Gibson Les Paul Pickups

[GibsonOrFender]

Looking to replace both pickups in my Gibson Les Paul 1995 as they appear to be quite muddy and thin to me.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what would work well? Need something full sounding with good mids (since I'm the only guitarist, and like to cut through the mix) and clarity if possible.

Play Alternative/ Indie music so tones range from clean to quite high gain (high gain only on lead sections)

Thanks

 

[ICTGoober]

Muddy AND thin? I'm having trouble figuring that one out.

 

[GibsonOrFender]

Muddy AND thin? I'm having trouble figuring that one out.

I'm not the best when it comes to tone etc haha. I just mean the guitar doesn't have a lot of body and when you play a chord it's hard to hear the individual notes

 

[Mincer]

I'd go with a 59 in the neck, and a Custom in the bridge. You will get a range of great tones that are neither muddy nor thin, and will sound awesome with the music you are playing. They both should solve the issues you are having.

 

[gsammo79]

Look at the Jason Becker & the Custom Custom.

 

[CaptainWhizz]

Custom and 59n are great. The only reason I don’t have that in both my Les Pauls is because I’m trying to have variety.
However, the Custom might not be best for alternative and indie, it might be too thick in series?
Custom 5 and Jazz might be a little better for “open” and “angular” sounds, a little less “hard rock”.
Can you give any more examples of bands and guitarists whose tones you’re aiming for?

 

[Benjy_26]

Pearly Gates set if you have a high gain amp, Pearly Gates in the neck/Custom in the bridge if you need your bridge pickup to push the amp's front end.

 

[GibsonOrFender]

I'd go with a 59 in the neck, and a Custom in the bridge. You will get a range of great tones that are neither muddy nor thin, and will sound awesome with the music you are playing. They both should solve the issues you are having.

Thanks, I quite like the sound of those two so will give them a try

 

[GibsonOrFender]

Custom and 59n are great. The only reason I don’t have that in both my Les Pauls is because I’m trying to have variety.
However, the Custom might not be best for alternative and indie, it might be too thick in series?
Custom 5 and Jazz might be a little better for “open” and “angular” sounds, a little less “hard rock”.
Can you give any more examples of bands and guitarists whose tones you’re aiming for?

Some tones would be similar to Royal Blood and some more like Nothing but Thieves. Nothing super heavy (metal), but a good range would be ideal.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

I just put P-Rails in my SG.

Lots of versatility, but I'm not sure id do it again giving all the kerfuffle I had getting the push-pulls wired properly..

Moreover,, it sounds like you're looking for more humbuckery, so I'd go with the 59, Custom or Jazz, in whatever combination tickles your fancy..

Personally,, I wonder if the metal covers on the original Gibson pickups are to blame for the muddiness, he said,, quickly putting on his asbestos flame-proof underwear...

 

[GuitarDoc]

I personally like the Jazz in the neck rather than the 59. I find that it has a more even tone. The 59 is scooped in the mids and sometimes can sound a bit boomy because of that.
Custom & Custom5 are good suggestions for the bridge. I'm not a ceramic magnet fan so a Custom with an A8 magnet suits my fancy and works miracles in an SG.

 

[beaubrummels]

In addition to the aforementioned, I'll add...

Whole Lotta Humbucker set would be good (it's an improved 59 set with more heat)
Slash set would work also (solid even hotter bridge with rounder neck tone for clean chords or thick leads)
Pearly Gates bridge / Jazz neck (or just Pearly Gates set, can't go wrong)
Jazz set
Custom 5 bridge / Jazz neck
Black Winter set

that's just from the Duncan line.

 

[alex1fly]

Looking to replace both pickups in my Gibson Les Paul 1995 as they appear to be quite muddy and thin to me.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what would work well? Need something full sounding with good mids (since I'm the only guitarist, and like to cut through the mix) and clarity if possible.

Play Alternative/ Indie music so tones range from clean to quite high gain (high gain only on lead sections)

Thanks

You really can't go wrong with any of the more popular Duncans or the advice here. Read the descriptions of pickups in the Seymour Duncan website and make a choice. Most of the pickup pages suggest neck + bridge combinations. Wire 'em in, check in here for advice on how to maximize them, and take advantage of the 21-day return policy if something doesn't speak to you.

One question is what does the guitar sound like acoustically. Is it muddy and dark naturally, and that's what's coming out of your amp as well? You may want some brighter strings, higher value pots, and some pickups that accentuate the high end. Or is it bright and spanky acoustically, but the amplified sound is dark? Then keep the same strings, definitely look at the pots, and get some pickups that accentuate clarity and cut. In either case, and I'll harp on this until I die, a 7-or-more-band EQ pedal in front of your amp is an incredibly useful tool for tone sculpting - cut the mud BEFORE it even hits the amp and precisely manipulate the mids. Way more useful than the 3 band EQ on the amp. A mid control on the amp might control 250 - 1500 hz, whereas a 10 band EQ pedal might have a control for 250, 500, 750, 1000, etc.

 

[ErikH]

There are so many options it's not funny. It really depends on how this guitar is naturally; bright, warm, or dark. My Les Paul is slightly brighter than other guitars I have. While the stock BB3 is a nice pickup, I needed a little more output and went with the Custom Custom in the end. It sounds great with a Super Distortion too. I left the stock '57 Classic in the neck and disconnected the tone pot. There was a little bit if mud on the low strings but not any longer. Now it's dialed in and sounds great.

 

[CaptainWhizz]

This guy gives a good demonstration of the cleaner tones from a Custom in a Les Paul. It’ll do from bright but thick cleans, up to chunky hard rock/ metal.
I would guess that probably anything with a PAF-style EQ profile would be a good foundation.