PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

[Luca79]

Hi, I have a 2001 black Les Paul Custom.
I can't say I don't like its sound, but it's not as warm and dense as the best tone you would find on a Les Paul Standard (maybe it's the ebony fretboard that brighten things too much).
It has sustain for sure, but it's a little too much refined.
The pickups are the original 490-498 Gibson, and I would like to replace them in order to get a warmer, soulful, more classic sound.
I play blues and rock. Knopfler and Slash are the best examples to describe my dream tone.
I was thinking about a Alnico II Pro in the neck and a JB in the bridge, what do you think?
Or maybe I just made a mistake buying a Custom instead of a Standard?

 

[Aceman]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

I spend a lot of time debating the Gibson pups here. My bottom line is that they are good for everything and great at nothing. I think they take a lot of abuse they don't deserve, but agree that given a style and tonal preference you can find better stuff.

I think the recs that will come in are:
Seth's
59's
Pearly Gates

You will probably get some Alnico pro recs as well. Gates are hotter, Seth's are more vintage, and 59's are somewhere in the middle.

All of those are Alnico II mags, and will be "warmer" than the ceramics in there now. Although, honestly, my neck pup is the a 490 (25 yrs old) and sound so Slash with my pedals tweeked to "stack" you'd swear he lent me his rig.

There is also no doubt in my mind that the Ebony board adds a little spank to your top end. But that's not a bad thing on a Paul in my opinion.

My vote is for the PG's.

 

[Luca79]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Thanks for the help.
So do you think that with the right pu replacement I'll be able to let my Custom sound significantly warmer and sweeter?
It may seem a slight difference, but I noticed that most blues and rock guitarists (Clapton, Knopfler, Slash, Perry, Kossoff.....) use LP standards, never Customs, and that makes me a little worried.
What do you think?

 

[theodie]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Warmer and sweeter huh, what you need is the Custom Custom bridge and the alnico II pro neck. They will be warm and very sweet!!! I have used this set and it sounds like what you may be looking for. BTW, welcome to the forum.

 

[Luca79]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Thank you!
Other opinions?

 

[DrewB]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

I like Seth Lovers in my Les Paul, and I've had them in it for 2+ years. I had a JB/'59 combo in it prior to that for quite awhile, and that was good for rougher stuff, but I couldn't get the articulation I wanted from the JB and the '59 was pretty wooly in the neck position, so I went on a hunt. I tried '57 Classics, and old Pat. # Gibson, a Custom 5, and a Pearly Gates in the neck position before the Seth Lovers. I haven't tried a Pearly Gates in the bridge position, but the neck pickup was great; I just haven't got around to buying a PG bridge. For me, Seths are #1 with PGs a close 2nd. I can cover anything from Johnny A to Iron Maiden with the Seths using just my volume controls and a Marshall non-master 50-watt.

 

[Marinblues]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Seths if you're not into high gain and CC/APS2 if you are.

My 2 cents.

 

[brisk]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

I have also black custom. I tried a lot of pickkups in it and now I settled with PGs.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Ebony does have a more refined and elegant tone than rosewood IMO. It sounds purer and more even. More pluck and quack to the mids with rosewood.

I think alnico 2 would give you a little more pluck and quack.

If you love Slash, then the Alnico 2 Pro Humbuckers are a no brainer...especially for the neck pickup.

The bridge Alnico 2 Pro is not a real rock hot humbucker but Slash rocks with it through his Marshall. Don't forget the Marshall: that's better than half of his tone right there.

I needed a covered neck pickup for my Hamer Monoco Super Pro, so I went with a Seth Lover. The Seth and APH-2 are similar. The bridge pickup in my Hamer is a alnico 2 Custom Custom.

I love it! Thick, sweet, buttery, syrupy, lead tones. It's my favorite of the overwound Duncan HB's.

The JB is a classic in a Les Paul and I've never heard a Les Paul with a JB that wasn't very impressive! The JB has a little bit of a hard edge in the upper mids that seems to press hard against my ear drums...so I don't use it muself. It's just a little louder and bigger sounding than I prefer too. But it's also Duncan's #1 selling bridge pickup and Seymour's personal favorite!

I think a set of APH-2's, APH-2/CC or APH-2/JB would work well for you.

Lew

 

[Luca79]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Hey thanks all.
I'm going to swap them in and out and see what pickups suits me the best.

 

[EVHindenberg]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

Thanks for the help.
So do you think that with the right pu replacement I'll be able to let my Custom sound significantly warmer and sweeter?
It may seem a slight difference, but I noticed that most blues and rock guitarists (Clapton, Knopfler, Slash, Perry, Kossoff.....) use LP standards, never Customs, and that makes me a little worried.
What do you think?

Have you ever heard Page's tone with his Black Beauty? You'll worry no more once you have.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: PU replacement for Les Paul Custom

First thing's first Welcome to the Forum!

I love the sound of ebony fingerboards, like Lew said they sound more refined. I'll tell you right now I had LP custom and tried a C5 and it was waayyy to shrill and gutless for my taste. I ended up putting a A2 mag in the 498T and an A5 mag in the 57 classic I put in the neck. I liked it (the bridge pup) much better, the low end wasn't as firm but the mids sounded much better and the top end was much smoother. The pups I'd created was a Gibson version of the CC and 59. Which is what I'd recommend if you want to keep the high output bridge pup. The guy I traded it to loved the bridge pup. The neck pup was kinda woofy but not as muddy and I think it would have been an ideal Jazz application. The A2P neck with its definition and warm sound would have worked well too, but probably would have had too many mids in the neck slot for me.

Right now I've got a Heritage 150 with a Jazz neck and A2P bridge. The jazz gives the neck a smooth yet articulate sound and the A2P has great string to string response and has decent output, although not as much as the PG's. The mids are good and it pushes my amp fairly well. The trick is keeping the pup close to the strings.

Luke