Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

J

Jakkhammer47

New member
I currently have two main guitars, a Gibson les Paul 2013 60s tribute and a Jackson king v kvxmg. I recently modded the king v and switched it to passive pickups with the 59 neck and a jb in the bridge.
While i haven't had the jb long, i have grown a bit tired of it already, as my les paul still sounds better out of the two.
essentially i want to know what pickup (preferably by Seymour Duncan but still open to other brands too) would make my king v sound more like my les paul? doesn't have to be exact but as close as possible
the neck pickups sound very similar as it is, so its just the bridge pickup i need help with.
the les paul has a Gibson burstbucker 2 pickup in the bridge and the body is made from mahogany with a maple top and it has a mahogany neck.
the king v has a basswood body and a maple neck with a neck through build construction. the king v also has a Floyd rose installed.
i was thinking the 59/custom hybrid might be kinda close but i figured it best to see others optinions on here first before i buy anything.
thanks in advance
jack
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

A Vee isn't ever really going to be very close to a Les Paul in character, even if it had a mahogany body & neck. With maple neck-thru and a Floyd, it's likely to be not just brighter but quite a bit thinner sounding too. My best suggestion would be to embrace the differences and use the guitars to broaden your tonal palette.

But if you're committed to the idea of getting them closer I'd suggest something with fat lows and a warm top end. Others may have a good idea for you in a Duncan. I've had good luck fattening the tone of a bolt-on/trem guitar with the DiMarzio "The Breed" but (like the JB) it's fairly high output compared to BurstBuckers. In general, hot bridge pickups offer more and better choices for beefing up a thin sounding guitar.

Do you want to match the output level of the LP too, or are you okay staying with an overwound bridge in the Vee?
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

Been thinking a bit- can't recall many vintage output pickups with big low end. I have a Rio Grande Texas BBQ bridge that's full and quite warm; it sweetened a bright spanky guitar beautifully but they're pricey. Also hotter than PAFs by a good bit. Maybe a Duncan 59B or Alnico II Pro, only with an A8 magnet for stronger lows and smooth highs? In terms of stock Duncans the Slash bridge or Whole Lotta might be pretty big and not overly bright. I still feel you'll have many more options to choose from among hotter modern pickups.

Can you describe the nature of your Vee a bit- pretty evenly balanced or does it stand out as being a bit skinny, vowely, nasal, bright, dull? Loose lows or tight? Hard feel in your hands at volume, or more elastic and lively? What is it about the present tone that you don't like, and what direction does it need to go to get it close to what you want? I've often found maple neck-thru guitars to be pretty snappy but there are always exceptions.

And what kind of music are you playing on it?
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

To fatten a trem guitar, the PATB 3 would probably be the best bet.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

AlexR said:
To fatten a trem guitar, the PATB 3 would probably be the best bet.
Click to expand...

Good suggestion there. I never seem to think of the PATBs, as much as I like mine (PATB-1n & PATB-3) in an older alder Floydcaster. For me, they just don't spring to mind naturally. Great pickups, very underappreciated. Could be just the ticket.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

hey thanks for the replies :)
the v itself seems to have a fairly big sound (maybe I just got lucky with the choice of basswood), its also darker than the les Paul both acoustically and when plugged into my amp and that's what first led me to the jb since the jb is a pretty bright humbucker
the les Paul has this nice crunch in the midrange and as I said before its quite bright sounding and really clear, to be honest its the reason I keep changing pickups in all my other guitars.
the only guitar I have that sound kinda similar is my Washburn dime 333 with a bill Lawrence xl500l in the bridge (reversed to sound more like dime) but that guitar is also mahogany body and mahogany neck so I cant really compare it to the v.
the genre I play is mainly metal but I like the PAF sound of the les paul for its versatility, plus ive recenlt been finding a lower output pickup into a high gain amp sounds much nicer to me than a high output pickup into a high gain amp.
if it helps the amp I'm using is the randall thrasher
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

To the OP: I don't think you'll be able to make your V sound like a Les Paul.

Too many differences in body and neck between the two.

And the vibrato on the V makes for a weaker sound as well.

The acoustic resonance/personality of the two guitars is just very different and your Les Paul will probably always sound better to you regardless of what pickup changes you make to the V.

I've been down this road with a Hamer Explorer that the previous owner put a Kahler vibrato on.

He ruined the guitar (IMO) , I never could get it sound the way I wanted it to (like a stock Explorer), and I eventually sold it back to him when he asked me to.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try some other pickups and see if you can make it sound better to you.

But I think you'll always like the tonal personality of your Les Paul better.
 
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Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

Lewguitar said:
To the OP: I don't think you'll be able to make your V sound like a Les Paul.

Too many differences in body and neck between the two.

And the vibrato on the V makes for a weaker sound as well.

The acoustic resonance/personality of the two guitars is just very different and your Les Paul will probably always sound better to you regardless of what pickup changes you make to the V.

I've been down this road with a Hamer Explorer that the previous owner put a Kahler vibrato on.

He ruined the guitar (IMO) , I never could get it sound the way I wanted it to (like a stock Explorer), and I eventually sold it back to him when he asked me to.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try some other pickups and see if you can make it sound better to you.

But I think you'll always like the tonal personality of your Les Paul better.
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yeah your probably right, the main thing I want to get though is for them to sound pretty similar.
to quote zakk wylde from one of his interviews "its like there all in the same zip code"
I mostly think the jb just has too much output and too much midrange or the wrong type of midrange.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

For thicker, warmer & fatter (never going to sound like a Les Paul) A DMZ Tone Zone or Breed. A Lace Dirty Hesher or Alumitone Deathbucker (won't look too conventional haha) will get you there too as will a Tesla Plasma 2 or Opus 4 (priced cheaper but sound great!)
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

Jakkhammer47 said:
yeah your probably right, the main thing I want to get though is for them to sound pretty similar.
to quote zakk wylde from one of his interviews "its like there all in the same zip code"
I mostly think the jb just has too much output and too much midrange or the wrong type of midrange.
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The JB is a big seller for Duncan but I don't care for it either.

