I still have the original ceramic magnet pickups in my Les Paul Classic (500T in bridge, 496R in the neck) I think that the have too much output, & when playing through my Mk III, it's doesn't want to clean up much when I turn the volume on the guitar down, & when I do, it sounds kinda sterile & cold. I'm thinking of putting a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, from what I've read about it, this one may be the one that would suit me best (Alnico II magnets, and less output than the 500T) & I'd like to put a SD '59 in the neck as well. I've thought about putting Burstbuckers in, put I think they are priced more than what I'm willing to pay for them, & thats one of the reasons why I'm wanting to take the Seymour D route. My style of playing is diverse, from Metal/punk rawk to jazz & blues. Any other recomendations?
Pick ups for Les Paul
- Thread starter eldi
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tiger roach
Well-known member
For Duncans that I've heard, I really like the Alnico II Pros. The '59 is probably not far away from them soundwise. I also like Burstbucker Pro's a lot, and they are an obvious choice for an LP, but if the price is too high I'm sure the Duncans would sound great too.
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
I'm not a fan of the JB, but it's Duncan's most popular pickup so others must like it. I find it too compressed, and I don't like the way it makes my palm mutes sound (fuzzy, not crisp).
If you're after a lower output (but not low output), more classic sounding tone take a look towards the Customs...(Custom, Custom Custom, and Custom 5). There's still plenty of output in them, and they ballance nice with a 59 in the neck.
The 59 in the neck will give you a nice, round, slightly scooped sounding clean tone, and if I remember right (it's been awhile) the Jazz will lean more towards a bright, glassy sound.
I use a 59/Custom 5 setup in one of my LPs and love it. The LP I recently bought has some unknown Gibson pup in the neck, and a JB in the bridge. It's reminded me all over again about why I don't like JBs.
That said, don't let my distaste for the JB sway you too much.....lots of people love that pickup.
If you're after a lower output (but not low output), more classic sounding tone take a look towards the Customs...(Custom, Custom Custom, and Custom 5). There's still plenty of output in them, and they ballance nice with a 59 in the neck.
The 59 in the neck will give you a nice, round, slightly scooped sounding clean tone, and if I remember right (it's been awhile) the Jazz will lean more towards a bright, glassy sound.
I use a 59/Custom 5 setup in one of my LPs and love it. The LP I recently bought has some unknown Gibson pup in the neck, and a JB in the bridge. It's reminded me all over again about why I don't like JBs.
That said, don't let my distaste for the JB sway you too much.....lots of people love that pickup.
Red Barchetta
Well-known member
I have heard the Lindy Fralins, and they sound great. I am considering (strongly) putting them in my LP. I have the Fralins in my Strat, and love them.
RB
RB
Have you tried 57 classics or 57+? What about 496/498? Or 490/498?Maybe 490/490? There are many Gibson pickups you can try if you would like to keep your guitar all Gibson. The 496/500 set are pretty hot. I have those in the V and they are pretty edgy. Try stepping down the line a little.
SabuJSE
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I have a 490/498 combo in my SG and they are very versatile - little less output than what you have currently but still has a good amount of bite. I really love those pickups.
My Lester has the BB Pro's and I think they are worth every cent. I greatly prefer those to the typical Jazz/JB offering from SD.
My Lester has the BB Pro's and I think they are worth every cent. I greatly prefer those to the typical Jazz/JB offering from SD.
Guitarzan
Well-known member
For a Les Paul I would also recommend a Duncan Custom 5 for the Bridge and a '59 in the Neck.
The regular Custom(ceramic) might be similar to what you have now, the Custom Custom (Alnico II) to me sounded thin and not what I would want to hear from a Paul.
However, I have, and like alot, the Duncan Alnico II Pro's in a 135 and these are very musical. Much less string pull than the stock Gibson's If your looking for a Slash tone then go with a ALII in the neck, '59 if you want more bite.
As posted above WCR makes a great p/u as well. I favor the Goodwoods, but there's more...
Now if you go to my web page and see my doubleneck...I have Van Zandt True Buckers in all positions and these are without a doubt the best repro of an old bucker. The E, F and F# on the low E never farts out they are soild and tight pickups...you can find them Here.[/url]
The regular Custom(ceramic) might be similar to what you have now, the Custom Custom (Alnico II) to me sounded thin and not what I would want to hear from a Paul.
However, I have, and like alot, the Duncan Alnico II Pro's in a 135 and these are very musical. Much less string pull than the stock Gibson's If your looking for a Slash tone then go with a ALII in the neck, '59 if you want more bite.
As posted above WCR makes a great p/u as well. I favor the Goodwoods, but there's more...
Now if you go to my web page and see my doubleneck...I have Van Zandt True Buckers in all positions and these are without a doubt the best repro of an old bucker. The E, F and F# on the low E never farts out they are soild and tight pickups...you can find them Here.[/url]
Guitarzan
Well-known member
Lawrences are cool... They might be too Hi Fi for a Paul...
darkbluemurder
Well-known member
Platypus said:
+1 on the WCRs and the Voodoos. Wolfetone Marshallheads are also a good choice. There are many others which I haven't tried (Lollar Imperial, Tom Holmes, Tim White, Highorder).
Boogie Bill
Well-known member
I have two classics, and I know exactly what you mean about the Gibson Hot Ceramic pickups.
There are approximately 59,467 pickups on the market. Some are good, some aren't, but everybody has a favorite. Deciding is darn hard, if not impossible.
So I finally took the plunge, took a deep breath, and bought a set of Duncan Antiquitys for the one guitar. Unfortunately, it took almost a year before I could get them installed, but I finally got around to doing it--and wondered why I waited so long.
The Antiquitys are everything that I could have wanted, and made a fantastic difference in the guitar. All those great PAF tones of Carlos, Eric, Duane, Jimmy, Mike, et.al.: they are all in those pickups.
What finally prompted me to install them, was that Duncan had made up a special run of 50th Anniversary Seth Lovers for Musician's Friend, and I bought a set of these for the second Classic. (Having the two sets around was making me fell really bad!) These have A2 magnets, and represent what a "new" PAF would have sounded like 50 years ago; the Antiquitys have "aged" magnets to sound like an old PAF.
Either way, Seymour knows his stuff. Both of these guitars are simply amazing. They produce sweet, clear, singing tones--with making my Boogies sound farty or flabby. I just recently bought a '58 Historic Paul, and its is a REALLY nice guitar, but my Classics now provide about 95% of the Historic vibe, for a LOT less money.
I'm not one of these guys that does a lot of pickup swapping, but I am very pleased that I made these changes with my Classics. (Another tip: I installed lightweight Gotoh tailpieces from Stewart-McDonald--another positive change.)
One advantage I felt the Duncans' had was in name familiarity--he's been around for a long time and the Antiquitys are well-known, respected and desireable. I had a good experience with a set of Antiquity Texas Hot Strat pickups that a previous owner had installed in a G&L Legacy. Those pickups have a delightfully smokey and complex mid-range. I had a feeling that the Duncan Antiquity humbuckers would be equally as good. These are his "best" pickups. And I felt the 50th Anniversarys would right there too, and they are.
Now, I'm using my guitars with a cover band, and we do all kinds of music--but they are usually low-SPL gigs. I am not blasting away with a full stack doing nu-metal. The Antiquitys are not wax-potted, so in those situations, feedback can be a problem. It has NOT been a problem for me, but when it has occurred, the feedback has been musical and controllable. So if you are playing really loud, a potted pickup might be advisable.
I don't think you can go wrong with the Duncans, each one has a little different flavor. One man's "greatest thing since sliced bread" is someone else's "hunk-o-junk".
I hope you found this helpful.
There are approximately 59,467 pickups on the market. Some are good, some aren't, but everybody has a favorite. Deciding is darn hard, if not impossible.
So I finally took the plunge, took a deep breath, and bought a set of Duncan Antiquitys for the one guitar. Unfortunately, it took almost a year before I could get them installed, but I finally got around to doing it--and wondered why I waited so long.
The Antiquitys are everything that I could have wanted, and made a fantastic difference in the guitar. All those great PAF tones of Carlos, Eric, Duane, Jimmy, Mike, et.al.: they are all in those pickups.
What finally prompted me to install them, was that Duncan had made up a special run of 50th Anniversary Seth Lovers for Musician's Friend, and I bought a set of these for the second Classic. (Having the two sets around was making me fell really bad!) These have A2 magnets, and represent what a "new" PAF would have sounded like 50 years ago; the Antiquitys have "aged" magnets to sound like an old PAF.
Either way, Seymour knows his stuff. Both of these guitars are simply amazing. They produce sweet, clear, singing tones--with making my Boogies sound farty or flabby. I just recently bought a '58 Historic Paul, and its is a REALLY nice guitar, but my Classics now provide about 95% of the Historic vibe, for a LOT less money.
I'm not one of these guys that does a lot of pickup swapping, but I am very pleased that I made these changes with my Classics. (Another tip: I installed lightweight Gotoh tailpieces from Stewart-McDonald--another positive change.)
One advantage I felt the Duncans' had was in name familiarity--he's been around for a long time and the Antiquitys are well-known, respected and desireable. I had a good experience with a set of Antiquity Texas Hot Strat pickups that a previous owner had installed in a G&L Legacy. Those pickups have a delightfully smokey and complex mid-range. I had a feeling that the Duncan Antiquity humbuckers would be equally as good. These are his "best" pickups. And I felt the 50th Anniversarys would right there too, and they are.
Now, I'm using my guitars with a cover band, and we do all kinds of music--but they are usually low-SPL gigs. I am not blasting away with a full stack doing nu-metal. The Antiquitys are not wax-potted, so in those situations, feedback can be a problem. It has NOT been a problem for me, but when it has occurred, the feedback has been musical and controllable. So if you are playing really loud, a potted pickup might be advisable.
I don't think you can go wrong with the Duncans, each one has a little different flavor. One man's "greatest thing since sliced bread" is someone else's "hunk-o-junk".
I hope you found this helpful.
