Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

[Lux84]

I have Vintage V 100 Black copy of Les Paul... i don't know specifies of pickups that are in it, but i think they are ceramics.. they distorted a bit early, but couldn't really do more than early heavy metal.. the guitar itself it's good copy of Les Paul, but it has carved mahogany top, no maple top on. i was thinking of getting new seymour duncans for it, and i think of more vintage bluesy/ rock tone, but still to be able to do some punk, or metal tones. what do you think is SH5 Custom good bridge pickup, or it will distort to early for really vintage rock tone ? i also think of putting SH1 59 set, would it be better ? i also have Vintage VS6 copy of SG, fitted with SH6 Distortion and SH2 Neck pickups, so.. now i think about more vintage tone, even with less output, but cannot deicide about those two, for bridge position.. if i go SH1 59 on bridge, will i still be able to do some more distorted sound ?

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

Whats the rest of the rig? Some amps an SH5 would be too much for others it would be just fine. Are you looking for something brighter or warmer in character? SH1's can do all the distortion you want IF your amp has the gain.

[Lux84]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

About amplification...

Well, for now i have more low wattage tube amp Blackstar HT-5 Combo and external Orange PPC 112 Cab. it can't do vintage stuff well, it's more hard rock/metal amplifier. but i have good results this week, experimenting with Strat and Bad Monkey on clean channel, playing a lot of Cream and Eric Clapton stuff. i just turn the bass knob higher, and treble knob lower, and i was getting kind of vintage tube sound, that i cannot with Blackstar HT-5: it distorts to early ! i also use neck pickup of strat and turn the tones knobs down to about 7. now i think i'll buy some lower gain small tube amp, like Blackheart or Vox AC4 TV, and that' s only for home practising. so it's about 5 do 15 tube watters for now. later for band, i was thinking of Blackstar HT-40 Club Combo. i am definately looking for some warmer character pickups... to be able to get some fuzzy tones from an amp... the other choice i am thinking of is to get Jet City JCA20 for band, for more vintage fuzzy sounds too.

So, in Les Paul, i definately don't want some higher output pickups, because i have already Distortions in SG... i was thinking of output, at about 10 to maximum 12 for the bridge pickup... so, some sort of low-medium output pickups..

[blueman335]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

SH-5's have ceramic magnets, so you're not going to get much of a change by going to one of them. You might as well keep what you have now.

LP's shine with PAF's, and Seymour makes some of the best. Here's my take on his vintage type PU's:
'59's - Like most PAF's, the bridge is bright. The neck has a lot of low end, and can be boomy in LP's. A5 magnet.
PG's - Bridge is also bright, but the neck is warm with a rounded high end; its greater mids gives it a big sound. A2 magnet.
A2P's - Bridge is a little warmer, and in my experience, the neck has a little sharper high end than PG's. Neck also has big sound. A2 magnet.
Seth's - Very accurate replica of an original 1950's PAF. Unpotted, unmatched coils. Great open, airy sound. A2 magnet.
Antiquities - Similar to Seth's; use aged A2's, which reduces their output and treble (full-charged A2's don't have a lot of either to begin with).

You can mix and match these to get what you want. The EQ's are shaped a lot by their magnets. A5's have a lot of treble and bass, with scooped mids. Firm low end and fairly high output. A2's are very different, with a lot of mids, not much treble, a looser low end, a more earthy complex sound, and lower output. And you can swap magnets to further dial in what you want. UOA5's are a middle ground between the two, so if an A2 PU needs a bit more treble, and you want to keep it's rich dynamics, use an UOA5. Likewise, if an A5 PU is too bright, scooped, or bassy, an UOA5 will fix that, without giving up as much treble, and adds mids and dynamics in the process.

What I'd do is put a pair of Seth's in your LP, for a great vintage sound, and use your SG for metal. Techncally, you can use any guitar for any genre, but some are better-suited than others. If you want vintage tones, then scrap the all-purpose approach (which is compromise city) and bring two guitars to your gigs, which you should be doing anyways. Expecting one guitar to do both vintage and metal well isn't a realistic plan. Very different genres. You have a couple guitars, use them both.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

The SH5 is a great pup but it isn't what you want.

For the neck, yoou can't do much better than the Pearly Gates. It has a bright high end to it but with your all mahogany LP it should sound very nice and have a great bluesy sound with some growl.

For the bridge, my favorite for what you want is the Screamin Demon (don't let the name fool you). It has a more even EQ than the 59 and a bit more output but still very clean and articulate. With OD it will get as much grit as you want for great rock.

[loversmoon]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

I just built me a classic rock strat and dropped a lil 59 in it. This thing sounds amazing. I would suggest a 59 or a hybrid 59/custom or even a pearly gates for classic rock and blues.

[Lux84]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

Thanx for all the suggestions for those pickups with alnico 2 i am a little scared about getting too muddy sound... but i want something with alnico at all.. well right now i am thinking of that combination: SH1 59 for bridge, and Pearly Gates for neck.. is it good combo, goes together well ? because change new pickups cost a lot of money, i want something special, something to say: yeah, that's a bomb i've had a Pearly Gates on neck position of one all maple guitar, and i really like it for warm zeppelin solos... but that's all mahogany so i am scared to be too muddy sound at the end...

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

You won't get muddy with the Pearly. Just gnarl. The 59 is ok for bridge, but a slightly higher output pup like the Demon or a 59 with an A8 mag would be better imo.

[loversmoon]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

hmm maybe go with a Demon in the bridge and either a 59 or a pearly in the neck.

[ItsaBass]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

A2 Pros regular or Slash, or Gibson 490's, or Burstbucker 1/3 are what I'd go for for classic rock and blues in a Paul.

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

BB3's are sort of thin and nasally. One came stock in the bridge of my old LP and I didn't care for it.

[Lux84]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

Well, i will ask for Screamin Demon & Pearly Gates pickups in local stores... will go that combination. i actually have a lot of time right now.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

Good choice IMHO.

[Lux84]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

So i finally deicide and order SH5 Custom & Pearly Gates combo for my LP !

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Which pickups for more vintage blues, classic rock tone ?

The Custom is a great pup, but I hate the ceramic magnet sound. Makes the highs sound unstable/brittle/scratchy. Put an A8 mag in it to totally solve that problem but keep the vibe. Better for the kind of music you intend to play. The ceramic is probably better for metal, but for rock and blues the A8 is much better imo.