Pickup choices as a gift for a friend?

zepp76

I'm wanting to get some pickups as a gift for a friend and would welcome some suggestions. All I have to go on is he says he likes a "sleazy" '80's kind of rock tone, highish gain and no muddiness. The guitar is a '90's Epiphone Les Paul Custom so humbuckers are needed. He'll be playing through a Marshall Code (I bought him it last year and he loves it) if that helps. Any suggestions from my vague description are most welcome, thank you.

chrisj1602

Seymour Duncan Slash pickups or something similar.

Winny_Pooh

budget? 

Most alnico 5 pickups wound over 10k in the bridge will do.

thegummy

I got given Bare Knuckle Mules as a present and it made me very happy  

zepp76

Winny_Pooh said:

budget? 

Most alnico 5 pickups wound over 10k in the bridge will do.

Sorry, budget is between £150-200.

Iamnobody

That’s very generous of you. Are you looking for any new friends? 

Talk to @TheGuitarWeasel he’ll be able to supply you with exactly what you want. Custom made pickups would make for a really nice pressie!

revsorg

An EMG 81 in the bridge position.  Something else from EMG in the other position.

guitarfishbay

revsorg said:

An EMG 81 in the bridge position.  Something else from EMG in the other position.

The Fat 55 set could possibly be even better for this, they’re like bigger sounding PAFs with some more balls to the low end. Not as characterful as passive PAFs (more even and less biting in the top) but they’re not as flubby either.

But my first thought for sleazy 80s/90s tone is Duncan JB/Jazz set, a lot of people used that setup in that time period.

For tighter with more top end sizzle I’d go Duncan Custom Bridge, possibly a 59 in the neck but sometimes I find that a bit bassy in some Gibsons. 

If he likes heavier stuff the Duncan Distortion sry works great in Les Pauls.

Alegree

I'd think a gift card for a pickup manufacturer would be the best option with pickups being such a personal and divisive subject. 

OilCityPickups

Alegree said:

I'd think a gift card for a pickup manufacturer would be the best option with pickups being such a personal and divisive subject. 

Exactly right ... pole spacing, covered or uncovered etc etc are all things your friend needs to choose.

Funkfingers

Alegree said:

I'd think a gift card for a pickup manufacturer would be the best option ...

TheGuitarWeasel said:
 ... pole spacing, covered or uncovered etc etc are all things your friend needs to choose.

By any chance, do either of you good gentlemen happen to offer this service?

Funkfingers

zepp76 said:

I'm wanting to get some pickups as a gift for a friend. The guitar is a '90's Epiphone Les Paul Custom. He'll be playing through a Marshall Code. 

My stock response to this sort of forum question is to enquire;
1) What pickups are in the guitar at present?
2) What is it about them that is proving unsatisfactory?

"Sleazy" Eighties Rock probably means something different to everyone who reads those words. In my opinion, it is more to do with player attitude than anything in the gear list.

revsorg said:

An EMG 81 in the bridge position.  Something else from EMG in the other position.

For players who spend the majority of their time on the bridge/Treble pickup, reserving the neck/Rhythm pickup for cleaner/quieter duties, the EMG-81/-60 or the HET set should deliver. The EMG-H makes an interesting alternative. (It is the EMG-S inside a humbucker cover. The volume and tonal difference suits some applications.)

Since the Epiphone LP is drilled for four pots, it invites reconfiguring of the controls. For example, Neck PU Vol., Bridge PU Vol., Master Treble Roll Off plus one of the EMG booster accessories. (EMG-H + EMG-SPC = Gilmourish.)

guitarfishbay said:
Duncan JB, Jazz, Custom, 59 neck, Distortion

All good choices.

The nearest guitar I have to the Epiphone is probably a Hamer XT Sunburst. It has JB and Pearly Gates Neck humbuckers. For less rip, the Brobucker is nice (but probably worth more than the rest of the guitar!).

drwiddly

Budget choice - Irongear Hot Slag

Best Option - Oil City Scrapyard Dog +

Both are fairly hot AlNiCo 5 humbuckers that handle high gain very well but remain articulate and never get muddy. They clean up well with the volume control too.

DefaultM

Something like a JB and 59? Not very exciting but pretty standard so less chance of it being completely wrong.

skunkwerx

My bad....

Funkfingers

skunkwerx said:

There's cheaper ways of getting into a girl's pants ,my man.

Er, the OP describes the *friend* as he. ;-p

zepp76 said:

'90's Epiphone Les Paul Custom ... budget is between £150-200.

If the guitar is worth £350 - 400, there is an argument for selling it and putting the replacement pickup budget towards the purchase of a better guitar.

skunkwerx

Funkfingers said:

skunkwerx said:

There's cheaper ways of getting into a girl's pants ,my man.

Er, the OP describes the *friend* as he. ;-p

zepp76 said:

'90's Epiphone Les Paul Custom ... budget is between £150-200.

If the guitar is worth £350 - 400, there is an argument for selling it and putting the replacement pickup budget towards the purchase of a better guitar.

Oh man its been a long day! Shamefully removed my nonsense! 

sev112

zepp76 said:

I'm wanting to get some pickups as a gift for a friend  He'll be playing through a Marshall Code (I bought him it last year 

Can I be your friend too ?

Schnozz

Did he not mean 'cheesy 80s'? If he said 'sleazy 80s' then that makes it harder, but I would probably say Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demons...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yusDUUUAaNw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfbrlale9j8

The '59/JB or Jazz/JB combos are a bit more versatile, but more 'cheesy 80s'.

I would have said Jerry Cantrell has a 'sleazy' tone with his Motor City Pickup, but 90s.

Schnozz

Apparently Mick Mars used a Super Distortion, so that's probably the sleaziest for 80s (WASP used them too).

OilCityPickups

Schnozz said:

Apparently Mick Mars used a Super Distortion, so that's probably the sleaziest for 80s (WASP used them too).

For me the Super Distortion IS the eighties ... and still the original is the pickup all high output humbuckers have to live up to.
As a total aside, I recently had to strip and rewind a Duncan Nazgul ... vaunted as the holy grail of modern heavy pickups. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was virtually an exact copy of the Super Distortion ... just with some extra shielding added. Larry, I'd get my lawyers primed up if I were you :-)