Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

David Garner

David Garner

New member
I have a 93 Les Paul Standard. It has had in it the following:

Stock 498t/490r set (with stock magnets and with magnet swaps -- currently UOA5s in both positions)
57 Classic/+ set
Wolfetone Dr. Vintage
Custom Shop Pearly Gates
Antiquities

The bomb in that guitar was the Dr. Vintage, but I sold them because I wanted a different tone than the unpotted lower wind PAFs I had in my other LP. At that time the other one had the Antiquities and this one had the CS Pearlies, which worked well, but now the Pearlies are in the other guitar (where they also sound fantastic). Antiquities are currently in the 93 and not really doing it for me for two reasons:

1). There is too much overlap between them and the Pearlies
2). The 93 has a smoother tone, with less "honk" and less mids, and I think I want to accentuate that instead of fighting it.

Options I've considered are mag swapping in the Antiquities, putting the stock pickups back in (they're okay, but I want better than okay), or getting a new set entirely.

If I go with the idea that the stock pickups are pretty good but could be improved, an SH-5/59 (or other neck pickup) swap might work. I really, really like the 490r in the neck with the UOA5 so this could just be a bridge pickup swap, in which case a Custom or another similar pickup might be the ticket. This guitar is naturally bright, so I think I'd want to avoid another A5 in the bridge, though the UOA5 works well.

If I go with a more traditional tone, there are several options, but honestly, I've about decided the other LP (a 2016 Traditional) sounds better for those mid-heavy, honky sounds. So I'm leaning towards getting a different sort of tone in the 93. Having said that, I have a fully charged A2 set and a fully charged A4 set on the way from Addiction-FX, so I might roll those before I give up on the Antiquities. It would be cool to have two PAF flavors, but I do not want too much overlap. This guitar seems to prefer hotter pickups or super low winds too, so there's that. The Goldilocks PAF winds don't play as well.

Perhaps there are other options I'm missing -- a T-top like tone, BKP Black Dogs, WLH set, Slash APH-2s. I've played the Slash set in my friend's Epiphone and liked those a lot. I have a 57 plus lying around that reads 8.93 on the multimeter, so one option could be to put that in the bridge and see how it plays with the 490r. I know the 57 Classics sound good in that guitar, and this one is wound about as hot as the APH-2 bridge, so that might be option 1.

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm probably going to start by rolling magnets in the Antiquities, then putting the stock pickups back in, maybe with that 57 Classic + in the bridge. In the event that doesn't get me where I'm going, I would sell the Antiquities to fund another bridge pickup or another set entirely.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

If it helps, the 2016 Trad weighs 8 pounds, and the 93 LP weighs 10. That might account for the tonal differences between the two. To my ears, the Trad is more balanced, and has more of a sweet midrange presence, where the 93 seems to want to compress more and seems smoother even using the exact same pickups in both guitars. I can get more mid presence on the Trad without the low end going to hell.

I've had the Pearlies and the Antiquities in both, and the guitars seem to be the deciding factor in how they sound. The Ants/Pearlies in the Trad are more open and have better clarity, and either one in the Standard seem to be more compressed and smoother, more top-40 sounding (or hard rock, with the stock pickups). I'm cool with the Standard being the "hotter, more gain" guitar and the Trad being the "classic rock and blues guitar." But the Standard isn't loving the Antiquities for that particular tone, and I can't seem to dial in a similar tone to the Trad that I like. The low end gets harsh when I get the mids right, and the mids are too subdued when I get the low end right. So basically I'm trying to dial in a tone that works for the guitar instead of trying to get a tone that I already have nailed in the other one.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

If you love the 490R and already have the 57+ on hand, knowing you liked the regular 57's for sure, then maybe that's a logical next step in your case...give it a try!
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

id start with the a4 in the antiquities and see what ya think
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

masta' c said:
These are getting recommended way too much lately. I love me some Phat Cats, but they aren't for everyone
Click to expand...

Your comment makes no sense if you even read his points.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

Clint 55 said:
Your comment makes no sense if you even read his points.
Click to expand...

No, your comment makes no sense. Where does he say he'd like anything resembling a P90 tone? Did the OP say he wants to move away from humbuckers?

He already has a few pickups, a few magnets and is willing to try some swaps...best place to start

OP, what amp are you using?
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

Marshall 18 watt or Deluxe Reverb. Occasionally a Mesa Express.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

For what it's worth, on the Phat Cats suggestion, I really appreciate it (they have always struck me as cool pickups), but it's true that I'm looking for a more traditional humbucker tone. PAF for sure in the neck, PAF or something hotter in the bridge. My real question is whether I want a different flavor of PAF for the bridge/middle or whether I want to go back to what the stock pickups give, which is a moderately high output bridge with a PAF neck.

I don't think any suggestion is dumb though -- they look to be a really cool options for someone looking for that tone.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

jeremy said:
sns set?
Click to expand...

I've considered that. I haven't ruled them out, I'm just not sure they're what I'm after. But I'm absolutely considering them.

Honestly, I'm leaning toward the Slash set if the magnet swaps in the Antiquities don't strike my fancy. And I think what I'll do if that's the route I end up considering is put the hot 57 Classic + in the bridge with the 490r and see if that's close to what I'm after. If it is, it might solve my problem entirely, and if it's close I'll know I'm in the ballpark since those values should be very close to the Slash set. There's a youtube video comparing the 57/57+ set to the Slash set, and they are very close in terms of tone and apparent feel.

