Yea I'll admit I used to do it too.. but upgrading pickups on copies to make em sound like gibsons doesnt really work. I think people underrate gibson pickups for a start becuase even though my hero slash favours seymour duncans, I wouldnt touch em with a barge pole. Gibsons arent that pricy... esp if you live in the US. I just bought one for $900 off ebay, a les paul standard, 94, with a repaired neck!