New pickups for my LP?

[MakerDP]

I have a LP Studio with chambered body and it has the stock Gibson Classic 57/57+ combo in it. I love the playability and light-weight of this guitar but the pickups make me go "meh" instead of "yeah." For comparison, I have a 2001 PRS Singlecut and I put Pearly Gates PUPs in that bad boy... it sounds so much more "alive" especially on the bridge pickup. The LP just sounds "darker." Don't know how much the chambered body of the LP has to do with that.... it sure is a heavy beast compared to this LP and my Strats though.

I'm thinking Seth Lovers or Antiquities... maybe even the Greenies. I want to stay on the classic low-output "bluesy/light crunch" side of things and I want to stand-out in the band mix during solos. I also play through F/M/V/D-style amps, depending on my mood etc.

I would like to get back that alive feeling I get with the SD's but I don't necessarily want SD's in the LP... but if the scale-length and body differences make them sound unique then that's ok too.

What do the guru's here think?

Oh, and I don't really care about the coil-splitting my LP gives me... I have Strats and Teles for that.

[orpheo]

The Seths have a warm sound but an open character, if that makes sense?

The Antiquities are amazing. One of my favorites, hands down.

The Greenies are a bit brighter than the Seth's, but just as 'open' sounding. The Seths can be a bit weak sometimes where the Antiquities never have that issue. Not that the Ant's are hot; they just have a bit more grind to them, which I personally really dig.

Greenies: not too much experience with those.

My call? Antiquities make for a great guitar but if you want more brightness, I'd go with the Greenies.

If you want to broaden your spectrum and go with other makers' pickups, Bareknuckle makes a few great pickups. The Riff Raff sounds brighter than most humbuckers and has that open characteristic of a PAF. The PGBlues is way fatter than SD's Greenie pickup set, more like the Seth but fatter. (I like the Seth a bit more, to be honest). BKP's Stormy Monday, however, is amazing. It's one of the best PAF style pickups I've ever heard. Sweet but not fat or warm; ballsy but not hot. Open but not bright.

But the Antiquities are g r e a t as well in their own right.

Still, the 2012 Joe Bonamassa set is, by far, the best pickup I've ever heard but that set is just impossible to get nowadays haha

[Mincer]

The biggest thing is to select the EQ you like, or the EQ your guitar needs. All 3 sets are amazing in an LP. The Ants are the most open, and the Seths have a beautiful midrange honk to them. I'll let someone else chime in on the Greenies.

[MakerDP]

The Antiquities are amazing. One of my favorites, hands down.

BKP's Stormy Monday, however, is amazing. It's one of the best PAF style pickups I've ever heard. Sweet but not fat or warm; ballsy but not hot. Open but not bright.

But the Antiquities are g r e a t as well in their own right.

Yeah my heart keeps telling me to try the Antiquities. I've actually had my eye on them for a LONG time but I only had the Singlecut with the PG's and I love how that sounds so I wanted to wait for another genuine LP, which I finally broke down and got a couple years ago... just not really digging the 57's.

I am definitely going to check out the Stormy Mondays... with a name like that those might be just what I'm looking for too.

I understand about EQ and tone shaping... but after as many years as I've put in my rig is moving towards less-complicated not more. Getting the sound I want from the source is a high priority for me. Plus, there's no knob that I know if that ranges from "stale and one-dimensional" to "dynamic and open." That's kinda how I feel switching between those two guitars.

I'm also thinking maybe the Greenies aren't the set for me... I have two push-pulls on this LP and I don't really care at all about splitting except on the neck occasionally and then blending it with the bridge. So I might see if they have the poles needed to make one into a phase-reverse switch and experiment with that for the Green-ish sound so I think I will just focus on my main tone and add the icing on top of that for when I want the extra flavor.

Thanks for the input guys. This is always helpful place.

I also need to decide on a direction for covers vs coverless... This guitar is wine red, has gold hardware/covers and is pretty pristine, so I'm not sure the aged-look would be right for it - I'm not anti aged at all but if the guitar looks pretty much showroom then that might be out of place. I'm thinking maybe zebra with cream pickup rings might be a good look. Maybe get a cream pickguard and put it back on (currently running without.) I think I prefer coverless for this guy.

[MakerDP]

dang... now I went and found a Custom Shop set of Antiquity Pearly Gates... they are even in gold... decisions decisions decisions... what would the "Antiquity" part of the equation add to the regular PGs?

