Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought an all Mahogany guitar would be warmer/darker than one with a Maple cap and thus I would need brighter pickups to help offset that. I also thought that PG's are a warm/dark pup in general which is why the SD site recommends them for brighter guitars where the 59's are for warmer guitars, meaning they are brighter in general. Or am I mistaken?

As for my amp rig, I actually have a 2x12 with a pair of Governors, but for home use, I think that's too much, and have a spare Greenback, so am planning on getting a 1x12 cab and putting the Greenback in there and selling the 2x12. Or do you think the Governor's in the 2x12 are a better fit for my sound?

PG bridge is a bright pickup. It livened up my '79 Custom real nice. The neck PG can seem a bit darker, but not as woof-y as a 59 neck and probably not as creamy as a AP2. The PG's just seem to have a little grit to them, in a real nice way. SO I would think your Mahogany LP would be darker than a maple topped one. ALso beware that the chambering will probably cause feedback issues with high output pickups, but you originally were interested in vintage output pickups so thats cool.

I would suggest a PGb and maybe a Jazz neck.
 
Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

I have a Jazz/Jazz combo in an all mahogany Les Paul and it sounds great!! They balance out perfectly in all mahogany.
 
Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

Here's an out of the box suggestion besides the one I already made. How about a Bill and Becky Lawrence L-500-C and L-500-R combo? I had that combo in my B.C. Rich Mockingbird. I did switch the C pickup out for a Schaller Golden 50. The C was too clean for my tastes. Since they are Bill Lawrence pickups, they are naturally bright, but EQ'ed neutral. Again, it's a bit different, but might be something to think about.

If you want the brightest vintage type pickups on the market, try none other than the Schaller Golden 50's. They are dang near single coils, but God do they have tone. I have them in a number of guitars. And you can find them on the used market for pretty cheap.
 
Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

I have a Jazz/Jazz combo in an all mahogany Les Paul and it sounds great!! They balance out perfectly in all mahogany.

I did not think of this - but do not ignore this combo...

I personally think a PG neck / 59 Bridge would be excellent.
 
Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

The guitar came with chrome covered BBP 1&2. I am putting all gold hardware on this, so need a pickup/set that comes in gold. I could just gold the BBP set, but by the time I buy gold covers & screws, I have spent half the money on a new Duncan set. Plus I could sell the BBP set and come out near even.

AFIK, most, if not all, Duncans can be ordered with the covers and screws you want as a shop floor custom. It'll cost a little more, but it's still cheaper than the Custom Shop.
 
Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

Here's an out of the box suggestion besides the one I already made. How about a Bill and Becky Lawrence L-500-C and L-500-R combo? I had that combo in my B.C. Rich Mockingbird. I did switch the C pickup out for a Schaller Golden 50. The C was too clean for my tastes. Since they are Bill Lawrence pickups, they are naturally bright, but EQ'ed neutral. Again, it's a bit different, but might be something to think about.

If you want the brightest vintage type pickups on the market, try none other than the Schaller Golden 50's. They are dang near single coils, but God do they have tone. I have them in a number of guitars. And you can find them on the used market for pretty cheap.

Bills pups don't come with covers and I think any sort of cover would compromise the performance of those pups.
 
Re: Pickup recommendation for an all Mahogany Les Paul...

I have a bunch of LPs, some chambered, but none with the all-mahogany construction.

I'm guessing that you have either the 490R/490T or the 490R/490T set in your guitar. And I'm thinking that you don't play at crushing volume. So, there are many ways to go here. I think there are a lot of sets that you would be much happier with than the stock pickups.

The Pearlys would be a great choice as an all-round classic rock pickup, but there will be other advocates for Seths, Ants, WLHs, '59s and A2Ps. If you're not using over-the-top gain at loud volumes, the Seths and Ants are probably the sweetest pickups around. The others I've mentioned are potted, and more feedback resistant.

I think you could even stay in the Gibson realm with a set of Classic '57s (very warm) or add a Classic '57 Plus to the bridge for warm, round and fat rock tones. If you want more twang; more brightness, definition and edge, try a Burstbucker 1&2 set. While I like all of these sets in my guitars, my thought would be that you'd be better off with a Duncan set--and the Duncans will certainly be a less expensive route. Possibly you could go try some other new Gibsons and see if there are any sets you really like.

You'll also get a lot of recommendations to use split-sets like a Jazz neck and Custom whatever in the bridge, or the '59N/JB combination, and these can be very good at tailoring the sound from the bridge and neck to get you exactly what you want from each position. It sounds great, but I know that I prefer sets of the same pickups. I have the 490R/498T set in one of my guitars and it drives me crazy because they sound so different: every time I switch pickups I want to run back to my amp and reset the tone controls. But the '59/TB-4 I have in my G&L ASAT Deluxe works great.

One other thing that you are going to want to do is replace your pots and caps to get the best from your new pickups. Using an RS Kit from RS Guitarworks will get you a set of high-quality caps and pots of the correct values to use with humbucking pickups. The tapers of the pots are much better, and allow you more control. These pot kits are available from other vendors as well.

I do a wide variety of material, from '50s oldies, blues, country, jazz, and classic rock. I selected a set of Seth Lovers for two of my LPs, and Antiquitys for another, and I could not be happier with my selections. But I also have LPs with the stock pickups, and been very happy with those, too.

In the end though, you "...pays yer money and takes yer chances!"

Best wishes!

Bill


I still think the WLH set will sound great in an all Mahog Les Paul ;)

PS : i did not know that the Gibson Classic 57's are warm units.
 
I’d agree that the common thread that mahogany is always ‘warm’ is a bit of an overstated view when applied to an all mahogany LP. In a typical LP the mahogany back and the maple top are the contrasting warm and bright components that give a good LP it’s sweet tone and balance. But unless you’ve played one, most people don’t know that a Mahogany/Mahogany back/top LP is actually sharper and brighter in the attack and tone than a typical LP. I’m curious about a complementary tone profile for humbuckers that would sound good in my all Mahogany Burny LC, but I’m trying to help dispel the misconception that an all mahogany LP is all warm. My Burny has a rosewood fretboard (not the original ebony it’s emulating), but it still has the bright and percussive attack of the original ‘57 mahogany LP.
 
I am still a fan of listening to what the specific guitar you have needs, and not blanket statements. If you had to assign a B/M/T to your specific guitar, what is it? What do you want it to be? Do you want more or less power? Less or more dynamics? Once you answer that, the options narrow.
 
I am a fan of having a brand new discussion on this topic as this thread originated and pretty much closed in 2014 LOL!!!

That said - I do believe, the ancient original Les Paul Customs in solid colors (So....Black) were all mahogany. Never heard any "it's to warm / needs to be brighter complaints about those...
 
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