Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

S

Stretch Guitarstrong

New member
I've currently got 5 dual humbucker guitars. They are as follows:

Les Paul w/ WLH Set
Les Paul w/ Slash Alnico Set
Les Paul w/ 59n+59/Custom Hybrid
DGT w/ stock pickups
Shiflett Tele w/ Dimarzio 36th neck+AT-1 bridge

The WLH, Slash, and DGT are all PAF+ flavors and in the same rough ball park. The Shiflett is thick and juicy and has it's own profile different from the rest. It's hottest sounding of the bunch. I noticed this when I went from the DGT to the Shiflett mid set. Louder and hit the rig harder. The 59+59/Custom is the one that doesn't really fit. It's the brightest of the bunch and feels more scooped and thinner than the others. It's tuned down a half step and I think what I want to do is try to get it closer to the Shiflett Tele in sound so I could use both for a night of standard and 1/2 step down tunes. Of course I can just order up the same 36th neck and AT-1 bridge for it but wanted to see if there were some other similar but unique flavors that fit the Les Paul better. The AT-1 is about as hot as I want to get.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

But an A2 in the 59/C and an A4 in the 59n. That should fix your problem without having to shell out some cash for a new set of pickups.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

I agree with Chistopher: the magnet swap proposed should fix this issue. I'd like to suggest, in addiction, if you want to replace the 59/custom, a custom with a A8 in it.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

The mag swap would help, but you will get a drop in output which won't help the guitar relative to the others.

If you're interested in a recommendation for new pickups:
Look at the Air Norton in the bridge and 36th Anniversary Neck in the neck.
 
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Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

Two of my 5 Lesters carry a harder set. A Les Paul Classic with a A5 490R and a moddified 500T and a Schwarz Custom Lester with a Jazz neck and a Duncan Distortion. And i like the DD more and more...
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

I'm looking to stay away from pickup modding and go off-the-shelf. But...if I'm cool installing pickups and soldering, how difficult is it to change mags? How easy is it to "brick" the pickup?

How do the AT-1 and Air Zone compare? I'll have to research the Duncan Distortion. Never really looked into that particular pickup.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

You won't break a pickup doing a magnet swap, but you have to be a little careful, as the coil wires are pretty small. What sort of sound are you going for? Do you want another PAF type pickup or hotter?
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

Stretch Guitarstrong said:
how difficult is it to change mags? How easy is it to "brick" the pickup?
Click to expand...
The only wire in any sort of jeopardy when swapping a magnet is the ground where it connects to the baseplate and damaging it is highly unlikely if you are careful.

Some guys reach for the hair dryer and slide the magnet out and stuff another one back in. I'll normally opt for backing out the pole-piece screws, releasing the tape from the sides of the baseplate and removing the baseplate. I find that this preserves the tape better.
 
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Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

gregory said:
The mag swap would help, but you will get a drop in output which won't help the guitar relative to the others.
Click to expand...

If that's an issue, an A8 will work in the 59/C. It has a pretty similar tone to an A2 but it's louder. The A4 in the 59n will have a negligible difference in output to the A5.

As for off the shelf pickups, a Custom Custom will give what the OP wants in the bridge.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

I've never been a fan of the Norton, but it definitely has a very prominent midrange. I find the aww sound in that one to be too over the top, but that's me.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

What about the Shur Doug Aldrich set? That's a high octane bridge pickup with a nice matching neck pup. Doug plays LP's and I've heard nothing but good things about the set.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

Dude the 59/Custom hybrid is such a great pickup. Why on Earth would you want to replace it? Well, I get it so anyway... Look, believe it or not, the AT-1 makes an excellent pickup for mahogany and alder guitars. It has a bit too much sizzle with ash. Based on the pickups you mentioned and wanting to get away from the usual, these are what I'd recommend:

Bareknuckle Riff-Raff/Mule set - Loud, but output is less than an AT-1
Bareknuckle VHII set
Bareknuckle Black Dog set

