bridge pickup for a epiphone dot 335

[Mel]

Hi was thinking of putting a bare knuckle in the bridge of my epiphone 335... The sound i'd like is a cross between clasic rock and jangley indie.......kind of like teenage fanclub...cleanish jangle with crunchy bits!!
What would people recomend?
I'm using a MXR distortion+ and dod eq into a valestate marshall combo as my main sound...I use the eq to put the amp on the edge of break up, and the MXR for a fuller distortion.

I've never changed pickups in any of my guitars....Will I notice a big improvement in sound, baring in mind it's a cheapish guitar and amp? Or would my money be better spent trading in my amp for a valve model?

I don't have a lot of money so I need to know if it would be money well spend and which pickup model you would reccomend, any advice would be appreiciated.

[Mel]

sorry, forgot to mention I play in a strummy loose rhythm style. No palm mutes just everything ringing out.

[Johnny Mac]

Hello, Welcome to the forum!

I think a similar question came up a few weeks back, you could try looking back a few pages. As I remember the Stormy Monday and Mule were mentioned a lot.

[Mel]

thanks for that, i'll have a look through, do you think it would a worth while investment? If money was no object i'd just say "what the hell go for it" I'm pretty happy with the sound of my guitar to be honest, but then it might be just because it's the sound i'm used to. so it's difficult you know? But people have said to me that putting any decent pickup in will make it sound so much better..... I really need more advice I think. I played a similar guitar with seymor duncan's in and It sounded different but I'm not sure about better..just different. I can't afford to keep changing pickups so I really need to get it right.....it's a nightmare to be honest and I might just end up sticking with what I have.....It seems like an impossible task at times!!

[Mel]

sorry everyone...seems I've asked the same question as 90% of other people on here. I guess i'm not alone with my troubles!!

[PhilKing]

I would change it to a Stormy Monday, however if you have not changed pickups before, then starting with a 335 will be an experience, as they are the hardest guitars to work on!

[Johnny Mac]

thanks for that, i'll have a look through, do you think it would a worth while investment? If money was no object i'd just say "what the hell go for it" I'm pretty happy with the sound of my guitar to be honest, but then it might be just because it's the sound i'm used to. so it's difficult you know? But people have said to me that putting any decent pickup in will make it sound so much better..... I really need more advice I think. I played a similar guitar with seymor duncan's in and It sounded different but I'm not sure about better..just different. I can't afford to keep changing pickups so I really need to get it right.....it's a nightmare to be honest and I might just end up sticking with what I have.....It seems like an impossible task at times!!

It would be a worth while investment alright! Bkp's sound incredible to stock pickups and a whole lot better then the other mass produced after market pups. The other thread for the Tokia, there's a lot of guys saying about the mule which is a great sound also. Either of these would improve your tone so much. If you can stretch to a neck pup look into the Mississippi Queen humbucker sized P90 single coil, there gorgeous!

If you get stuck on anything your always find the answers in this forum. Every one's very friendly here. There are some very good guitar builders who regularly post here, plus Tim the man behind Bkp's will give his expert advise when needed.

[Elliot]

A Stormy Monday bridge and a Mississippi Queen neck would sound killer in a 335 - great individual tones and a great combined tone - that combo would really give you an improvement in tone.

[Mel]

Thanks everyone...I think it might be a good idea to save for a few more months and get a neck pup at the same time, otherwise I'll have to pay someone twice to install them. I'm guessing it would be cheaper to pay my local guitar shop to do them both at the same time......I don't really use the neck pup too much but this is probably because the stock one sounds muddy and mufffled. I like the idea of stormy and mississipi giving me a nice 'both pickups on sound' it's a position I realy use at the moment. I'm also thinking of getting better quality pots, switch and jack at the same time.....better start saving now!!
I love my kids but sometimes I wish I had the extra money!! lol..

I'll come back in six months and let you know how it all turned out, i'll post a picture too...

[HTH AMPS]

P90s in hollowbody (or semis) sound great, I'd therefore suggest MQs.  If you must have a 'bucker then it's gotta be a Stormy Monday for jangly/chimey indie stuff.

fwiw, I always prefer the middle position on 335s for jangley stuff.

 :twisted:

[Mel]

mmm. No a humbucker isn't a must at all....pair of MQ's would be different....I'm guessing it would make my guitar sound more like a casino..and that wouldn't be a bad thing, I'm quite liking that idea now. I've always liked the sound of p9o's in Les Paul jr's as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Ratrod]

A Stormy Monday bridge and a Mississippi Queen neck would sound killer in a 335 - great individual tones and a great combined tone - that combo would really give you an improvement in tone.

I second that. If I had a Dot, I would choose that exact combo.

[Fourth Feline]

Judging by the amount of warm, clear definition the 'Stormy Mondays' added to my Les Paul Standard, I can imagine them being just ideal for a 'semi' like yours. I also had the pre-buying jitters, but after I had fitted them - wished I had have bought them a long time ago...

The treble is just so sweet and rounded (but never dull) with these, and the note definition/detail  = wow !

 :D