Humbucker upgrade

[ST150HB]

I'm after some advice on upgrading the humbuckers in my Epiphone LP Custom. I've had the guitar for nearly 11 years, and I think that it could do with a refresh.

The guitar is mainly used for rock, I like something with a bit of bark and I have been drawn to the following upgrades -

Bare Knuckle pickups - Black dog & Riff raff, saw a demo for these on Youtube and thought they sounded great - my only concern is that would I have to upgrade the pots in order to gain maximum benefit?

EMG 81/85 ZW set - the draw to these is that it's something totally new for me and the guitar, it also benefits from the solderless wiring kit so in theory the whole electrics are being upgraded.

So the question is - are there any recommended alternatives I should look at? If i don't go down the active route of fitting EMGs, will it be worth while updating the pots etc to match the humbuckers?

Thanks!

[ST150HB]

Thanks for the great responses guys. I have looked at the Iron Gear pickups, and like the sound of the blues engine and dirty torque.

Once things calm down with work I will try and update with which route I have taken!

[ST150HB]

bennyboysvuk said:

I love how varied the pickup recommendations are on this thread. It basically says to me that anything is better than the Epi LPs standard pickups. I wish I had the time, money and space to try all of them back to back.

Iron Gear
Seymour Duncan
Gibson Burstbuckers
Gibson '59 classic
Bare Knuckle
Tonerider
Warmans
EMG
Dimarzio

I see what you mean, I never really had a problem with them, but i'm not really happy with how they now sound- this don't forget is after 11 or so years. I'm glad I posted on here, as it allows me to take the suggestions and look on Youtube to get a better idea of their sound. All I can ask is for the suggestions to keep coming!

[ST150HB]

UPDATE:
It's been a while since i've posted on this topic but it has been quite a hectic few weeks.

I thought i'd share what I think is quite a cool picture of the wear on the bridge humbucker -



Whilst still not sounding quite as good as they should do, no doubt they do look pretty cool in their "worn" state. Anyway, after a lot of comparing of humbuckers and wondering what to do, I got slightly side tracked and purchased this-


Not quite a humbucker upgrade, but a whole new guitar! I still have the Les-Paul, but I saw these on a website for £499 and next day delivery and decided to take a punt. It's no frills basic, but those P90s definitely have some authority behind them when they are on max chat! Very happy with the purchase.

What do you think?

[ST150HB]

The P90s sound great, new to me but a lot stronger than I imagined them to be. It is the 50's tribute, basic and raw. The action seems higher than what I am used to, and appreciate that it is fresh from the box but I do love the way it feels.
The neck is nice and chunky, nice to have a natural feel to it and not a poly finish!

[ST150HB]

W124 said:

Oil City. Cheap ish and very good. Very good indeed.

We have a winner!

Just ordered the scrap yard dog + for the neck, and NightFighter for the bridge. Also ordered the wiring harness from Ash to really freshen it up. Can't wait to get it fitted!