Epiphone Les Paul Special + Wolfetone P90s
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- 2022 Epiphone Les Paul Special w/ after market Wolfetone P90 Mean and Meaner pickups installed.
Signal chain:
Main preamp (on all the time) - Kingsley Juggler (clean and mild OD) into 2 x Crucible power amps (left and right),
OD 2 - Kingsley Mason, Constable Bassman, Hatchet (into Juggler clean channel)
OD 3 - Mason, Constable JTM, Hatchet (into Juggler clean channel), Source Audio Ventris reverb, Pigtronix Echolution 2 delay,
Hold pad - Ventris reverb,
Tremolo - Kingsley Bard,
Recorded with Sure SM57 on Celestion alnico Cream and Royer R121 on Celestion Creamback 65,
Focusrite audio interface into Logic software (no post EQ or effects).
www.kingsleyamplifiers.com
Man! Larry Carlton when you first switched to the bridge pickup 😍
The pickups are great, but the hands are even better. What a sound! Thanks for the videos, one day I'll get my Kingsley preamp!
Much appreciated Danilo!
Great review!! Your playing is to die for and the P90’s are incredible. I have a set of Mean/ Meaners waiting to go in a guitar I’m building. Thanks!!
The most touch responsive and beautiful tone I’ve ever heard man. Seriously great playing and dynamics and the tone is just blooming with sweetness
Thanks very much JC!
Awesome demo, especially the tasteful playing.
Great pickups a fa great playing and a great tone! The trifecta!!!👍🏾
You make that guitar sound like a million bucks. Well done.
Thanks - much appreciated!
Came for the guitar, stayed for the playing. Great video!
Comming from an acoustic, and only my really wanting one for a few of my songs this thing felt so good in my hands. I’m going for it. Also your playing and thoughts have absolutely made this a deal breaker for me. It’s an inspirational little guitar.
Simon this is one of the best demos I've heard in years showing just how beneficial and cost effective it is to buy a cheaper version of a classic guitar like the Gibson LP Special and go with the cheaper Epiphone LP Special and add a great pair of high quality aftermarket pickups to sweeten the tones of the cheaper Epiphone LP Special! Your touch and playing style is really "exceptional" and thank you for taking the time to make and share this great demo! I'm torn between getting the Gibson LP SPECIAL or the Epiphone version and adding the great P-90 pickups from Wolfetone like you have done! 😎🎸😜💪🌟
I own a 2005 Epiphone ‘56 Gold Top LP made in China w/ upgraded P90 pups. It plays and sounds every bit as good as any guitar in my collection: eg. ‘71 Gibson LP Custom, Stratocasters (1998 Strat Plus w/Lone Star Pups, ‘57 Reissue Strat w/ Dave Allen pups) and more high priced guitars. I love my Epiphone. Your playing is a joy to listen to.
i dropped by for the Epiphone review. Stayed for the playing - awesome and inspiring. Thanks Simon!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have the same guitar and clearly need to upgrade my pickups and my playing. As always, beautiful playing and tone Simon. It’s always a pleasure watching your videos. Looking forward to seeing more.
Thanks Bill!
Dang Simon...Your playing is both inspiring and disheartening. I doubt I'll ever come close to sounding like you but I'm sure gonna have fun practicing and trying. Would love to see an LTT video come out someday with guidance on how to develop such a wonderful touch like you have. Simply wonderful.
Can't get enough of your videos, and pedals, and amps... :-)
Thanks Mark - you are very kind....touch is hard and something I want to get better at (amongst many others!).
I agree Mark. Simons tone is really special in the meaning of wonderful. I am not sure if it depends also on how Simon holds the pick but it looks quite different than I hold the pick. But he is a master that´s for sure.
Ahhh some captions with the pedal used every time would be just like heaven... What a great sound!
Amazing tone . Great to see an epiphone sounding so good.
I could listen all day long!! Love it!!!
Definitely gonna try these out. Exactly the tone I’ve been looking for👍🏽 Thanks!!!
Wonderful playing and really great-sounding P90’s! That neck pickup is rather special :)
The hum tells you it's alive!...sounds epic
Simon, I could listen to you play all day. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Stew!
The playing, as usual, sounds amazing. Very inspiring, Simon. Thanks
I first found your mesmerising playing on TPS in 2016 and have been in love ever since! It is such a joy to hear you play, it’s always inspirational. Wonderful. I’m addicted!