My real dilemma if the Antiquities don't work out is whether to go right past the Slash set and look at a hotter bridge pickup to pair with the 490r. And I'm honestly torn on that. I think I've ruled out the JB, though I like it. Everyone here seems to like the Custom, and you can swap magnets in that to your heart's content and have all the commercially available variants and more (and I have every magnet I would need to try that out -- A2, A3, A4, UOA5 and A5, along with the ceramic -- I'd probably try the UOA5, A5 and A2 first, in that order, if the ceramic wasn't what I wanted). And if none of those get me there I can always buy an A8 and try that too.

Magnets come in the mail today, so I'm going to swap in the A4s and give them several days to a week and see if they are going in the right direction. I'll put in the fully charged A2s if that doesn't work, and then maybe the UOA5s. If none of those work, I'm going to assume the Antiquities aren't right for this guitar and sell them to fund something else. At that point I'll put the stock pickups back in and maybe swap in that 57+ to see if that's the direction I want to go.

Thanks to everyone who replied (and please keep them coming). I'll update once I get to put the A4 Antiquities through their paces.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

A4s are in. I'm not sure what to think. I really like the bridge, though in comparison to the CS Pearly bridge, it's harder and has more bite and a tighter low end. Less character overall in the sense that the Pearlies have a lot of harmonics and softer overtones whereas these are very crisp and biting, but I really like it. It's like the stock pickup only not so hot. It has some A5 character without too much mid scoop. People say A4s are "sterile" and "not musical" and I don't feel that way, but I understand why some folks do. The EQ is very flat, and it is a huge, noticeable difference from the degaussed A2s that came in it. It's still a very vintage sounding character, but probably more 70s hard rock (Jimmy Page w/ t-tops, Aerosmith, Nugent, etc.) than say early ZZ Top or the more bluesy rock styles. So it's kind of exactly what I was after -- vintage but a different flavor. It might stick.

The neck is another matter. It's extremely crisp and bright and almost annoying. I have played with the height and pole pieces and I cannot get a tone I love out of it. I can get a tone I can tolerate, but I can't get one that grabs me. My ears are tired, so I may come back to it tomorrow or later in the week. But right now, I'm not digging it at all. I might swap the fully charged A2s into both pickups after a week or so and see if I prefer them in either. There's a reasonable chance I'll end up with the stock A2 or the fully charged A2 back in the neck and keep the A4 in the bridge, though the fully charged A2 in the bridge might change my mind.

So for now, I don't see the A4 sticking in the neck pickup. It's just too much, more like a bad bridge pickup than a great neck pickup. If I had to guess, it's going to be one of these in the neck and bridge respectively:

Degaussed A2/A4
FC A2/A4
FC A2/FC A2

I also have the UOA5 magnets that are currently residing in the stock 490r/498t pickups. If I don't like the FC A2 in the bridge, I might swap one of those in and see if I like it any better.

I will come back to it later though -- maybe it will settle in and I'll grow to appreciate the neck pickup as is.
 
Last edited:
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

If its too biting, just try a rough cast version of the same mag.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

I might consider going with a Jazz neck and bridge set.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

beaubrummels said:
If its too biting, just try a rough cast version of the same mag.
Click to expand...

I believe these are rough cast. Honestly, I’m surprised. They don’t sound anything like the A4 pickups I’ve heard or seen described. At least the neck doesn’t. I expected warm honk. These are very crisp and bitey.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

So I spent some time this morning with them, and I lowered them pretty significantly. About 1/32 down on the neck and close to 1/16 down on the bridge. They're better this way. The bridge loses some bite but gains just enough give on the low end to give it character and a little more warmth (though it will never be confused with an A2). Still not really satisfied with the neck, but I'm going to give it some time. It's much, much better set low.

The stock bridge pickup with the A5 in it likes to be set lower too, so I should have considered this yesterday. It's a pretty big improvement. I see why people like these magnets so much now. We'll see if the neck grows on me enough to keep the A4 in there.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

a2 is hard to get away from once you are used to those juicy mids and soft top. im about to pull a set of antiquitys from one guitar and put them in my lp trad. thinking full strength a2 bridge, a3 neck. id keep the aged a2 but i already have stock ant in a similar guitar so want something just a touch different.
 
Re: Pickup recommendations -- 1993 Les Paul Standard

jeremy said:
a2 is hard to get away from once you are used to those juicy mids and soft top. im about to pull a set of antiquitys from one guitar and put them in my lp trad. thinking full strength a2 bridge, a3 neck. id keep the aged a2 but i already have stock ant in a similar guitar so want something just a touch different.
Click to expand...

I think that's where I am, and one reason why if the fully charged A2s don't do it, I'm pretty sure I will try the UOA5s that work so well in the stock pickups. They're more like A2s than the A4s are, but they retain the bite and clarity of the A5s without the huge mid scoop (which I also don't like in this guitar).

I'm still giving the A4s a chance though. I like them a lot better after lowering them, but I still think the neck is just too tight and articulate for my taste. I love clarity in a bridge pickup, and I want a certain amount on the neck, but the A2 Les Paul neck tone is really my bread and butter tone. The UOA5 in the 490r preserved that, so if the A2s don't do it, maybe those will.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top