Pickups for Gibson Les Paul Std. from 1981

[Poti]

Hi to everyone!!!

First of all, thank you for being here with all of you and being able to learn from your knowledge. I never thought that choosing pickups would be such a confusing and head breaking task...

I will tell you my case: I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard from 1981 which I absolutely love, it has the 498T and 490R pickups which I really like (I don't understand why they get so much hate in some places), but unfortunately one of the mics of the 498T is failing and my tech tells me it's better to invest in another pickup than try to fix this one…

This is why I have decided to try Seymour Duncan pickups since I have been hearing wonderful things about them for many years but I have never been able to try them in person. I have decided that I am going to invest in the complete set (bridge and neck) and apart from the brand and model of guitar that I play, I use this gear in two different bands:

-In one of the bands I play with a Marshall JCM800 and a Marshall cabinet too, I use a Maxon OD808 to boost the amplifier, the style we play is Punk Rock very much in the style of Sex Pistols, The Damned, UK Subs, Cockney Rejects... etc and well, I know that in this specific musical style almost any SD pickup will be great for me.


-With the other band I play with a Peavey 5150 head and a Mesa Boogie 4x12 Rectifier Oversized cab, I don't use any Boost pedal. With this band we play a Hardcore/Crossover very much in the style of bands like Suicidal Tendencies, S.O.D, DRI, Agnostic Front...etc


What I try to look for, is a pickup set that performs well in both fields. I want to clarify that I am not looking for Active or ceramic pickups, rather I am looking for medium output pickups with good dynamics, articulation and definition, and get the amount of gain from the amplifier itself.

Another important fact is that I don't like pickups that emphasize the bass frequencies a lot, much less on a guitar with a Mahogany body and already with a thick sound like this Les Paul in particular. I would prefer something more midrange and with "tight" bass without it becoming strident. I've been looking at the popular JB/59 set but in the audio samples, the JB in the bridge seems a little uncontrolled in the bass and a bit "boomy", really sound like that on live?



I am aware that I do not have an easy path to make up my mind, much less even when I do not have the chance to try them in person, which is why I am asking for your help, with the information I have given you (I don't know if I forgot to something else) what pickups could work for me?




Thank you very much in advance for your patience!

[gsammo79]

The custom custom would be my first recommendation. Plenty of mids. The low end isn't loud and doesn't define the personality of the pickup. The second option id recommend is the Slash Alnico 2 Pro. More low end fhan the Custom Custom, but just a good, balanced rock pickup. Both use alnico 2 magnets

[Seashore]

I know you say you want medium output and not ceramic, but I think a Distortion would be a good match for these sounds in a thicker/darker guitar. You can also back the pickup away from the strings if it's too hot or bassy. The neck model of the Distortion is also a good bridge pickup with slightly lower output.

The cool thing about ordering from the Duncan website is that you have 21 days to exchange the pickups if they aren't working out how you'd hoped, so you're not stuck if you don't nail it on the first go round.

[Securb]

Welcome to the forum I am also a huge Punk fan and a fan of the 498Ts. When I was playing in my post-Hardcore band I put a set of WLHs in my Les Paul and it really shined. I have said here before they make a Les Paul sound like what you imagine a Les Paul should sound like.I ended up putting another set in another Les Paul. Great results again. These pickups allow me to play any style I want and love to play in the dirt.

[eclecticsynergy]

I'd suggest the Custom (regular SH-5) for the bridge. It nearly always does very well in Les Pauls.
For slightly less push, the Custom 5 would be nice in a guitar with strong low mids.
I feel the Custom 5 isn't too dissimilar to the 498T myself, though it isn't as grainy.

And a Jazz neck for clarity, or perhaps a Sentient for a more singing voice.
Or even the Alnico II Pro neck, IMO a much better take on what Gibson was aiming for with the 490T.
Personally I like the 59N, but occasionally in a fatter-voiced LP it can be boomy at high gain.

[Seashore]

I feel the Custom 5 isn't too dissimilar to the 498T myself, though it isn't as grainy.

I really like that 498T grainy-ness, it's one of my favorite things about the pickup. I don't understand what makes it sound that way but I've never heard anything exactly like it.

[Securb]

I really like that 498T grainy-ness, it's one of my favorite things about the pickup. I don't understand what makes it sound that way but I've never heard anything exactly like it.

The graininess just works in some guitars. I have 498Ts in two of my Ibanezs. Here is a 498T in my 85 Roadster

[Seashore]

The graininess just works in some guitars. I have 498Ts in two of my Ibanezs. Here is a 498T in my 85 Roadster

Sweet tone. Slick with just the right amount of hair. I like it!

I don't have any clips of mine, just finished stuff on Bandcamp from an album a few years ago when I had it in my baritone. Not sure if it's kosher to share that kind of thing here. But that grainy quality stands out, anyway.

[Clint 55]

Interested to see what you go for, op. Since you play punk and trash, don't want too much heat, and want to have the amp do the work, I'd 2nd the WLH set. Medium heat, sounds good in the neck or bridge, just pop em in. There are other options but you'd probably have to mix and match to really get what you want. The bridge is full enough but still PAFy and the neck has some bite to it and isn't all bassy and slick.

[Mincer]

The JB really has a lot of upper mids more than bass, and sounds good for that music in a Les Paul. I'd recommend the Custom over the JB, but that has a ceramic magnet. The Parallel Axis is also a great choice, if you can get on with the looks.

[eclecticsynergy]

I really like that 498T grainy-ness, it's one of my favorite things about the pickup. I don't understand what makes it sound that way but I've never heard anything exactly like it.

The 498T's graininess is pretty much unique to that pickup IME.
I'm not sure quite what gives it that either, kind of a signature characteristic.

JB is all about that big upper mid spike, but while its low aren't hyped they are relatively loose.
I've liked the JB for Les Pauls in the past; just don't think it's a good fit in this case.

[EmiAba]

I like the 498T too but not paired with the 490R, at least not paired with the 490R as is. I had hard time to find a good eq on the amp that worked for both the pickups. An A5 mitigate the issue. Now, about you request, your guitar should have a maple neck. If I am not wrong that early 80s standards came out this way. The maple neck should tame a bit the warm mahogany body. My advice is pearly gates/custom. For two reasons: the custom is not compressed as the distortion and you can adjust is voice with a mag swap ( and the A8 will give you the tighter bass possible) and the pearly gates is bright enough to remove the boominess from the neck slot. That's if you want to remain in the seymour duncan lineup. Otherwise a zakk wilde set is the solution.