One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Thing is if your short on cash you want to careful where you spend your dollars. Saving 20 bucks on a pickup sounds good but if you have to swap a few mags in it to get it to work you might as well have forked over the extra in the first place.
 
Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

My favorite combos, for what you are talking about in LP's would be:

Pearly Gates set - MY favorite PAF type with personality. slightly lower bass, nice mid/upper mid boost for cut, and sweet highs. Like a PAF with some tude, but works well with volume/tone too. Earthy cleans and gnarly grind. Just the right amount of icing on top for sweetness to take the harsh off.

DiMarzio PAF's - the classic PAF I like best is the DiMarzio. Just a bit more even IMO than the 59's. But it's a subtle thing.

PGn/59b - Puts the pup with great cut and slightly less bass in the neck, and puts the pup with the biggest bass and sharpest highs in the bridge. This would be my next choice. I think a PG is simply the best standard PAF style LP neck pup period. Tone is more than the mag. The wind of that pup is magic also. You might put that PG bridge in neck position. Lot of fans of that too.

59/59 - can't hate - they ARE great all around pups! Honestly, the above pairs while my preferences, are really just a little different. They are ALL classic PAF style. slightly more/less bass, slightly more/less mids-highs. Outputs are all practically the same IMO.

If I'm you, I try the 59 pair. I bet you'll REALLY like them (Be sure to set-adjust them properly/well!) I'll post a link to my height adjustment thread.

If the neck isn't working for you (boom) I'd try to get that PGb and put it in there.

But - for cheap - the mag swap is an option. Conisder that it is super cheap. I'm about to put a UOA5 in an el cheapo korean pup myself, just to do it for a change. But live w/ the 59 a bit, and be clear about the bass/mid/treble issue you are having so they can get the right mag your way.

:bigok:
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Thanks! I'll see what I can get a hold of.

:beerchug:
 
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Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Uncle Ace does know well.

Personally, my next set of pickups will probably be a set of Pearlies. Of all the clips I have ever heard, they still have the best blend of old-school, cut, grind and aggression. The 59 wasn't my favorite, but it IS one of the better all-around sets. Personally, I thought the neck was a little boomy in my own LP and the bridge lacked a bit of personality. Who knows, some different magnets could have solved that. So, tell you what: If you get the 59s and they rule, then rock them hard, man. If you DO want to try some mags for a swap, I have two RC A2 magnets and two A5U magnets that I will lend/give/donate whatever if you feel the need. I was thinking about trying the A5U in the Seths that I am test-driving, but I don't think I want to disturb them.

If your friend could sell you a PGb for cheap, maybe he can let you test drive it for a bit? Try that, see if you like it and if so, we can help you find a neck PU to match. If the PG isn't your thing, then give the 59s a whirl.
 
Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Soulcrusher_X said:
Uncle Ace does know well.

Personally, my next set of pickups will probably be a set of Pearlies. Of all the clips I have ever heard, they still have the best blend of old-school, cut, grind and aggression.
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That's a great description. I was rocking some PG's at Dean Guitars this winter. Cut, grind, aggression. But definitely PAF and flexible. I'd go with 69's if I were going to rock harder through an uber-amp.
 
Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Aceman said:
That's a great description. I was rocking some PG's at Dean Guitars this winter. Cut, grind, aggression. But definitely PAF and flexible. I'd go with 69's if I were going to rock harder through an uber-amp.
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Why would you say that? Partially for my own reference as well.
 
Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Soulcrusher_X said:
Uncle Ace does know well.

Personally, my next set of pickups will probably be a set of Pearlies. Of all the clips I have ever heard, they still have the best blend of old-school, cut, grind and aggression. The 59 wasn't my favorite, but it IS one of the better all-around sets. Personally, I thought the neck was a little boomy in my own LP and the bridge lacked a bit of personality. Who knows, some different magnets could have solved that. So, tell you what: If you get the 59s and they rule, then rock them hard, man. If you DO want to try some mags for a swap, I have two RC A2 magnets and two A5U magnets that I will lend/give/donate whatever if you feel the need. I was thinking about trying the A5U in the Seths that I am test-driving, but I don't think I want to disturb them.

If your friend could sell you a PGb for cheap, maybe he can let you test drive it for a bit? Try that, see if you like it and if so, we can help you find a neck PU to match. If the PG isn't your thing, then give the 59s a whirl.
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I have 3 Les Paul and some other humbucker guitars and a dozen spare humbuckers (most of them duncans of all kinds). I can support Soulcrusher, but should say the 59s are a magnificant set for 9 lb mahogany guitar as a Les paul. Everyone who needs bark and growl should try one.
With the recommendation of Dr Barlo (long time member in this forum) i ended with Antiquities an Seths as a basis for all my gibson LPs. They are great pickups that can easily formed with magnets and come with different dcr readings. In my bass boomy Gibson 1982 Heritage Elite i use a low reading neck Ant with an A4 magnet and a RC A5 in the bridge. My very compressed and thinner sounding LP Classic now employs a high reading Ant neck with an A5 (not so scooped as 59 neck, also loved a T-Top in this spot and JazzN did also well)and ant bridge with a A8. My full and warm sounding 58 Historic has a seth neck (lower wound than Ant) with an Ant magnet (yield a woody tone) with low reading Ant bridge with RCUO a5.

My take on this is to listen to the guitar and understand what it needs for that certain player/music/amp configuration.
 
Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

hamerfan said:
My take on this is to listen to the guitar and understand what it needs for that certain player/music/amp configuration.
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+1. You don't know where to go unless you know where you are.
 
Re: One little les Paul in a world filled with so many pickups...

Great advise guys. Thanks for all the replies. I think I will get a 59 set (hopefully used) and listen to see if it needs a change. I haven't tried enough pickups in my LP to know if what I'm listening to is the guitar or the pickups. If I had to guess, I'd say it is on the bright side, but I can always try a 250k pot for the bridge.
 
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