Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

[davidrf]

On a proper Les Paul with mahogany and maple cap:

Neck pickup: on the clean channel, very round, full, sweet sounding, creamy. Not a hint of shrill.

Bridge pickup: on the distorted channel, very thick, tight and focused modern distortion when the guitar volume is on 10, then lowering the volume it gradually turns in to a more classic-ish PAF tone.

Is that possibile? Which pickups? Thanks a lot.

 

[Blille]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

I’m gonna go with A2 pro neck and Custom bridge.


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[superpete]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

I’m gonna go with A2 pro neck and Custom bridge.


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was gonna say the same. you might also want to try a distortion in the bridge. i found it gave surprisingly good classic rock sounds in addition to the more modern metal stuff. Not quite as thick as a custom to my ears, but by no means thin sounding.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

I will still go with https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/alnico-ii-pro-hb-neck?__uuid_ref=5b00780cae35d in the neck, and a 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge.

 

[davidrf]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

I will still go with https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/alnico-ii-pro-hb-neck?__uuid_ref=5b00780cae35d in the neck, and a 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge.

Uhm that is interesting... I didn't know that particular pickup...

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

The Custom will always sound ceramic no matter how far you roll down the volume.

 

[Blille]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

The Custom will always sound ceramic no matter how far you roll down the volume.

How about a custom 5?

I was between those two. The Hybrid would be another notch down for me.


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[Thundermtn]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

I don't have any personal time with that p/up in a LP bridge, there are a bunch of good metal clips with the 59/Custom hybrid. Ola E. has a good one.

 

[davidrf]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

For the record I won't play metal with that pickup, but similar distorted stuff like punk/hard rock/grunge for which I like tight and thick distortions. Thanks

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

Tight/thick and PAF-ish tones will always be a compromise if you want to get both tones from one pickup. To my ears, the Custom is a good compromise if you wish to favor the tighter, thicker distortion tones, while a pickup like the Screamin Demon will be a bit more PAF-ish and lower in output while still delivering tight, controlled distorted sounds.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

Custom5 is a great bridge pickup for Les Pauls. The Hybrid is more open & dynamic, a personal favorite of mine and one of the most versatile pickups I've ever owned. Even so, neither one of them could be characterized as thick and modern IMO.

Screamin Demon was a good suggestion also. Tight under gain and PAFish when rolled back. Very good in terms of focus, not so much in terms of thickness.

Perpetual Burn is hotter than the Demon, tighter in the lows than a Custom5, has excellent drive tones and cleans up quite well. It's bright, and tone would be quite different from a warm neck pickup like the A2pro. Some enjoy having that kind of contrast, and it can make for great middle position sounds.

When I think of thick & modern with decent cleanup, what actually comes to mind is the AT-1. Fat, singing lead voice and a good match for a warm neck humbucker. Absolutely loves gain- it's one mighty hot pickup though. Norton is fairly thick too, not as hot- offers better cleanup for vintage type tones, but in some guitars these have been described as sounding rather nasal.

I've found this to be true of many DiMarzios; they seem to have a certain quality in their midrange which can either give them richness & personality or make them seem honky and congested, all depending on the particular instrument. If a guitar's mids are at all prominent, Duncans usually have been a safer bet for me.

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

Custom would work - uoa5 is even better.

I swapped out my distortion in my lp for a custom uoa5 and haven't looked back. Way nicer soloing tones

 

[Mincer]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

A Custom 5 is good, but certainly not thick. It is probably the most scooped pickup ever- great chunky lows and clear highs with mile-wide swath in the mids. Good if your LP has too many mids.

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

A Custom 5 is good, but certainly not thick. It is probably the most scooped pickup ever- great chunky lows and clear highs with mile-wide swath in the mids. Good if your LP has too many mids.

It was too scooped for my lp. I seriously recommend uoa5. Such a shame Duncan doesn't sell them standard as they are more open than the ceramic and still have the same eq, unlike a5. The a5 I had sounded good but that eq just wasn't cutting it for me. The a8 didn't work for me at all, sounded clangy. Haven't tried the cc but otherwise I would be surprised anyone would choose something over the uoa5 after trying them all out, unless they just really need clean bridge sounds.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

To my ear, UA5 has been an improvement over regular A5 in just about any bridge humbucker. I've got to try one in a Custom.

 

[superpete]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

You could also try the custom 8 in the bridge. I hav one in the bridge of a LP and it sounds great.

 

[davidrf]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

Thanks a lot for all your replies. Very interesting stuff. I'll throw into the mix another contender: Lollar Imperial overwound. Would it make the cut or is it still to "PAF" and traditional? Thanks

 

[mojosman]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

The D. Allen P-51 Mustang set. They are A4 magnets, and I think more than deliver on what the OP is looking for....

 

[audiocheck]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

As a LP guy,

the straight up Custom is more than likely what you want in the bridge

For the neck? PGn Pearly Gates or AP2, but as a LP fanatic it would be PGn

 

[mxaniac]

Re: Which pickups on a Les Paul to get this type of sounds?

For something with a maple neck I'd say the Jazz in the neck position but it may be too dark for all the mahogany in a LP.