Les Paul tragic considers ESP

  • Thread starter Thread starter ZEN Amps
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I agree about the W serial number LTD's. But I would suggest looking at the 400 series as well. Maybe I've been lucky, but most of my 400 series LTD's have been better than my 1000's after I upgraded the stock rattly cheapie bridges they come with.
 
ZEN Amps said:
Any thoughts on the LTD EC-1000 vs ESP Eclipse? I don't think I've ever played an LTD but some seem to think the Korean ones weren't half bad.
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I upgraded from an EC-1000 to my Eclipse II like 10 years ago. Don't regret it one bit. The Eclipse II is everything the EC-1000 is, just better.
 
ZEN Amps said:
Lots of good info, thanks guys. W is Korean made?

I think I'm a full-thickness guy - I mean they don't call me Mr 2-3/8" for nothing you know.
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I have a Korean LTD with a Floyd and it's a surprisingly good guitar. W serial.
 
mooncobra said:
Dude, I’ve played a couple of those fish man and they were surprisingly bad ass. I thought they felt and sounded much better than EMG. I played a modern and I think classic? They were both great and on the push/pull you can switch between different tones. Definitely try them.
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Agreed. Fishman Fluence are excellent!

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FWIW, I’d skip over LTD for an Edwards any day of the week. Pretty much the same cost but I’ve never played an LTD that’s on par with the fit/finish of the Edwards. Unless you’re looking for a more modern take with a different neck joint, anyway.

I’ve got the Fishman Devin Townsend set in one guitar and an 81/85 in my Edwards, Dev essentially based the Fishman’s off the 81 since that’s what he used for decades before Fishman, they’re certainly similar pickups but the Fishman’s give you the options for Active/Passive/Passive + Split Coil and while nothing sounds like a legit single coil, the settings do sound different enough that when I track with that guitar, I usually do a pass of active and a pass of passive and there’s enough variation to give some differences.

I really can’t pick a favorite between the two sets, one just does more than the other, I just really love playing that Edwards a lot more than the guitar with the Fishman’s (Ibanez SZ).
 
Rex Rocker said:
EMG's don't have a ton of low-end at all or particularly airy highs. They're just a focused punch in the upper mids. So they're some of the tightest pickups around. Objectically and measurably tighter than ANY passive, IME. Don't get me wrong, I think good passives have their place as well, but they just don't do the tight, focused (that sometimes people feel is sterile) thing as well.

I used to love EMG's. I tried every different one from the classic non-X range I could get my hands on (not really ALL of them, but the 81, 85, 60, 89, 81TW, 57, 66, and Hets). I even tried a couple of the X series and the Jim Root set. I started playing EMG's maybe like 20 years ago at most, but I always thought they sounded consistent...

... Until a couple of years ago. I got an 85 and a 57/66 set. They all sounded horrible.

I started doing some research, and apparently, one IC that they used on the preamp was discontinued on 2018. So I sourced an older 2017 set of the 57/66 set, and night and day difference.

Nowadays, I find Fishmans do the EMG thing better than EMG's. Especially since they've got a few slight tweaks on the Modern Ceramic recipee, which I find is comparable to the EMG 81, just tighter even and clearer.

Also, couple of interesting EMG facts I've found throughout my experience with them that you don't usually read about. I don't find the 81 all that hot. A really hot passive like an X2N, 500T, or Black Winter easily overpowers it. Also, the 85 is actually hotter than the 81. So is the 57. And the Het Bridge is by far the hottest.

Techincally, they are all the same output because the preamp running at 9V limits what they can put out. But some of them are louder before they hit the preamp, so the preamp clips and distorts more, making them feel hotter than they actually are.

So yes, I guess you could call EMG's "compressed" in a sense. But I think the right term would be "clipped". They distort a little internally when you strum hard. At least they do at 9V. So it's almost like they've got they're own little subtle overdrive/boost circuit built in that activates when you strum hard.
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That's a great synopsis right there.

Also explains why, as someone who has multiple 30 year old sets of EMG's, I immediately removed and sold a new 57/66 set I tried.
 
Man, i've been using EMG's for a good 20 years now. I have one guitar with passives and it hardly gets played. I just like the tightness and clarity of EMG's. You can play with a lot of gain and still hear what you're playing, and there's this certain aggression to them that I don't really hear in passive pickups. If you're worried about lack of dynamics then try the 18 volt mod.

