Pickup vs amp upgrade

Just looking for some help to figure out how to get better sound and tone from my setup. I have a stock Epiphone G-400 that I play through a Marshall Mg 15w amp. The tones I hear sound very deadened--like the strings had been choked. There is little sustain, though it does improve as I move from the clean channel more into the over-driven channels. I had thought maybe a new bridge upgrade might help (I was looking at the Seymour Duncan SH-5). But I also wondered if the amp might be part of the problem as I have read elsewhere that this particular Marshall model is not very good. I have been looking at the Line 6 Spider iii / iv 75w mostly for the sound presets.

I am a bedroom player using earphones most of the time with a very small budget for gear. I want to make sure that my purchase will make a difference to what I am hearing now.

I've been through a series of small amps over the past two years, including the MG15 and Fender Frontman 15. Because I live in an apartment, I couldn't turn either of them up sufficiently to get their true tone. Same thing with the Vox Mini 5, but on that one the effects models were driving me crazy. I prefer pedals. I haven't tried the Line 6 Spider, but they seem to be very popular. A few months ago, I opted for the 10W Vox Pathfinder because I wanted a low power amp without any onboard effects. Just Volume, Gain, Bass, and Treble controls with two channels for clean and overdrive. It also has a Line Out/Headphone jack. The tone is very good and I'm really happy with it.

For an apartment , try one of the many 1 watt models out there , I won't go into brands , just try a few out . That way you can push it hard and not bring the walls down , some guys use them on stage cranked up and mic them up . Should still be plenty loud though , My Egnater Rebel 30 has variable wattage , at home , I have it set to 1 watt . On the dirty channel , the gain is maxxed and the master volume is just above zero . Still plenty loud . Watts vs Volume is a strange thing , there are a lot of variables . One set of figures I found said that you have to double your wattage to get another 3 decibels , Then there is speaker efficiences etc , it certainly doesn't mean a 5 watt Blackstar is going to push the same amount of air as 100 watt Marshall.

I guess I was not clear enough in my thread starter. First thing I'm not located in an apartment setting. I have my own place. The reason for the headphones is that I usually play once the wife goes to bed. I do once or twice a week when she leaves for town turn things up a bit.

Secondly and more importantly is that I wanted to know whether it was possible to diagnose the sound I am currently hearing from my setup and determine whether the pickup or amp should be changed.

Originally Posted by: Bbmuddywolf
Secondly and more importantly is that I wanted to know whether it was possible to diagnose the sound I am currently hearing from my setup and determine whether the pickup or amp should be changed.

Barring a bad setup:

Have you experimented with guitar picks and strings? Two of the hugest tone improvements in tone come from guitar strings and guitar picks. I have guitar picks that make bright strings sound worn and guitar strings the brightest picks won't effect.

It's like night and day between a bad pick and string combo and a good pick and string combo.

If you're happy with your strings and pick, amp settings have a huge effect on tone.

A good pickup helps.

After all that and your guitar still doesn't sustain and sing, it's junk, get another guitar!

And, you don't need to spend a lot of money on a good guitar. I've got a $150.00 Jackson that sounds as good as and plays as good as all import guitars I've played around $1,000.00. A jaw dropper my roommate won in a bar raffle. But also, don't skimp if you don't need to, good wood and a high quality guitar are real nice too. But the Jackson reveals big money doesn't necessarily mean big tone. I sold off a Gibson SG Standard that just didn't cut it for me, the cheap Jackson replacing the SG because it just works, always, no finiky issues.

Originally Posted by: 91362
[QUOTE=Bbmuddywolf]
Secondly and more importantly is that I wanted to know whether it was possible to diagnose the sound I am currently hearing from my setup and determine whether the pickup or amp should be changed.

Barring a bad setup:

Have you experimented with guitar picks and strings? Two of the hugest tone improvements in tone come from guitar strings and guitar picks. I have guitar picks that make bright strings sound worn and guitar strings the brightest picks won't effect.

It's like night and day between a bad pick and string combo and a good pick and string combo.[/ft QUOTE]

I will be taking it to check the setup but it has not been to my liking from the get go. I have tried s couple different strings but had not noticed much difference. Do you have any insight on brands and their typical characteristics? For lack of descriptive terms I am looking for a tone similar to an Angus Young.

If you can, try your guitar through another amp, and you amp with another guitar.. Does your sound compare with what it was brand new.,,
Member 32916 mention a set-up.. If you had a chance to do the trial with other gear and you found the guitar to be the culprit and the strings have not been changed for a while, get you some new ones.. Worn and dirty strings can deaden the sound. If you are lucky that did the trick. If no,t go the set-up route. String and pick up height relation can muddy your sound. have your tech check the set up to see if a set up is warranted. You may have a jewel.. Good luck, hope you get things rocking..

Thanks for the help. By way of an update I had my guitar checked out and all the settings were fine. At the same time I was able to plug into a few different amps which provided the answer I was looking for. Turns out my Marshal MG15 is not a good fit for my Epi G400. I will now be looking to replace it.

Sounds like you figured it out .

Just a word about volume . If you want a tube amp but are worried about the volume . Get one that has a series effects loop and put a volume pedal in the loop. You can get really good tone at a low level . I've been doing it for years .