What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

[frankencat]

In your humble opinion of course

I am replacing BB Pros in my LP Standard (chambered). I like 59/PG, 59/JB, Jazz/CC

I like smooth and clear in the neck and fat a ballsy in the bridge with a nice jangly middle position. I am thinking of doing a Seth neck and Custom Custom bridge in this one but not sure.

Thanks -Frank

 

[blueman335]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

Hard to beat a pair of Seth's in an LP.

 

[Securb]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

This won't end well

 

[Condemned soul]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

Smooth and clear in a LP. Am I on the right track, cause it describes the pickups in one of my LP's - a Jazz neck and a 59/Custom hybrid in the bridge?

 

[jimijames]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I dunno about the custom custom in a les paul.

I feel like you'd be happy with just the regular custom (which is an awesome pickup) and a Seth Lover neck.

They'd be really different though. The PGn is a lot closer to the custom than the Seth lover is. But IMO the unpotted Seth is better in the neck of guitars like the les paul. I don't know if you need extra output from the bridge pickup, but if you don't, maybe consider getting a matched combo. Seth neck and bridge, or Pearly Gates (one of my personal favorites) or the '59 set.

That being said the 59/custom and pgb/custom are both really nice as well. In the bridge that is.

 

[Aceman]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

PG Neck
Custom Bridge

 

[MojoMonster]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I've got one with a Pearly Gates neck and Brobucker bridge and another with an Antiquities set.
Yes.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I'll second the Brobucker/PGn. It's a great pickup combo. But overall, make sure you have a killer amp and a LP that's set up perfectly. Then, there's a lot of pickups that will sound great.

Custom/59n for big hard rock tone
Distortion set for metal
Seths or Antiquites for original PAF tone. Sound great, unless you're a palm chugger.....then, they're a tad loose and have too many overtones.
59 set or Whole Lotta set for an all around set that's voiced beautifully and can sound right in any situation.
C/59 Hybrid/PGn for a refined do it all vibe that steps it up a notch.
C5/59 for a tight hard rock sound.
JB/APH for a tone that can cut through a big band with many instruments.

Welcome to a personal journey, because no matter what anyone tells you to use, you'll know it when you hear it.

 

[Evan Skopp]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

What kind of tones are you after? What style of music do you play? What amps and effects are you playing through? What artists' tone do you admire?

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I'd just go with a Pearly Gates set. The bridge and neck models would do what you're describing.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

What kind of tones are you after? What style of music do you play? What amps and effects are you playing through? What artists' tone do you admire?

+1
there is no "best". But with more information we can all help steer you towards the best match for your needs.

 

[Tallwood13]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

as always it's taste , listen to the guitar and see what you want or what the guitar needs. I would go with the JB , distortion or custom in the bridge and something more low output in the bridge such as the full shred, 59 or if im using the distortion maybe a screamin' demon in the neck.

more than anything I pick up a guitar , see what tuning works best and once I have that figured out I worry about pickups. It always annoys me on facebook when some guitar company builds a guitar and says what pickups would you put in it without trying the guitar. It's like auditioning a singer just on looks.

 

[orpheo]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I love the 59/jazz in the neck. for EVERY style. for the bridge: pearly gates/custom hybrid if you want a slightly vintage flavor. jb/fullshred hybrid if you want a more modern 'edge'.

 

[JeffB]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

For normal output I like

Burstbucker 1/2
57 classics
490 set
Pearly Gates
Seths
T tops
Shaws

For HO I like

498/490
Super Distortion/PAF
Custom/PG
BBQ/GenTex

 

[blueman335]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I like smooth and clear in the neck and fat a ballsy in the bridge

Neck - 'Smooth' brings to mind A2 PU's; 'Clear' conjures images of A5 PU's. Some neck PU's won't be as clear as others, like '57's. PGN's are smooth, but not as clear as a Jazz. '59N's can be bassy/boomy in LP's. What's the bigger priority, smooth or clear? PGN for smooth, Jazz for clear.

Bridge - Many of us here think that CC's are too warm and rounded in most LP's (they shine in Strats and brighter woods!). The kind of music you're playing is a big factor. For blues/classic rock there are better choices than a Custom (SH-5); but if you're playing metal and hard rock, a Custom is a great choice; it's very good in mahogany. But then, if you're playing metal, a Seth is not the best choice for the neck slot. A '59/Custom is fairly bright, and not 'fat and ballsy', neither is a PGB or 498T (unless you change magnets). If you're playing metal, I'd say Custom, if you're blues/classic rock, I'd consider a Brobucker.

 

[Aceman]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

As Joneser said, tones of stuff could work great:

Metal: Distortion Set
Hard Rock: Jazz/JB
All Around: PG/Custom
Rock-Blues: Pearly Gates Set
Modern: Jazz set
All Around: 59 set
Vintage: Seths

So much Les PAul goodness. There isn't really ONE set.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

The best solution is to have at least four different humbucker pairings in separate Les Pauls.

Would somebody be kind enough to add a link to JOLLY's pickup comparison thread of last year. Thank you.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

In your humble opinion of course

I am replacing BB Pros in my LP Standard (chambered). I like 59/PG, 59/JB, Jazz/CC

I like smooth and clear in the neck and fat a ballsy in the bridge with a nice jangly middle position. I am thinking of doing a Seth neck and Custom Custom bridge in this one but not sure.

Thanks -Frank

What kind of tones are you after? What style of music do you play? What amps and effects are you playing through? What artists' tone do you admire?

Those are the right questions to ask.

I doubt that the Custom Custom would be the right pickup for jangle.

The PGn might be the right pickup for smooth and clear - especially with a nickel cover. So would a Seth Lover.

Fat and ballsy for the bridge pickup...hmmm. I think the Custom is nice with a PGn but it's not Duncan's most organic sounding bridge pickup.

You know what? I'm going to say try a set of covered PG's or a set of Seth Lovers and get an Electro Harmonic SOUL FOOD Klon Klone pedal for the fat and ballsy part of the deal - I'm loving mine!

 

[Gunner4Life]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

For lower output I prefer the Alnico 2 Pro (standard or Slash)... For high output I love the Suhr Doug Aldrich pickups, or just a 59/Custom.

 

[njstoehr]

Re: What is the best Les Paul pickup set?

I have two Les Pauls setup very differently. The first, and Epi Les Paul, has a Jazz/Distortion combo. Great all around combo. The distortion is very articulate and can slam a tube amp hard. Some don't like it because it has a "fizzy" distortion to it, but I find it to be a great all around "modern" sounding PUP. The Jazz, well it is a Jazz. What's not to love about it.

The other, a Gibson Les Paul Studio, is set up with a "Whole Lotta Humbucker" set. To me, this is a great, nearly dead on, "Vintage" tone. I compared the tone of my Les Paul to a buddy's vintage (1970s) SG with original tar back pickups. Now I realize that the two guitars are similar but different. That said, it was difficult at best to tell the two apart. Both positions have very articulate and well defined highs without being "ice picks". The bottom end is nice and warm and round. Bass is just flabby enough to have that vintage vibe without being too loose. Great for rhythm or lead. If you consider who the pickup is named after, you get a great idea of the type of tone that can be expected.