All of these pickups are rather unique in my opinion and are a departure from your circle of pickups, but not too far off or too high in output. Now, I'm going to give you a suggestion, but I've been really impressed with this pickup, so hear me out. Try a Dimarzio Transition. In mv output according to Dimarzio, the AT-1 is rated at 320 and the Transition is rated at 390. Even so, it's really not as hot as you might think. Lowering it a bit from the strings will give you the perfect output. At first, it seems like a pretty straightforward pickup, but it will sing for you like a canary. It will respond to your pick attack like you're in total command of a battleship. It has clarity and definition, but it's warm and will give you whatever you want with the turn of a dial. It cleans up fairly well, so if you have a Marshall and want clean tones, it will be only a little hotter than an AT-1 in terms of how much it will push your amp into overdrive. If I'm wrong, you can always exchange it.

Lastly, I suggest putting your 59/Custom hybrid in the neck position and putting a Duncan Custom in the bridge. You'll freak out on how good of a neck pickup the 59/Custom hybrid will make. Overall, it will be on the hot side, but the tone will be so damned good dude.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

SavageRiffer said:
Dude the 59/Custom hybrid is such a great pickup. Why on Earth would you want to replace it? Well, I get it so anyway... Look, believe it or not, the AT-1 makes an excellent pickup for mahogany and alder guitars. It has a bit too much sizzle with ash. Based on the pickups you mentioned and wanting to get away from the usual, these are what I'd recommend:

Bareknuckle Riff-Raff/Mule set - Loud, but output is less than an AT-1
Bareknuckle VHII set
Bareknuckle Black Dog set

All of these pickups are rather unique in my opinion and are a departure from your circle of pickups, but not too far off or too high in output. Now, I'm going to give you a suggestion, but I've been really impressed with this pickup, so hear me out. Try a Dimarzio Transition. In mv output according to Dimarzio, the AT-1 is rated at 320 and the Transition is rated at 390. Even so, it's really not as hot as you might think. Lowering it a bit from the strings will give you the perfect output. At first, it seems like a pretty straightforward pickup, but it will sing for you like a canary. It will respond to your pick attack like you're in total command of a battleship. It has clarity and definition, but it's warm and will give you whatever you want with the turn of a dial. It cleans up fairly well, so if you have a Marshall and want clean tones, it will be only a little hotter than an AT-1 in terms of how much it will push your amp into overdrive. If I'm wrong, you can always exchange it.

Lastly, I suggest putting your 59/Custom hybrid in the neck position and putting a Duncan Custom in the bridge. You'll freak out on how good of a neck pickup the 59/Custom hybrid will make. Overall, it will be on the hot side, but the tone will be so damned good dude.
Click to expand...

How about the Abraxas set? Seems like a contender too but hot A4
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

Stretch Guitarstrong said:
How about the Abraxas set? Seems like a contender too but hot A4
Click to expand...

Well, all of the pickups you mentioned have more low end than the Abraxas. I think the Abraxas is a great pickup for sure, but if you're used to a little more low end, then it might be too midrangy for you. The AT-1 has a bigger low end than the Abraxas too. That's really the only reason I didn't recommend it. Actually, the VH2 doesn't have a lot of low end either, but I threw it in because it's a really great sounding pickup and feels so easy to play. Heck, the Abraxas might make a good alternative to it though I suppose.
 
Re: Looking to replace my 59/Custom Hybrid

hamerfan said:
Two of my 5 Lesters carry a harder set. A Les Paul Classic with a A5 490R and a moddified 500T and a Schwarz Custom Lester with a Jazz neck and a Duncan Distortion. And i like the DD more and more...
Click to expand...

A DD is a great pup, but with an AlNiCo instead of the ceramic mag. I've tried several different alnico mags in the DD and ALL of them sounded better than the ceramic.
 
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