pups for 355

phildobbin

New member
Hi, all.

I've recently acquired a 1967 Gibson ES-355 TDSV & am very happy with her. However, even though the pups are Black Label Patent Number ones, I've always loathed Gibson neck humbuckers (the bridge one is out of this World) & want replace the one in the neck.

Now I realise even swapping the pup out & then putting it back in again will likely decrease the value but this guitar is of great sentimental value & a catastrophe would have to befall me for me to have to part with it so it's highly unlikely that I'll regret it.

So what are my options in everybody's opinion? Seth Lover? Pearly Gates? TB59-1b? I've had an Antiquity Gold before but it was too dark (albeit in the neck position of a Tele, so...), Antiquity JB maybe?

Any help appreciated :wink:
 
Re: pups for 355

In what way is the neck/Rhythm pickup displeasing you? Too loud (compared to the bridge/Treble pickup), too bassy, not enough mid, something else?

If your 355 has the Vari-Tone switch, you can experiment with tonal variations using the filters. Some settings will cut low end. One adds a midrange honk.

There is one way in which you could alter your instrument whilst leaving very little evidence of having done so. Change the magnet inside the neck pickup. The consensus is that an Alnico 4 bar magnet is a good choice. With tidy cover re-soldering, nobody would ever know.
 
Re: pups for 355

Hi, all.

I've recently acquired a 1967 Gibson ES-355 TDSV & am very happy with her. However, even though the pups are Black Label Patent Number ones, I've always loathed Gibson neck humbuckers (the bridge one is out of this World) & want replace the one in the neck.

Now I realise even swapping the pup out & then putting it back in again will likely decrease the value but this guitar is of great sentimental value & a catastrophe would have to befall me for me to have to part with it so it's highly unlikely that I'll regret it.

So what are my options in everybody's opinion? Seth Lover? Pearly Gates? TB59-1b? I've had an Antiquity Gold before but it was too dark (albeit in the neck position of a Tele, so...), Antiquity JB maybe?

Any help appreciated :wink:

What is it specifically about the neck pickup that you don't like?
What is it about the bridge that you do like?
What amp are you using?
What kind of tones have you heard that you'd like to achieve?

I'm guessing a jazz neck will do the job for you at this stage (with the option for a magnet swap later if you find it too clear and defined), but i'd like to hear more from you first.
 
Re: pups for 355

Hi.

Thanks for the replies. I have never liked Gibson neck humbuckers. The top three strings sound fine but the bottom three (EAD) always have sounded muffled with way too much bottom to my ears (I don't really use pedals & prefer to plug straight. I find tweaking the EQ on most amps with the neck pup just tends to make it sound more "rounded" & plastic if you catch my drift).

As for the Varitone, I use it a lot. Positions 2, 3 & 4 are perfect for blues (think BB King) & funk (think Johnny "Guitar" Watson). Even the only time I ever got to play a PAF Gibson (a 1960 Les Paul Standard) the bridge pup was beyond compare but the neck suffered similarly as most other Gibson neck pups.

I am looking for some more clarity from the neck so a Jazz sounds a good idea but I'd also like something that would drive my valve amps so, being probably unreasonable here, I'd like clear & warm ;-)

I've also got a project that would suit the neck pup: I've got a '64 Strat & I want to put it in there a la Elliot Randall...
 
Re: pups for 355

Early Gibson pickups all varied greatly in their construction (windings, wire types, magnets etc), so it is difficult to categorize them all the same way. These days, obviously their production is a lot more homogenized but they offer many various types of humbuckers, so again it is difficult to say "i do/don't like Gibson pickups" because there are so many different ones.

Something you might want to consider tho, is not just replacing the neck, but getting a well matched set of pickups. Often pairs of pickups are constructed in such a way that they will complement each other output and and eq. This way, both pickups should sound good with whatever amp settings you are using. On this forum, people have tried pretty much every combination you can imagine so if you want to know about certain pairs working together, the information is here somewhere.

Just dropping a pickup in and keeping the other original, you run the risk of the new pickup being a mismatch. Believe it or not, i have had the experience of a jazz neck completely blowing away a Gibson bridge (in this case a 57 model) in not just clarity but also output to the point where the bridge pickup was unusable due to its lack of output, bass and treble detail.

If you are concerned that the jazz does not have enough push for your amps, don't be. Its got plenty. Neck pickups sit in a position where there is increased string amplitude, so they are naturally louder/bassier and therefore are much better with a lower output. There is good reason why the JB (a screaming hot output bridge pickup) is so often paired with a jazz or a '59. Btw...dont get a JB for your 335. Semis work best with more vintage output.

So...a jazz is generally considered a clear, defined and articulate neck pickup - but that is compared to other comparable pickups (such as the 59, PG, seths etc). You may just find that it is all of the aforementioned, but also not a good match for the pickup you are keeping. This is why i reckon you should consider doing a complete electronic overhaul.

Keep the original pickups and wiring harness as a complete and unbroken set just in case for whatever reason you decide to revert to completely stock one day.
Get a complete new set of high quality 500k pots (i like Bourns the best because they last forever and feel so slick) as well as a new switch, jack and caps.
Then the world is your oyster - choose a pickup set that most closely sounds like what you are looking for and the pair will work together giving you more sounds and more sweet tones at your disposal with no need to change your amp settings for each pickup.

As a pair - you can do a lot worse that the tried and true '59 set. These are great pickups as they are, but also will accommodate pretty much any magnet you care to put in there. This is a good thing because changing magnets is a pretty straightforward and simple process that does not involve the nightmare of pulling out the wiring harness. If you find that stock 59's don't sound killer, then you can fine tune the sounds with magnet swaps until you are completely happy with every aspect of your guitar's tone.
If the idea of a pair of 59's doesn't suit your because some people use the word "boomy" to describe the 59N, then a jazz Neck and 59 bridge might be just the ticket.
 
Re: pups for 355

Thanks for your help. Listening to the Jazz neck on the site has convinced me. I love it. Right amount of warmth & clarity.

I'll get my guitar guy/amp doctor to run a multi-meter over the Gibson neck pup. It's a pretty powerful pup so the imbalance scenario you mention may come into play here. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again.

Cheers, Phil...
 
Re: pups for 355

Hi, all.

I've recently acquired a 1967 Gibson ES-355 TDSV & am very happy with her. However, even though the pups are Black Label Patent Number ones, I've always loathed Gibson neck humbuckers (the bridge one is out of this World) & want replace the one in the neck.

You need to have your p'up ID'ed and measured before you can even think of changing anything.

A baseplate picture of both p'ups would help.

We need a DC reading of both p'ups OUT OF THE CIRCUITRY.

With these two bits of data, we can maybe start to think about making an educated guess.

HTH,
 
Re: pups for 355

I have never liked Gibson neck humbuckers. The top three strings sound fine but the bottom three (EAD) always have sounded muffled with way too much bottom to my ears ...

If this is the only problem, replace the bottom three filister screws with hexheads; lower the top screws down flush with the pup and raise the lower ones 1/8" to 1/4" and tilt your pup so that the screws are a similar distance from the strings. This should crispen/brighten up the lower strings while keeping the top strings nice and fat.
 
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