Pair of SH-1b ('59 bridge) pickups in both the bridge and neck

[bokeh]

Long time reader, but this is my first post.

I have a late 68 or early 69 Les Paul Custom. The serial number says 68, but the transitional tenon and headstock logo say 69. It sounds great and plays great. The pickups and electronics are original and are probably T-buckers. Even though I love the guitar, I am trying to play it as little as possible now that they are becoming collectible.

I have a 97 Les Paul Standard that I had hoped could replace become my main LP. The stock 490/498 pickup do not sound like the ones in my Custom. I had thought that a set of 59's, Pearly Gates, or Seth Lover's would probably be my best bet. I know that Slash plays a 69 Custom at times, and that he now uses the Seth Lovers in all of his guitars, so that might be a good choice - but the idea of harmonics from unwaxed windings worries me. I have also read that the Pearly Gates can be a little bright.

Earlier this month I ended up with 2 59' Custom bridge pickups. One came out of a 99 SG and the other out of an 88 Strat HM. The SG got the 490/498 from the LP - and they sound good now. The Strat HM got its original Dimarzio Super 3 back - and its a monster.

Since I had not ordered any pickups for the LP Standard, I decided to try the 59's in it.

The 59b in the bridge has less low end than I was expecting, but the tone is still good. It has a lot of percussive detail when its distorted and breaks up nicely on a dialed back tube amp.

The 59b in the neck is completely different. There is a lot of bass. I ended up actually lowering the bass side of the pickup about 1/8th of an inch more that the treble side to help with balance. Clean it makes the Les Paul sound a lot like an archtop jazz guitar - but with a lot more kick. Distorted gives a great solo tone. When you play power chords its very much like Badmotorfinger era Soundgarden. Its like the bass notes and the overtones are fighting each other, but its not muddy mush like I have heard with other pickups. Its a great sound. Its like the Les Paul "woman" tone on steroids.

If I put the LP switch in the middle position the extra bass of the 59b in the neck balances with the prominent mids and highs of the 59b in the bridge. Its a great clean tone.

The pair of 59b pickups gives me two very good and very different solo tones, a great rock guitar sound from the bridge, a great grungy to bluesy sound from the neck, and a great clean tone. Unfortunately the sounds are nothing like my old LP Custom.

And finally, questions about getting an 97 LP Standard to sound like a 68/69 LP Custom...

How would putting a 59n in the neck position change things? I assume I would get less output and a brighter tone.

Would a Seth Lover in the neck be the ticket to getting that late 60s PAF tone?

Would a set of the custom shop pickups like the Greenie or BroBucker be closer to the PAF tone than the Seth Lover?

 

[WoodyTone]

Re: Pair of SH-1b ('59 bridge) pickups in both the bridge and neck

Other people here will know more than me, but I don't think you'll necessarily get a brighter tone in the neck with a 59n, but I can tell you mine (in a LP) doesn't have lots of bass.

And "PAF tone" is somewhat subjective and can differ a lot. What sound are you looking for?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pair of SH-1b ('59 bridge) pickups in both the bridge and neck

welcome to the forum!!

nothing wrong with two 59b's. the 59b is pretty much an early 60's paf with an average wind. they didnt make neck and bridge models, though there was a good amount of variation.

a 59n would be as you described, a little less output and little brighter tone with a little less bass

by the late 60's all gibson pups were small magnet a5 and about 7.5k, a 59n or jazz neck would be the closest but neither really sounds all that much like a late 60's gibson bucker though both are cool pups.

the custom shop could make you something like the pups in your late 60's custom but it wouldnt be the greenie (out of phase) or brobucker (too hot) and that '97 standard is gonna have a really hard time sounding like a '68 custom. the old wood and ebony help that guitar sound the way it does. even if you pulled the pups from that guitar and put em in a new lp it wouldnt sound the same

 

[bokeh]

Re: Pair of SH-1b ('59 bridge) pickups in both the bridge and neck

What about the Antiquity?

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/antiquity/humbuckers/

I understand what you mean about the bodies, neck, and fretboard being different. I am not sure if the 97 LP Standard was chambered or not either.

It may just be that I leave the 97 like it is with the 2 bridge pickups. I don't have any other guitars that sound like it and it certainly has a lot more sounds than it did stock.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pair of SH-1b ('59 bridge) pickups in both the bridge and neck

the antiquitys are fantastic pups but alnico II paf which is a quite different sound than what you have.

 

[bokeh]

Re: Pair of SH-1b ('59 bridge) pickups in both the bridge and neck

Thanks for all of the advice. I have sort of come up with a plan for going forward.

I am going to measure the standard Gibson pups in the 68 Custom. If they measure closely with each other I will simply pull the bridge from the 68 Custom, put it in the neck position of the 97 Standard, and listen. This should allow me to play both guitars at the same time and get a real time comparison of the sound. As long as the pups measure closely, this should take them out as a variable - and allow me to hear the differences in the guitars.

Once I have measurements and have done some listening I will post the results.