|
Post by hiftbso on Oct 9, 2006 21:47:45 GMT -7
I need suggestios for replacement pickups for my Les Paul. It's an 1980 Black Les Paul Custom. I have EMGs in it now that don't suit my needs anymore. I want vintage PAF style pickups with mildly hot output. I have a Strat and Tele both with Anderson pickups now I just want some nice pups for the LP.
|
|
|
Post by guitarstan on Oct 10, 2006 6:04:52 GMT -7
Hey, how do you like your Texas Tele with TAG pups?
|
|
|
Post by dock66 on Oct 10, 2006 6:57:03 GMT -7
It is a nice looking Tele ,I bet it sounds nice with those Anderson's PUs too. dock66
|
|
|
Post by dock66 on Oct 10, 2006 7:19:50 GMT -7
I need suggestios for replacement pickups for my Les Paul. It's an 1980 Black Les Paul Custom. I have EMGs in it now that don't suit my needs anymore. I want vintage PAF style pickups with mildly hot output. I have a Strat and Tele both with Anderson pickups now I just want some nice pups for the LP. The are some HB PUs for sale in Sell ,Buy and Trade in this forum by svetlana87. dock66
|
|
|
Post by tele1962 on Oct 10, 2006 8:37:59 GMT -7
Gibson Les Pauls almost always sound like Gibson Les Pauls when they have Gibson HB pickups. And that is a good thing! If you own the real deal in a guitar, don't screw around. If you have a cheap knock-off, put it whatever PU is flavor of the month ( and there's no shortage of those...)
|
|
|
Post by ke4unr on Oct 10, 2006 9:34:26 GMT -7
I need suggestios for replacement pickups for my Les Paul. It's an 1980 Black Les Paul Custom. I have EMGs in it now that don't suit my needs anymore. I want vintage PAF style pickups with mildly hot output. I have a Strat and Tele both with Anderson pickups now I just want some nice pups for the LP. I used DiMarzio humbuckers for many years, but went to Seymour Duncan's a long time back. I've been very pleased with the '59 neck and JB bridge combination. Personal taste, of course. I would also suggest checking out their Pearly Gates and Seth Lovers. Ray K.
|
|
|
Post by jwr on Oct 10, 2006 10:15:32 GMT -7
Got SD Alnico II in the neck and a JB in the bridge of my LP. Sounds very good. Look at WCR Coils too. Jason
|
|
|
Post by hiftbso on Oct 10, 2006 11:49:49 GMT -7
Well truth be told I don't have the Andersons installed in the Tele yet. They just came in last week. I want a new control plate and electronics to go with the pick-ups so it maybe a week or so before I get them put in. I will let you all know after it is complete. My Strat really came to life after I installed Anderson and I hope the same for my Tele. Also the LP in question is a real 80' Gibson not a copy so whatever I get want it to sound like a Les Paul just better.
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 10, 2006 15:08:45 GMT -7
May I suggest a pair of Jim Wagner's humbuckers, either his 'Crossroads' or his 'Goodwoods'. The Crossroads are wonderful vintage PAF-style pups; the Goodwoods are like adding a bit of testosterone to the Crossroads. You can't go wrong with either. Look him up at www.crcoils.com/ They really are superb pickups. DF
|
|
|
Post by hiftbso on Oct 10, 2006 16:15:54 GMT -7
Thanks ferguson6552, I saw WCRs before but forgot about them. I'm liking the goodwin. I don't know if I should get all black, zebra or go back to nickle cover like it had to begin with?
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 10, 2006 18:52:33 GMT -7
The nickel covers age in that cool way that makes the guitar look 50 years old. Mine are starting to do so ... but unfortunately no one will 'mistake' my Epiphone Lester for a Gibson! My Crossroads have matured in the 3 years that I've had them, and I swear that through the RxES they sound like the richest PAFs you've ever heard! A great investment.
|
|
|
Post by hiftbso on Oct 16, 2006 11:44:55 GMT -7
Hey ferguson6552, how would you compare the Goodwins and the crossroad set since you have both. Do you like either better with the RXES. I think the RXES will be my next amp.
|
|
|
Post by guitarboy02451 on Oct 16, 2006 13:00:38 GMT -7
I have an LP custom with the stock pups and I just think they're either too hot or to dark.
|
|
|
Post by johnthigpen on Oct 16, 2006 14:03:07 GMT -7
Don't overlook the Wagner Darkbursts....they fit your definition of "slightly hotter PAF". I have a set in a PRS Hollowbody and they sound great.
John
|
|
|
Post by tele1962 on Oct 16, 2006 15:25:59 GMT -7
What was wrong with Gibson Humbucking PU's? They sort of came with that guitar no extra charge didn't they?
I have a new Mercedes 500 series and am thinking about putting a Chevy truck engine into it. Which V8 gas model engine would you guys recommend?
|
|
|
Post by skydog958 on Oct 16, 2006 18:54:12 GMT -7
To be honest, I think Gibson brand pickups really don't deliver the goods like many third party pickup makers do (Custom Shop guit's excluded). Most newer Gibson's I've played haven't really impressed me tone-wise. They have basically the same pickups in the cheaper models than they do in some of the high $$ production ones.
