Epiphone

[robrecht]

Hi
I play a Epiphone Les Paul Special. For a long time i loved this guitar and i didn't hear any difference between mine and a 2000$ gibson.
Now i'm more experienced, and my ears are more trained. I hear MUCH difference between this cheap one and a gibson.
But that doesn't mean i have $2000 bucks to get a nice gibson (here in belgium it's waay more expensive then in USA), so i'm planning to get an Epiphone G400.
What are your comments on this guitar (everything stock)?
My plans are: keep everything for a while stock, and replacing the pups afterwards with EMG (probably an 81 bridge and an 85 neck).
I mostly play rhythm (alternative rock) with some gain, and i adore the SG look. But is a les paul really a better choice for rhythm?
Tnx!

[Wally]

IMO, what you need more than another Epiphone are new pickups for the one you have. Whatever Epi you buy will never give up anything close to the sound you want without some higher-quality aftermarket pickups.

[buzz]

Well, Wally: If you want to have fun, no EMG´s. I think Seymour Duncan pickups are what you´re lookin´for, man. Try the "Jazz" on the neck, and the "JB" right on the bridge. Satisfaction guaranteed!

[Wally]

Well, Wally: If you want to have fun, no EMG´s. I think Seymour Duncan pickups are what you´re lookin´for, man. Try the "Jazz" on the neck, and the "JB" right on the bridge. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Buzz, I have to agree with you about the EMG's, but I would personally choose different SD's. The JB has a bit too much midrange for me. It is sort of that industrial '80's type of sound, imo. I particularly like the Duncan Custom on the bridge with a '59 in the neck. I like the more vintage type of EQ-curve.

[buzz]

Right! But the JB´s it sounds just very big and "vintage" for me. They really rocks! I see no industrial tones on a JB. Different buttholes, different ears, I´m afraid. Anyway, there are a lot of stuff so much better than a "JB", but the problem is the money. How about the weather in Belgium, man? Here on that spanish beach, really bad.

[Wally]

Buzz, you are right about different ears, but.......check out the Seymour Duncan site for specs and you will see that the JB's EQ curve(pronounced mids) is nothing close to a vintage-type of EQ(slightly scooped mids).
So, if the listener has a loss of midrange in their hearing, maybe the JB would do a 'simulated' vintage EQ due to its exaggerated mids vis-a-vis the vintage curve, but what would a true vintage EQ sound like to that same set of ears? There would be no midrange at all. Just an observation.......

[buzz]

Oh, I´m frightened... Can be hearing loss? (I´m not jokin´around) Years of loud playing and tons of decibels may had broke my ear. You are right about tone paramethrics, but the fact is that I played last summer a friend´s Epiphone with JB´s, sounded like heaven. I don´t know. I´m a tone taliban and just can´t find an answer. Anyway, the JB´s costs only 85$.Have you ever turn out the original pickups on a SG? What´s better stuff?

[Wally]

Buzz, whatever works for you is what you should go with. I fully empathize with folks who have hearing loss. Here's a case...I have a customer who plays professionally for 20-25 years now. I did some amp work on a Super Reverb for him. I had the amp set to '5's' on the tone knobs. This setting is a good neutral point, imo. When he came in to check the amp out, he dialed the bass to zero and maxed the treble and mid pots. The amp sounded terrible to MY ears, but that is where he had to set it to compensate for the loss of high end hearing that he has. That type of hearing loss makes it difficult to function in any musical setting. I feel for the guy.

[buzz]

Doc said I´m Ok!!!!!!!! My hearing is pretty good!

[Wally]

Good news, Buzz. I guess 'Vintage' for you is '80's rock? That is when the pronounced midrange hot pups came into prominence...late '70's even. DIfferent strokes, right? That is why they make so manyoptions.

[buzz]

Thank you so much! Wally, I´m not specially interested on 80´s sound. I love the 60´s (in fact, I´m a mod). I hear bands like The Faces, Who, Jeff Beck Group, The Seeds, Grateful Dead, tons of lost garage bands, you know...Actually I´m playing 70´s stuff, mixing MC5 and The Stooges with KISS and Hellacopters. Rock or death, you know. My amp is a 1962Bluesbreaker re-edition, and my guitar a splendid SG Standard. Also I got a Tele, but she´s not "Madame Gibson". Cheers!