'59 bridge model in neck position

Budweiser

Budweiser

CastorHopologist
Hey knowledgeable people of all things pickups. I ordered a C5b & 59n for my LP Studio. My buddy at the guitar shop installed them & said the '59 neck had a very noticeable drop in volume & power compared to the C5 bridge. He has a '59 bridge in stock that he said would be more evenly matched if put in the neck position. I told him to go for it. Why would the tone wizard recommend the pairing of C5b & 59n when they're so unevenly matched??

What are your thoughts on a 59 bridge model put in neck position on a LP?

Will it still be warm & smooth?

Thanks puperonies! :)
 
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Re: '59 bridge model in neck position

Strange, I just installed the '59/C5 combo in a hollowbody and the '59 n was stronger than the C5!
The balance was perfect actually, because I prefer the bridge cranked as high as it can go.
59b in neck might be mudville, tho I ain't tried it myself.
 
Re: '59 bridge model in neck position

Thats a coincidence - i had exactly the same combo - 59b in neck and C5 in bridge in the same guitar (Les Paul Studio) a couple of years ago. In my case, it was because i had a 59b lying around and so didnt think it was worth buying a 59n.

Actually, the 59n would work absolutely fine with a C5 - all you have to do is alter the pickup heights (ie raise the neck/lower the bridge) until they balance as desired.
However, a 59b is absolutely fine - it has marginally more output, bass and mids and less treble (as it is made for the bridge position), but only marginally.
I had a 59n in the neck position of another guitar, and the studio with the 59b never sounded that different.
 
Re: '59 bridge model in neck position

The 59b is 8.1k vs. 7.4k on the 59n. Therefore, the resonant peak of the 59b is lower (meaning less treble clarity) and it won't sound quite as mountain-stream sweet as the 59n.

But still, 8.1k, though by my way of thinking is pushing it a little for a neck pu, it could still work, especially if your guitar is more of a "biter" than a "moaner".

Even so, play with the pickup heights -- and polepiece heights -- a little before buying another pickup. If you drop the polepieces in your 59n and then raise the pickup height by the same distance you dropped the poles, you will definitely get more warmth and output.
 
Re: '59 bridge model in neck position

I think your friend is wrong and that the 59N would have worked just fine with the C5. However, the 59B is about as hot as most vintage Gibson paf's so it's not like it's overwound or anything...it should work fine too. The 59N is UNDERWOUND compared to a late 50's/early 60's Gibson humbucker whereas the 59B is about the same, and Gibson would have used two humbuckers wound to about the same specs as the 59B as both the neck and bridge pickups in all of those great early 60's SGs and ES-335 guitars we all know and love. Lew
 
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