Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

[DirtyHarry71]

Hey All!
I have a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus (2010, LPTD+DBCH1), love the action but hate the bridge pickup! I was going to sell it and just buy a Custom or Supreme but was hoping a pickup replacement would solve the issue. How I came to the conclusion that the bridge pickup sounds like sonic cheese is a little sad; I was given a mid-range Yamaha Pacifica from a friend who owns a music store - as payment for a job. I took the Yamaha to a gig as a backup, and decided that it would be cool to play it on some quite numbers such as Take It Easy etc... Anyway, it sounded brilliant so I kept playing... and playing until I had finished the entire gig. Not once did I fiddle with my amp controls trying to dial out the elusive harshness that’s always present with the Traditional! The Pacifica has a P90 in the neck and some sort of Yamaha hum bucker in the bridge - it sounded great. So, a $1000.00 NZD Yamaha sounded better than my $4500.00 NZD Les Paul albeit not as easy to play. Can anybody recommend a replacement pickup or pickup set for my Traditional? I play a lot of different covers from the Eagles, Pat Benatar, Billy Idol, Guns & Roses and AC/DC - so I need a versatile setup. I believe the bridge pickup is a 57 Classic Plus and the neck a 57 Classic...

Additionally, I have added a Tusq nut and a Tonepro locking bridge tailpiece to the Traditional - but the tone stayed pretty much the same. I notice that acoustically unplugged that the Traditional sounds great with lots of sustain - but plugged into my JVM410H sounds terrible. I have read also that a lot of guys are going for the Oil Paper Cap's to smooth things out - would this help in addition to another PUP set? Any help, guidance would be greatly appreciated! (Plus, my wife will be real happy that I'm not buying more gear...)

Regards
Shayne Harris
New Zealand

 

[Securb]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

I have a 2011 Traditional Plus and this isn't the first time I have heard this complaint about the brightness of the bridge pickup. Typically I keep my pickup switch in the middle position for a classic rock/metal tone and it sounds fantastic, the bridge alone is a bit bright. There is a thread in one of the Les Paul forums that is pages long talking about replacement pickups for the Traditional Plus to remedy the brightness and harshness. At the end of the day one poster said "roll back your tone knob a bit that is what it is there for" which worked for me. No mods to my beloved Les Paul and the tone is amazing. Sometimes the solution is simpler than you think.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

'57's are not one of the world's better PAF's, middle of the road tone quality-wise, I don't know why Gibson persists in putting them in so many models. Seth Lovers (made by Duncan) are a world-class PAF and sound far better; I'd replace your '57's with a set of Seth's. Seth's are open, airy, more 3 dimensional. The bridge is rich and warm, the neck clear and articulate. Big upgrade from your '57's.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

Thanks for your replies so far; as for turning down the tone I respectfully feel that it also lowers the desired frequencies as well as the offending ones, I have tried this approach and it sounds like a blanket has been put over the guitar (IMHO). I really like the suggestion of the Seth Lover pickup maybe with a capacitor upgrade as well? Thanks guys!

 

[ErikH]

Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

First thing to do is to raise the action just a tad so the strings ring out more. Next, adjust the bridge pickup poles so they match the radius. After that, adjust the height of the pickup but have the bass side up a little higher than the treble side. If it's still too bright, change the bridge tone cap to .047uf.

57 Classics are good pickups so don't let negative comments about them away you away. I know plenty of folks who use them and love them.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

First thing to do is to raise the action just a tad so the strings ring out more. Next, adjust the bridge pickup poles so they match the radius. After that, adjust the height of the pickup but have the bass side up a little higher than the treble side. If it's still too bright, change the bridge tone cap to .047uf.

57 Classics are good pickups so don't let negative comments about them away you away. I know plenty of folks who use them and love them.

Hey, I'm not an easily swayed person but, I do let my ears tell me what sounds good - the 57's just don't work for me. Thanks for the advice on the pickup adjustment; I followed similar advice a month ago - lower the pickup slightly, keep the E's and the G level with the cover and raise the A & B 1 turn and the D 1 1/2 turns - yes it made a difference in string balance but that nasaly tone was still there. At this stage all I really want to do is try a good set of tried and tested pickups - the consensus seems to be Seth Lovers.

