What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

[Adieu]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

There is more to a wind than turn count. The '78 is a lot brighter and grittier than a Slash or an A2P. A Slash can be described as mellow, where in most cases a '78 cannot.

Same mag, same wire, same bobbins, same baseplate, same brand.... 1% difference in turns


...what gives?

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

I’m curious as to what you guys didn’t like about the pickup.
I was actually entertaining the idea of contacting Duncan about ordering one....

To jump on the bandwagon, IME the 78 is a thin and bright pickup. To me it sounds like a Pearly Gates with the bass rolled off. Being thin and bright, it helps you get to that ‘variac starved plate’ sound without a variac. I like it a lot, but it’s a little bit of a 1-2 trick pony. But it is a good sound, just not the most all-around versatile.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

Same mag, same wire, same bobbins, same baseplate, same brand.... 1% difference in turns


...what gives?

You've much to learn, my padawan. There's wire tension, wind (pickups less than ~10k are heavily affected by scatterwinding, plus coil geometry can affect tone, among other things), potting, and with Custom Shop pickups there is also likely a chance that they use a slightly thicker/thinner wire that still falls under the tolerances of being the advertised guage. All of these can add up to creating a completely different pickup.

An 8k #42 plain enamel A2 humbucker can sound a dozen different ways from the hands of a single winder.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

Same mag, same wire, same bobbins, same baseplate, same brand.... 1% difference in turns...what gives?

What gives? A lot! You put too much emphasis on "specs"...they're not as close in sound as you believe

 

[superpete]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

i have a LPC with an EVH Frankenstein in the bridge and a Jazz bridge in the neck position, and it sounds killer!!!

 

[Ben1962]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

Just wasn’t anything special about it. I got sucked into the hype and ended up with another bland A2 pickup. I should have tried an A5 before selling it though

I prefer A5 over A2, in a big way.

 

[Adieu]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

i have a LPC with an EVH Frankenstein in the bridge and a Jazz bridge in the neck position, and it sounds killer!!!

EVH Franky pup is more like a mag-swapped allegedly-degaussed A2 Super Distortion or an allegedly-degaussed Custom Custom... totally unrelated design

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

EVH Franky pup is more like a mag-swapped degaussed A2 Super Distortion or a degaussed Custom Custom... totally unrelated design

Why, the EVH Franky pup is a degaussed Custom Custom! I wouldn't compare it to an A2 SD though, they are too very different winds.

 

[Aceman]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

I prefer Ceramic, except for when I want A2, otherwise I dig A5, or sometimes an A3. Of course, A8 also has a warm place in my heart...

 

[TVFV]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

I prefer Ceramic, except for when I want A2, otherwise I dig A5, or sometimes an A3. Of course, A8 also has a warm place in my heart...

No A4 love?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[superpete]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

EVH Franky pup is more like a mag-swapped allegedly-degaussed A2 Super Distortion or an allegedly-degaussed Custom Custom... totally unrelated design

never said otherwise...i don't care for the 78 in an LP. I was responding to the OP question "anybody found a more magical choice".

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

I was never more disappointed in a pickup than the ‘78.

What was the disappointing guitar you had it in at the time of your disappointment, was it a GLPC?

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

I think making a change in a guitar you already love the sound of generally results in a sideways step, or something worse. Hoping for 'better' isn't really a good enough reason to change unless the 78 isn't doing something you want.

I totally get that, thing is that the pickups I've tried are all pickups I own and love, which is a limited array. What's missing is NOT tone - that's mostly the response and tone I'm getting from the guitar in the first place.

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

EVH Franky pup is more like a mag-swapped allegedly-degaussed A2 Super Distortion or an allegedly-degaussed Custom Custom... totally unrelated design

I have a Custom Custom and it was good in there but I preferred the '78. The CC found a home my 86 San Dimas.

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

I’m curious as to what you guys didn’t like about the pickup.
I was actually entertaining the idea of contacting Duncan about ordering one....

Good question, one of my favorites. Could be maybe "thin" compared to an Invader?

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

There is more to a wind than turn count. The '78 is a lot brighter and grittier than a Slash or an A2P. A Slash can be described as mellow, where in most cases a '78 cannot.

Yep, the '78 definitely has a uniqueness about it, I'm using an A2P in the neck, pretty good, better than the Whole Lotta neck I own in there.

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

Same mag, same wire, same bobbins, same baseplate, same brand.... 1% difference in turns


...what gives?

"The recipe for the pickup itself is traditional, but the special coil wind with 42 gauge plain enamel wire, hand-calibrated Alnico 2 magnet, and strict output tolerance makes sure that each one sounds like the original." - from the SD '78 page, not sure it's the "same" as a Slash...

 

[bldrst]

Re: What's better than a '78 in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom

To jump on the bandwagon, IME the 78 is a thin and bright pickup. To me it sounds like a Pearly Gates with the bass rolled off. Being thin and bright, it helps you get to that ‘variac starved plate’ sound without a variac. I like it a lot, but it’s a little bit of a 1-2 trick pony. But it is a good sound, just not the most all-around versatile.

I totally agree with most of your opinion, except that it's a bit more aggressive and definitely tighter than the PG, another excellent pickup, tried that in the same guitar. The PG bottom end was a bit too spongy in my GLPC, to my taste - but with that keep in mind I'm plugged into a high gain amp. The edge and response of the '78 has always reminded me of the Van Halen II album, particularly "Light Up The Sky".