Thin sound from LP

B

BowerR64

New member
I bought a LP studio a few years ago off local craigslist and ive yet to be happy with it.

When i first got it i couldnt stand the stock pickups WAY to gainy to much output so i quickly ditched em for a 57 classic in the bridge and an Epiphone CH57 in the neck. The Gibby 57 is an 8.50ohm and the Epi is 7.97 so they seem to fit ok.

The problem is the guitar sounds thin and flat, compaired to the other 6 epiphone lps i have the sound of this guitar just sucks bad. The other LPs i have are all solid body guitars the Gibson studio is a 2010 and has a chambered body, verified by a few different people this model is indeed "Chambered" for weight relief.

I feel the sound im getting from this guitar is from the thn hallowed chambered body but everyone on a few other forums seems to think the chambered body should sound fat and juicy and thick and buttery and yadda yadda but i dont buy it at all. Specially since i have 2 other custom pros with the same 57 classic pickup and they both sound kickass.

So now im questioning what im thinking they also suggested that the wood is just bad in this studio guitar dud wood or something.

So after all my babble my question is, can 2 bridge pickups maybe cause a thin sound? Maybe the way the magnets are in the pickups or something causing a phase issue? I know phase problems can cause thin sounds with speakers can this happen with pickups?

Im not sure actually what the epiphone pickup is if its a bridge or a neck pickup and im not 100% if the 57 in it is a bridge or neck either i got em all used

Is there a way to check phase with pickups? I have the poles correct meaning the screw heads on the gibby 57 are near the bridge and the screw heads on tehe neck pickup are near the fretboard but magnet wise im not sure

ANY info would be great!
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Check your bridge setup. Make sure the string breakover angle isn't to steep causing the strings to touch the bridge body behind the saddles. My traditional was like this when I bought it at guitar center. Changed a few pickups before I figured this out.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

You can check the phase on pickups by having them both on. If the sound is thinner & lower volume with no mids, then there is a phase issue. Having 2 bridge pickups in and of itself won't cause a thin sound. How the pickup is oriented in the guitar won't cause a thin sound. Sometimes guitars, since they are made of unique pieces of wood, might not sound great. The first thing to check is if it is wired correctly and if there are no structural issues. The next thing is to see if it could be changed by swapping out the pickups.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

lkr said:
Check your bridge setup. Make sure the string breakover angle isn't to steep causing the strings to touch the bridge body behind the saddles. My traditional was like this when I bought it at guitar center. Changed a few pickups before I figured this out.
Click to expand...

Yeah i have my strings wrapped over the tail piece with the tail piece tight against the body. The breakover angle is pretty minimal stringing it this way.

I still think the sound is from the chambered body. Ive noticed the more you spend on a GIbson les paul the more "Solid" they are. Customs dont have any weight relief. Some have less wood taken out like cheese holes, modern weight relief mine is the extreme its WAY lighter then any other les paul ive ever played.Gibson weight relief 2.jpg
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Simple question, is it thin sounding when you are on the neck pickup on its own or the bridge pickup on its own? If so, it’s not a phase issue. You might want to check all the soldering in the control cavity, to see if you’ve got a cold connection or accidental ground.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

FWIW, my Les Paul standard is weight relieved and is very, very FAR from thin sounding.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

I've played many chambered guitars, and own 2. The fact that it is chambered shouldn't make it sound thin at all.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Man its hard to explain, its not just the sound its a feel also.

I have 1 Gibson les paul this 2010 studio, the others are an Epiphone, 2 custom pros, 2 standard pros, 2 standards, a traditional pro 2 and a epi studio.

Like i said the Gibson sounds thin and frail, of the others they all have a sort of normal feel the 2 custom pros have the most solid top quality feel of them all. They have this dense sort of tight rock solid feel when playing them as if everything has a perfect fit. The others have a sort of loose feel and the Gibson studio being the worst. resting your arm on the top you dont feel anything out of the custom pros were the Gibson i do if that makes sense.

I wish Gibson has an EQ plot like duncan has with his pickups. I want a LOW LOW LOW output pickup like the 57 im talking 7.50 8K max but i want one that has the most bass and midrange im sure the stock pickups in the guitar had a curve maybe to make up for its thin quality but they were to high of an output and i couldnt stand em. Im thinking 490 and 498 or something like that

I probobly should of kept the 490 neck pickup and put it in the bridge

This guitar has the quick connect plugs i just clipped them and soldered the 57 to the plug and plugged it back into the board.

I dont remember where i got the pickup actually, maybe its a fake? it seems real but maybe it snot thats why it sounds thin?

GIbson pickup output chart.jpg
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

BowerR64 said:
I bought a LP studio a few years ago off local craigslist and ive yet to be happy with it.

When i first got it i couldnt stand the stock pickups WAY to gainy to much output so i quickly ditched em for a 57 classic in the bridge and an Epiphone CH57 in the neck. The Gibby 57 is an 8.50ohm and the Epi is 7.97 so they seem to fit ok.

The problem is the guitar sounds thin and flat, compaired to the other 6 epiphone lps i have the sound of this guitar just sucks bad. The other LPs i have are all solid body guitars the Gibson studio is a 2010 and has a chambered body, verified by a few different people this model is indeed "Chambered" for weight relief.

