Woodman
New member
Howdy! My first-ever post here after a long lurking spell.
I've been a Tele guy for 40-odd years but recently acquired a 2007 Gibson Les Paul Studio that will likely take some effort to get up to spec (on my own terms).
Weeks before dying a mean death, an old and good friend who happened to collect guitars sent me home with his "faded red," saying, just see what you think about it and whether you might be interested in it. ... Two weeks later, he was in a hospital bed and I asked him what he wanted for it, and he said, "don't worry about it" ... he died the next week. He was ready to go so there's no big sob story there. But in my mind this is a legacy guitar.
At any rate, it has these hideous (to me) super-jumbo frets that feel like railroad ties (my friend used it for slide, so jumbos didn't bother him). Already got a good tech to take them down, no worries there. But the pickups ... man, I'd always heard this great stuff about Burstbuckers, but for my purposes, on this guitar, they suck canal water! Strident and totally without character, generic sounding. No denying they sound great on some guitars, but in this case, I suspect the hyped highs were supposed to compensate for the thick midrange of this particular model.
Bear in mind, this is basically a mahogany plank with hardware. No maple cap, so no treble highlights. Chunky midrange, but more like a tenor sax than a mud machine. It reminds me of a Melody Maker I had back in '69, a wonderfully aggressive fretboard feel and body resonance, although the stock pickup was like sullen quacking ducks.
Replacement pickup-wise, I've done my homework, looking at options until my brain boiled and depression set in as endless YouTube demos inundated my mind with this deadly thought:
What does it matter anyway?
Well, lots. I don't gig anymore due to ugly arthritis in my hands, but as a retired geezer and music bum, I spend my days in a tiny garage studio called the Woodshed, writing and recording. So what'll cut thru the mix at midnight in the Bucket O' Blood Saloon is meaningless to me — I need pickups with a sweet kiss on the attack that record well. Problem is, I don't really work in any specific genre, so I need a Pickup For All Seasons.
I've looked closely at the Seths and the Antiquities, but haven't really heard any clips that say, "That's It!" I'm looking for woody hollow midrange, not woofy in the lows but not strident in the high mids either, gotta be sweet cleans and I'll worry about hi gain as we go along. Frankly, I don't much care for power chords (although I admit that, yeah, they have their place) and couldn't shred if you held a gun to my head. But hey, I'm old school and love that vintage sound. So sue me! :18:
Evidence: https://soundcloud.com/the-woodshed/
Hope this thread doesn't seem too abstruse coming from a rookie. Looks like a good crew around here so thought I'd throw my hook in the water!
I've been a Tele guy for 40-odd years but recently acquired a 2007 Gibson Les Paul Studio that will likely take some effort to get up to spec (on my own terms).
Weeks before dying a mean death, an old and good friend who happened to collect guitars sent me home with his "faded red," saying, just see what you think about it and whether you might be interested in it. ... Two weeks later, he was in a hospital bed and I asked him what he wanted for it, and he said, "don't worry about it" ... he died the next week. He was ready to go so there's no big sob story there. But in my mind this is a legacy guitar.
At any rate, it has these hideous (to me) super-jumbo frets that feel like railroad ties (my friend used it for slide, so jumbos didn't bother him). Already got a good tech to take them down, no worries there. But the pickups ... man, I'd always heard this great stuff about Burstbuckers, but for my purposes, on this guitar, they suck canal water! Strident and totally without character, generic sounding. No denying they sound great on some guitars, but in this case, I suspect the hyped highs were supposed to compensate for the thick midrange of this particular model.
Bear in mind, this is basically a mahogany plank with hardware. No maple cap, so no treble highlights. Chunky midrange, but more like a tenor sax than a mud machine. It reminds me of a Melody Maker I had back in '69, a wonderfully aggressive fretboard feel and body resonance, although the stock pickup was like sullen quacking ducks.
Replacement pickup-wise, I've done my homework, looking at options until my brain boiled and depression set in as endless YouTube demos inundated my mind with this deadly thought:
What does it matter anyway?
Well, lots. I don't gig anymore due to ugly arthritis in my hands, but as a retired geezer and music bum, I spend my days in a tiny garage studio called the Woodshed, writing and recording. So what'll cut thru the mix at midnight in the Bucket O' Blood Saloon is meaningless to me — I need pickups with a sweet kiss on the attack that record well. Problem is, I don't really work in any specific genre, so I need a Pickup For All Seasons.
I've looked closely at the Seths and the Antiquities, but haven't really heard any clips that say, "That's It!" I'm looking for woody hollow midrange, not woofy in the lows but not strident in the high mids either, gotta be sweet cleans and I'll worry about hi gain as we go along. Frankly, I don't much care for power chords (although I admit that, yeah, they have their place) and couldn't shred if you held a gun to my head. But hey, I'm old school and love that vintage sound. So sue me! :18:
Evidence: https://soundcloud.com/the-woodshed/
Hope this thread doesn't seem too abstruse coming from a rookie. Looks like a good crew around here so thought I'd throw my hook in the water!
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