Hey i was just wondering i tried an Epiphone EB-3 and i like most of the stuff about it but i think changing the pick ups will increase the quality of the sound much more so i was just wondering what would be the best? also what would be the best place to purchase pick ups in the UK? i hear Dark Star pick ups are good but expensive issue is i haven't even found any. So any help would be appreciated thanks.
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Best pick ups for Epiphone EB-3?
- Thread starter Beatle-man16
- Start date
- Aug 21, 2008
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
What kind of sound are you looking for? The real EB-3 tone, or something clearer?
"Best" and "quality" are subjective when it comes to a bass like that. The originals had a very unique tone. Didn't work for everyone or every style of music. That's why DiMarzio had come out with the Model One. People wanted something brighter and cleaner sounding.
I haven't played any of the new ones, but I think they made them more generic sounding, and not so farty.
So do you want it more like the originals, or more modern sounding?
"Best" and "quality" are subjective when it comes to a bass like that. The originals had a very unique tone. Didn't work for everyone or every style of music. That's why DiMarzio had come out with the Model One. People wanted something brighter and cleaner sounding.
I haven't played any of the new ones, but I think they made them more generic sounding, and not so farty.
So do you want it more like the originals, or more modern sounding?
Well i want to replicate the classic sound but mostly only for the beatles so i suppose the more clean sounding would be more perferable. Also i'm not sure about the bridge i only found out as i saw a youtube video with EMG pickups and they sounded pretty good.
- Aug 21, 2008
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
I think Artec makes them, but I'm not even sure where you would find one to buy.
I owned a real Gibson EB-2D. The bridge pickup is pretty useless. It didn't sound good soloed and didn't mix well with the mudbucker. I guess it added some highs though. It's based on a guitar mini humbucker. Maybe if it was wound different it would work better.
You can get some other mini humbucker bass pickups like Barts that would be a lot clearer.
Check out Mike Watt's EB-3s. He just put totally different pickups on them.
That's pretty much what I want to do, as in I want to get a good set that will blend well but at the same time be able to solo each pup and get each's own strength as in the bridge pup being treble to get an almost guitar like sound with out some of harshness the stock one has. And on the reverse side be able to get the monstrous bottom end of the neck pup with out the caked layers of mud.
I think the polepieces would be too far apart on the Artec pickups. They were when I tried replacing my Rivoli's pickup with one of them. It did not match string spacing at all, and it was very noticeable in the sound (uneven volume from string to string, bending a quiet string would make it much louder as it passed over a polepiece).
Curtis Novak makes a replica neck pickup with proper polepiece spacing, and he can wind it to vintage specs if you want.
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Curtis Novak makes a replica neck pickup with proper polepiece spacing, and he can wind it to vintage specs if you want.
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Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I got an Epiphone eb0 body from abay and built a frankensteined bass. I used a Ric neck pickup and a jazz bridge pickup. It sounds better than some of my $1000 basses.
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http://www.3dentourage.com/425/eb0-1.mp3
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http://www.3dentourage.com/425/eb0-1.mp3
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- Aug 21, 2008
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
Well then you can replace them with anything, but you wont get an exact fit. Soapbars probably look better on an EB-3, but if you check out old pictures from players like Dennis Dunaway and Trevor Bolder, they stuck Fender pickups on their WB-3s. There wasn't much in the way of replacement pickups back then.
I know, I was just hoping to not have to route out anything. I'm GASing for drop in replacements. I love the look of the EB-3 and while I'd rather not change it I will if I have too.
Allparts has EB-3 type pickups here-
http://www.allparts.com/Bass-Pickups-s/128.htm
I couldn't see a brand name or anything, no knowledge as to how good they are.
http://www.allparts.com/Bass-Pickups-s/128.htm
I couldn't see a brand name or anything, no knowledge as to how good they are.
- Aug 21, 2008
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
Probably made by Artec. They may be the stock pickups. They certainly wont sound too different.
Thanks for the feedback guys, i think i will just try and continue to look for the previous ones mentioned. Actually i seen quite a few which are good for neck but like the other said i haven't found any for the bridge so i shall search around and maybe learn about customing the guitar for pickups but that would be my last step.
Good thread.
I was just thinking today about what to do with an Epi EB-0 I have lying around... switching pups might be a good project. I have never done it before so... why not?
Would a SOAP BAR style pick up drop in? They don't look to be the same dimensions at all.
I was thinking about routing it and placing a jazz pup near the bridge. Might sound nice. I like the ric pup idea too...
I was just thinking today about what to do with an Epi EB-0 I have lying around... switching pups might be a good project. I have never done it before so... why not?
Would a SOAP BAR style pick up drop in? They don't look to be the same dimensions at all.
I was thinking about routing it and placing a jazz pup near the bridge. Might sound nice. I like the ric pup idea too...
- Aug 21, 2008
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
That's the one I was thinking of. Do you suppose you could swap the black cover on that with the chrome one that comes istalled on the EB-3's stock pickup?
- Aug 21, 2008
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
I'm not sure that you can remove the cover from the Model One without breaking the pickup. You would also have to drill holes for the pole pieces, unless you wanted to leave them under the cover.
An alternative is to have the stock pickup rewound. Back when I had my EB-2D I picked up a NOS mudbucker and rewound it to about 12K and added some magnets. It was much clearer sounding and mixed better with the bridge pickup. Later when I sold that bass I swapped the original back in and put the rewound version in my Rickenbacker. I also wired it up with 4 conductor cable for series/parallel.
The bridge pickup could also be rewound to sound better.
I can rewind those pickups... PM me if you are interested.
Someone posted some pictures of a broken Model One here once. They seem to be embedded in epoxy.
Attachments
You see... this opened a whole can of worms. A black pup would mean I would have to install a black replacement bridge and black tuners... I could make this my EB-3's evil twin.
I traded my Epi Thunderbird for a 1974 Matsumoto EB-3 Lawsuit bass. He threw in the Epi EB-0 and I kicked him $50 for it. The EB-3 is my "vintage bass". It has a pretty unique sound.
The EB-O sounds totally different from the EB-3... even when the EB-3's neck pup is solo'd. The EB-0 is brighter. To be honest, I sort of like it that way. I was considering a change of pups and maybe putting some flats on this puppy... just for fun. It bet it sound muddy and thumpy as hell.
The only reservation I have, is dumping a few hundred dollars into a bass that is honestly worth $100, maybe, on the used market. I don't mind doing it... but that means that I am stuck with it if I don't like it. I guess if don't cut up the bass I put the old parts back on it....
I was also considering sanding and repainting it a goofy color. Maybe Philadelphia Flyers Orange and Black. It would make a great show bass for bar gigs and partys.
FWIW, I have never repainted or modded a bass before. The most I have ever done is install a Badass bridge on another bass... and that was pretty much remove and replace screws...