FYI: Do you think the combination of the 57 Classic Plus + my Marshall JVM410H /Vintage Modern Cabs could be the issue - maybe it's just a bad marriage between the components? I would be interested to see if the Traditional sounded better say on a Fender or Mesa? The JVM could possibly exacerbate the tone issue....

Thanks

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

'57's are not one of the world's better PAF's, middle of the road tone quality-wise, I don't know why Gibson persists in putting them in so many models. Seth Lovers (made by Duncan) are a world-class PAF and sound far better; I'd replace your '57's with a set of Seth's. Seth's are open, airy, more 3 dimensional. The bridge is rich and warm, the neck clear and articulate. Big upgrade from your '57's.

Thanks for your reply! Do you suggest both the neck and bridge pickup to be replaced with SH-55's? I also had a look at the description and it said :"For brighter toned instruments. Works especially well with maple and ebony fingerboards. Not recommended for use with ultra high gain tube amplifiers over 50 watts."

I have a Hi Gain 100watt Marshall - is this a problem?

 

[ErikH]

Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

Your amp and cab combo should work great with that guitar. Don't see why they shouldn't.

Seth's are really good pickups too, one of the best sets in Seymour's line. But I wouldn't say going to them is a massive upgrade. To me it's more a parallel move from one maker's PAF to another maker's PAF. I have experience with them and IME, there's nothing wrong with either set, just different flavors.

Play with your amp settings if you haven't already too. Try all the controls at noon and adjust from there.

 

[chadd]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

From the sound of the stuff you are covering, you don't need/want a PAF type of tone. Maybe something more like the APH1 or APH2 might fit what you're doing a little better.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

From the sound of the stuff you are covering, you don't need/want a PAF type of tone. Maybe something more like the APH1 or APH2 might fit what you're doing a little better.

I believe those are the pickups Slash Uses? - Love his tone on clean and distorted!

 

[ErikH]

Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

The Seth's are not potted so a loud high gain amp could give you some microphonic issues. The Slash set is worth a look.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

The Seth's are not potted so a loud high gain amp could give you some microphonic issues. The Slash set is worth a look.

Thanks everyone for your input, I have ordered a set of of APH-1 (n & b) - I figured if it doesn't work they way I want then I will sell the whole bloody lot and just buy a custom!
BTW, is there a starting height for the APH-1's? I guess I should measure the existing pickups before taking them off and then set the APH-1 at that point?...

Cheers

 

[ErikH]

Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

I go by how they sound, doesn't matter the height. The only pickup I d measure is the DiMarzio Super Distortion. 2 American nickels thickness on the bass side and 1 American nickel on the treble side. You can use the height of the 57 Classics as a starting point but not totally necessary.

 

[tubecrunch]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

I've never had luck with 57's. need versatility? Go for p-rails. Otherwise, there's a pretty wide variety that will work.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

I've never had luck with 57's.

Same expereince others here have had. They're nothing special, and if you look at their retail aftermarket price, there are many better PAF's for that kind of money.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

Same expereince others here have had. They're nothing special, and if you look at their retail aftermarket price, there are many better PAF's for that kind of money.

Thanks for re-assurance, I have bitten the bullet and ordered a set of APH-1 n & b; I also ordered some Paper In Oil Caps (might as well go for whole hog). I will post my results after replacing the pickups - if a run of the mill Yamaha Pacifica humbucker can sound better then I'm sure a set of these APH1's are going to kick butt. I'm sure these work for some people, after all they are pretty popular - just not me. I'm sure you would agree that there is nothing worse than fiddling with your sound all night because you think it's harsh - I want to enjoy my night!!

 

[USA guitar forever]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

theres no way the yamaha sounded better then an american instrument , you must have bad ears. but good job to get duncan's in the les paul any way.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

theres no way the yamaha sounded better then an american instrument , you must have bad ears. but good job to get duncan's in the les paul any way.

Lol, I'm sorry if I hurt your pride USA - I too love American Guitars that's why I own a Les Paul; I liked the neck pickup though!

 

[sosomething]

Re: Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

I, too, have a Les Paul Traditional Plus.

I, too, thought the bridge pickup was too bright and didn't accurately convey the excellent natural sound of the guitar.

I put a BroBucker in mine.

I am happy now.

 

[DirtyHarry71]

Gibson Traditional Plus - bridge pickup replacement.

So glad to hear that friend!