Secondly, the Page is undoubtedly one of the greatest pedals ever produced - it has taken my playing further than anything I’ve ever owned, and it transformed one of my student’s playing immediately, I can even hear the quality over a Skype session!!
Thanks for the continuing joy. My only complaint is the video being only 15 minutes and not 15 hours!!
Hi Matt - thanks for your very kind words....and I'm very glad you like your Page pedal!
TOTALLY AGREE MATT turn into a clinic marathon
I can listen to you play all day awsome tone and playing thanks for putting up the videos.
Appreciate that Ben! I want to do more videos....just got to find more time...
My favourite pedal builder demoing my favourite pickup brand.
I seriously love your playing.
Thanks Brazen!
Another great exhibition of tones and style, thanks Simon
Thanks Eel 34!
Simon, you are a brilliant player. The Special sounds terrific.
PS…. Loving my “Harlot” overdrive. Thank you for your engineering.
Loved this demo.
Much appreciated Chris. Glad you like your Harlot!
Simon...Pickups sound stellar as does your playing
Wolfe makes great pickups. I have his Dr.Vintage and Marshallhead PAFs in my R0 and love them. Great playing, as always
Thanks - yes, Wolfetone are great pickups - and very reasonably priced!
I am very impressed with your playing and tones. Clever to use this fine mass market guitar as a gateway drug to your amps :-)
Your video has sold me on these pickups for my Novo Serus J
Hey Simon. Enjoyed your playing a lot! As a humbucker player all my life, I recently picked up a cheap guitar with a P-90 in the bridge. Now I like P-90s! To get around the hum, I just use a noise gate when using any drive. For me, it doesn't seem to affect the tone. I am definately going to check out Wolfetones. Thank you.
Beautiful playing, beautiful instrument, beautiful sound. I didn’t know that you turned to learning guitar after getting onto the ARK!
I too would like to get a LP Special. In your hands it sounds wonderful. The strange thing is that I can hear implied chords changing behind what you are playing which was before you were using the Ventris. Lovely stuff Simon.
Thanks Stringtrees....well the Ventris is only holding one chord, so other chords are hopefully still implied over it...
random- killer song - Contemplation....just saw that live performance from July. Glad to see you out gigging!!
Thanks Craig!
Wow, very tasteful playing. Wonderful touch you have there!
Thank you kindly!
I got one of these this year on a steal of a deal used, in near perfect condition, for about half retail. I love the middle pickup position where the oppositely-wound bridge and neck pickups add up for hum cancelling. Best 'humbucker' sound on any of my electric guitars, it's my default sound on this one. Almost silent unless you're playing. Then I switch up or down for the single coil sound when I want. The noise is not a problem as long as you are making louder noise with your playing- Ha! Then of course you get more in the habit of turning down between songs or when you need to be quiet for someone else to play louder. Mains hum from my amp seems to be less when I'm sitting/standing side-on to the speakers. So performing live, set your amp or cab off to the side facing in towards the stage. Yes, P90s are a different thing but wow. If Wolfe makes a bridge p/u with opposite polarity, you might want to get it. Giving up that hum cancelling mid position is something I'm not interested in. Enjoyed your playing, very tasty!
Thanks for the review...great tones from this guitar
Fabulous playing
Such lovely playing. Guitar sounds awesome. Good choice of pickups.
Thankyou!
Nice clean sound!!
I got a Les Paul Special with Humbucker pickups that was made by Epiphone two years ago. Had to to get a fret level done and set up . Plays nice.
Been too long since I heard you play in person, Simon! Hope to catch some sets around town this fall!
Wow it sounds amazing. Nice playing too. Thanks
Looks and sounds great!
Excellent as always Simon!
Thanks Jeff!
I have a set of Wolfetone Legends in a 335. Just great sounding and incredibly affordable.
Hey Simon. Sounding fantastic as always my friend! I also discovered how special the Les Paul special thing is in the last year or so. I’ve had a nice late 90s special on loan from a student for about a year and a half now. I feel lucky to know him as he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to get it back. I guess that’s one advantage to having a big guitar collection. Haha. I used it for some rhythm tracks on my new album that just came out, and man it’s very cool for that kind of thing. Can’t decide which pickup position I like the most. They’re also useable and particularly springy sounding on this guitar. Yours has a nice tone. That bridge position is really fat, which can be cool sometimes
Sounds pretty damn good to me,ill have to check out those pickups!
