New Pickup for my R7

[Gunny47]

Hello all, I LOVE my R7 with all my heart. It was my dream guitar since BEFORE I started playing guitar and I got mine a little over a year ago. I went to the guitar store with 2 grand in my pocket after saving up and working for a while. Played every Les Paul they had in the store, and the one I bought was the best one there (lightest, sweetest tone, insanely good action, perfect fretboard, darkest fretboard, and of course, it was the goldtop color I wanted for a long time). So after playing the R7 for over a year, I kept it pretty bone stock, except for a metal jack plate, removed the pickguard, lowered the stopbar all the way to allow for top wrapping and 11 guage strings and of course, the natural aging and oxidation of the harware, minor scratches etc.

Now, after a year, and after I got my tweed amp, I am starting to realize that the bridge pickup is too harsh for my tastes. Neck pickup is perfect, but I would like to swap out the bridge pickup. Its good when you adjust the knobs on the amp accordingly, but because I mainly play with the neck pickup, I have the knobs set to where it sounds best with the neck pickup. Then when I go over to switch to the bridge pickup, it sounds too trebly and gainy, not as smooth and warm as I would like it to be. Basically, I want a pickup that is very similar to my Burstbucker 2 in terms of PAF character and mid range content, but I want slightly lower output and less highs (to make it sound more like my neck pickup if that makes sense).

When I play clean, I usually only use the neck pickup or both on, but now Ive been experimenting with the bridge pickup for slide leads just for more tones. Even with distortion, the sound has a little harsh high end. I want a pickup that will give me a spongier softer tone. Okay, now for choices. Im definitely going with the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop. How does this whole process work? (I can probably find that on the search, so more importantly) does anybody have any suggestions for specs? Basically, I want a Burstbucker 2 (I know its a Gibson pickup, but its a great starting point) with less output, softer, warmer tone, less highs and an added fatness and thickness to the tone, without making it louder or grainier or adding more gain (maybe changing the size of the pole pieces to achieve this). I also would like a slightly aged nickel cover, not as much as antiquity. Please shed some light on this for me. Thank you very much.

 

[LesPaulRules]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

I think you would be very happy with a Seth Lover in the bridge. Has nice warm lows, great midrange, but without that harsh brightness that most BurstBucker 2's have.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

I a/b'd the Seth's to the BB Pros just a couple of days ago and the Seth's were more vibrant, smoother, warmer, more articulate both for the bridge and the neck. The neck especially was more airy and articulate than the BB. When I had my R7, it came with WCR Fillmore's....those were some of the sweetest pickups I've ever tried, though the bridge did get replaced with the Brobucker.

 

[Imp]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

if you like the vibe of neck pickups in the bridge pickup's sound, i'd have to recommend alnico II magnets!

pearly gates might be slightly too toppy, maybe A2P? maybe too much output though.. or, of course, the seths

tom

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

Seth Lover set. I played a 57 Tweed Twin the other day and noticed it has a real sharp tone in the upper mids and highs. It can really punch your eardrums out! My Goldtone doesn't have the same kind of tubes, but it punches in the same type of way. Seth Lovers sound great on that amp.

If you want a little more push, the nickel CC would work well for you too.
As for slightly aged covers.....play your guitar for 6 months without cleaning the covers, and they'll look the way you want them to.

Everytime I read your posts, I'm reminded of a young GJ, Lew, or G.W.I.F.
I was nuts like you when I was 15 too.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

Okay guys, thanks for the replies! I was thinking about the Seth Lovers. I'm not really sure though, I never played them. As the for CC, I have one in my Epi, great pickup, but its too hot for what I want. Good for that supercharged blues stuff when you need that edge, but Im looking for a smoother tone, low output and more vintage tone. Yes, I will go with Alnico II pickups, I made the switch to them since I got my R7 (the Epi got the AII Pearly Gates and CC). Pearly gates is not exactly what Im looking for either (again, has that slightly edgier tone) and Im not too crazy for the Alnico II Pros in the bridge for some reason.

I might go with the Seth Lover (I really want to keep the neck pickup in though, I don't want to mess that up because it sounds really really good). Does anyone reccomend an antiquity or a custom shop though? I don't have a budget really. This is my main guitar and will be for the rest of my life so I want to invest into it. I might shoot seymour an email and ask for suggestions or quotes on a custom order bridge. See, Im not looking for dead spec vintage tones, but something thats very based off a PAF, but maybe has some different characteristics to it. Can somebody shed some light on if it is possible to get bigger/smaller pole pieces to affect the tone (I saw that on one of the custom shop vids).

