and you can drive the tubes hard without waking the neighbors.

or you could keep the spider, buy a used multieffects pedal or a few analog stomp boxes and possibly upgrade one or both of the pickups pretty cheaply. its all in how you want to spend your money...hard for anyone else to tell you what you need to do to get the sound you want for cheap...im just giving ideas.

[JimmyPageNo1Fan]

Originally Posted by tintin

What did you switch to and what were the diffs?

i switched to these zebra paf replicas the tone was fuller and the sound is more diverse now. a good move

[Jason]

Back when I owned an Epi, I swapped the PU's out for some Gibsons and it sounded just like the Gibson LP Classic I bought a few years later. The improvement was night and day, I can't recommend new pickups highly enough.

[tintin]

Originally Posted by JimmyPageNo1Fan

i switched to these zebra paf replicas the tone was fuller and the sound is more diverse now. a good move

Thanks.

There's a lot of variation in price for PAF replicas- about $35 for GFS to over $300 for boutique winder varieties.

What kinda amp are you using?

[tintin]

Originally Posted by JasonC

Back when I owned an Epi, I swapped the PU's out for some Gibsons and it sounded just like the Gibson LP Classic I bought a few years later. The improvement was night and day, I can't recommend new pickups highly enough.

57 Classics or Burstbuckers or ceramics?

[dcmey]

Originally Posted by Akahito

So, how much did you pay for the Spider? Classic rockers use tube for a reason: The clarity and richness of tone and the warm, natural harmonic distortion of amplifier tubes just can't be replicated, no matter what the digi-fanatics say. Even the steadfast minority of classic rockers who use solid state amps seldom use digital modeling amps, and rely on analog equipment. This is not to put digital amps down, there are great digital amps out there as well, but they're quite expensive, just with your budget a low-wattage tube amp would serve your quest for tone better. Something you can drive the power amp to distort without leaving your whole neighborhood with shattered windows and busted eardrums.

Check this:
Fender Pro Junior Combo

The new Peavey tube combos have been great as well, and pretty much offer the most for an amplifier for the money. This little thing even has a power attenuator, so you can easily crank it in an apartment as well.
Peavey Windsor Studio 20W 1x12 Tube Combo

Realizing the Spider into some cash and the $200 you were about to spend on the pickups will get you quite close to either of those, and there's tons of usable stuff floating around second hand.

While it would be nice to have an all tube amp a good alternative is hybrid amp. Some companies such as Vox are putting tubes in the pre amp, everything else is solid state. It delivers a great sound at a reasonable price. I have the Vox AD50VT. BTW I have just found out that the AD series is being discontinued by VOX and the VT series is the new and improved version.

[Akahito]

Tube amps have been around for as long as there have been audio amplifiers, so you're bound to find one that fits your budget and soundscape if you just look around a little. What comes to the hybrid technology, they're most of the time no cheaper than corresponding full tube combos, albeit sport a couple dozen watts of nominal power output more; Still, again without putting any brand or technology down, tubes tend to be louder and more powerful even at lower nominal power output, so a comparison between a 20W tube and 50W solid state power amp levels to about the same amount of audible dynamic range.

[Iceman0124]

Originally Posted by Bowhunterwt

When you swap your stock V8 in your car to a high performance motor does it make a different??? Yes it does~!!!!! So swapping pickups do help~!!

Thats not always the case, you can easily put too much motor in a car and be left with worse performance than you started, just like the components of a vehicle, the components of your rig all add up to your tone, you could give the kid an R9, and after he gets over the giddy feeling of having the R9, the line6 is still gonna leave his tone lacking.

I'm not against pup upgrades, I do them often, but for OP's situation, pups arent the best money spent right now IMO. He's got a decent guitar, and an OK ish amp, $200 pups run through a $100 amp isnt the besrt combo, a good low cost low wattage tube amp he can grow into would be better money spent.

Right now pups would be like investing in a high performance oversized cooling system for a high performance engine, while sticking with the stock engine.

[tintin]

WRT low cost tube amps, the Fender Super Champ XD is on sale right now. Got me tempted.