Epiphone pickup bottom plate ?

[billyz]

I have a cheap shop epiphone les paul with the humbucking pu's. Not wanting to spend alot on this guitar can I replace the bottom plate of the stock ch57 and hotch pu with the Allparts baseplate to improve the tonality ? Any other mods To do cheaply that are worth it ? I know everyone says just replace them, But I already have it and don't want to turn it into a super guitar. The allparts basplates are cheap enough .

Thanks,
Billy Z

Billy Z - Custom Amplifiers - Guitar and Amp Repair

[fieldwrangler]

Well... I s'ppose it's time for someone to do some swapping around on one of these much-maligned units.

After you change out the baseplate (and do your best to assess the potential change in response) next do something about those uniquely cheap magnets.

Then (if the sizes make this sort of thing convenient) try changing the screws and/or slugs.

I vaguely recall thinking that all these pickups were wound with 43, 44 or something muckily in between, so you could go to the winder if so motivated and Get Down with some good ol'42...

[copperheadroads]

The biggest improve you could make is removing those tone dulling brass/chrome covers .If you pickups are equipped with those
A nickel silver baseplate will make a difference compared to brass but that's not why they don't sound so good ,
Screws,Slug are another thing you might want to consider -
I know the later epiphones have better electronics like big alpha pots ,but as soon as you roll the volume down you loose allot of your highs
.50's wiring made a huge difference to my epiphone & a couple of Sprague orange drop Capacitors

[billyz]

Ha yes, They are maligned, by me mostly. But I am trying to go cheap and I am not a pickup winder or rewinder. besides too much trouble for these. So, If I understand you the magnets should be changed out as well ? They are supposed to be Alnico. I don't expect them to ever sound like the fine pickups being made by folks here.

Z

Billy Z - Custom Amplifiers - Guitar and Amp Repair

[billyz]

I am already rewiring it to vintage specs. 500kA all around too. Since I like the cover on, I should then replace them with what ? Something from Allparts please ? I have dealer pricing from them.

[fieldwrangler]

They are supposed to be Alnico.

Do they conduct current?

[billyz]

Do they conduct current?

I will have to pull them out and measure them. Would not Alnico conduct current ? Maybe ceramic would not.

[big_teee]

I am already rewiring it to vintage specs. 500kA all around too. Since I like the cover on, I should then replace them with what ? Something from Allparts please ? I have dealer pricing from them.

This isn't what you want to hear, but the bobbins are the biggest downer.
They need to be rewound with some quality 42 gauge wire.
You could take off the covers and rewind the bobbins, install A2 Mags, even on those baseplates, and they would sound much better.
If you keep those bobbins, anything else is good money after bad, IMHO.
That's my .02c
Good Luck,
Terry

[fieldwrangler]

I will have to pull them out and measure them. Would not Alnico conduct current ? Maybe ceramic would not.

Yes - pull them

Yes - Alnico conducts

Yes - Ceramic doesn't

[copperheadroads]

the magnets are suppose to be Alnico5
There's a discussion going on right now on the Duncan forum about epi pickups
I have discovered why the Epiphone Pickups suck!!! - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums

[billyz]

I do not have any illusions about turning these into something special, just a bit better . Actually for a shop guitar it is not that bad. But I do not want to completely rebuild the pickups. It would be better to replace them at that point. Now if only Possum would permanently loan me a pair, ha ha.

Billy Z

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

Wow, someone on the Duncan board linked to this: Epiphone Musical Instruments - News

"finest magnet wire available" is an okay thing to say if you've never shopped for magnet wire before.

The "quick connector" cited as a "feature" rather than "assembly short cut" is interesting. I liked the "unequaled reliability"...... how is a clip ever MORE reliable than just having a wire running the length without a clip?

To the original post, I'd say play around with it, but do so for fun and to experiment without holding your breath for great results. I've done magnet swaps and so forth on similar pickups and have helped to clean them up a bit, but it wasn't a huge deal. I'm going to guess by looking at the specs that putting an all parts baseplate would brighten the pickup a bit - but that is just a guess.

Removing/replacing the cover and replacing the wiring would be as far as I'd go, personally... unless I had stray magnets kicking around. Redoing the wire with vintage style stuff can do wonders sometimes, too.

[LtKojak]

I have a cheap shop epiphone les paul with the humbucking pu's. Not wanting to spend alot on this guitar can I replace the bottom plate of the stock ch57 and hotch pu with the Allparts baseplate to improve the tonality ? Any other mods To do cheaply that are worth it ? I know everyone says just replace them, But I already have it and don't want to turn it into a super guitar. The allparts basplates are cheap enough .

Thanks,
Billy Z

Billy Z - Custom Amplifiers - Guitar and Amp Repair

Just to prove a point, I've changed baseplate, slugs and screws... used an A8 mag in the 14.00K bridge model and an A3 in the neck model which actually measured 8.52K. Much too hot for that position. hence the weak mag used.

Outcome: a much different BAD than before. First it was EMBARRASING bad, then it was REALLY bad.

Don't waste your time and/or money on those: just throw'em into the garbage bin, where they belong.

HTH,

[copperheadroads]

I know the spacing is a little narrow but ,I was thinking that 8.52k neck pickup might sound ok in the bridge position

[fieldwrangler]

By the way, I use a couple of these guitars as shop mules for pickup testing, as I've standardized the dimensions of some of the Current Contenders so that they'll fit in a standard 'Bucker Box.

So, the pickups that the Epi's shipped with are all just sitting around and I must admit that I haven't yet found an application for either Them in their Wholeness or Any of their Parts.

Bob Palmieri