Beautiful emotive bending from a fellow whose playing always gives one something to consider. It is also nice to see such a great playing example on an instrument easily accessible to all. I acquired a higher end Gibson LP Special in 2023 and fell in love with the stock P90 pickups. Most dual pickup users are used to having a slight boost in volume/gain when hitting the bridge pickup but as the pickups are exactly the same, we don't get that outcome. At first I thought I would replace the bridge PU but after I stopped expected the guitar to behave like a typical dual humbucker guitar, I discovered that the lack of 'boost' in the bridge was compensated by the rich behaviour of mixing the two identical strength PUs in middle position. Since then, I have routed a strat for the same Mean/Meaner set of Wolfetones displayed here - and they are great. But I prefer the nuance in the mixing of the two equal strength PUs in my Gibson. I would offer that the high end Gibson Special's bridge did not have good enough intonation for me and is different than the 'lightning' bridge offered on the Epiphone - another argument in favour of the cheaper instrument. I felt compelled to buy an aftermarket bridge from Mojoaxe - which although still not perfect is a huge step forward.
Great playing .
Your playing is so full of touch and nuance Simon - definitely one of the things that helps you design great musical devices!
Appreciate that Grant...sometimes I wish I had a stronger attack - when you dig in it can be hard to control things...something to work on for sure.
Always a quest for more expression and range eh!
Nice playing!
I have the gibson version of this guitar, such a fantastic set up. i did change the gibson pickups to lollar 50s wind p90s, now its awesome.
Heard nothing but great things about Lollar p90s too...
@@PPIMV your playing is very inspiring Simon, amazing phrasing and touch, u have that thing like Robben Ford and Larry Carlton
really nice sound, thx!!
Really nice sound you’re getting. I’ve got the same guitar but the pickups work fine for me. Only thing I changed was the bridge, for a Tone Pros vintage. I’m not a LP player usually, but I like this one by Epiphone a lot. Great review and nice playing.
Thanks Jonathan!
@PPIMV how are you ? Much appreciation uk
Sounds great Simon and great playing as always. I had the same set in a LP Special I used to own and thought they were great. I bought another set earlier this year so I just need to buy another LP Special style guitar to put them in. Also have the Wolfetone Dr V’s in a few guitars
Ha - that's another way to do it - buy the pickups first, then a guitar!
It's about time you get something new. you've been nursing those 80's guitars for a long time now lol :)
You are a funny guy Cal! Hope all is well...
@@PPIMV as long as you don't have the 80's hairdo. ;) Worry not though, you are one of the most well-attired and fashionable grandpa's around.
That guitar with these pickups sounds as good as any high-end guitar.
I'll look into these pickups since my (second hand) LP arrives in a couple days and the original pickups seem to be a bit dark.
It would have been so nice to have a comparison in the video.
I have this same pup combo but I swapped mine so meaner is in the neck because I like the slighter squonky mids on the neck for a more defined solo tone with drive. It's easy to compensate for the difference in output with pickup height as they aren't crazy different in output level. 👍
Yes, I was thinking if I had a Mean in the bridge, I could easily balance the outputs anyway...
Nice, I especially like that you don’t shred shitty rock riffs like 90% of the other UA-camrs.
Wauw nice playing and sound
always great to hear you play Simon SOUNDS GREAT , i THINK U CAN MAKE ANYTHING SOUND GREAT ITS IN THE HANDS ....JUST BETTER TOOLS
Thanks Tony - been a long time - hope all is well!
@@PPIMV we are hanging in there and hope u and family all doing well and always good to hear you again ..... would be great to see another show with You and Buster Brown you two together are incredible , 2 of the very best, I really like the fact you chose an Epiphone excellent guitars now being high grade quality , of course in the right hands
This is funny, Simon, I have the same guitar! Got it for the same reasons you got yours. I ended up hunting down some Gibson P-90s for mine, and swapped the bridge/tailpiece for a Gotoh w/saddles. Also cleaned up the wiring a bit, and swapped the stock toggle for a Switchcraft w/amber tip. I really want an actual Gibson Special, though. I want to see that wood gain through the finish! The tough part is finding a TV Yellow that's affordable! Still, the Epiphone's not a bad guitar. I don't think my Gibson bridge P-90 is quite as hot as your Wolfetone, but it's close.
