Pickup recommendations for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard?

Hairdoom

Tomorrow I'll be trading my PRS SE CU 24 for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard as I missed the feel, tone, and general mojo that a Les Paul has ( don't get me wrong the PRS was great but I didn't bond with it as I thought I would).

After Xmas I'll be looking to upgrade the pickups to something a little nicer than stock. I don't want to spend a fortune and I'll most likely be buying used, but there's such a wide range out there that I'd appreciate a bit of advice on what to look for.

Im more concerned about cleans and not after anything too high gain. I'm currently playing straight into a Blackstar HT-1R.

So what's out there that will give me a decent increase in tone but not break the bank?

thegummy

Came to give you a recommendation but then I read "don't want to spend a fortune" so rules out my pick!

thegummy

Do you already know you dislike the Epiphone stock?

They could well be fine.

Funkfingers

Usual suggestions for the neck/Rhythm position include the Seymour Duncan SH-1N '59, SHPG-1N Pearly Gates and the more recent Saturday Night Special. I like the SH-1N with a magnet swap to Alnico 4 and a metal cover soldered on.

Bridge/Treble position suggestions depend on exactly how hard you wish your guitar to drive an amplifier. 

This forum's friendly UK pickup builders probably have something to suit. Trawl their websites for descriptions and pics. 

DrCornelius

I had probuckers in my Epi LP and they were great for clean and grit imho. Didn't get woolly at all

Veganic

Don't change anything until you have played the guitar, altered the pickup height and maybe tried some eq or boost even for 'cleans.'

It won't cost a fortune.

Funkfingers

thegummy said:

Do you already know you dislike the Epiphone stock?

Good point. Who makes Epiphone Alnico Classics and Pro Buckers? Is it G&B? 

I have G&B-made pickups in a Paul Reed Smith USA S2 guitar. They sound fine. I have a second pair of PRS/G&B pickups removed from another Les Paul derivative guitar. These might fit the OP's brief. (Vintage output. 4-con + shield cable. Nickel plated covers.)

Grumpyrocker

When I had an Epiphone Les Paul (which I regret selling) I put an inexpensive set of Iron Gear pickups in it. They sounded fabulous. 

Put a Hot Slag in at the bridge, and Rolling Mill at the neck. Lovely combo.

thegummy

Grumpyrocker said:

When I had an Epiphone Les Paul (which I regret selling) I put an inexpensive set of Iron Gear pickups in it. They sounded fabulous. 

Put a Hot Slag in at the bridge, and Rolling Mill at the neck. Lovely combo.

I like a hot slag in the rear position

Lesgrandepotato

thegummy said:

Grumpyrocker said:

When I had an Epiphone Les Paul (which I regret selling) I put an inexpensive set of Iron Gear pickups in it. They sounded fabulous. 

Put a Hot Slag in at the bridge, and Rolling Mill at the neck. Lovely combo.

I like a hot slag in the rear position

For rhythm work? 

breakstuff

Grumpyrocker said:

When I had an Epiphone Les Paul (which I regret selling) I put an inexpensive set of Iron Gear pickups in it. They sounded fabulous. 

Put a Hot Slag in at the bridge, and Rolling Mill at the neck. Lovely combo.

This. 

A Hot Slag in a Les Paul sounds epic.Great pickups. 

robgilmo

Les Paul in a hot slag on the other hand doesnt sound so appealing, in any position.

thegummy

robgilmo said:

Les Paul in a hot slag on the other hand doesnt sound so appealing, in any position.

Wouldn't have said no to Mary Ford if I was around in the 50s though

ESBlonde

Two considerations.
Change and upgrade the pots and caps with the current pickups first. Inexpensive and likely to yield a marked improvement.
Buy a pair of Gibson 57 classics that someone upgraded from. They have great tone and you can resell without a huge hit if they don't suit.

abw1989

Two sets in an LP which sound good to me:

'Expensive' - Seymour Duncan JB/59
'Affordable' - Iron Gear Tesla Sharks

And also as mentioned above, change out the pots and caps too to get the most out of the replacement pickups.

Henrytwang

thegummy said:

Do you already know you dislike the Epiphone stock?

They could well be fine.

That was my first thought. I own several Epiphone guitars and have changed the pickups on most of them but on two or three I’ve kept the original ones as they sound good. My favourite aftermarket humbuckers  are the Seymour Duncan JB/Sh2n set which I have in a couple of Epiphone SGs. At a lower price point the Iron Gear range of humbuckers is worth a look, they’re well made and sound great , another cheaper option is a used set of “Duncan Designed” pickups.

Hairdoom

Thanks for the input. It's not that I'm expecting there to be anything wrong with the stock pickups, but I know the difference that a swap can make.

I'll certainly have a look at the Iron Gear ones, they seem to be very popular and not too expensive.

sweepy

Trawl eBay and here for secondhand pickups, you don’t want to spend what your guitar is worth on aftermarket pickups, that way madness lies

menamestom

I would go for 2nd hand Gibson pickups, I sold my Burstbucker 1 and 2 set for about £80.
They were nice pickups with good cleans, not too hot.  Gibson pups are a great upgrade to an epi, if the budget fits.

Grumpyrocker

breakstuff said:

Grumpyrocker said:

When I had an Epiphone Les Paul (which I regret selling) I put an inexpensive set of Iron Gear pickups in it. They sounded fabulous. 

Put a Hot Slag in at the bridge, and Rolling Mill at the neck. Lovely combo.

This. 

A Hot Slag in a Les Paul sounds epic.Great pickups. 

I put a pair of Hot Slags on my PRS SE Custom 22 and added a push-push pot to split them. Sounds fantastic. Iron Gear pickups are fabulous. 

thermionic

Trade your PRS for a Les Paul 1960 Tribute Plus - they come with OEM Gibson Classic 57s. I think the proper maple cap in these makes them sound a bit different to the all "mahogany" Standards.