I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other one?

[David Garner]

Hi folks. Long time lurker, first time (I think) poster. I have a 1993 Standard that until recently had Wolfetone Dr. Vintage in it. I had put those in after replacing the stock 498T/490R pickups with 57 Classics, and then deciding I wanted unpotted pickups for that vintage honk.

I recently traded for a 2016 Les Paul Traditional. It had Antiquities in it. In a word, they are amazing, and I like them so much they are staying. I will likely sell the Wolfetones to fund a new set of pickups. I was going to use the 498/490 set, but then I remembered all the things I don't really like about them.

One thing I noticed is when switching from the 498/490 set to the Antiquities, it's like a blanket was lifted off the tone. The Antiquities are way brighter and sharper than the 498/490 set, especially on the bridge. So I think I want something in the "vintage" ballpark, but I would like potted pickups for this guitar so I can use it for heavier stuff. I am considering the 59s, Pearly Gates and Slash APH-2 sets, and honestly leaning toward the APH-2, mostly because I love Slash's tone and I think the A2 pickups will mesh well with the Antiquities.

Folks who have tried multiples of these, can you give me some idea of what to expect from each set? The 59s are a reference pickup for Les Pauls. The APH-2s seem to be a nice compliment to the A2 Antiquities. The Pearlies are as I understand it bright and yet thick. All of them sound like good options. Is there a reason I might prefer one over the other? If I had to rate my instincts right now, it is:

1) APH-2
2) 59
3) PG

But I have very little experience with any of the three, so I appreciate any advice y'all can provide. Thanks in advance.

 

[David Garner]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I probably should have said -- I'm basically looking for a potted, heavier compliment to the Antiquities instead of an entirely different flavor. I want the new pickups to be in the same tonal ballpark, but more suited to heavier music (hard blues up to 80s metal like Ratt, Van Halen, Guns n Roses, etc., but not thrash or Nu Metal or any of that stuff), and yet still suitable to mid-gain and clean tones. If someone has one of the higher winds and finds it to compliment the Antiquities well, I'd certainly consider it.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I like the Wolfeton Dr. Vintage Neck so much that i wish i have the bridge too. My revommendation for you is either the Lollar Imperial set and Seymour Duncan WHL set.

 

[jeremy]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

i love the pg set. if you wanna do some magnet rolling, the 59 set with a3 neck, a2 bridge is great. i havent tried the slash set so cant comment there. the wlh set is very nice too. i recently got a lp trad as well and im trying to figure out what to swap in. i actually like the 57 classic bridge but not so much the neck pup.

 

[Mincer]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I dig the APH-2 set, because they sound like 2 giant sticks of butter. I don't use mine to do the Slash thing, either. But they are warm and toasty.

 

[David Garner]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

Thanks all.

I dig the APH-2 set, because they sound like 2 giant sticks of butter. I don't use mine to do the Slash thing, either. But they are warm and toasty.

Mincer, can you expound on how they do clean and mid-gain tones? That’s where the stock set seems dull by comparison to the Antiquities.

 

[Mincer]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

Well, the clean and mid gain tones (which is all I ever use), are warm. Closer to a traditional jazz tone than the Antiquities. The Ants are actually pretty bright pickups, so the Alnico II Pros shave those very highs right off. Alnico II Pros are perfect if you are in a 1-guitar band, as they cut a big swatch of the sonic spectrum. I find it really easy to get harmonic feedback too, since the width of frequencies they seem to emphasize is larger and more in the mids.

 

[blueman335]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

APH-2 - Great pickups, actually Jazz with A2 magnets

'59 - Bright & mid-scooped, and sometimes bassy. Sound nothing like an Ant. With an UOA5 in the bridge & A4 in the neck, they're a totally different pickup set, and along the lines of what you're looking for.

PG - To me the neck is too warm and rounded, and the bridge pretty bright. Big span of EQ I don't care for.


WLH - Warm, full, rich. Great for many genres.

 

[jeremy]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

theres a little confusion here. aph1 is the old set, the aps2 is the new slash set and they are different pups for sure. the aph1 is the jazz with a2 magnets and is a great set of pups. the aph2 is hotter and more aggressive to my ears

 

[BluesIsBlood12]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

A WLH set might do the trick. They are only a little hotter than Ants, but they handle gain really well. Also, I haven't used these, but there's a smoking demo of Saturday Night Specials in an SG on YouTube. It definitely makes me want some.

