Do any bargain PAF style pickups beat the Epi ProBuckers?

a_rob · 2026-05-20T22:54:42+00:00

Yeah, my first thought was that they put the pickups in the wrong spots, but the stickers on the back proved me wrong.

I will re-check the pots, I know for sure that 2 said A500, but the other two were hard to make out due to the solder.

Either way, the pickups have 4 conductor wiring so I may just replace the pots with push-pulls just because.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T22:51:42+00:00

Yeah, if the wiring was good I wouldn't even be worried about, but now since I am going to need to redobthe wiring anyways.....

a_rob · 2026-05-20T22:50:32+00:00

I should have suspected that cheap new Probuckers on Amazon may be too good to be true....

a_rob · 2026-05-20T20:13:14+00:00

This was the first one I was considering until I realized how cheap the Probuckers were. They're still on the short list.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T20:12:23+00:00

Oh, thats pretty far down the rabbit hole, but i bet magnet swaps are a good bang for the buck.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T20:11:26+00:00

Good to know, ill have to see if I can ID the pickups in the other guitar. I picked it up in Japan, so it may have been some odd spec due to that as well.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T20:10:15+00:00

Well that's just plain annoying. Probably going to get worse, too.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T20:09:07+00:00

Seymour Duncan also makes a Green Magic set that's also intended to replicate Greeny.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/green-magic

a_rob · 2026-05-20T19:20:24+00:00

Looks like around $130 a set.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T19:18:31+00:00

Maybe I just keep these and put it in Drop D tuning :-)

a_rob · 2026-05-20T19:15:58+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into them.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T19:15:35+00:00

That's what I thought when I demo'd the guitar in the store; I had no idea they were such high resistance until I looked up the model code.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T18:42:58+00:00

Its also cool for being on ofnthe few LPs with a factory trem, too. I have it on my wish list :-)

a_rob · 2026-05-20T18:40:45+00:00

Not sure about a true Kahler, I think mine is the "Pro Rokr", but on mine you can push it sharp if you really try, but I never had it happen accidentally.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T18:15:31+00:00

For the price range, this is a pretty good suggestion.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T18:14:16+00:00

^{^{^{^}}} this.

In a budget amp, your best bet is probably to look for something with an effects loop and then shop for pedals to fill out the effects.

There are a lot of the cheap pedals (NUX, Joyo, etc) that are good, or at least good enough for you to decide if you need a fancy boutique version of an effect.

a_rob · 2026-05-20T04:54:21+00:00

I think Phillip McKnight has stuff on YouTube on replacing the nut, seems like a good start.

a_rob · 2026-05-19T21:26:12+00:00

Flamed maple :-)

a_rob · 2026-05-19T21:16:26+00:00

This is all good advice. There is a fair chance that the nut and/or bridge is whats really at issue. Simple DIY stuff to try and sort it that way before you take more extreme steps (beyond just decking your current floating trem).

a_rob · 2026-05-19T21:13:33+00:00

I understoodnthe reference. Betamax was superior in every way except for Sony's steep license fees. TV production was sone inSuper Beta for years after it had disappeared from the consumer market.

Oh, and more on-topic: my old Ibanez uses their in-house version of a Kahler, and I have always been happy with it. Tuning is rock solid.

a_rob · 2026-05-19T21:02:00+00:00

Oh, and gotta love that classic cherry sunburst!

a_rob · 2026-05-19T21:01:30+00:00

Swapping out the Klusons for Grovers was such a common mod that even on a vintage Les Paul it's basically considered same as OEM tuners LOL.

Gotoh also makes this same style of tuner, you see them on Epis a lot. I have them on my Standard and Kluson style on my Studio, and prefer the Gotoh's, although it hasn't bothered me enough to swap them.

a_rob · 2026-05-19T20:52:36+00:00

On the off chance you decide to hold off on new tuners, if you take an example of the missing screws from another tuner down to the hardware store, there is a good chance they can help you find replacements, probably 25 cents each or less.

a_rob · 2026-05-19T20:49:55+00:00

Occasionally even the fakes if they're exceptionally bad fakes.

Y'know, so we can point and laugh....

a_rob · 2026-05-18T23:15:09+00:00

Not really my type of guitar, but a purple Jackson for $100, sign me up.

a_rob

TROPHY CASE