Peter Green tones

D

Del Pukeko

New member
I'm thinking about getting a Les Paul and want to be able to get the Peter Green tones as I'd be using this with my band when we do various old Fleetwood Mac songs.

I already have an SD Seth Lover in my tele which I am thinking of modding again to install an STR1 in the neck and then installing the Seth in the bridge position of a Paul.

My question is would the Seth be a suitable match for an SD Peter Green neck pup in order to achieve the out of phase PG tones?
 
Re: Peter Green tones

If you have a neck version of the Seth in the tele, put that one at the neck of the Lester and order another Seth for the bridge. Before installing the neck pickup, removeÄ
 
Re: Peter Green tones

The Seths are going to be pretty close to what Peter Green had in his LP anyway. If you make sure the two Seths out of phase with each other it is going to get that sound. Make sure you flip the neck pickup around.
 
Re: Peter Green tones

The Seths do a nice PAF/PG tone but I happen to like the Antiquity's a LOT better. No matter which ones you go with remember wire the neck pickup out of phase (or flip the magnet) and flip it upside down in the ring. FWIW, the Duncan Custom Shop offers a Peter Green set of humbuckers...Im not sure if anybody on the forum has them but they can be had.
 
Re: Peter Green tones

the guy who invented fire said:
The Seths do a nice PAF/PG tone but I happen to like the Antiquity's a LOT better. No matter which ones you go with remember wire the neck pickup out of phase (or flip the magnet) and flip it upside down in the ring. FWIW, the Duncan Custom Shop offers a Peter Green set of humbuckers...Im not sure if anybody on the forum has them but they can be had.
Click to expand...

I agree. Either Seths or Ants will work, but I'd go with Ants. BTW, I just saw on the LP Forum that Gary Moore sold the PG Les Paul to an unknown party.
 
Re: Peter Green tones

You know, in 1967 or 68, Peter Green's Les Paul was less than 10 years old.

So those paf's in his guitar were still pretty new.

Seth Lovers would actually be closer to what he used with Fleetwood Mac rather than the Ants with the magnets aged to simulate being 35 years old. Although the Ants would sound great for that kind of tone too!

It seems that Peter took his guitar's pickups apart and got the magnet reversed in one pickup so that when combined they were out of phase and he could adjust how "pinched" the tone would be with his two volume controls by playing one pickup off of the other when they were combined.

Seths have nickel covers...so you'd have to remove one cover and reverse the magnet in that pickup.

Seths also use single conductor pickup cables with a braided shield...so reversing the phase by reversing the hot and ground of the pickup cable is sort of not an option.

All that means is that one pickup needs to have the cover removed and then the magnet reversed and then the pickup cover put back on again.

That's if the story about Peter taking his guitar apart and putting one pickup out of phase is actually true! He did reverse the neck pickup in the mounting ring so that the screw polepieces face the bridge and not the neck...that's for sure!

Lew
 
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Re: Peter Green tones

Is that Peter Green on "Oh Well"?

I can't help about the shape I'm
I can't sing I ain't pretty and my legs are thin
So don't ask me what I think of you
I might not give the answer that you want me too.
 
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Re: Peter Green tones

Been a long time Greeney fan.

I'd like to remind everybody that Gary Moore used Greeney's LP on Blues for Greeney. The closest I got to that tone has been through my 04 LP standard loaded with timbuckers. They are sorta difficult to come by, thus I guess your next best shot would be a Pearly Gates bridge with a antiquity neck set.

B
 
Re: Peter Green tones

Guitar Toad said:
Is that Peter Green on "Oh Well"?

I can't help about the shape I'm
I can't sing I ain't pretty and my legs are thin
So don't ask me what I think of you
I might not give the answer that you want me too.
Click to expand...


That was Mr. Green, indeed:cool:

"...When I talk to God, I know he'll understand. He says stick by me and I'll be your guiding hand. But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to..."
 
Re: Peter Green tones

dr.barlo said:
Been a long time Greeney fan.

I'd like to remind everybody that Gary Moore used Greeney's LP on Blues for Greeney. The closest I got to that tone has been through my 04 LP standard loaded with timbuckers. They are sorta difficult to come by, thus I guess your next best shot would be a Pearly Gates bridge with a antiquity neck set.

B
Click to expand...


