gibsonguitar1988
New member
Hi everyone!
I'm a long time Duncan fan and have several in my guitars and have tried all of the passive offerings at one point or another except the new 59/Custom hybrid, which brings me to my question.
I'm looking for new pickups for my Les Paul. Current ones (that are not Duncans but rather boutiques) are just too dark and sound extremely muffled (then again, I'm losing my hearing because everything is sounding more dark than usual these days :laugh2
. Also, very compressed sounding to the point where the pick attack sounds like I have a compressor pedal turned on - very squashed and clucky. I've had others tell me the same so I know it's not my ears. 
I've got great caps in that guitar and I know it's wired fine. And I don't remember having this problem when I've had other pups in this guitar in the past.
So I'm looking for something different. Now I really, really like the 59s, JBs, and the APH-2s. What I'm looking for is something in between a '59 and a JB. Hotter than the '59 but not as hot as a Custom or JB. Also something with some brightness to it. Not too honky, not too dark. I really like the '59, just need more "balls".
The '59/Custom hybrid really seems like the thing to get but I didn't know how it would work in a LP. I did watch the video Frank did of the pickup and I liked what I heard and seemed to be what I'm after. I don't want to be changing mags, anything else, I just want to buy the pickup and drop it in. And I have a '59 neck to pair it with, just need a potted bridge pickup that as I said, would be best described as "vintage hot". Not too shrill but not too dark.
As far as what I play - Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Blues, etc. 60s/70s/80s. Pretty much everything from Cream to Eagles to GnR/KISS. But mainly I want something not as hot as a JB because it's going into a vintage type Les Paul (Gibson LP Classic) that I want as my "poor man's Burst" as I've been calling it, but I need more than what the '59 is giving me.
I have tried as I said all of the passive offerings from Duncan and I like the Pearly Gates but it's a tad too bright for me in this guitar. That said something like a slightly darker PG may be close what I'm after. I do like it's other qualities though. Also, the Duncan and Custom Custom is just too much as is the JB (and I have both in other guitars). I have the APH-2 Slash pickups in another LP and I dearly love those pickups (my favorite set so far from Duncan) but I want something different for this guitar. I'm not a fan of the APH-1s or the Duncan Distortion for my tastes. Also, Seth's are nice but I need something hotter and potted!
So I guess to summarize my needs, I need a potted bridge pickup, hotter than a '59 and not as hot as a JB/Custom, something that will go with a '59 neck pickup out of a vintage blues set, something stock I can order, and something that is good for Classic Rock and Blues and not too modern. I use pedals for gain through clean Blackface Fender amps and so I like the hotter pickups as my amps are dead clean (preference).
I am just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the stock '59/Custom hybrid (no mods to it) in the bridge position of a Les Paul that is on the heavy side.
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to make sure I'm giving the info for people to help me. I haven't tried the 59/Custom hybrid but I'm thinking it would be the ticket. I just want to make sure it's not too dark and that it has some bite/treble to it, but not as bright as say, a PG. Just need some others with experience to let me know before I buy it.
Thanks for all suggestions/help. I'm hoping to order something soon (tonight or tomorrow if possible) possibly as I'd like to get this guitar going again as it is my #1.. It's just that I'm sick of these pickups and should have ditched them long ago.
-Austin (gibsonguitar1988)
I'm a long time Duncan fan and have several in my guitars and have tried all of the passive offerings at one point or another except the new 59/Custom hybrid, which brings me to my question.
I'm looking for new pickups for my Les Paul. Current ones (that are not Duncans but rather boutiques) are just too dark and sound extremely muffled (then again, I'm losing my hearing because everything is sounding more dark than usual these days :laugh2
. Also, very compressed sounding to the point where the pick attack sounds like I have a compressor pedal turned on - very squashed and clucky. I've had others tell me the same so I know it's not my ears. I've got great caps in that guitar and I know it's wired fine. And I don't remember having this problem when I've had other pups in this guitar in the past.So I'm looking for something different. Now I really, really like the 59s, JBs, and the APH-2s. What I'm looking for is something in between a '59 and a JB. Hotter than the '59 but not as hot as a Custom or JB. Also something with some brightness to it. Not too honky, not too dark. I really like the '59, just need more "balls".
The '59/Custom hybrid really seems like the thing to get but I didn't know how it would work in a LP. I did watch the video Frank did of the pickup and I liked what I heard and seemed to be what I'm after. I don't want to be changing mags, anything else, I just want to buy the pickup and drop it in. And I have a '59 neck to pair it with, just need a potted bridge pickup that as I said, would be best described as "vintage hot". Not too shrill but not too dark.
As far as what I play - Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Blues, etc. 60s/70s/80s. Pretty much everything from Cream to Eagles to GnR/KISS. But mainly I want something not as hot as a JB because it's going into a vintage type Les Paul (Gibson LP Classic) that I want as my "poor man's Burst" as I've been calling it, but I need more than what the '59 is giving me.
I have tried as I said all of the passive offerings from Duncan and I like the Pearly Gates but it's a tad too bright for me in this guitar. That said something like a slightly darker PG may be close what I'm after. I do like it's other qualities though. Also, the Duncan and Custom Custom is just too much as is the JB (and I have both in other guitars). I have the APH-2 Slash pickups in another LP and I dearly love those pickups (my favorite set so far from Duncan) but I want something different for this guitar. I'm not a fan of the APH-1s or the Duncan Distortion for my tastes. Also, Seth's are nice but I need something hotter and potted!
So I guess to summarize my needs, I need a potted bridge pickup, hotter than a '59 and not as hot as a JB/Custom, something that will go with a '59 neck pickup out of a vintage blues set, something stock I can order, and something that is good for Classic Rock and Blues and not too modern. I use pedals for gain through clean Blackface Fender amps and so I like the hotter pickups as my amps are dead clean (preference).
I am just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the stock '59/Custom hybrid (no mods to it) in the bridge position of a Les Paul that is on the heavy side.
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to make sure I'm giving the info for people to help me. I haven't tried the 59/Custom hybrid but I'm thinking it would be the ticket. I just want to make sure it's not too dark and that it has some bite/treble to it, but not as bright as say, a PG. Just need some others with experience to let me know before I buy it.
Thanks for all suggestions/help. I'm hoping to order something soon (tonight or tomorrow if possible) possibly as I'd like to get this guitar going again as it is my #1.. It's just that I'm sick of these pickups and should have ditched them long ago.
-Austin (gibsonguitar1988)
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