Lets add some dirt, and lets add even more!!! YES YES!!!! MORE DIRT!!!! I love it when you rip into high gain tones Simon!
Thanks Ken!
Picked mine up for $300 used, switched the pups out for some hotter Seymour Duncan P90's I had in a box and she sounds amazing though my Fender Pro Jr amp. Could be the best valued ax I have. Oh and the neck fits absolutely perfect
Hi Simon! Great playing, as always. I think a Mean pickup would sound better in the bridge than the Meaner for your style of playing. Of course you can try lowering the Meaner pickup a little to see if you like it better.
Yes, perhaps you are right...I may try a Mean in the bridge also. It's always a trade off and depends on the sounds you want. For a more raucous rock'n'roll tone the Meaner may work better. For me though, with the type of sounds I like best it could well be a slightly lower output p90, so I think I'll try the Mean...
Would love for you to try a pair of Australia's finest SILENT Orpheus 'Sidewinder'. P90 cross, with the silence and some characters of a humbucker!
What a nice guitar.iwant to get one
Where do I start... Great playing, nice guitar, great choice in pickups. They clean up so very nicely.
Thanks Gary!
Nice guitar. Great tone especially wih the neck pickup. But for me the test of any guitar is how it sounds using clean tones.
your playing is like your voice.. smooth and relaxing.... need to look into reading audio books or something
Hey Simon! Sounds great. Check out the ilitch system. I have one of his systems in the control cavity of my 2018 sg junior. It quiets the p90 noise significantly. And doesn’t change the tone. Ilitch is out here outside of la.
Hi Craig - yes, I have the Ilitch in one of my Strats...may go there. Also interested in the Ulbrick system, which seems very similar - wondering which one is best...
great playin
Would have been nice to have heard a comparison with the stock pickups.
I replaced the wrap around bridge with a wrap around tunamatic type bridge that adjust every string for $15.
Just so you know !
Nice John Scofield riff at 9:50. Cool that you studied with Scott Henderson at GIT. I was at BerkIee in 85 and we saw Mike Stern and Pat Metheney locally, and did a clinic with John Abercrombie. I did my final performance with Paula Cole. BTW, I am very tempted to explore the Kingsley gear like the Crucible power amp. You are obviously a high achieving tone master in both guitar playing and amps/circuits. Thanks for your hard work. So refreshing to discover.
Thanks! - I'm a big fan of Scofield, Matheny and Henderson (got to jam with him a few times at GIT) for sure.
Really glad I found this video. First off your playing is absolutely beautiful. It’s something special no pun intended. How do you like having just a tailpiece? I’m curious about its feel and intonation. Great playing and tone I really enjoy each listen.
Thanks very much! The tailpiece is ok - not superr accurate intonation-wise, but pretty close...
I impulsively bought a 2009 PRS McCarty because of the stunningly beautiful, chimey harmonics it produced. I’ve never heard such sweet overtones from a guitar with a tuneomatic. A properly-compensated wraparound can be perfection, as long as you stick to the intended string gauges…
Simon, nice review. Thanks. Not being well versed with P90s, would a noisegate help cancel the hum. I know it does for conventional single coils.
Thanks Simon Great hang as always!
btw thanks for seeing me through the power jack repair in my Minstrel! Your products are all gems ✌️
@@hlyangel1 Thanks Joe!
Beautiful stuff, Simon! Did you retain the stock wiring, pots, caps? Love how they clean up and retain top end.
Aren't Wolfetone pickups excellent? I've got these same P90s currently, and in the past I've had 2 of his Dr. Vintage models. Great stuff.
Good.
Lovely. Fine playing, and rich tone. Is the Epi a good, cheaper alternative to Gibson? Sounds like it. Are these pickups standard in this Epi model?
Thanks David - no, these are after market pickups. The guitar is absolutely a cheaper alternative to the Gibson version.
You are fine player and I love your pedals...I have two! When did you attend GIT? I was also a student there many years ago!
Thanks Denny! - I was at MI in 1987.
Wonderful playing and tone! Did you change the wiring or did you keep the old one? The Epiphone doesn’t have the “50s wiring” stock I think.
