Les Paul NECK pickups???

Guitmech

New member
So I just installed my Custom Shop pickup into my 2012 Gibson Les Paul Standard and... Well... WOW! MJ really built me a beast of a pickup! I've never heard a pickup in the bridge position that could be so beautiful and warm when played through a clean amp, yet when you crank the gain, the teeth come out! It's a WICKED pickup for sure! So I HAD a Pearly Gates neck pickup in for awhile, but as with just about EVERY pickup you put in the neck of a Les Paul, the low E and A strings are muddy as heck! I put a .47 Cap in series with the hot lead from the pickup to help clear it up, but it just didn't give me the sound I was hoping for. So I yanked the
SHPG-1n out of it, and threw a Full Shred neck model in as a replacement. No capacitor this time, and I haven't tried it with this pickup yet, but I'll just get down to it... Some will consider what I'm about to say as blasphemy but each guitarist wants what he wants out of his tone.

I'm a HUGE fan/addict to the tone I get out of the neck pickup in my Strat. Fender Texas Specials in the middle and neck, Screamin' Demon Trembucker in the bridge with a cool split switch. I LOVE that single coil tone. The glassy chime and clarity is just heaven to me. And here's the blasphemous part... I want to get that tone out of my Les Paul neck pickup, but I want to be able to use a humbucker as well. I've considered about every neck model SD offers, and the only thing I have found that I haven't tried yet is a Stag Mag.

Anyone familiar with the 2012 Model LP Standard should know that it has Gibson's circuit board electronic setup in it. The original BurstBucker Pros have the little connector or the end of them, the selector switch has the connector, and all 4 pots are push/pulls, the bride volume splits the bridge pickup, while the tone acts as a blower switch for the bridge pickup only, and the neck volume splits the neck pickup while the neck tone reverses the phase of the neck pickup.

I rarely use the blower switch, never use the reverse phase, but I frequently split the coils so my plan is to get 4 push/pulls and wire it up 50's style, but with the coil split capabilities still available, and I'd LIKE to be able to use the other 2 push/pulls to switch between Screw or Slug coil, much like the way the P-Rails are intended to be used. However, I think if I want to do that, I'll have to use 3-way mini toggles, and I don't want to drill this guitar. It's sentimental to a degree, and I spent $2500 of my own hard earned money on a Les Paul with the finish I wanted already on it!

Point being, I'm strongly considering ordering a Stag Mag but not before I get the custom shop to do some stuff to it first. Basically I'd want it with a chrome cover and black pole pieces, cosmetically speaking, but obviously the real treat would be in the tone. A great, clear sounding humbucker, but when the coils are split, BOOM! Texas Special tone! Yeah, the mahogany body and neck will probably make a bit of a difference, but I can't imagine it would be TOO severe of a difference. Besides, it would still be a humbucker, so the Les Paul tone would still be there, just........ Not muddy...

Anyone have any thoughts or input? And also, if I were to Oder this from the Custom Shop, how would I go about ordering it right down to my specs? Because the parameters on the order forms on the website just don't cut it... Not enough options lol!
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

I LOVE that single coil tone. The glassy chime and clarity is just heaven to me. And here's the blasphemous part... I want to get that tone out of my Les Paul neck pickup

It just ain't gonna happen.
Different guitars all have their own thing going on, and lend themselves naturally to different tones.
Embrace the diversity.
Keep playing that lester, and try some different approaches. You will find some super sweet tones in there that are not possible on other axes.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

Honestly, I don't know that I want Stratocaster tone out of it as much as I want it to NOT be a MUDDY MESS. Now that I think about it, if I were to aim for a Strat tone, it would completely defeat the purpose of having either guitar at that point. But still, I need this thing to chime clear even with the gain at 11.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

Sentient neck pickup. It's designed for modern metal, but it's an incredibly clear and articulate pickup that I think would be perfect for you.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

I actually have a Sentient in my Ibanez so I'll pull it and give it a try. And I play everything from light clean pretty stuff to overdriven blues and all the way up through the metal spectrum as well so a versatile pickup would be awesome.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

The best bet is to get something like a p90 neck pickup, and better yet a p90 with rod mags rather than bar mags. You get the 'overwound strat' neck pickup tone.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

Posted by Guitmech
I LOVE that single coil tone. The glassy chime and clarity is just heaven to me. And here's the blasphemous part... I want to get that tone out of my Les Paul neck pickup
...........................................................................................................................................................................
It just ain't gonna happen.
Different guitars all have their own thing going on, and lend themselves naturally to different tones.
Embrace the diversity.
Keep playing that lester, and try some different approaches. You will find some super sweet tones in there that are not possible on other axes. gibson175 <-- a Good Answer + Sensible
............................................................................................................................................................................
What Style of Music + What Amplifier rig (or Amps - plural (Super Important concerning les Pauls.

