Recommendations to kill the quack in my Epiphone Century Archtop

[mikehartigan]

I recently got an Epiphone Century Zenith Archtop with a Shadow Nanoflex HD pickup and an ESonic HD preamp. I desperately need to replace something with this setup. Probably the quackiest guitar I've ever heard. This is the second unit I've had - the first was returned for a warranty repair on the electronics a week after I got it (flaky volume pot). After waiting three weeks for replacement parts from Gibson with no ETA, the dealer agreed to replace the guitar. It had virtually identical tone, so it's not as simple as a bad unit.

Tone pot rolls off the high end, but doesn't come anywhere near 'fixing' the shrillness. I noticed when I crank up the amp (I'm using a 15 watt Fender Frontman at home, so cranking it up is not what you think) and back off on the volume pot at the guitar, it tames the quack quite a bit - enough so that I could live with it. But the output of this pickup/preamp is very low to begin with, so this is really not an option.

The preamp is a 2"x3" circuit board attached to the battery compartment with foam tape. Could I simply replace that with something maybe a bit more capable? Where would I find something suitable?

I've also heard good things about the LR Baggs EAS-VTC. The beauty of that is that it looks like the lipstick-tube style of preamp/jack could directly replace the existing jack, so the guitar would look completely stock and I wouldn't have to drill or cut any new holes. I could also use the battery holder instead of the battery bag that Baggs provides. The problem is that the lead on the EAS is not a 90 degree bend from the pickup. Bagg's installation instructions describe drilling a new hole in the bridge at an angle, allowing the lead to travel closer to a straight line. Unfortunately, the thumbwheels on the adjustable bridge are directly where this new hole would be.

Suggestions on a replacement preamp? Or maybe a suggestion on how to avoid the thumbwheels when I install the Baggs USP? This guitar has F-holes, which appear to limit my options, somewhat. FWIW, I'd prefer to avoid an external solution like a boost pedal.

BTW, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster to this forum. I'm looking forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship.