Roadster and a Les Paul .. need new neck pickup?

[xscottx9]

I owned a Roadster head a few years back, but sold it and bought I Marshall JVM. I never looked back, .. the amp was plug and play. Fast forward 4-5 years, and I traded the JVM for a Roadster combo ..

my problem is back

I can't seem to dial in a sweet low break up/Clean sound on the **** thing. .. well, I can, I am almost there but I get this Honk type sound that I find dis-pleasing.

Let me rephrase that .. I can't dial it in on my Les Paul neck pickup. I have a Strat that sounds sweet (yes I have to re-adjust the knobs from the LP to the Strat) .

Is there a SWEET low-mid gain neck pickup that works wonders with the Raodster in a Les Paul?

I have a Burstbucker 1 in the spot now, I also have a P-90 I can throw in. But on my Marshall, the P-90 sounded a little nasal. (mid range honk)

What neck pickup do you Roadster/Roadkings find works very well? Or have any of you pulled the BB's out your LP's and found something better?

Thanks

 

[YellowJacket]

Bare Knuckle Emerald?

Honestly, I find that bassy Les Paul neck pickups really hate Bassy Mesa Boogies. The huge low end tends to work far better with lighter weight axes.

 

[thunda1216]

humbucker from hell.

 

[screamingdaisy]

In the neck I use a Burstbucker 1, '57 Classic, Lollar Imperial, EMG 60 or P90... depending on the guitar. I probably like the Burstbucker 1 the best as it's a a brighter pickup with less mud and a fairly even response. The 57 Classic is smoother with more bottom end and less top end, the Lollar has more midrange and less top end, the EMG 60 sounds like an EMG, and the P90 sounds like rock and roll.

The trick is to set the amp up so that it sounds right with the neck pickup instead of the bridge pickup. Lots of people do it the other way and try to fatten up the treble pickup... then wonder why the neck is all boomy and muddy.

Beyond that, make sure that your neck pickup is backed off the strings so that it's not hotter than your bridge pickup and keep the bass side a bit lower than the treble side so that there's a volume balance across the strings.

And keep in mind that what sounds a bit honky in the bedroom tends to sound outstanding on stage.

 

[YellowJacket]

Right, pickup adjustments...

Raising up the pole pieces makes the pickup brighter and lowering them makes it smoother. Generally, people drop the pole pieces in the bridge pickup and raise it higher to give more bass / output. Then they lower the neck pickup and raise the pole pieces to cut the boom. As Screamingdaisy said, lowering the 'bass side' (the side of the pickup closest to the fat strings) of the pickup can cut the boom. Then, you can raise the pole pieces to balance the output across strings if necessary.

Also, a lower neck pickup will dampen string vibration less and thereby result in better sustain.

 

[xscottx9]

The neck pickup in my les paul is very low, it is riding a just a tad over the plastic mount. I can lower it a little more, but I am not sure such a small distance will affect the sound.

Yellowjacket : "Lower the pickup and raise the pole pieces to cut the boom" ..

sounds exactly like my remedy. logic to it seems al ittle fuzzy, but i will try it.

P-90? anyone have neck P-90 expirience with the roadster? to middy and boomy too? It was a little honky sounding on my marshall..

Yes, volume helps with the LP neck pickup, .. so maybe im just being anal. I play at a good volume in my house, .. not a whisper.

I only use the Bridge pickup on channel 3, .. never been a fan of bridge pickups and clean amps.

thanks all

 

[xscottx9]

Put the P-90 in .. Problem solved.

**** .. I am really digging this roadster. Vintage/low output gear sounds so nice in this modern amp.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Vintage/low output gear sounds so nice in this modern amp.

That's how I'm using mine.

I have an Explorer that's still loaded with EMGs that sounds awesome and does the Metallica thing really well... but switching to lower output pickups in my other guitars opened up a lot of tonalities.

I particularly like pickups with Alnico 2 in them.

Actually... let me restate that... I particularly like Gibson pickups with Alnico 2 in them. I didn't like the Duncan Alnico 2 Pro due to excessively spongy bass and the Lollar Imperial is to refined, lacking the raw trebly edge of the Burstbuckers (1&2) that I currently favour.

(I also favour the '57 Classics that are in my SG and the P90s that are in my other Les Paul... but the BB 1&2 are my favourites)

 

[thejay]

Yes, agreed. I love the vintage setting on ch 3 with a P90 in the neck. Using a BFG and that is a very woodsy sounding guitar and a Non-Reverse Firebird (3x P90s). Actually, Tweed on ch 1 and Brit on ch 2 are tone heaven with the P90s.

I found the Roadster really reacts to pickups in very interesting ways.

 

[R_ADKINS80]

Duncan '59 neck is a pretty low gain neck pickup. I use it in my dean v and it gets pretty clean and is not muddy at all.

 

[R_ADKINS80]

You could always split the humbucker and only wire it up with the coil closest to the bridge for a brighter single coil neck tone.

 

[YellowJacket]

I didn't like the Duncan Alnico 2 Pro due to excessively spongy bass

Yup, the excessively spongy bass is annoying.

Yellowjacket : "Lower the pickup and raise the pole pieces to cut the boom" ..

sounds exactly like my remedy. logic to it seems a little fuzzy, but i will try it.

Pole pieces up = brighter tone. Pole pieces down = duller tone. They're supposed to be used to balance the output between all strings but this is the net effect of it. Not that it matters, I'm GLAD the P-90 worked out. Vintage gear crunches like MAD with a recto!!

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

LOL! Glad it worked for you. I was actually thinking of recommending that you try out a Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell, but I guess the problem is solved now... 8)