Excellent CD, BTW. He also used it on the "Blues Alive" DVD & the "Still Got The Blues" DVD. Both terrific.
 
Re: Peter Green tones

I read that Peter Green actually discovered that outof phase thing by accident. He bought his Les Paul at Selmer's Music Store in London, and after a short time, something went wrong with the neck pickup. His tecjh replaced it with a pickup (bridge i'm guessing since the poles are reversed) from whichever of the ES 335/3345/355 is the stereo model. Apparently those pickuips have the polarity reveresed compared to the Les Pauls. Volia. There is a link on here somewhere that tells you how to flip the magnet. That is saqid to be 95% of the effect. Flipping the pickup does very little and flipping the wires doesn't quite get you the same tone. The real thin tone comes from matching the volume on the two pups so that the cancel each other out to some degree and you are hearing the higher overtones. Thats what dis sight said anywayz......lol
 
Re: Peter Green tones

jdm61 said:
I read that Peter Green actually discovered that outof phase thing by accident. He bought his Les Paul at Selmer's Music Store in London, and after a short time, something went wrong with the neck pickup. His tecjh replaced it with a pickup (bridge i'm guessing since the poles are reversed) from whichever of the ES 335/3345/355 is the stereo model. Apparently those pickuips have the polarity reveresed compared to the Les Pauls. Volia. There is a link on here somewhere that tells you how to flip the magnet. That is saqid to be 95% of the effect. Flipping the pickup does very little and flipping the wires doesn't quite get you the same tone. The real thin tone comes from matching the volume on the two pups so that the cancel each other out to some degree and you are hearing the higher overtones. Thats what dis sight said anywayz......lol
Click to expand...

Never heard that but it makes sense. I always wondered why Peter would have disasembled his pickup and reversed the magnet...if your story is true that explains it: he didn't! :) Wes Montgomery also reversed his neck humbucker in the mounting ring...he did it in his L-5. Seems like those of us who find alnico 5 neck humbuckers to be a little to muddy sometimes are in good company. It does make it a little clearer to reverse it in the mounting ring, but you're right...not a huge differerce. It's why I like alnico 2 humbuckers better than alnico 5...especially those that I can split into a single coil...like the PGn. Thanks!
 
Re: Peter Green tones

Thanks guys. You've confirmed what I had read about this.

Has anyone actually installed the SD Peter Green pups and, if so, can you confirm that they do give you the tone?
 
Re: Peter Green tones

It aint that easy. I wish it was, but a pair of pickups won't get you there, not even the original ones. Do not forget one of the most important parts of the whole story, I mean the wood! If you've got the right wood and touch, then any of the a2 PAF clones mentioned here would get you there!

B
 
Re: Peter Green tones

Actually, in the VERY old interview i saw with Peter
Green, he said that he went looking all over London for a 59 Les Paul and found a "a particularly nice one" at Selmer's. I suspect that the average Historic would get close enough.
 
Re: Peter Green tones

jdm61 said:
Actually, in the VERY old interview i saw with Peter
Green, he said that he went looking all over London for a 59 Les Paul and found a "a particularly nice one" at Selmer's. I suspect that the average Historic would get close enough.
Click to expand...

I have bought and sold my share of Gibson historic LPs, and with all due respect, I do not know what you are talking about! What's an "average historic"? I do not think there is such a thing to begin with.

There was a gorgeous 01R8 I had to buy, darkburst and very flamey. Anyways, it turned out to be a mistake, because my old plaintop 95 LP standard was way better than that guitar in all the aspects that I think matters.

Now I have 2 historics, a R8 and a R7. Bought and sold an 04R9, did not work out. Anyways, what I wanna say is that none of them sounded alike. :duh: While my R7 sounds like a Pearly clone, my 04LP standard does very good Bluesbreaking tones.

Thus, if this expression of "a particularly nice one" came from Peter Green regarding a 58-59 LP, then I am sure that it wouldn't be an ordinary one.

Peace,

B
 
Re: Peter Green tones

dr.barlo said:
Thus, if this expression of "a particularly nice one" came from Peter Green regarding a 58-59 LP, then I am sure that it wouldn't be an ordinary one.
Peace,
B
Click to expand...

Green has been inconsistant with his comments on that LP. He has also said that it wasn't a particularly special LP.
 
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