3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

[Mincer]

Re: 3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

i think the middle pickup on LPs is more for looks than anything. while you can definately hear middle start pickups in conjunction with the neck or bridge, the middle pickup on an LP is just not that distinct from the other two.
you would get more diverse sounds with a split or parallel switch on a 2 HB guitar.
Sometimes the look is more important than diversity for some players/

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: 3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

That's one SWEEEEET Guitar there GJer !! Is it true you can get a Tele like tone from it? I've also read they have Mahogany caps (Not Maple?) I guess there is a reason they call them the fretless wonder's.

The middle position is the bridge and middle in parallel, so it's like a LP notch position, which sounds nice and sweet for a more acoustic strummed tone on a LP. It's great when you want a less harsh rhythm tone, when played clean.
The 57 Reissues are all mahogany, while the regular Customs are mahogany/maple top. It just has a woodier sound, with less brightness on the high end......not bad, when the fretboard is ebony anyway. One unique thing about my 35th Ann. is that it's the only Custom that has Klusons, not Grovers....just like a Standard! = more resonant tone.

Also, the fretless wonders are really just 70's Customs. The 50's, 80's, 90's, and 2000's all have the regular Gibson frets. I hate fretless wonders too!

 

[WhoFan]

Re: 3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

How do 3 pickup LP's switches work? What is the selection..... is it a 5 way switch...

When Townshend added the middle humbucker to his LPs i was told that it was wired to an on/off switch and right to the output jack.... That way the LP Deluxes he used worked like normal and then when he wanted the mid boost of the middle PU he flicked the switch on... but after seeing the new PT LP from the Gibson Custom Shop i do not believe this wireing is the way he did it... The Gibson Custom Shop has a Volume for all 3 pickups and a master tone..

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: 3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

How do 3 pickup LP's switches work? What is the selection..... is it a 5 way switch...

The wiring difference between a regular and 3 pickup is that on a 3 pickup, the middle position is the bridge/middle. The neck is only on when in the 'rhythm' position. The middle position is like a normal middle position, but it's brighter and makes your LP better for clean rhythm playing. I'm sure Lindsay Buckingham used that position a lot for the rhythm playing in Fleetwood Mac. Also, Peter Frampton probably used it for rhythm playing a lot, otherwise his signature guitar wouldn't have been the 3 pickup model.

 

[viewaskew2k5]

Re: 3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

I'd put 2 p90's in the bridge/neck, and a fat cat in the middle

 

[spuds]

Re: 3 pick-up Les Pauls... opinions?

That's one SWEEEEET Guitar there GJer !! Is it true you can get a Tele like tone from it? I've also read they have Mahogany caps (Not Maple?) I guess there is a reason they call them the fretless wonder's.

I've actually never quite understood that. Why do they call it the fretless wonder?