LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Troy T. Blues

Troy T. Blues

New member
Like a dumbass I accidentally deleted my initial thread and about this there was alot of good info there...Geez, I apologize for that....:duh: :yell:

Anyways....I just bought an '04 LP Standard in Lightburst that has stock Burstbucker Pros in it (Alnico V). The jury is out, but I am not totally satisfied with the neck pup. It is VERY thick (could be mistaken for muddy) and doesn't have the clarity I like, especially with higher gain. The bridge sounds good and I like the middle position. Has anybody any experience with the BB Pros?? Has anybody compared them to some of the Duncans, etc???

I was thinking about the Pearly Gates neck and Custom 5 bridge. Some of you guys had mentioned that Antiquities would get me there and that they would not squeal with high volume/high gain like I had initially thought (not wax potted). I do want the best pups for my LP.

I want something that can cover all the bases from Blues to Southern Rock/Classic Rock in spades....My favorite LP tones would be like Allmans at Fillmore...A nice bold PAF type tone. But I do like to rock too! :)

Thanks again!
 
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Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

I've never tried them myself, but the best is rumored to be the Antiquity line. I can tell you though that I am very, very pleased with the Pearly Gates set in my LP Std. The cleans are great, they have a ton of definition under gain, and they have enough output to drive my BF Bassman head very nicely.

One PAF style pickup I don't like in a LP (at least at the neck) is the 59. The highs are good, but it doesn't have enoughy mids for me, and the lows are just plain boomy.

Try the Seth's too. I had them in a Sheraton for a while and I really liked them. They're open sounding, but can get creamy when need be and don't have a boomy bottom end.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Thanks Benjy...great info there. Yeah, this is a tough call and tone is so subjective. I was thinking about a Pearly Gates set (or at least the neck), Antiquities or Seths. Anybody have any experience or comparisons vs. the BB Pros?

Keep the suggestions coming...All suggestions are welcomed....I'm all eyes and ears.
 
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Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

I also think the antiquities will be the ticket for you, given the tones that you mentioned. The seths will be good as well, they just have a little more bite. That review on legendary tones is really good IMO.

Annother pup that gets overlooked a lot in the PAF range is the Alinco II Pro. It gets pidgenholed into the "Slash" tone a lot, but it is much more versital than that. I've had the PG, Seth, and APH in the neck of the same guitar (my dean hardtail), which has a tone very similar to a LP. I like the APH the best. It remains articulate at any gain level, is never bassy or too bright, and it sings like no tomorrow. The clean tone is as tasty as can be.

If you click on my soundclips, you can hear the APH on my cover of Heavens Door, I used the APH for the clean rythym and the leads. You can also scroll down a ways, and there are clips of the Seth and PG thru my JCM 800 with a fair amount of gain. Of those 2 I think the Seth wins, but you be the judge.

Just my $.02
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

swap the alnico V in your BB pros with alnico II and basically you have a BB1 and a BB2 . i did that in my '04 LP Std and liked the result.and saved a couple of bucks. also changed the pots to cts and caps to orange drops.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Sorry for the thread-jacking, but...

Bryvincent, how does changing the pots and caps effect your tone? Feel free to email me if you don't want to post. Thanks.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Simon, thanks for link to the PAF shootout by Legendary Tones, that was helpful. Unfortunatly, I wish they had included the BB Pro's, but that might have been done before they were in Gibsons standard line of pups.

Right now I am stuck between the Antiquities & the Seth Lovers. It states that the Antiquities have a better balance, less mid honk, smooth, etc...The Seths were described as having a bit more mids and more bite.

Like I said...I don't think I'm too fond of the BB Pro's neck and it's thickeness (a bit bassy overall), which lacks a bit of clarity to me. I guess it could be described as a mushy, undefined type of tone being so thick when overdriven. I do want that balance & clarity, but I'm still a bit unsure which will suit me better - the Seths or Antiquities? Would the Seths bite be closer to the clarity that I'm looking for? Tough call here.
 
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Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Troy, if you want clarity from the neck position of your LP, I'm talkin' a TON of clarity, you might want to check out the Phat Cat for that position. It's basically a vintage style P-90 for a humbucker cavity. I have a pair in my Epi Sheraton and they really work great. I swapped out the Seth's for these so that I could hear more wood coming through the pickups and that's exactly what I got. Sometimes I miss the (relative) smoothness of the Seth's though, so maybe they'll eventually find themselves back in the Epi. :burnout:
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

NT02 said:
Sorry for the thread-jacking, but...

