1

The Pickup Place / Super distortion - super D or super 2 for the neck

« on: August 26, 2017, 05:14:46 PM »

I have an Epiphone Les Paul standard - I think the pickups are ok but a little generic sounding. I can get a good tone out of them but maybe a 70s classic rock tone.
Was thinking super distortions but maybe super 2 in the neck - maybe a super D would be a bit dark. I know that's a classic 79s combo - anyone tried both in an LP and can advise if the super 2 would be too bright in the neck or if this is the killer combo ?


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2

The Pickup Place / Super distortion - super D or super 2 for the neck

« on: August 26, 2017, 04:25:55 PM »

I have an Epiphone Les Paul standard - I think the pickups are ok but a little generic sounding. I can get a good tone out of them but maybe a 70s classic rock tone.
Was thinking super distortions but maybe super 2 in the neck - maybe a super D would be a bit dark. I know that's a classic 79s combo - anyone tried both in an LP and can advise if the super 2 would be too bright in the neck or if this is the killer combo ?


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3

The Pickup Place / Super distortion - super D or super 2 for the neck

« on: August 26, 2017, 03:55:31 PM »

I have an Epiphone Les Paul standard - I think the pickups are ok but a little generic sounding. I can get a good tone out of them but maybe a 70s classic rock tone.
Was thinking super distortions but maybe super 2 in the neck - maybe a super D would be a bit dark. I know that's a classic 70s combo - anyone tried both in an LP and can advise if the super 2 would be too bright in the neck or if this is the killer combo ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

4

The Pickup Place / Super distortion - super D or super 2 for the neck

« on: August 26, 2017, 03:54:59 PM »

I have an Epiphone Les Paul standard - I think the pickups are ok but a little generic sounding. I can get a good tone out of them but maybe a 70s classic rock tone.
Was thinking super distortions but maybe super 2 in the neck - maybe a super D would be a bit dark. I know that's a classic 79s combo - anyone tried both in an LP and can advise if the super 2 would be too bright in the neck or if this is the killer combo ?


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5

The Pickup Place / F spacing?

« on: December 20, 2016, 08:37:39 PM »

I have a 1970s high end Japanese guitar with OEM DiMarzio pickups. I am guessing back then humbuckers were all 48 to 49mm and single coils 50 to 52mm.

My guitar has a hard tail string through back like a hard tail fixed bridge strat. Strings over the bridge pickup are about 52.5mm yet it's got 48mm spaced bridge humbucker.

Having swapped 50mm for 52mm out on a strat and could hear no difference I don't think there is any discernible difference unless you are a guitar playing bat.

But I think I might swap these pickups out, question is do get f spaced bridge or not? It seems to bump the price up buying individual pickups as opposed to a matched set for most brands (especially Seymour Duncan's, I can save up to £50 not going for a trembucker with the matched set offers)

What do guys here think?



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6

The Pickup Place / F spacing?

« on: December 20, 2016, 08:37:07 PM »

I have a 1970s high end Japanese guitar with OEM DiMarzio pickups. I am guessing back then humbuckers were all 48 to 49mm and single coils 50 to 52mm.

My guitar has a hard tail string through back like a hard tail fixed bridge strat. Strings over the bridge pickup are about 52.5mm yet it's got 48mm spaced bridge humbucker.

Having swapped 50mm for 52mm out on a strat and could hear no difference I don't think there is any discernible difference unless you are a guitar playing bat.

But I think I might swap these pickups out, question is do get f spaced bridge or not? It seems to bump the price up buying individual pickups as opposed to a matched set for most brands (especially Seymour Duncan's, I can save up to £50 not going for a trembucker with the matched set offers)

What do guys here think?



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7

The Pickup Place / Mag swapping in 1st gen superdistortions - is it sacrilege?

« on: November 04, 2016, 12:42:46 PM »

Hi all,
I have a 1970s El Maya which came fitted with most excellent hardware including dimarzio superdistortions from the factory. I have had this guitar for about 30 years.

I just don't like the superdistortions- when I was a youth and my ear less discerning because I played with a lot of effects and quiet a lot of gain I never noticed they sound god awful clean.

Clean and low gain is what I do these days, so I swapped out the neck monster ceramic for A5 and instant sweetness right there! still bright but not shrill, harsh and sterile sounding anymore. Softly scooped, less volume (not checked DCR but it's got to be lower, that ceramic is twice the thickness) nice soft but pronounced bass and lovely clarity. In fact very PAF like....

I may experiment a bit and try A2 or combo of A2 and A5. Is this sacrilege, as these are the early 1970s ones with the single hookup wire and the outer braided shielding is the ground?



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8

The Pickup Place / El Maya EM 1300 with Superdistortions?

« on: September 14, 2016, 10:57:39 AM »

Hi
I have an El Maya EM1300, which I bought as a brand new 10 year oldish guitar in1988 (it was sat in a store for 10 years before I bought it! )

It has high gain pickups that sound great driven but don't clean up so well. Very harsh, but better since I lowered the the 12 hex poles in each pickup.

I was talking about this guitar with an old school luthier who informs me that even though the headstock says made in Kobe Japan, part of the production (wood work?) was carried out in Sweden! It's one seriously over engineered guitar. She also told me that those harsh pickups are vintage Di Marzio Superdistortions fitted in the factory.

I replaced the tone pots as they were crackly and noticed a weird wiring set up. They seem to have one conductor wire going to the input of the volume pot and the braid is grounded (soldered directly) to the back of the volume pot.

Is that normal? I can see different coloured wires under the tape on the pickup but nothing exposed. Is it possible to coil split  these? I am loath to peel back tape to find I can't - was hoping someone might know.

Many thanks


Vinnie