Pups for a Epi Dot Studio

[TmcB]

Bearing in mind I'm a tightarse, what inexpensive pups would be the go for a Epi dot studio?
Just got it today
Gonna upgrade everything, but first things first.
I need good pups, and good tuners

[danrawkz]

Just buy a gibson man! with all that upgrade money you may have bought one!1

Just kidding.


Not too sure, to be honest myself on 'cheap pickups'.. You're probably best scouring tardme for some secondhand duncans or the like. Think there's a cheap '59 on tardme atm for instance

[TmcB]

Just buy a gibson man! with all that upgrade money you may have bought one!1

Just kidding.


Not too sure, to be honest myself on 'cheap pickups'.. You're probably best scouring tardme for some secondhand duncans or the like. Think there's a cheap '59 on tardme atm for instance

Yeah, I've been eyeing that up actually.

Haha, I guess I probably could have bought a Gibson with what I'll have eventually sunk into it but hey, I'm happy to upgrade over time and ignore that particular slab of logic...

Been thinking about maybe a P-90 in the mix there.

I've read a lot on the ol' Dot studio...seems you can get extremely close to if not beyond Gibbo standard with it after upgrades, as opposed to the LP's which have a vibe you can't upgrade to. I'm willing to take a chance though.

[danrawkz]

Yeah mate i'm with you on this one too. I just had a reception like that from some people when I announced I was going to upgrade a les paul copy =P.

Does your DOT have the black hardware? Those look sick imo.

[ash]

For classic 335-ish tone you want to aim for some classic low output humbuckers in the PAF style. P90s and Gretschy type pickups will also have a natural place in the mix, but they have their own references aside from 335ness.

[TmcB]

Yeah, it's got a worn cherry finish and black hardware.
I love it! Pick ups are pretty muffled though, so they'll have to go.

What Paf pups would you recommend to man on a reasonable budget, ash?

[ash]

Well, you're already familiar with the Kent Armstrong offering.
Next up the ladder would be DiMarzio and Ash pickups.

[TmcB]

Hmm.

So I have a few choices here, none of which will be happening until a savvy bugger buys my gear

Option 1) GFS Pups: Dream 90 Bridge (p-90), Dream 180 Neck (2 p-90s together)

Option 2) Kent Armstrong P-90 Neck, Kent Armstrong Paf Bridge from ash

Option 3) Buy Blackstratblues' Rio Grande Setup and install it in Epi Dot Studio

Option 4) Buy Blackstratblues' Rio Grande Setup and install it in Epi Les Paul, Remove Kent Armstrong Filtertron (Neck) and Kent Armstrong Vintage C Paf (Bridge) and install in Epi Dot Studio

Little price difference between any of these.
What do you reckon?

[crushing day]

Option 4

[ash]

Yeah, Option 4 make the most sense for matching pickups to guitars. Option 2 though.

[TmcB]

I can't help but feel that option three with push/pull pots would be the go.

[ash]

Bags not to have to install them through the f-holes!!

[TmcB]

You have the immunity of being in Auckland.
Otherwise you would not have been so lucky...

[Aquila Rossa]

I think the Dimarzio site still has a pickup choosing tool, where you tell it what gat you have and your style of playing, tones your after etc, then it suggests a pickup for you. It works quite well.
Always tells me I need a super distortion, which is my fav pup.

Once you know what would suit your gat and style of play best, scour TM for a second hand equivilent.

Being a hollow body, if you play loud, obviously it could howl with uncontrolable feedback like a wolf. Maybe a lower output Bill Lawence would work, because they are fully potted in wax or someother gunk to insulate againt this. But it would be pricey unless you get lucky in the 2nd hand market.

[ash]

Almost all pickups are wax potted, not just BLs. But that won't stop a hollowbody howling at high volume levels, it can only stop the windings and structure of the pickup from squealing.