Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

[Ravensha]

I have a Les Paul Custom with three humbuckers.

Currently it has an old (2 conductor) Seymour JN in the neck, a Gibson pickup in the middle, and a Dimarzio Super Distortion (I think) in the bridge. I am planning on getting three new Seymour Duncans for the guitar.

I figure I will get a new Jazz (SH-2) for the neck, and a JB (SH-4) for the bridge.

Any ideas, suggestions or thoughts on what a good middle humbucker pickup might be?

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

I think you ought to go with an underwound Phat Cat, or any lower output humbucker-sized P90 pickup, which is a big fat single coil in a humbucker body with the poles down the center.

A single coil will hit the right harmonic node to give you some Strat-like cluck when blended with the neck or bridge pu's, whereas a regular humbucker straddles that node and sounds kind of muddy.

 

[MartinSixStringCustoms]

Re: Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

I think you ought to go with an underwound Phat Cat, or any lower output humbucker-sized P90 pickup, which is a big fat single coil in a humbucker body with the poles down the center.

A single coil will hit the right harmonic node to give you some Strat-like cluck when blended with the neck or bridge pu's, whereas a regular humbucker straddles that node and sounds kind of muddy.

+1

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

I've battled with this question for while. A p-90/Phat cat middle is a great option IMO if you want something flexible/different. Or...If you want something in-between the Jazz & JB, I'd say a Distortion Neck model would be ok.

Here is what I might put in my Dean Cadillac: Pearly Gates neck / Distortion neck in the middle / Custom Bridge. The distortion gives the midds a kick with the Custom, and wouldn't be too much bass with the PG.

Or - just for the heck of it: 3 Super distortions...But you could have guessed I'd say that!

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

I agree with Zhang on the PC in the mid.

If it were my guitar though, I'd do a full set of PC's with a way of doing 7 way switching.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

That could work too, though with me, the neck and middle would both be underwound to 7.0k...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Pickups for Triple Humbucker Les Paul?

Mine is Custom 5/59N/59N in gold. I really like the C-5 in my all mahogany 57 Custom 3 pup. To do it over again, I'd go C-5/Phat Cat neck middle/Pearly Gates neck in goldcovered.