Classic Rock Pickups for a Les Paul Studio Deluxe 60's

[BloodRose]

Re: Classic Rock Pickups for a Les Paul Studio Deluxe 60's

As a C8 owner it will do classic rock and metal with ease but it can be very aggressive at times and a bit too much depending on the situation. It will crunch very nicely and still retain a vintage vibe but it won't let you forget that it has a whole lot of power ready to rip at any moment.

Very correct! The C8 is an awesome pickup, but it is pretty meaty!
Its my fav pup for all around rock and metal stuff.

I would suggest a WLH set as they are absolutely delicious! I LOVE the tones Im getting with my LP. I was running a PG set and they were great and very versatile, but the WLH just seem to have so much soul. My only concern for the op is that they may not have enough balls for when you want to go metal. A PG set will get you close to the WLH set in many respects and give you alittle more push for when you want to take a trip to heavy town...

Ive never tried the Slash set, but heard they deliver the goods. I know I love slash's tone

And, as Aceman said, you could do well with a 59 in the neck and a hybrid in the bridge. That would cover a ton of ground too. I usually run 59bridge models in the neck to get just alittle more creamy tone in my blues tho.

 

[GI-45]

Re: Classic Rock Pickups for a Les Paul Studio Deluxe 60's

I should add that my guitar has a baked maple fretboard, which I understand makes the tone brighter. So I definitely don't need pickups to make it even more bright.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Classic Rock Pickups for a Les Paul Studio Deluxe 60's

I should add that my guitar has a baked maple fretboard, which I understand makes the tone brighter. So I definitely don't need pickups to make it even more bright.

I would pass on the Pearly Gates then as they have a reputation with folks for being a touch too bright. I also think you should pass on the Custom line of pickups. The Duncan Custom, Custom Custom, Custom 5, and Custom 8 are all more on the side of "metal/hard-rock pickup that can do classic-rock," where as the Whole Lotta Humbuckers, 59's, and Custom/'59 Hybrid are more on the side of "classic-rock pickup that can do metal/hard-rock." I agree with Lewguitar that Alnico II Pros sound fantastic in a Les Paul, but I just yanked the bridge model out of mine cause I wanted more kick. I think they would need a bit more gain to do metal, whereas my WLH and Cusom/'59 Hybrid have no trouble getting there.

Realistically, since you have a mahogany neck and a weight relieved mahogany body, you could still push the brighter-end of the spectrum like the PGs. But Like BloodRose, I think the either the WLH set or the Custom/'59 Hybrid w/'59 combo would match nicely. I'll see if I can get you samples of both this weekend. I have the WLH in a strat (brighter than an LP, so a good barometer for your guitar) and my Gibson is sporting the latter combo. See what you think then.