Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

M

marianoarnaiz

New member
Hello Forum. I am new here so please be patient with me I don't have much experience with new Pubs.

I have a new Gibson Les Paul LPJ 2014 and I am looking to replace the pickups. What I usually look for in a pickup is clarity and honesty, i.e. a pickup with a lot of dynamic range, that truly sends to the amp what I play and that doesn't get muddy with finger picking, distortion, or playing many notes at once. I get my distortion from the amp so I usually enjoy low ouput to low-mid output pickups, and it is imperative that both the bridge and the neck play nicely with each other (like a set or so).

So far I though that the SD Slash's set could be a good option, also the Dimarzio Air Classic set sounds appealing, but I rather follow your advice.

What pickup would you chose (I am open to any suggestions)

Kind regards.

Mariano
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

I had an Air Classic in the neck of a Les Paul and it was clear, but kind of bland. I haven't had much experience with the Slash set, though.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

SH-2N + APH-2B could be worth a go. I like the Slash neck pup, though there's something missing in it for me, that I've yet to put my finger on.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

Welcome to the forum.

So the '61 CustomBuckers it comes with aren't any good? I would have expected them to be just what you described.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

beaubrummels said:
Welcome to the forum.

So the '61 CustomBuckers it comes with aren't any good? I would have expected them to be just what you described.
Click to expand...

Hey everyone. Thanks for welcoming me!!!

The 61 buckers feel... cheap. In the neck (were I think it was meant be) is... just OK. It sounds deep but it gets muddy when you solo in the wound strings and doesn't have much sustain (which is particularly odd in a very acoustically live LP). In the bridge It just feel like the pickup struggles to work. I am under the impression that this is just the cheapest humbucker Gibson can mass produce.

I'm still listening to suggestions :)
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

marianoarnaiz said:
Hey everyone. Thanks for welcoming me!!!

The 61 buckers feel... cheap. In the neck (were I think it was meant be) is... just OK. It sounds deep but it gets muddy when you solo in the wound strings and doesn't have much sustain (which is particularly odd in a very acoustically live LP). In the bridge It just feel like the pickup struggles to work. I am under the impression that this is just the cheapest humbucker Gibson can mass produce.

I'm still listening to suggestions :)
Click to expand...


Ok so I have a 2013 LPJ. I trashed my pickups, but 2013 had different pups than yours. So first off, its kind of odd that the neck pup is muddy. I think Gibson is using 500k pots so that shouldn't be unless the pup is really a piece of dodo. I would suggest pulling every thing out of the LPJ except the output jack and the switch. order new pots, Gibson traditionally has used 300k pots in the past and I feel those are better for a try LP tone (I own 6 LP now). Buy some quality caps like orange drops .022. Then you will be ready to start putting in some quality pups. For traditional LP tone and clarity from the neck, nothing beats a PGn. Your bridge choice may be more a personal choice. My favorite low output bridge pickups, which I feel all have good clarity are the PGb, 59b and Screamin' Demon. The 59 is just a classic tone, the PG has some upper register grit and grind and the Demon has a nice upper midrange boost, but the Demon is not classically voiced at all. There are many other great choices, I am just giving you my opinion from my experiences. My LPJ, I actually made a 3 pup out of with two StagMags in the middle and neck, and a Duncan Distortion in the bridge. The StageMag is a great articulate pickup and when split has a great Single Coil voice. I have not tried it in the bridge position, but in the neck with a 500K pot, it gets very close to s PGn but without the extra grind and grit.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

marianoarnaiz said:
Hey everyone. Thanks for welcoming me!!!

The 61 buckers feel... cheap. In the neck (were I think it was meant be) is... just OK. It sounds deep but it gets muddy when you solo in the wound strings and doesn't have much sustain (which is particularly odd in a very acoustically live LP). In the bridge It just feel like the pickup struggles to work. I am under the impression that this is just the cheapest humbucker Gibson can mass produce.

I'm still listening to suggestions :)
Click to expand...

Before spending hundreds on pickups and rewiring, did you try raising and lowering the pickups to get different sounds? Or even the pole pieces for strings that aren't sounding balanced?
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

I have the Slash set in an LP Custom, it sounds like you would think bridge has a nice crunch sound and the neck pickup through a Marshall sounds just like the intro to Sweet Child. Sounds good clean too. The other combo I really love is the screamin deamon bridge/jazz neck I have in my studio. Dimarzio PAF Pro set is also a good choice. I haven't tried the 59/Custom hybrid yet but the description intrigues me, I may get one next time I do a swap
 
Last edited:
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

The guys at dimarzio recomended an Air Classic in the neck and an Illuminator (neck model) for the bridge
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

Keep us informed of what you put in as I'm in the exact situation.
Wanted an LPJ 2013 for the 490R/498T combo but there's none available new/used where I live. So I will have to buy an LPJ 2014 and swap the pickups as what I heard on youtube was not to my liking (muddy, undefined, etc.). I already have 2 suspertrats with alnico5 bridge humbuckers and want to have more of a Slash sound out of that Les Paul. SD APH2s sound nice from youtube reviews.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

First of all, I do believe that Gibson still uses 300k pots on the volume pot in all their USA production guitars. Swap them out for 500k and see if that doesn't get you closer to what you want to hear.

As for lower output pickups, I've tried the PGs, 59s, Slash set, and DiMarzio 36th Anni model set. They are all great takes on the classic PAF. If your amp will do the lifting, grab whichever set tickles your fancy and rock on.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

Air Classic in the neck is indeed very clear. Love that in combined with a Super Distortion in the bridge. I've got a 36th Ann PAF set coming in tomorrow. Looking forward to trying those out.

Going with Duncans, I'd go for a Screamin' Demon bridge and a Jazz or Full Shred neck for the most clarity.
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

No one has asked what kind of music you intend to play with it...

??
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

I tried an 2014 LPJ last weekend and the 1961 humbuckers are too bright for my liking. I tried lowering the pickups but that didn't removed the brightness, only lowered the output.

I see 3 options to solve that:
1- change the volume pots for 250k (I don't know where I can get 300k CTS pots)
2- swap A5 magnets for A2 (never done that)
3- replace pickups for a Slash set or Pearly Gates set (OP might like something else)

Sorry to hikack your tread...
 
Re: Pickups of a Gibson Les Paul LPJ

It's hard to beat 59s for all-around functionality and clarity at an affordable price point.

For more mids while retaining clarity, Whole Lotta Humbucker set would be a step up from the already great 59s.
 
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