Bryvincent, how does changing the pots and caps effect your tone? Feel free to email me if you don't want to post. Thanks.
Click to expand...
the stock pots were: 300k for volume and 500k for tone. i changed it all to 500k cts pots and changed the crappy ceramic caps(not only it sounds crappy it also looks crappy!) to orange drops. changing the pots really opens up the sound. 300k pots on 10 are like 500k pots on 6 or 7. different caps have different characteristics (esr, tolerance etc.) and can affect the tone even if the tone control is on 10 unless its a no load tone control.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

bryvincent said:
swap the alnico V in your BB pros with alnico II and basically you have a BB1 and a BB2 . i did that in my '04 LP Std and liked the result.and saved a couple of bucks. also changed the pots to cts and caps to orange drops.
Click to expand...

Hey, bryvincent....Thanks for replying on both forums LOL!!

So, how do I go about doing this? I have no idea!

Thanks!
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

I just bought myself a 2004 les paul standard too, and i love it! But im not a fan of the BB pros. The only thing i like them for is cleans with the neck and middle, and some PAFish high gain stuff with the bridge, but im waiting to swap them out because i just dont dig their vibe.

The neck was very good for jazzy cleans, but the bridge on cleans is just awful and shrill i think.

As far as replacements go, im looking myself at something like a Jazz neck and either a CC or C5 bridge...and a JB further down the track. But i think a C5/Jazz combo or even probably better for you a C5/59 combo would suit what you are asking for. Give that a go, dont think you will be dissapointed.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

also you can get a better result by changing your pots to cts 500ks and caps- orange drop, hovland, bumblebees etc.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

bryvincent said:
also you can get a better result by changing your pots to cts 500ks and caps- orange drop, hovland, bumblebees etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Where is a good source for these pots & caps?
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

bryvincent said:
here's a link
http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/barmagswap.htm

you can buy magnets here: www.ampge.com

the procedure above is okay but i prefer raising all the polepieces and open up the whole baseplate. easier for me. you're changing your pickups anyway so its worth trying. it will cost you just a few bucks.
Click to expand...

Thanks again...I checked that out and that seems way over my head. Which magnets did you get for the BB Pros? There are a couple of A2's to choose from.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Troy T. Blues said:
Thanks for the info! Where is a good source for these pots & caps?
Click to expand...
http://www.rsguitarworks.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=67

remember yours is the basic production model that uses the long shaft pots. and also there's only one kind of A2. Alnico bar magnets available from ampge are A2, A3 and A5. its the A2 you're looking for. you can also try A3 if you want.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

bryvincent said:
the stock pots were: 300k for volume and 500k for tone. i changed it all to 500k cts pots and changed the crappy ceramic caps(not only it sounds crappy it also looks crappy!) to orange drops. changing the pots really opens up the sound. 300k pots on 10 are like 500k pots on 6 or 7. different caps have different characteristics (esr, tolerance etc.) and can affect the tone even if the tone control is on 10 unless its a no load tone control.
Click to expand...

I agree! The caps will have an impact while on 10! I heard that right away in my LP with Hovlands...too bright. I'll go Orange drops next time. I also found a 500k pot too bright in the bridge volume slot. 500k for all but the bridge volume.
 
Re: LP Standard - SD Pups vs. BB Pro's - Suggestions Please....

Young Angus said:
I just bought myself a 2004 les paul standard too, and i love it! But im not a fan of the BB pros. The only thing i like them for is cleans with the neck and middle, and some PAFish high gain stuff with the bridge, but im waiting to swap them out because i just dont dig their vibe.

The neck was very good for jazzy cleans, but the bridge on cleans is just awful and shrill i think.

As far as replacements go, im looking myself at something like a Jazz neck and either a CC or C5 bridge...and a JB further down the track. But i think a C5/Jazz combo or even probably better for you a C5/59 combo would suit what you are asking for. Give that a go, dont think you will be dissapointed.
Click to expand...

I found that with 500k pots, Hovland caps, the C-5 can sound shrill on clean in the bridge.......but it is corrected by carefull use of the amp's treble and presence. My favorite was the Rio grande BBQ in the bridge.....like a fatter JB.
 
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