Pickup Selection for Custom Guitar

[Jackson Ampworks]

A good friend of mine named Pavel de la Fuente is going to build me a custom guitar in exchange for an amp of mine. Here is his site so you can check out some of his work: www.pavelmi.com

The guitar that I want is very much like a Les Paul but with a Hipshot Trem and a Hum-Single-Hum arrangement for the pickups.

Here is my question and I would like to get some council on this issue. For the bridge pickup I'm leaning toward the SD EVH pickup for the bridge position since I have used one of these in the past and have always enjoyed it. For the neck pickup I still havent decided what I want, but the best humbucker tone I have ever heard is the mini-humbucker on a 1971 Les Paul Deluxe that a friend of mine has.

I would like to get that mini-bucker sound but still in a full size humbucker route just in case I want to use a full size humbucker in the future. I may have SD wind a custom pickup that is essentially a mini-humbucker in a full size form.

I'm completly open on the single coil pickup in the middle since the primary objective of this guitar is for it to be as close to a Les Paul tonally as possible.

I'm going to use a 5-way switch with the following positions outlined here:

1) Neck Humbucker
2) Neck Split with Single Coil
3) Both Humbuckers
4) Bridge Split with Single Coil
5) Bridge Humbucker

I would also like to have an ON/OFF switch on the guitar so I can do the stutter effect that can be done with the tradition Les Paul wiring. Any thoughts on how to accomplish this easily?

Thanks for your input. If anyone has any thoughts on this, please let me know as I would appreciate learning from your experiences.

Thanks again!

 

[flipside]

Re: Pickup Selection for Custom Guitar

what kind of music do you play?

 

[Jackson Ampworks]

Re: Pickup Selection for Custom Guitar

Sorry I should have mentioned that. ;(

Country / Rock

I need a really authentic Les Paul sound as a primary goal. Again the rear humbucker will definitely be a full size humbucker for that early EVH sound and the neck pickup I'm strongly thinking about having SD wind a mini-bucker in a full size humbucker space so I have future options there. The reason for having the single coil in the middle is to have some Strat type tones available. I know that these sounds will not be very convincing on this style of body, but if they are somewhat close, that will be fine with me.

Here are the specs on the guitar:

Body: Mahogany with Quilted Maple Top
Neck: 5-piece Mahogany / Purpleheart / Maple / Purpleheart / Mahogany
Fingerboard: Macasar Ebony

Hope this helps!

 

[Jackson Ampworks]

Re: Pickup Selection for Custom Guitar

Any ideas on which single coil would be a good mix in the middle position?

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Pickup Selection for Custom Guitar

If you like MINI HBs - which are a little bright to me
I would say Pearly Gates all the way. They have some bark and bite.

Since you like the EVH - I can tell you this - from talking to people at Duncan, it is in the vein of some of their production pups. I am a HUGE fan of the APH1's. Always give them consideration - you cannot, cannot, under no circumstances go wrong. If you want more definition, you can consider the 59.

Otherwise, if you are so country - give the Fralins a whirl, my friend had some decent luck with them. I can also say Voodoos have a nice chimey sound are quite open with just enough compression.

I love the idea of APH1s, PGs, or an EVH

 

[Jackson Ampworks]

Re: Pickup Selection for Custom Guitar

For this guitar, I'm really wanting to focus on the Les Paul tone since I have a great Strat and Tele. This will definitely be a rock guitar so that pushes me toward the EVH bridge pickup.

If I were to get SD to wind a mini-humbucker and place it in a full size humbucker shell, how would the split coil of the mini-hb sound with the middle pickup? Also what single coil would work best with this type of setup?

Thanks for the input!