And GJ I am pretty obsessed with tone and stuff. Not as much, because I have my main set-up for the rest of my life (tweed twin and R7) so now I know what I am after when I buy gear. I am going to major in music in college (im obsessed with this stuff) for not only guitar but with trumpet. Im shooting for Berkley School of Music in Boston and if I dont get in, Ill go to a lesser music college and then try for Berkley the next year. Anyway, my Tweed Twin is only 2 months old so the speakers and tubes need to be broken in some more. Also, I'm going to swap the tubes for some tung sol reissue 5881s, JJ 12AX7 and 3 EH 12AY7s (those 3 12AY7s will soften and sweeten the tone a bit, make it lower gain too). So once I recover some funds, I will shoot mr duncan an email with some more specifics, but for now Im broke (had to buy something nice for my girlfriend for valentine's day) so in the mean time, I will do some research and forum searches for interesting pickup stuff. Thanks for your time guys - more suggestions will still be appreciated!

 

[Gunny47]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

bump

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

Seriously, if you are going to go CS I can not stress enough how highly I would recommend the Brobucker.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

I was thinking about the Brobucker, but that is supposedly a higher output pickup, and I sorta wanted something with a lower output tone. Im going to be playing clean most of the time, and I want to get that smooth neck pickup lead tone but with the bridge pickup. And for distortion, I wanted more sweeter tones, not as raunchy. I might look into it and reserach it some more though.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

If a BB2 is too harsh, toppy and hot the brobucker is gonna be a big NO NO. Get a Seth Lover and be done with it or if you want the most mellow, sweatest buckers with the most smoothness to the tone and the least puch to them get a pair of Antiquity's...thats what I have in my R8 and my only issues with them is that sometimes I wish they weren't quite so smooth sometimes I wish they were a little hotter, but I never think that lon wnough to actually change them...they are amazing pickups and I think they EXACTALLY what you are asking for. If you go with an Antiquity, get a full set...not only do they look amazing but the neck pickup is just a killer pickup.

 

[pstarove]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

I would also recommend Seth Lovers, Antiquities or Gibson 57 Classics (not Classic Plus!). Noone in the thread has recommended them so far, but 57's are great pickups, in the bridge they must sound very much like Seth Lovers, only that they are potted. So, if you play high volume, it might be important. In the neck some report that they sound muddier than Seth Lover neck though. I think Gibson has to make a 57 Classic Minus to have three pickups in that line just like with BurstBuckers

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

My choice is always to go for a set of Seth's or Antiquities. Both sound so great in a Les Paul.

 

[jeremy]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

i would look at an antiquity bridge pup before you go custom shop. the 8.5ish wind with the aged alnico II keep the output down but they tone is surpy sweet, not harsh at all. a friend of mine has a pair of antiquitys and his '57 ri is the best ive ever heard. he is a slide freak and uses both pups alot.

i love seths but they have more bite than the ants. the 57 classics are good pups but i dont think they would be as smooth as you want

 

[ErikH]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

If I were to ever land a R7, it would get either a set of Gibson '57 Classics or a set of Seth Lovers. When I look at an R7, I just can't see putting higher output pickups in it.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

I was thinking about the Brobucker, but that is supposedly a higher output pickup, and I sorta wanted something with a lower output tone. Im going to be playing clean most of the time, and I want to get that smooth neck pickup lead tone but with the bridge pickup. And for distortion, I wanted more sweeter tones, not as raunchy. I might look into it and reserach it some more though.

It is slightly higher output, but it's smooth, very balanced in the eq and retains the sweetness of the 8k PAF's. That said, the Seth is even smoother yet and a perfect choice for what I'm thinking you are looking for.

 

[jeremy]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

i think an a2 brobucker would work great but the a5 is a different flavor. very cool tone but still has more top and bottom than the weaker magnet.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

i think an a2 brobucker would work great but the a5 is a different flavor. very cool tone but still has more top and bottom than the weaker magnet.

Good call!

 

[Gunny47]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

Okay, I greatly appreciate all your suggestions - thanks a lot dudes!

Just my opinion on some of these. I never really cared for the 57 Classics. I played them in SGs and a few Les Pauls and they just sounded a little too clean. Not a matter of gain, just a different voicing, more refined than the PAF tone. Just something I never cared for really. Good in an SG or ES, not my favorite in a Les Paul.

I also do not really care for Alnico 5 magnets in humbuckings (I HATE Burstbucker Pros, while Im in love with the Burstbuckers 1 & 2). I like the 2s better for humbuckers, 5s better for singles. I guess Im a traditionalist when it comes to that stuff.

Id rather get the antiquity over the Seth Lover just because of the aged magnets and the supposedly more vintage mellow tone. Seth is still up there. Im going to email seymour duncan and see what they think I should do and see any possibilities of a custom job, if changing the specs (basing it off an antiquity) will be worth it. Thanks again guys!!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: New Pickup for my R7

The Seth Lover bridge is a great pickup. Don't try to find reasons NOT to get one. If you listen to the bridge pickups in the Duncan clips, you'll notice that the Seth Bridge sounds better than almost every other pickup.....at least it does to me. I like it better than the Antiquity because it's a tiny bit more focused and isn't 'overly vintage.'

Everything you say points to the Seth, and I think it's a better voiced pickup than the APH.