 

[David Garner]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

Update: I'm considering another direction. After rehearsal yesterday I realized the Antiquities are a great "do everything" set. They get as heavy as I need to get, but still have a lot of chime and character. A common refrain that keeps coming up here is Pearly Gates pickups are fantastic, but some find them too bright in the bridge.

So I'm thinking of trying the unpotted Custom Shop Pearlies. From the few sound clips I can find they are amazing, and give the other LP the same basic tone and character, with just enough extra oomph and grit to distinguish it tonally from the newer one with the Antiquities. Any thoughts on this route?

 

[jeremy]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

i think thats a fine choice

 

[AJK1]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

Hi folks. Long time lurker, first time (I think) poster. I have a 1993 Standard that until recently had Wolfetone Dr. Vintage in it. I had put those in after replacing the stock 498T/490R pickups with 57 Classics, and then deciding I wanted unpotted pickups for that vintage honk.

I recently traded for a 2016 Les Paul Traditional. It had Antiquities in it. In a word, they are amazing, and I like them so much they are staying. I will likely sell the Wolfetones to fund a new set of pickups. I was going to use the 498/490 set, but then I remembered all the things I don't really like about them.

One thing I noticed is when switching from the 498/490 set to the Antiquities, it's like a blanket was lifted off the tone. The Antiquities are way brighter and sharper than the 498/490 set, especially on the bridge. So I think I want something in the "vintage" ballpark, but I would like potted pickups for this guitar so I can use it for heavier stuff. I am considering the 59s, Pearly Gates and Slash APH-2 sets, and honestly leaning toward the APH-2, mostly because I love Slash's tone and I think the A2 pickups will mesh well with the Antiquities.

Folks who have tried multiples of these, can you give me some idea of what to expect from each set? The 59s are a reference pickup for Les Pauls. The APH-2s seem to be a nice compliment to the A2 Antiquities. The Pearlies are as I understand it bright and yet thick. All of them sound like good options. Is there a reason I might prefer one over the other? If I had to rate my instincts right now, it is:

1) APH-2
2) 59
3) PG

But I have very little experience with any of the three, so I appreciate any advice y'all can provide. Thanks in advance.

I have Antiquities and i can assure you if you want similar tone and flavour but want a hotter lightly potted version of the Ants then do yourself a favour and buy the Seymour Duncan CUSTOM SHOP PEARLY GATES set.
They are far and away the best pickups i've ever used and worth every penny.

 

[David Garner]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I sold the Wolfetones and just pulled the trigger on a set of Custom Shop Pearlies. I'll update when they're installed (I'm waiting with sad face for USPS to update and tell me when they might get here).

 

[jeremy]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

ill be curious what you think. its been a while since i tried the cs pearly, i remember loving the bridge, not sure how much time i spend with the neck.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I would add potted Seths to the mix.

 

[GrilledChickenSalad]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I probably should have said -- I'm basically looking for a potted, heavier compliment to the Antiquities instead of an entirely different flavor. I want the new pickups to be in the same tonal ballpark, but more suited to heavier music (hard blues up to 80s metal like Ratt, Van Halen, Guns n Roses, etc., but not thrash or Nu Metal or any of that stuff), and yet still suitable to mid-gain and clean tones. If someone has one of the higher winds and finds it to compliment the Antiquities well, I'd certainly consider it.

I get Ratt and VH tone just fine with my Antiquity humbuckers. You should be able to get them with light or full potting. I bet they can make them compensated for the potting to not lose too much of the difference.

 

[David Garner]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I got them and got them installed. They sound unreal. I hated taking the covers off, but I ordered a set with double creme bobbins, so I had to. They aged them nicely.

They are a fair bit hotter sounding than my Antiquities, in a good way. The Ants are very much vintage PAF tone. These are a touch smoother, but also with a lot of bite and midrange thump to them. They're exactly what you'd expect a Billy Gibbons inspired pickup to be.

 

[Mincer]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

I kinda like those covers, actually. I bet they sound great.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: I'm smitten with Antiquities in my Les Paul, what to compliment them in my other

Interesting, so you bought them in April 2019, but they were made Nov 2018; so they must have certain models already on hand. Wonder if we could get a list to shop from?