New pickups for my LP?

[MakerDP]

cool thanks. that does go a long way towards a new set and I think I'm going to go a different direction altogether and get the WLH in Zebra with cream rings. I can get them semi-local for a good price. If I could get that much then it will just about pay for the whole swap including new wiring setup.

You guys rock... thanks for all the help.

 

[Jeff_H]

The Custom Shop Pearly Gates pickups are literally the best sounding Rock pickups I have ever owned, heard or played. They are killer in my Les Paul and in a PRS style guitar. No one builds a pickup like MJ.

 

[MakerDP]

Just got my LP back from the tech. Here is what I settled on:

Zebra set of Whole Lotta Humbuckers
920D 50's wiring harness - no coil splitting or any other fancy stuff
Creme rings/switch knob
New set of Gotoh locking tuners (not that this changes anything really but I took the opportunity since I'm lazy)

Took a while to get it all done because I ordered it all from Pitbull Audio and picked it all up in-store while vacationing in San Diego to visit my daughter.

My first impressions are yeah I made the right choice. Just enough of that little extra something compared to the 57/57+ that is hard to describe... less mud, more bite, less scooped, less grind (I don't do high-gain at all.) Sounds like a 70's Les Paul should in my brain. I love the way she cleans-up when backing-off the volume, love the way the middle position sounds a little quacky with the neck dialed back one or two notches - great full lead tone for my tastes!

Also different enough from my PRS Singlecut w/ Pearly Gates to sound like different eras if you will, so I think these two guitars will compliment each other very well but still have some cross-compatibility if required.

I appreciate the input everyone gave. It all helped me narrow things down in what is always a tough decision.

 

[BluesIsBlood12]

That is a very solid set. They handle gain better than a lot of other "vintage" type pickups, if you ever need to get a little heavy.

 

[Mincer]

Sounds like one hell of an LP now...congrats!

 

[hamerfan]

Probably an actual T-Top bridge and a vintage PAF neck with an A4 or A3 maybe? Likely the neck was a hotter wind, then balanced with the volumes and 50's wiring. Whatever was actually in JP's guitar during the heyday (which I've never conclusively read, so don't know for sure - I've just been going by the sound all along). But note, the closest I got to the sound is where I finally settled: BK Black Dog bridge and 59N/A4 neck. For the poor man's, the tubbiness of the 59N becomes thickness, body and chunk in the bridge. 59N makes a great lower output bridge. And it was clearer than my Electric City T-Top clone, as a data point.

I made my JP set with a 59B with A4 and a late 70ies T-Top with a short A5

 

[SFW]

Not sure if someone has mentioned it already, but you Les Paul probably has 300k volume pots. That is why it sounds duller. Swap some 500k pots in and your highs should come back.


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