Pickup question

[kellar]

I'll check it out.

[Henk]

Right now I am playing through a Les Paul and Epiphone Valve Junior stack. The EVJ is generally a bit dark, I need something to brighten it a bit more.

A bit cleaner and crisper in the neck. The mule just seems a bit too round for me. In the bridge I would like just a bit more fire for solos. I really like the mule bridge clean, sounds great. But for solos I feel like I needed just a bit more bite. You know what I mean??

You really think your problem has to do with the Mules still?

Dont take this the wrong way, im always glad to help out, but you cant expect something like this from your rig. I have gone trough years of searching the right guitar/rig combination and spend alot of cash doing so, i now can switch from the brown sound(which is basically the bluesy tone which you can expect from your rig) to crispy clear fusion tone, but my rig is in a totally different league then yours.

Still i would say a riffraff would definately crisp/clear up your Epi VJ and give alot of extra attack, for the neck position im pretty sure you have the best in terms of clarity.

One mayor advice to give you is to get an eq pedal asap, youll get the neck tone you want easily when you could enhance the highs a bit more. You can also use it to switch to a better lead tone on your bridge pickup.

Good luck

[_tom_]

Right now I am playing through a Les Paul and Epiphone Valve Junior stack. The EVJ is generally a bit dark, I need something to brighten it a bit more.

A bit cleaner and crisper in the neck. The mule just seems a bit too round for me. In the bridge I would like just a bit more fire for solos. I really like the mule bridge clean, sounds great. But for solos I feel like I needed just a bit more bite. You know what I mean??

You really think your problem has to do with the Mules still?

I dont think the problem is the Mules. I remember ages ago when I had my Fender HRDx I always thought it was the mules that could do with a bit more power, bite etc, but since I got my Laney I realised that I just wasnt happy with the amp and the Mules sound great, glad I didnt sell mine now :D

[kellar]

I appreciate your input. I have owned a good number of amps and guitars. I certainly don't expect wonders out of my current setup. I am looking for something that satisfies my own personal needs. The mules have a truly inspiring sound, just not far enough in the direction I need. They aren't far from what I want, just not close enough (does that make any sense??). I am quite confident  that with the right set of BKP pickups, I can get it to where I want it to be. I can see already from the mules, that the quality and tone is above and beyond anything else out there.

[Henk]

I appreciate your input. I have owned a good number of amps and guitars. I certainly don't expect wonders out of my current setup. I am looking for something that satisfies my own personal needs. The mules have a truly inspiring sound, just not far enough in the direction I need. They aren't far from what I want, just not close enough (does that make any sense??). I am quite confident  that with the right set of BKP pickups, I can get it to where I want it to be. I can see already from the mules, that the quality and tone is above and beyond anything else out there.

Seriously, the eq pedal/boost thing is it... you need more versatility.

[kellar]

Haha, well in response to Tom, I certainly wish I had the money at the moment to go to the music store and try the mules out on a few amps and then purchase the one I like most!! As a matter of fact, I am sure that if I still had my Fender Hot Rod Deville, this thread wouldn't even exist. One child later and a smaller apartment, I have had to downsize a bit. Although, I thoroughly enjoy playing the Valve Junior stack. I love its simplicity. Like I said, I don't expect a miracle to jump out of my amp. And, it's not really a mule problem. More of personal preference. Keep the input coming. Thanks!!  :D

[Twinfan]

I agree with Henk.  An EQ pedal will work wonders.  A Danelectro Fish N Chips is only £20 and is fine for what you need it for.

Ultimately though, your tone is seriously compromised by your amp.

[kellar]

In response to the EQ, I hate pedals. Always have. I grew up watching my dad plug his 72 LP into a Fender Blackface and just letting it go. I went to a Buddy Guy concert in Chicago when I was 10 years old. All I can remember was him walking up there on stage with his axe, plugging it into his amp, and then just going to town for 2 hours. I have a Keeley modded SD-1, which I love, that I use as a boost. That's about it.

[Twinfan]

If you won't use a pedal, how do you expect to get the tone you want from an amp that only has a volume control?  Your only option is to get your amp modified to suit you, which is not worth the cost unless you can do it yourself........

[kellar]

Like I said, because I am not that far off from where I want to be. Why would I go out and spend more money on a pedal when I just spent 250 euros on pickups, which I have a 2 week trial period on, that I feel are a bit heavy on the low end in the neck and need a bit more bite on the bridge ( according to my own personal preferences)?? Why not swap them out with something that has a bit more finesse in the neck and a bit more gain in the bridge? That is just how I look at it. I personally like the tone of my amp, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. I certainly didn't have a problem with the Burstbucker Pros being to heavy on the low end (they just sucked peiod!!).

[Henk]

Even IF Twinfan.....

Yes, guitar playing is not about how many knobs your amp has, but being too basical about it wont get you closer to the sound you are looking for in your head.

Kind off reminds me of that artsy fartsy stuff where less is more and such, maybe great stuff to get a painting done really fast, but this has nothing to do with music, the complexity of tone is something very different, knowing the amp you father had, you should know about this....... Those old fenders are among the most complex sounds in existance.

PS, ive tried My mules in two guitars and on several amps, they are very balanced eq wise, a bit middy maybe, but they are certainly not bottom heavy.

[kellar]

Yes, you are right. It certainly gives me something to think about. It is a well balanced pickup. It's hard to put into words what I mean, perhaps a bit too round.
You could say I take a simplistic approach to playing. I enjoy the "less is more" approach.
Although, as I said, I like the way my EVJ sounds. I mean, without making comparisons. In my experience, making too many comparisons just leads to spending more money!! LOL

[Twinfan]

Each to their own I guess  :)

It's just that in my experience pickups are a smaller part of your overall tone than your amp.  I spent a lot of time and money hunting for my tone via a Marshall JTM60 and lots of pickups/guitars/pedals.  I never found it.......

[kellar]

Thanks for the input TwinFan, you got me thinking about a new amp now, much to my wife's dismay!! :( I'll see what Tim says. I just feel like trying out another pair won't cost me anything and might answer my questions, or not. I could very well kick myself later for getting rid of the Mules. We'll see.

[Twinfan]

I hope you find what you're looking for, one way or another  :)