For example , We all know Billy Gibbons is Badass - He's Got the Vibe with Good guitar juju BUT . . . . That 1st stuff with the Les Paul Sounds Horrid to me in Some Aspects . Why ? To Me , The Ax just Doesn't match the Rig for 1 thing ~ His Pickups may have sounded killer nowadays thru one of many Heads available. Few people Play true Blues/ Rock on a les Paul (That Bottom~mid thing is just way too predominent), just Doesn't work that well usually (I dont like pauls very much until u start Runnin' some serious gain thru them - That's me) . Gary moore Did it great though . Who knows ? maybe an Alnico 4 tonerider would beat the others , maybe a p90 (like AlexR said) ? What I know is, I build Non Paul guitars with All kinds of configs that work great on All kinds of Music for Far less than $2500. + the Pickups are usually chosen well to begin with . But Again, gibson175 is Also Sensible . After alot of Years building , there are some reliable standards for styles played + with what gear . many Years ago (in my 20's) god knows how many Pickups I changed out for ever and a day in guitars . Also , Celestions are only in 1 of my Guitar cabinets ~ I wont even offer up what's in the others :)
 
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Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

Few people Play true Blues/ Rock on a les Paul (That Bottom~mid thing is just way too predominent)


I don't know how you came up with this, but many thousands of blues/classic rock players having been using LP's for decades. The legendary tones of the late '60's/early '70's British blues players were mostly done with Gibsons, LP's being very common. Do any of these names ring a bell: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Danny Kirwan, Mike Bloomfield, Duane Allman, Dickie Betts, Martin Barre, Paul Kossoff, Robin Trower, Peter Frampton, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson, Joe Perry, Neil Young, Pete Townsend, Gary Rossington, & Luther Grosvenor? They didn't play 'true blues/rock' on their Les Pauls?
 
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Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

I have a Full Shred neck in my Les Paul and it is anything but muddy. It is beautiful. It was a little too cutting for me so I put filister screws in the bridge side coil to beef it up a bit and now it is perfect. Also, remember that you can adjust all of the screws on both coils for every string with the FS. It's a magical thing. By the way, I have an Alternative 8 in the bridge and it smokes.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

You could always use Triple Shot rings for the switching too. As far as a pickup goes, you won't find a humbucker that sounds like a Strat in an LP. The Stag Mag does, kinda, when split, but you won't like the humbucker mode. I'd suggest the Full Shred neck, and maybe install a series/parallel switch. There will be no more mud, and as a bonus, the parallel mode is hum-free.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

blueman , Are U sayin' that Frampton learned how to play guitar, + if so - It's Blues/Rock ? MOST of the big names U mentioned dont use them Anymore or aren't True Blues/Rock (just \blues influenced (like 90%) Rock) and the other Yuppies U mentioned , sorry - Never heard of them . professor

elelpe , I dont think a Demon would even be in the same universe for what guitmech is asking / mentioning
 
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Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

Anyone familiar with the 2012 Model LP Standard should know that it has Gibson's circuit board electronic setup in it. The original BurstBucker Pros have the little connector or the end of them, the selector switch has the connector, and all 4 pots are push/pulls, the bride volume splits the bridge pickup, while the tone acts as a blower switch for the bridge pickup only, and the neck volume splits the neck pickup while the neck tone reverses the phase of the neck pickup.

Anyone have any thoughts or input? And also, if I were to Oder this from the Custom Shop, how would I go about ordering it right down to my specs? Because the parameters on the order forms on the website just don't cut it... Not enough options lol!

I have a 2012 LP Standard and recently re-wired it and dumped the PCB. Much better sounds overall.
Today I installed a new SD 59/CUSTOM HYBRID(with Nickle Cover) Pup in the bridge. WOW- Big Difference SOUNDS GREAT ! Much better than the BB Pro Bridge Pup. I used a Quick Connect wire adapter on the new pickup.

I also wired the new Bridge Pup for Series, and Parallel when you pull the bridge tone pot (deleted the True Bypass)
The Bridge Vol Push Pull pot still has coil-shunt for series and coil-cut for parallel.

It made a huge difference - all for the better. One of the main points here is that removing the PCB got rid of the mud. Neck gets brighter now and completely helped my BB Pro Neck Pup sound.

Daver
 
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Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

blueman , Are U sayin' that Frampton learned how to play guitar, + if so - It's Blues/Rock ? MOST of the big names U mentioned dont use them Anymore or aren't True Blues/Rock (just \blues influenced (like 90%) Rock) and the other Yuppies U mentioned , sorry - Never heard of them . professor


Apparently your forum name was chosen after careful thought.
 
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Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

I mean like... I always thought it was a reference to B.B. King.

This Knucklhead guy, something tells me he won't be around here much longer.
Yeah, I'm already PO'd about all the spam and some unarmed idiot who tried to have a battle of wits with me. I'm in no mood for shenanigans of this sort.

Keep it clean or I wear you as a slipper.

(not you, Falloffthebonetone)
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

Yeah, I'm already PO'd about all the spam and some unarmed idiot who tried to have a battle of wits with me. I'm in no mood for shenanigans of this sort.

Keep it clean or I wear you as a slipper.

(not you, Falloffthebonetone)

Oh good. I did not want to be a slipper.
 
Re: Les Paul NECK pickups???

I Aint no BOY 36, been playin' much longer than that . Could somebody just explain the rules in regards to free speech / 1st. amendment here and how exactly I was out of bounds so bad that I get threats (above) from a forum chairman/Mayor ?
I may be good for this Forum and maybe Reciprocally . what was the exaction of the Infraction ?
 
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