I feel the sound im getting from this guitar is from the thn hallowed chambered body but everyone on a few other forums seems to think the chambered body should sound fat and juicy and thick and buttery and yadda yadda but i dont buy it at all. Specially since i have 2 other custom pros with the same 57 classic pickup and they both sound kickass.

So now im questioning what im thinking they also suggested that the wood is just bad in this studio guitar dud wood or something.

So after all my babble my question is, can 2 bridge pickups maybe cause a thin sound? Maybe the way the magnets are in the pickups or something causing a phase issue? I know phase problems can cause thin sounds with speakers can this happen with pickups?

Im not sure actually what the epiphone pickup is if its a bridge or a neck pickup and im not 100% if the 57 in it is a bridge or neck either i got em all used

Is there a way to check phase with pickups? I have the poles correct meaning the screw heads on the gibby 57 are near the bridge and the screw heads on tehe neck pickup are near the fretboard but magnet wise im not sure

ANY info would be great!
Click to expand...

Looks like you would benefit from something with a very full sound. If the guitar is innately bright, it’ll compensate the slightly scooped nature of a humbucker with an Alnico 5 magnet.

Try out Duncan 59s. 57 classics are Alnico 2 based, Epiphones ship with Alnico 5 in their stock pickups with a fairly high DC resistance - near the 11K mark. The Alnico 2 carries lower bass and more upper mid range, that would explain the thin sound.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

The saying goes..."The best Les Pauls sound like Telecasters, and the best Telecasters sound like Les Pauls"

Guitars are wood (most of them) and they all have their own personality. You may simply have a guitar that is not your thing.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

I have a 2006 satin LP studio that is weight relieved and I can make it sound thick and beefy or light and airy depending on what pickups I put into it. If 57 Classic and an Epi 57 sound thin, if it were mine, I would try any of these:

Whole Lotta Humbucker set
Pearly Gates set
Alnico 2 Pro set with A4 magnets in both
Alnico 2 Pro set
59/Custom bridge, Jazz neck
59 bridge, Seth neck
JB w/A2 magnet bridge, Jazz neck
Saturday Night Special (I don’t have direct experience with these)

Surprisingly, one of the best sets I tried was a 59 neck in the bridge with a Seth neck.

One key to making sets work is adjusting the height for output balance and finding the sweet spot of the pickup for good even tone. You have to find that spot with each pickup individually.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Ayrton is on the money....every guitar will sound a bit different. Many who have lived with Epi's get their first gibson and end up initially disappointed as it not the same as the thicker tones you can get from the Epi wood combos. The most iconic Gibsons have a much more stinging open tone than what you'd expect
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

You know you can't necessarily solder a new pickup into those quick connect clips using the same wire colors as the one you removed, right? Are you 100 percent sure you have it connected correctly? Sounds to me like a wiring issue, not a Les Paul issue.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

You can always try wiring each pickup directly to the jack to see if it sounds right. Both coils of both pickups are working, right?
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Ayrton said:
The saying goes..."The best Les Pauls sound like Telecasters, and the best Telecasters sound like Les Pauls"

Guitars are wood (most of them) and they all have their own personality. You may simply have a guitar that is not your thing.
Click to expand...

Amen Brother!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Okay, Hold up.

Do you have the PC Board in the pickup cavity?

Like was mentioned before, you could have a cold solder joint or a lifted ground. The PC Board could be wired incorrectly and I would suggest stripping those electronics out and going with traditional Pots. Use 300K pot for Volume, if you don't want an overly bright LP.

So with the original Pickups, was the guitar thin sounding?
How about unplugged? How does it compare with your other LPs when unplugged?
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

I have 3 Les Pauls all with very different bodies and none of them sound thin. I will say when I had the 57s in my Traditional there was no beef to that guitar, then it was thin sounding. I put in a Whole Lotta Humbucker set and could not be happier. I have said it before the WLH set makes a Les Paul sound like you expect a Les Paul to sound.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Mr. B said:
You know you can't necessarily solder a new pickup into those quick connect clips using the same wire colors as the one you removed, right? Are you 100 percent sure you have it connected correctly? Sounds to me like a wiring issue, not a Les Paul issue.
Click to expand...

I agree you should swap the series/parallel connection between the coils. Not between pickups but internally within each pickup. IE between the slug and screw coil. That might help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

Accidentally wired the pickups in parallel rather than in series? That would give a bright, thin, weak tone.
Try wiring one pickup direct to an output jack, and make sure you have the correct wire color code for the pickup brand.
 
Re: Thin sound from LP

This guitar is a studio there is no coild splitting.

The stock pickups had a metal braided ground and a center hot lead, the pickups i put in it are the same thing just 2 leads.

Ill try the direct to the output thing but i dont see how it can help.

The whole reason i switched to the les paul is because of the solid fat chunk of wood with a set neck. My first LP was the Epiphone custom pro that guitar has the sound ive been trying to get from a fender for about 20 years and could never get there. Once i plugged in the custom pro about 3 years go my jaw hit the floor. Ive been collecting les pauls ever since.

Been playing since 1985

Look at the image i posted of the Gibson routings, look how much wood has been removed from the chambered bodies. How can that NOT affect tone?

I would believe the theory of pickups but like i said i have the 57 in both black and white custom pro epiphones they are the exact same pickup but gold. They both had Probucker 3s originally but WAY to much output then i want they were just to hard to clean up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top