Hi–I have a cheap East Coast Les Paul style guitar (Andertons LI) which is my favourite. I absolutely love it , it just looks great, feels great, and to me as a few months in beginner sounds great. ( just working through grade 2)
Is it worth improving at some stage ie new pickups and tuners or would I be better buying an alternative LP ( Epiphone ?) — I`m also a lefty and there is a lot less choice out there.
PS I already have an Epiphone SG
Thanks
My question is what do think you will gain from more expensive pickups?
If you’re itching to spend money then get a pedal which will make a bigger difference to your sound
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Tom
I upgraded a very ancient Squire Affinity with some PUPs from this UK company. http://irongear.co.uk/
Plenty to choose from and might be easier than tracking down a lefty, especially if you love your ECLP ?
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To answer – I’m not sure . Someone suggested that the ones on the guitar were not that great. I`m in no rush to spend though. Funnily enough my missus has said she will buy me a pedal for xmas.
I think you should look at it the other way around: is there anything in/on your guitar that you are not satisfied with? Do you have a specific tone in mind that you currently cannot achieve because of the guitar (i.e. not due to amp settings, pedals, etc.)?
Also, has the person who said the pickups were “not that great” elaborated on their opinion?
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@Jozsef I am not experienced enough to worry about the nuances of tones. I have a Katana 50 and can play around with tones from that. Maybe I’ll just stick with what i`m happy with. (for now 
)
The guy who commented did not elaborate but thought it must be rubbish for the price -mm some people
Personally, I would stick with the guitar I liked and leave it be. At a later stage, if you want a specific sound you can either change the guitar or play with the effects in the Katana.
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I’m an affordable gear guy through and through, from guitars, amps, pedals, DAW, mics and all. I drive a Hyundai. You have to ask yourself what you are not getting out of your current gear that requires some kind of change or replacement.
On my tele I swapped out the pickups because they were a little too brittle sounding and at the same time lacked clarity. While I was “Under the hood”, I put in a four way selector switch as well. I put in some well priced vintage p/u (BYOGuitar) and really dig the tone and flexibility now. I’ve played everything from jazzy stuff, blooze to hard rock with this rig. It’s my goto.
On my Gretsch I swapped out the p/u because they (as mentioned above) lacked clarity --the tone was just not right to my ears, no matter how much EQ and futzing I did. They also didn’t really have a classic Gretsch type of tone. As a result I put in some Nashville Retrotrons (GFS) for a more vintage/classic tone. Again, a much more flexible rig that is a joy to play and I can always dial in a tone that I like.
So yeah, let your ears be your guide, record your playing and be objective about your tone. Have you taken some time to EQ your tone? Don’t just go with someone else’s opinion or advice. I have examples of my tone before and after, so I am very happy with my upgrades.
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I spent some money because I thought things should be better. But I have learned that I really don’t yet know enough or need enough to benefit from the subtle differences that upgrades make.
I agree with @CT that your ear should guide you, but add that 2 years in, the nuance of different pickups is not very helpful. Save your money and buy what you want when you feel comfortable enough to have real ideas about how you want to sound and play.
I also agree with @TheMadman_tobyjenner the IronGear makes some great, unique and affordable pickups. For when you eventually may what them. They are also on your side of the pond.
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I spent $60 on some Grover tuners for a $300 acoustic I started learning on. I think it was worth it. The old tuners did stay in tune but I am happier as they are a big improvement in the feel of it when tuning, and the guitar is a sentimental favorite. I pick it up more for that reason.
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I think I may be considering the same thing. I got a hint that I may be getting a guitar kit for Christmas. It willl be super-budget in proce I expect and I’ll possibly want to change stuff.
however… Early in my playing time, I bought an effects processor. I decided it was eventually less costly than a bunch of pedals, it was self-contained in one unit that I could move, and I would not need to collect patch cables, power supplies, and then re-configure pedal board when all I want to change guitars. The processors are not as cheap as a set of pickups, but with a nicer processor, you can get pretty close to the sound you are after by setting the EQ up to encourage the tonal ranges you like.
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As a follow up, if anyone is looking to upgrade/change p/u, I wholeheartedly recommend GFS brand. The quality of the p/u and “Kwikplug” system is a cut above. Tons of youtube videos out there, check it out:
https://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Guitar-Pickups_c_7.html
If you really like the guitar, the greatest improvement would likely be achieved by getting it PLEKED by a quality luthier.
Cheers, Shane
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I’m under the impression that very few luthiers have a PLEK machine. I asked mine about it, and he said “no way I can afford one of those things.”
Thanks for all the replies… I guess it’s too easy to get caught up in the upgrading thing.
Realistically I think I need to learn to play better first.
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I think you’ve answered your own question here.
There’s a lot of opinions and, quite frankly, some snobbery from some people, especially those who have spent a lot of money on a good guitar and get a bit bent out of shape when much cheaper gear is actually not a million-miles away.
The only opinion that matters is yours. And if you are happy with it, then don’t let other people, whose motives may not be entirely honest, convince you you shouldn’t be.
Cheers,
Keith
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Yep, they arent cheap…a few hundred thousand each. I’m just lucky my local luthier has 2 PLEKS, and has been doing it for years. Amazing to watch the process. Made an enormous difference to my LP clone.
Anyway, best of luck with whatever you do. And don’t listen to those who simply equate quality with price. They actually dont know what they’re talking about.
With those people, the folliwing saying comes to mind;
“If the brand you are buying is giving you reflected glory, you are paying through the nose for that shine.”
Cheers, Shane
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Having a cheap guitar that you love and plays great; that’s excellent!
If you’re not playing too long, don’t worry about improving it too much.
My approach (no holy church) is to check the END of your signal first; what speaker are you using? type, size, …) and what amp. The speaker (or a simulation “IR”) are like the final EQ, the final filter of your chain. I can make cheap guitars sound good through a good speaker and a decent clean tone but it’s a bigger challenge to get an expensive guitar ring out on a boxy sounding amp+speaker combo.
I used to experiment with pickups a bit but I found more dramatic results when tinkering with
- EQ
- speaker (and speaker simulation)
- Amp (sims)
You would be suprised what the options are if you use an overdrive or distortion pedal, followed by a 7 (or more) channel EQ to experiment with!
So bottom line is, if you love that guitar and how it plays but you would like some “quality of life updates”, check some options for tuning stability like locking tuners, new saddles (like string saver saddles), a wiring option like a coil split, a different nut or… a professional setup by a luthier to make it even more in tune and sporting the action (‘string height’) you desire that fits your playing style. A workhorse seeks brilliance at the basics!
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Tom - I’m selectively quoting …
My short answer is no.
The pickups are ceramic. Tonewise, they are different to the alnico pickups (that you will find in other more expensive humbucker type guitars - your SG probably has alnico) but it isn’t a case of ceramic = bad and alnico = good.
If you’re a beginner / intermediate, playing at home, through a Katana, you have all you need.
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again -thanks for comments. I shall listen to this advice and just enjoy what I have.
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