pickups for a epiphone EB-3?

hydrohydra · #1 03-03-2013, 06:16 PM

i want to buy one of the new eb-3's but i headr the pickups are kinda booty, what would be some nice passive alternatives to the stocks garbage?

dedpool1052 · #2 03-03-2013, 06:19 PM

let me get this straight, you're looking to replace pickups on a bass that you haven't heard first hand?
i would suggest playing one in person first to decide if the pickups work for you or not, rather than spending money you didnt need to spend in the first place.

hydrohydra · #3 03-03-2013, 06:25 PM

its safe to assume stock epiphone pickups are going to suck...

dedpool1052 · #4 03-03-2013, 06:27 PM

not always.

bassvi · #5 03-03-2013, 06:30 PM

The only place to get replacements for these that might be decent I know of are SGD Luthierie. David is the guy who makes the pickups, tell him what kind of sound you are looking for and he will email you right back with his suggestions.

Showdown · #6 03-03-2013, 06:30 PM

Not all stock Epiphone pickups suck. The ones in the Rumblekat sound nce, same for the Casady. As far as the EB3, I replaced the stock neck pickup with a Dimarzio Model One and regretted it. Try one first.

scotch · #7 03-03-2013, 06:34 PM

Those stock Epi Sidewinders really do leave much to be desired!

I put a Dimarzio Model One in my Epi Rivoli. Big improvement! It's a popular drop in replacement.

KPJ · #8 03-03-2013, 06:38 PM

I have an EB-3 and do not think the pick ups suck. I think they sound pretty good. I don't think the current neck pick up is the same that was in the Rivoli.

It's never safe to assume anything.

sanderic · #9 03-03-2013, 06:44 PM

I have a Dimarzio Model One in my Gibson EB-1, excellent. Keep in mind the Epiphone EB-3 is a copy of a Gibson EB-3L, a 34 inch scale bass. Billy Sheehan uses the Model One in his Yamaha bass, also a long scale model.

scotch · #10 03-03-2013, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KPJ

I have an EB-3 and do not think the pick ups suck. I think they sound pretty good. I don't think the current neck pick up is the same that was in the Rivoli.

It's never safe to assume anything.

That is very likely! I haven't tried a recent Epi EB bass.

ih8law · #11 03-03-2013, 07:44 PM

I upgraded an Epiphone with a DiMarzio Model One and a humbucker bridge pickup from Allparts.com. Here is what it sounds like: http://youtu.be/QulhkFbzlNQ.

You can compare this to my stock Gibson SG bass if you want to hear the difference: http://youtu.be/1CEooWFzm9I

TheGreatSealof · #12 03-03-2013, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

let me get this straight, you're looking to replace pickups on a bass that you haven't heard first hand?
i would suggest playing one in person first to decide if the pickups work for you or not, rather than spending money you didnt need to spend in the first place.

Amen brother.

Andii Syckz · #13 03-03-2013, 07:54 PM

[QUOTE;13970820]its safe to assume stock epiphone pickups are going to suck...[/quote]

Not really. I thought my thunderbird goth pickups were garbage. But that was cause of two things: One my strings gave a very low end crappy tone to my bass. And two it sounded horrible with those strings on a small combo amp at home. When i changed my strings to daddarios (thank god cause i snapped a string while rehearsing on stage for my gig that night. THe pickups came alive and now my bass has the best tone with stock pickups.

C.Linton · #14 03-03-2013, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydrohydra

its safe to assume stock epiphone pickups are going to suck...

No, it's not.

SturmUndDrang · #15 03-04-2013, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanderic

I have a Dimarzio Model One in my Gibson EB-1, excellent. Keep in mind the Epiphone EB-3 is a copy of a Gibson EB-3L, a 34 inch scale bass. Billy Sheehan uses the Model One in his Yamaha bass, also a long scale model.

You replaced the original mudbucker? If I had an Epi EB3 the only reason I'd change the pickups would be to get closer to the sound of the 60's EB3. Artec makes after market pickups. Curtis Novak makes a faithful mudbucker copy as well. Love the mud!

funnyfingers · #16 03-04-2013, 05:31 AM

You know I think it is pretty safe to assume that you would want to replace pickups on just about any bass these days. I rarely see anyone extremely pleased with stock pickups, unless it is boutique. I am happy with my stock pickups with my Epiphone Thunderbird Pro IV Classic (USA Gibson pickups), but still put out for a set of SGD pickups, because they just sound so good! I could definitely do without them, but I figure since I will be getting paid for playing shows, I may as well try to do it right.

moonshinegtrs · #17 03-04-2013, 07:02 AM

Curtis Novak makes a few different versions of this style of pickup, including a Bi-sonic version.

http://curtisnovak.com/pickups_bass.shtml

Moonshine

sanderic · #18 03-04-2013, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SturmUndDrang

You replaced the original mudbucker? If I had an Epi EB3 the only reason I'd change the pickups would be to get closer to the sound of the 60's EB3. Artec makes after market pickups. Curtis Novak makes a faithful mudbucker copy as well. Love the mud!

I still have the original, which I'm going to put back in. Just haven't had the time.

SturmUndDrang · #19 03-04-2013, 01:55 PM

That's good to know sanderic. The Dimarzio model 1 is a great pickup and all but the EB1 is such a rare bass I feel it deserves to be left intact as original and un modified. Go ahead and throw that model 1 in an EB0.

Gaolee · #20 03-04-2013, 02:21 PM

My EB-2 had a Dimarzio One in it when I got it 30 years ago. That swap isn't a new idea, and Dimarzio made the Model One so it looks like an original mudbucker. After a couple years, Gibson started putting a chrome cover on them, but the originals were black plastic. There's a lot of history between Gibson basses and Dimarzio One pickups, so you could consider it a period alteration. Sure, it's not what Gibson put in there, but it was a common swap starting early on. A Model One has less output than a mudbucker. I think it is a sweet sounding pickup, but my ears are attached to my head, not somebody else's.