[uOpt]

dang... now I went and found a Custom Shop set of Antiquity Pearly Gates... they are even in gold... decisions decisions decisions... what would the "Antiquity" part of the equation add to the regular PGs?

Found where? If you don't buy them I probably will.

I am not sure they are ideal for a Les Paul. I use PGs on guitars with tremolos.

[MakerDP]

heh, well... if I decide to pass on them I will let you know... but... not suitable for a LP??? They were copied from B.G.'s PUPs in his LP...

[uOpt]

heh, well... if I decide to pass on them I will let you know... but... not suitable for a LP??? They were copied from B.G.'s PUPs in his LP...

I didn't mean literally unsuitable. I just prefer more regular PAFs in a LP and the PG is my go-to pickup for trem guitars.

[MakerDP]

That's cool. We all have our personal preferences which is all that matters at the end of the day.

[beaubrummels]

When I was chasing the OP goals, I ended up with a Bare Knuckle Black Dog bridge and a Seymour Duncan 59 neck with an A4 magnet.

Along the way, I tried all these that worked well, just had different EQ tilts.

• stock 59n in the bridge, stock Jazz neck in the neck (a poor man's Jimmy Page set)
• Brobucker bridge, Seth neck (very specific PAF tone, very good, good upper midrange chime, a little push in the bridge, makes a weight-relieved LP sound like an ES-335)
• Whole Lotta Humbucker set (warmer on top with slightly higher output than the others, like a much-improved 59 set, which is already good to start with)
• Jazz set (bright also, bit of Angus 70's rock sound; don't let the pickup name fool you)
• Pearly Gates set (bright and tight, one of the best all around sets, if too bright just roll the tone off a bit)
• Skinnerburst set (very specific vintage 50's PAF sound, lower output, darker than Seths, pricy Custom Shop)
• Slash bridge, Alnico 2 Pro neck (very neutral, good all-around rock set in the way the JB is good all-around metal pickup, sort flat-sounding Jimmy Page set e.g. sharp attacking bridge with mellow neck tone, lacking in character a little bit, needs more amp tone adjustment and/or a really good sounding amp/speakers to get more character out of it IME)
• Alnico 2 Pro set (very wide midrange hump across the EQ)
• Seth set (mid range honk with clarity on top)

I tried a few other things, but they were off the target of "bluesy/light crunch"

That custom set of Pearly Gates might beat all of these.

[MakerDP]

That custom set of Pearly Gates might beat all of these.

Wow…. Great summary! Thanks for taking the time with that!

I think I might be leaning in the direction of the PG Ants… but I’m also intrigued by the WLH set.

[Securb]

I’m also intrigued by the WLH set.

I always say the WLH set makes a Les Paul sound like what you imagine a Les Paul sounds like. I have the set in 2 Les Pauls, and I can use them for everything from bluesy classic rock to thrash. Here is a review I did a bit back on them.

http://www.tmrzoo.com/2014/63700/review-seymour-duncan-whole-lotta-humbucker-im-gonna-give-love

[Tubes]

When I put some Seths in my standard I immediately kicked myself in the butt for waiting so long. They set a new baseline/benchmark for me and I had played the alnico pro 2 pickups a lot which are similar but potted. I personally think unpotted pickups are a must if you want classic les paul sound. The unpotted custom shop pearly gates are night and day compared to the regular set.

So my personal suggestions:

Bare minimum : seth lovers or antiquities
Something more special: candy or queenbucker set.

At this point you're basically picking between some of the best paf sounds in existence imo. Good luck!

[MakerDP]

When I put some Seths in my standard I immediately kicked myself in the butt for waiting so long. They set a new baseline/benchmark for me and I had played the alnico pro 2 pickups a lot which are similar but potted. I personally think unpotted pickups are a must if you want classic les paul sound. The unpotted custom shop pearly gates are night and day compared to the regular set.

So my personal suggestions:

Bare minimum : seth lovers or antiquities
Something more special: candy or queenbucker set.

At this point you're basically picking between some of the best paf sounds in existence imo. Good luck!

I know right?!? Analysis Paralysis sucks!

I made an offer on the A-PG set. If that doesn't come through I'll probably just "settle" for the Seth Lovers ... lol.

[ArtieToo]

stock 59n in the bridge, stock Jazz neck in the neck (a poor man's Jimmy Page set)

Interesting. That's a good set. What would a rich man's JP set be?