Help please! Crunch time

CaptainWhizz

New member
Ok, I need help please.

The current rig is:
Late-'90s Gibson LP Studio, stock.
Late-'90s Gibson Doublecut Std, stock.

Mesa Nomad 55 2x12 combo.
AMT P1 & B1, and EHX 44 Magnum.
Crybaby, Bass Big Muff, Deluxe Big Muff, Roto-Vibe, Tubescreamer, Whammy, EHX Worm.


I have an EVH striped-series for my '80s Rock and pop-punk sounds, and a Japanese Squier Strat that I'm putting an Everything Axe set in for other stuff (plus, I won a Mexican Strat Deluxe last year that I'm probably going to sell, but that's another story).

My Studio is tuned to CGCFAD for stoner, grunge, sludge stuff, that needs a big, thick bottom end. My DC is tuned to standard a semitone down, for trashy rock and some harder punk stuff, with a little more treble and a less in the way of bass.

It's only since I've really started reading this forum that it's hit me- I hardly ever used both pickups on the Les Pauls without tweaking amp settings, because the 498T & 490R (I assume) don't fit well together. Also, the tone seems a little lifeless.

So, after reading various pickup manufacturer's sites, reviews, here, and watching YouTube, I narrowed it down to three sets:
Pearly Gates
Whole Lotta Humbucker
Custom/ 59

As luck would have it, used sets of each are all available for decent prices at the moment. This morning while I was half awake, I bid on the PG set on eBay, which ends tomorrow.

Which sets do people think would be best in which guitar? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I was thinking the Custom/ 59 or the WLH in the Studio, and the PG or WLH in the Doublecut. Ideally, I'd like to be able to swap from one guitar to the other with a noticeable (to tone lovers, at least) change in tone, with a brighter, slightly more "open" sound in the lighter guitar.

Thanks in advance!
 
Re: Help please! Crunch time

I think all this is backward.

The guitar in question, is it bright, dark or in between? What pot and cap values do you have now? What sort of music do you play or sound you prefer? Are you happy with the sound of your rig with a different guitar?
 
Re: Help please! Crunch time

I've not opened them up, but I'm assuming 300k pots all over.
As a whole, the rig sounds good, but I want to add more bass to the Studio, and a bit more brightness/ bite to the DC, and I don't want to have to change amp or pedal settings when I switch guitars
 
Re: Help please! Crunch time

I've not opened them up, but I'm assuming 300k pots all over.
As a whole, the rig sounds good, but I want to add more bass to the Studio, and a bit more brightness/ bite to the DC, and I don't want to have to change amp or pedal settings when I switch guitars

From my experience every LP I've had has sounded the best with 500k pots and 22 caps
 
Re: Help please! Crunch time

I would definitely start with a good harness of 500k pots. The WLH set is my pick from your choices, but the Seth Lover or '59 set would also work.

Save an additional 10% here (no affiliation with seller)

https://www.tonemanguitar.com/store...ong_Shaft_Pots_With_Orange_DropTone_Caps.html

Thank you. I'm in the UK, so I will try to find someone over here, although I was looking at Northwest Guitars, they only seem to do Strat and Tele pre-wired kits.

For reference, the videos that shaped my decisions were:

https://youtu.be/HRlzRYtY0Ns

https://youtu.be/2bXQvYzH-5w

https://youtu.be/URqVi8j6h-8
 
Re: Help please! Crunch time

From my experience every LP I've had has sounded the best with 500k pots and 22 caps

When I pulled the pcb from my LP Std, I experimented with all types of pots, 500, 300, and 250...both linear and audio taper....
For me, the audio taper 250K pots work best in my LP and amp. YMMV.
 
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