Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

[jdwright6]

Hey all, thanks for help on the strat. Need some help on my les paul. I was considering going with 2 Gibson's Burstbucker Pro's or a Burstbucker Pro in the Bridge and a 57 Classic Plus in the neck. Anyone know what SD pickups are comparable, and anyone have any input which they like better?

I realize im in the SD house...honest opinions however are always appreciated.

 

[Jay 77]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

Honest opinions are all you'll get here. What sort of sound are you going for, and what kind fo music do you play? Once we have that, the suggestions will start flowing.

 

[Iron Horse]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

Seymour has plenty of PAF-esque designs:
'59: basic PAF, neck model is though quite bassy.
Seth Lover: more accurate PAF, as it should have been, unpotted, but some have used it for metal and they liked it !
Pearly Gates: modelled after Billy G:s Lester's unevenly wound pups, great for _dirty blues_ , Led Zep, all sorts of rock and hard rock. Has most output and treble/mids.

Custom is a hot rodded PAF, more power, more buttery and stronger highs, tighter lows, with ceramic magnet. Excellent rock/hard rock/metal, ala Thin Lizzy / Zakk Wylde, pup, but can do anything.
Custom 5 is Custom with A5 mag, more *natural* sound, looser bass, more piercing treble, brighty.

And then there is '78 and Super V (and perhaps even Demon and Custom Custom)

DiMarzio has Virtual PAF, PAF, Virtual Hot PAF models, too.

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

As Jay 77 says, I think it's better to start from a position of "what tone are you looking for?" and "what kind of music do you play?" than to try to state the nearest Seymour Duncan equivalents to the Gibson pickups you mention.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

Hey all, thanks for help on the strat. Need some help on my les paul. I was considering going with 2 Gibson's Burstbucker Pro's or a Burstbucker Pro in the Bridge and a 57 Classic Plus in the neck. Anyone know what SD pickups are comparable, and anyone have any input which they like better?
I realize im in the SD house...honest opinions however are always appreciated.

Well, the Burstbucker Pro's are by far not my Fav Gibson pickup and the Classic 57's are just below the BB Pros'...also the Classic 57+ is a hotter bridge version of the Classic 57 so IMO it would me a terrible neck pickup...

It sounds like you're looking for a PAF style set...the Classic 57's are Alnico II and the Burstbucker Pro's are alnico 5...Duncan PAFs include Pearly Gates, 59's, Seth Lovers, Antiquties, and maybe Alnico II Pro's...Pearly Gates, Seths, Ants, A2Pros, are all Alnico II's and the 59's (and Pearly gates +'s) are Alnico 5...

Now, with all that said...what kind of sound are you looking for???

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

welcome jd - give some direction and we'll get you there! Heck - we'll even recommend dimarzio if that what it'll take! But I'll rec duncan if at all possible!

 

[DepecheMoses]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

In my Paul I have a Fender Enforcer in the bridge (would've been an Invader, but I so love the irony of a Fender pickup in an Epiphone) and a '59/Jazz hybrid in the neck. But I'm probably not the guy to go to for pickup options unless you like metal, and even then there's much more "experienced" metalheads on here.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Pickup Recommendation for Les Paul - Advise

I've played some Les Pauls with the default pickups, and the burst buckers. If I wanted a true PAF machine, I'd just go get one with burstbuckers, or if it's not equipped with them, the Seymour Duncan dual '59 set (assuming you never want to split the humbuckers). The Pearly Gates Plus is a good bridge 'bucker if you want a beefier '59 for your bridge: it's wound hotter than a '59 but with an Alnico V magnet (so it's closer to a hot '59 than a Pearly Gates).

Still, that's what I would do, or you can go '59 neck and Custom bridge, which would give you a nice phat bridge for metal.