It was peaky sounding when I've owned and used it in several different guitars. I just gave up on it entirely.

But I kind of like the Duncan Distortion which is almost the same pickup but with a big ceramic magnet rather than Alnico 5.

Has a nice sizzle on top and lots of output but the Distortion is not as peaky sounding as the JB. Didn't make my ears uncomfortable like the JB often does.

Didn't seem to have quite as much bass but that could have been the guitar too.

Really, it was a bit to hot andcHard Rock sounding for me to use as an every pickup but I did have fun with it and it did make me feel like playing.

You could try a ceramic magnet from Addiction FX. Get an UOA5 too and try them both. $10.
 
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Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

That's a neck-through with a trem. That's just not gonna happen. And basswood wings on a maple-neck-through. Not a chance.

If it doesn't sound the way you want after a couple of pickup changes you should flip it.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

the tune 0 matic bridge & maple cap are a major contributor to the sound as a LP.
Pickups can only enhance what's already there. Embrace the vee or sell/trade it
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

500t will get you close.
Or get an SH6 and sound better than both.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

The contact area within the Les Paul neck joint is a critical factor. Deviate from this and you change the natural acoustic characteristics of the guitar. LP doublecut models, different sound. Yamaha SG-2000/-3000, different sound. Ibanez Artist AS-80, different sound.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

since it seems its not possible, I've been thinking of going with my second choice of the Duncan custom, what's peoples thoughts on this pickup? judging by the description on the site it should work perfectly with the guitar but I'm not overly sure... seems a bit too perfect
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

Jakkhammer47 said:
I recently modded the king v and switched it to passive pickups with the 59 neck and a jb in the bridge.
Click to expand...

In forum questions of this type, the usual first response is, "what did you dislike about the stock pickups?" You have not actually stated why the EMG pickups and booster device failed to satisfy you.

If you have no great dislike of active electronics, I am tempted to suggest Fishman Fluence Classic or Modern humbuckers. The voice switching would allow the V to be sweet and traditional one minute then snarling and nasty the next.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

I'm a bit surprised that your Vee is much darker than the LP, but Burstbuckers are mighty bright pickups and every piece of wood is so different... Guitars still surprise me all the time. My previous recommendations were based on the assumption that a maple neck thru Vee would be brighter and thinner sounding than an LP, especially with the Floyd sapping fullness & sustain. In this case, that was totally incorrect.

Not sure the Custom is what you need- great pickup, but it's big sounding and pretty fat. Maybe going with the Hybrid isn't such a bad idea- it has nice mids and articulate treble while keeping some of the vintage feel. More air and less girth than the regular Custom.

For now, if you haven't tried it already, I suggest you do a quick adjustment on the JB. First, lower it. A lot. And raise the screw poles each a full turn or more. You'll lose some bass and volume but this can increase treble response pretty dramatically sometimes, giving better definition and alleviating some of the congestion. The JB is a loud pickup and should still give you decent levels even when set quite a bit lower than most of us would normally do. Especially since you're switching between this axe and one with vintage output. You may find that in this particular case an unusually low height will work better. And if not, it'll only take a minute or two to raise it back up.

For a couple of dollars it might even be worth trying an A3 magnet in the JB before giving up on it. I've never heard of anybody doing that, but it could thin out the lows and reduce the output considerably. And keep some of the JB's looseness while taming that sometimes-annoying mid peak. There have been discussions of A2 mag swaps in JBs on various forums. If you like what you read, figure that an A3 is going to be quieter than the A2 with reduced bass. Could be worth a try. Or not. Just brainstorming here.

One different pickup to consider might be the Screamin Demon. Not vintage sounding, but it's very well defined and stays quite tight even at high gain, plus the output is not super high. Some have found it bright in bridge position; for your dark natured Vee that might be a good thing.

A 59B to match your 59N could be a viable option too. It's vintage output and vintage sounding, and like the Demon some find it fairly pretty bright at the bridge. One advantage of the 59B is that it gives really nice middle position tones when combined with the 59N. And it will have a looser, more vintage low end feel than the Demon. I guess it comes down to the nature of your Vee's darkness- if it's boomy, the Demon would be a great choice. If the Vee simply lacks highs, the 59B is much closer to classic PAF territory. It has a far more open tone than a JB, plus some moderate sparkle. Bigger lows and less mids than a Burstbucker though, I think.

Pearly Gates bridge might be another one to think about. Vintage output, and it's definitely at the brighter end of the PAF spectrum; its highs & mids may get you closer to the BurstBuckers than the 59B does. I'd say it's a little more compressed than a 59 but a good choice especially for a dark guitar. Also, it has an A2 mag like the BBs.

Another option could be to try your L500 in the Vee. I know it isn't vintage output like you wanted, but it's got smokin' treble and it's a kickass metal pickup. Worth considering.
 
Re: Pickup suggestion to make a v sound more like a les paul?

Not really sure how close you can get there...completely different guitars.

But that being said, the route I would go would be the Gibson Ceramic Set (496R&500T), a covered set of Pearly Gates, a covered set of WLH, and perhaps a set of Gibson Burstbuckers (I personally am not a fan of any Burstbuckers, but they might help get the tone you are after.)

Best of luck!
 
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