I would suggest looking at Bare Knuckle Pickups...I've been eyeing them for ages but alas they are pricey and (for me) overseas. So far the Seymour Duncans that are in my Gibons or Gibson alikes have treated me well. I have a set of '59s in my 535, and CS Jimmy Pages in my LP.
|
|
|
Post by jwr on Oct 16, 2006 19:44:47 GMT -7
skydog I agree, Gibson pickups fall short now a days. There's a reason they came at no extra charge. Scratchy, buzzy, lifeless, cold........ There are lots of great pickups out there, Dimarzio, SD, Bare Knuckle, Lindy Fralin, Rio Grande, the list goes on. They all do 1 thing only: Build Pick Ups! And they are all good at it. Hiftbso, any passive pickup will sound more like a "traditional" LP, taking the EMG's out and putting any pickups in it from any of the suggested company's will be a step in the right direction. Jason
|
|
|
Post by tele1962 on Oct 16, 2006 19:51:49 GMT -7
"To be honest, I think Gibson brand pickups really don't deliver the goods like many third party pickup makers do (Custom Shop guit's excluded). "
What does Custom Shop use?
|
|
|
Post by skydog958 on Oct 17, 2006 16:41:45 GMT -7
They use Burstbuckers, usually a BB2 in the bridge and BB1 in the neck (higher #=higher output). I just say that because I have little experience playing or hearing Custom Shop models. I do have an old BB2 that I put in the neck of my Les Paul, but I took it out for my CS JP set.
JWR, I find it kind of insulting how they can use the same pickups in their cheapo models (i.e. the 490 pickups found in "specials") and their "better" ones (like Lucille, which uses those same pickups).
|
|
|
Post by jwr on Oct 17, 2006 20:11:10 GMT -7
Yeah skydog, I totally agree. The Burstbuckers are supposed to be pretty nice pickups from what I've heard though. I have a problem with Gibson and Fender both right now. I don't understand why I have to buy a "custom shop" or a "59/58 reissue" in order to get a good instrument from them. It IS insulting that getting a good guitar from either is so difficult and costly. Hiftbso, good luck finding the right pickup, it's hard to do with all the choices we have. Sometimes ya just gotta take the plunge. Jason
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 19, 2006 9:36:35 GMT -7
Hey ferguson6552, how would you compare the Goodwins and the crossroad set since you have both. Do you like either better with the RXES. I think the RXES will be my next amp. hiftbso, I'm so sorry I didn't respond earlier - I haven't been to this corner of the BB in a while! ;D Actually, the name of the one set is Goodwoods, named after a fellow for whom Jim Wagner apparently made the first set of Goodwoods. They are definitely wound hotter than the Crossroads and will push your amp into OD quicker than the Crossroads can. They also don't have quite the clean, sparkley high end of the Crossroads. But both sound stellar through the RxES. That amp, BTW, is best for big venues where you can crank it up and use the natural OD that kicks in around 2:00 to 4:00. Daniel
|
|
|
Post by tele1962 on Oct 19, 2006 10:58:31 GMT -7
"They use Burstbuckers, usually a BB2 in the bridge and BB1 in the neck (higher #=higher output"
There ya go!
|
|
|
Post by Hohn on Oct 29, 2006 2:52:08 GMT -7
The last LP I played had the Burstbuckers in it, and it sounded just wonderful.
That said, I love the newer PAF style pups-- the SD alnico 2 pro and Seth Lover are great, as is the DiMarzio PAF Pro.
JMO
|
|
|
Post by prowler on Oct 29, 2006 4:13:06 GMT -7
WCR Goodwoods are what I would throw in there.
|
|
|
Post by groovergeorge on Oct 29, 2006 5:26:34 GMT -7
A good set of handwounds by Jason Lollar are an excellent choice. Seth Lovers are another good choice. If your playing a Les paul and are searching for something a little pure and vintage then something along those lines are pretty genuine. If you want something a little cheaper Seymour Duncan's Pearly Gates and 59'er are another good choice. I found the Paf Pro to be a little too mid-rangie for my ears but in saying that that was loaded in a mahogany bodied Jackson back in the pointy guitar days. My advice and it's only my humble opinion is if you want a more pure vintage sound, try and get something similar to what was used back in the days when those classic guitars of the 50's and 60's were made. Get a pickup that uses the same type of alnico magnet that you associate the sound that you hear in your head. Some arly humbuckers were wx potted and some weren't, number of turns-windings or Ohm readings can affect the sound as well. WCR's , Burstbuckers,Custom shop Gibson PAF's,Lollars and fralin's are all good choices. Try as many out as you can before you settle, as I, as well as many others can surely attest to pickup swapping over the years being a costly. There is only one problem in doing this though, in most cases, one set of pickups in one Les Paul is gonna sound different than they do in yours. Good luck mate' groovergeorge
|
|
|
Post by Hohn on Oct 29, 2006 14:14:22 GMT -7
+1 GG. I'll add that in general, lower output=more "authentic vintage" sound. Original old Fender or Gibby pups-- be they PAFs or single coils aren't terribly high output. Higher output is something that kinda came about as certain artists wanted something different than what the factory would offer them. Then the perception was that the aftermarket pups were some kind of extra thing that automatically made you cooler or a better player or more attractive or something, so the OEMs fell in love with them as well, and starting pretty much outsourcing their pup design and acquisition-- easier to buy than to make. Especially with all the siggy models the big guys make now-- and of course they all have the pet pickups favored by the model's namesake guitar hero-du-jour as standard equipment.
Hats off to those builders that actually invest the considerable time and effort into "rolling their own" like DeTemple and Tom Anderson (to name just two)-- it's not easy.
Even bigger hats off to those pickup guys who are making pups without the luxury of any consistent guitar to install them into. Tom Anderson can voice his pups to a Cobra, for example, and know EXACTLY what it will sound like. He's not really trying to sell pups to the whole world. Then you have the guys like Lollar who are winding pups for LPs, Strats, and Teles that all have a HUGE variance in assembly quality, wood choice, parts configuration, etc. The standardization element gives a guy like Anderson an easier time in achieving a particular tonal quality because he controls the whole shebang start to finish.
|
|