I recommend getting the 81 or the 57. The 57 is close to the 81 frequency wise, but it's kinda got some PAF characteristics.
 
anomaly said:
Man, i've been using EMG's for a good 20 years now. I have one guitar with passives and it hardly gets played. I just like the tightness and clarity of EMG's. You can play with a lot of gain and still hear what you're playing, and there's this certain aggression to them that I don't really hear in passive pickups. If you're worried about lack of dynamics then try the 18 volt mod.

I recommend getting the 81 or the 57. The 57 is close to the 81 frequency wise, but it's kinda got some PAF characteristics.
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Agree. It get's some bad press, but the 81 is still tough to beat for the heavy stuff. The Het bridge is also a good choice. Very hot, with some passive-like characteristics.
 
Geo said:
That's a great synopsis right there.

Also explains why, as someone who has multiple 30 year old sets of EMG's, I immediately removed and sold a new 57/66 set I tried.
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Yeah, man. Let me link you to the thread I made at the Duncan forum.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/for...8-did-emg-change-their-preamp-design-recently
The EMG 57/66 set I sourced from 2017 was good, though.

If you want *that* tone, the Fishman Fluence Alnico (in the bridge) I find is clearer, more lively, and less stuffy in the low mids than the 57, while still having the active focus and tightness. That turned out to be my favorite active-voiced Fishman for the bridge position. The Classics are also great, but those sound nothing like EMG's.
 
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Rex Rocker said:
Yeah, man. Let me liknk you to the thread I made at the Duncan forum.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/for...8-did-emg-change-their-preamp-design-recently
The EMG 57/66 set I sourced from 2017 was good, though.

If you want *that* tone, the Fishman Fluence Alnico (in the bridge) I find is clearer, more lively, and less stuffy in the low mids than the 57, while still having the active focus and tightness. That turned out to be my favorite active-voiced Fishman for the bridge position. The Classics are also great, but those sound nothing like EMG's.
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Just bought a Charvel Tele with the Fishman Classic Core set, I haven't had time to dig in yet. I have heard lots of good things.
 
Personally, I'd just a get a Les Paul Studio used, and gut it. At the end of the day, an ESP or Edwards, or any other import won't have the tonal platform. I've had 3 Edwards, and 4 or 5 ESP's, and they just don't bark like a Gibson, period.

That said, just grab you a nice donor at a fair price and throw in some Fluence Moderns.. 😁 If I were dead-set on an import, Edwards all the way, (or a PRS SE Singlecut for cheap, and metal it up in upgrades)

Oh, and I will say the Het Set EMGs are also a good choice.
 
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I agree. Eclipses don't sound like Les Pauls. There are several factors like the type of finish, type of mahogany they use, and the placement of the bridge pickup vs. the bridge. I'm sure there is other stuff, but that's off the top of my head.

But they do play way better, IMO. A Gibson with a 60's neck is good too, but the ESP Thin U is just all around faster and more modern-feeling. Especially with the fretwire they use. Also, the poly finish is smoother and less sticky. Of course, that is subjective, and that's JMO.

And the quality is more consistent too. You sometimes strike gold with Gibson, but with ESP, almost all are consistently good. Maybe not as "magic" as the right Gibson, but there's less risk when buying online. And sometimes, you do strike gold with them too.

Also about PRS SE, I haven't used any of the recent Cort-made ones, but I did have a couple of the Korean ones, and both were super thin-sounding. One of them was a Nick Catanese with a full-depth body. Nope. Super weak. Nothing like a Les Paul. The neck profile was also super awkward in both, like the worst attributes from the worst Fender and Gibson necks meshed together into one (IMO). I don't know what was up with them, but my LTD's from the same factory sounded nothing like that. Maybe I just had bad luck.
 
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napalmdeath said:
Personally, I'd just a get a Les Paul Studio used, and gut it. At the end of the day, an ESP or Edwards, or any other import won't have the tonal platform. I've had 3 Edwards, and 4 or 5 ESP's, and they just don't bark like a Gibson, period.

That said, just grab you a nice donor at a fair price and throw in some Fluence Moderns.. 😁 If I were dead-set on an import, Edwards all the way, (or a PRS SE Singlecut for cheap, and metal it up in upgrades)

Oh, and I will say the Het Set EMGs are also a good choice.
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Yeah I guess I could stick with Gibson, at least it's familiar territory. Bark = upper mids?
 
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