I changed it to '50s wiring. Thanks for the compliments!
Excellent playing mate! Did you change the pots would it even be worth while? Thanks!
FYI, for anyone interested, he is playing the $499 version vs the $159 Ver. Epi 1 Special.
Great video! Would you prefer the wolf tone in the neck over a Gibson p90?
I'd have to make the comparison to see...
Very good video and awesome playing. One question: do you think the same pickups will sound very different on an DG? I can clearly hear the Les Paul factor in your video. The quiet loudness.
Thats hard to say. I would imagine the Wolfetones will sound great on the DG, but on the other hand maybe your DG sounds really good already...
@@PPIMV thanks Simon and sorry I meant SG but the spellcheck played tricks on me! Just a basic Epi SG with p90s but swapping the stock pups for those beauties you’re playing. Do you reckon there’d be a big sound difference with this LP that’s all mahogany too ?
@@geoffreymarsan8721 I would guess probably not much difference. The neck pu tone will be different because it is physically in a different spot on the SG - so less bass.
8:10 and 10:20 is where it’s at!
Hey Simon....what interface are you using? I love that it lights up to show levels.
It's a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8.
Simon are you gonna share your secret setting for the stereo tremolo? ;)
It's a mono tremolo - just send it to one amp only, while the other amp has no trem - voila - instant faux stereo trem!
Verry good sound ! Do you think there is a different with the japan model in 2000's ? (elitist)
Wich pickup do you used ? Alnico 2 / 5 ?
I have not tried the elitist versions...the pickups are Wolftone Mean and Meaner (as explained in the ideo). They are alnico 2 magnets.
13:57
👍Sound great Simon and good dynamic by hand and pickup p90 it natural dynamic sound , nice kingsley pedal . What you guitar pick to use ? 😃 Thank you 🙏
I was using Dunlop tortex 2mm picks for years...but just swapped to Ernie Ball Everlast 2mm.
@@PPIMV 2mm it ok for me but I hear your play pick attacks harmonic sond good 👍 Thank you for share Jarrett 😃🙏
I have this same guitar. Do you think the Wolfetones were an overall improvement? The pickups do sound pretty good stock, but I'm curious if the upgrade makes a difference. Thanks and loved the playing!
the wolftones had more detail to me. i just picked up another 'mean' which i will now try in the bridge...maybe do another ideo..
@@PPIMV I just put the mean and meaner in and damn! They definitely sound clearer to my ears. Really nice upgrade .. I don’t find the meaner to be too much at all so I’m definitely happy with it. I might actually try a meanest just for fun to see how gnarly it can get !
wolftone should hire you to demo their pickups. you/they sounds great. I just picked up a similar guitar but it has only one volume and one tone knob and no pick guard. the bridge pickup is microphonic right out of the box but sense I bought it on special I don't think they will do an exchange for me. anyway, the guitar plays great and even sounds good, but wow, these wolftones are really great sounding.
why did you pick wolftone over say gibson or another brand?
I've been told that sometimes p90s can be slightly less prone to 50/60 cycle hum, but it sounds like you have the opposite experience.
thanks!
I chose Wolftone because I had heard good things, they are not that far away from me (I was passing close by) and they are priced reasonably. Regarding the hum, it's really no big deal. At least these pickups are no noisier than most other P90s - it's just part of the deal with all traditional P90s.
@@PPIMV sound great though. I wax potted my bridge p90 and it cured the microphonic issue. Still would love a set of wolftones!
Can you tell me lf the stock pick Ups are good . Or its a massive Diference? Amazing tone 🎉
The stock pickups are not bad. Honestly it's been a while since I heard them. From memory they were just a little flat or perhaps a little dull compared to the Wolfetones.
Before I pull the trigger would like to know a few things.... What wriing harness or pots did you install, the strings you use. Also to be noted is you are playing into very high end amps and pedals. I would have loved to hear this straight into a regular fender amp no pedals.
I did't change the pots or basic wiring. I simply put the tone caps to pin 2 of the volume pots (50s wiring) instead of the stock wiring to pin 1 (typical modern wiring). I'm afraid I don't have time to do more demos through other amps...I'm just passing on my experience with the guitar and pickups with my own gear. I realize it's not a good demo for everyone...just thought the guitar sounded nice and I'd put out a quick video. Cheers.