NT02
New member
I've enjoyed reading the many helpful threads this past week, and decided to post my own needs so that you, the most helpful and experienced forum dwellers, could give me your excellent advice first-hand (well, as much as can be through internet 
Here's the deal, I have an ebony 2002 Les Paul Classic with stock 496R and 500T ceramic humbuckers. I've played through a variety of equipment with this guitar including Zinky Mofo, Fender Hot Rod DeVille, currently using a Peavey Classic 30 the most, Randall RG75 (for stereo sounds and cheap thrills), and a POD (stereo recording, thicken tones). I haven't played out since 98, and predominantly play at home to my 4-track or pc. I play anything from light finger-picking pretty chords to spacey barely clipping delay-soaked passages to heavey metal/shred, with a healthy dose of blues and good ol AC/DC, STP, Led Zep, ZZ Top, clean-dirty toned classic rock in between.
I'm not satisfied with the sound of my stock LP. It's distressing, because it plays wonderfully and has a full acoustic sound that I just love. NECK pickup causes me the most grief. I love to play clean chords with definition, finger pick strings with articulation, and play thick, bluesy leads with creamy overdrive. This ceramic pickup I have now makes it very difficult to get a pretty clean sound out of any equipment I play. There is no bell-like chime, no airy/spacey beauty, just thick/muddy bass, mid and unpleasnt treble spike. There are some nice overdrive sounds, but it's still way to hard to dial EQ to taste. This pick-up just defies the natural sound of the guitar with it's own, and brings out the worst in my amp's eq. The BRIDGE pickup is more tolerable, as it has a killer heavey distortion that makes even my Classic 30 a heavy metal machine (believe it). But, again, it brings out the worst in eqs. Like, I like the sound of all of my amp's distortion with a good dose of mid dialed in, but this damn pickup justs sounds like crap with any mid added. I can't clean up by backing off on the volume of my guitar, I get different levels of heavy distortion. I can get decent classic rock sounds if I dial the overdrive way back on my amp, but it's usually spikey, and doesn't do much else no matter how I work the volume or tone knobs. I feel I shouldn't have to "tolerate" a pickup on a $1700 guitar, much less be totally disatisfied.
SO, I'm mostly concerned with replacing the neck pickup, and will eventually replace the bridge. I've been very interested in Rio Grande pikcups until finding this forum. Now I am leaning heavily towards the APH-1, with interest in the Jazz, Pearly Gates, Seth Lover and Antiquity models. I'd love to have the Slash Custom APH, but am not shelling out $160 for one pickup. I love the in-between neck and mid single coil on my Charvel sound for clean, and would like something close (I know I can't get there with a humbucker) to that airy, articulated sound. Something that lets my guitar come through. Something that lets my amp do the tone tweaking. Your suggestions are most welcome. Please feel free to recommend a bridge bucker, too. I am always distorted on that pickup, and like classic rock to heavy metal/shred. Thanks!
Here's the deal, I have an ebony 2002 Les Paul Classic with stock 496R and 500T ceramic humbuckers. I've played through a variety of equipment with this guitar including Zinky Mofo, Fender Hot Rod DeVille, currently using a Peavey Classic 30 the most, Randall RG75 (for stereo sounds and cheap thrills), and a POD (stereo recording, thicken tones). I haven't played out since 98, and predominantly play at home to my 4-track or pc. I play anything from light finger-picking pretty chords to spacey barely clipping delay-soaked passages to heavey metal/shred, with a healthy dose of blues and good ol AC/DC, STP, Led Zep, ZZ Top, clean-dirty toned classic rock in between.
I'm not satisfied with the sound of my stock LP. It's distressing, because it plays wonderfully and has a full acoustic sound that I just love. NECK pickup causes me the most grief. I love to play clean chords with definition, finger pick strings with articulation, and play thick, bluesy leads with creamy overdrive. This ceramic pickup I have now makes it very difficult to get a pretty clean sound out of any equipment I play. There is no bell-like chime, no airy/spacey beauty, just thick/muddy bass, mid and unpleasnt treble spike. There are some nice overdrive sounds, but it's still way to hard to dial EQ to taste. This pick-up just defies the natural sound of the guitar with it's own, and brings out the worst in my amp's eq. The BRIDGE pickup is more tolerable, as it has a killer heavey distortion that makes even my Classic 30 a heavy metal machine (believe it). But, again, it brings out the worst in eqs. Like, I like the sound of all of my amp's distortion with a good dose of mid dialed in, but this damn pickup justs sounds like crap with any mid added. I can't clean up by backing off on the volume of my guitar, I get different levels of heavy distortion. I can get decent classic rock sounds if I dial the overdrive way back on my amp, but it's usually spikey, and doesn't do much else no matter how I work the volume or tone knobs. I feel I shouldn't have to "tolerate" a pickup on a $1700 guitar, much less be totally disatisfied.
SO, I'm mostly concerned with replacing the neck pickup, and will eventually replace the bridge. I've been very interested in Rio Grande pikcups until finding this forum. Now I am leaning heavily towards the APH-1, with interest in the Jazz, Pearly Gates, Seth Lover and Antiquity models. I'd love to have the Slash Custom APH, but am not shelling out $160 for one pickup. I love the in-between neck and mid single coil on my Charvel sound for clean, and would like something close (I know I can't get there with a humbucker) to that airy, articulated sound. Something that lets my guitar come through. Something that lets my amp do the tone tweaking. Your suggestions are most welcome. Please feel free to recommend a bridge bucker, too. I am always distorted on that pickup, and like classic rock to heavy metal/shred. Thanks!
