Has anyone tried out the whole lotta humbucker neck and bridge set? I am replacing the stock pups in my PRE SE singlecut, mahogany back maple cap rosewood fretboard. Originally I was set on the alnico pro 2 but after listening to the sound clips on the Seymour Duncan site the high strings on the wLh sound a bit warmer to my ear. Any thoughts on these would be appreciated.
Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
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lp1987x
New member
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
I put a Pearly Gates set in my SE Tremonti and couldn't be happier. While I didn't try the WLH in this guitar, I did have one in a '77 Les Paul Standard. It sounded good but wasn't quite what I was looking for and ended up putting in a set of Seth Lovers instead. I guess I'm more of an Alnico 2 magnet fan. YMMV.
I put a Pearly Gates set in my SE Tremonti and couldn't be happier. While I didn't try the WLH in this guitar, I did have one in a '77 Les Paul Standard. It sounded good but wasn't quite what I was looking for and ended up putting in a set of Seth Lovers instead. I guess I'm more of an Alnico 2 magnet fan. YMMV.
BluesIsBlood12
New member
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
They're a great set of pickups. I found them a little bright, as I do all A5 pickups, so I put in some A4s. Some people describe them as a better version of 59s. I have them in an SG with no intention of changing them any time soon.
They'll definitely be an upgrade over your stock G&B pickups, though just about any Duncans would.
They're a great set of pickups. I found them a little bright, as I do all A5 pickups, so I put in some A4s. Some people describe them as a better version of 59s. I have them in an SG with no intention of changing them any time soon.
They'll definitely be an upgrade over your stock G&B pickups, though just about any Duncans would.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
No experience with the neck model, but I had the WLH-B in a PRS SE Nick Catanese at one time. Great pickup. Slightly hotter than a '59 with slightly less extreme highs and lows, and slightly more high mids and low mids. Still a scoopy-sounding Alnico 5 PAF, but with a bit more of a gritty mid-edge to it. Kinda like a '59 that was meant to be thrown some heavier overdrive on top of.
I know some people call it "warm". IMO, it was far from warm. While it's not as twangy as a '59, it is very gritty, grindy, and snarly.
No experience with the neck model, but I had the WLH-B in a PRS SE Nick Catanese at one time. Great pickup. Slightly hotter than a '59 with slightly less extreme highs and lows, and slightly more high mids and low mids. Still a scoopy-sounding Alnico 5 PAF, but with a bit more of a gritty mid-edge to it. Kinda like a '59 that was meant to be thrown some heavier overdrive on top of.
I know some people call it "warm". IMO, it was far from warm. While it's not as twangy as a '59, it is very gritty, grindy, and snarly.
voggin
New member
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
I have both sets. My vote would go to the WLH set.
I really think they are the best all-round, near PAFish set around. I have a set in a LP studio, and a set of Seth Lovers in another LP. There's no doubt the Seth's are more vintage-y, and I personally prefer them given the type of music I play, but if I were a guitar manufacturer, I'd use WLH's as my stock set. While they aren't as warm clean as the Seth's, they are pretty damn close, and they stay much tighter as the gain goes up.
I'd kind of put it this way: Seths for clean to modest dirt, WLH for anything higher. But again, I don't want to diss the WLH clean: they still sound very good.
The APII's I find somewhere in the middle. But I don't think they are as good clean as the Seth's, nor as good as the WLH dirty. And I find the neck/bridge better balanced in the WLH.
Really, though, all three are great pickups, more or less in the same ballpark.
I have both sets. My vote would go to the WLH set.
I really think they are the best all-round, near PAFish set around. I have a set in a LP studio, and a set of Seth Lovers in another LP. There's no doubt the Seth's are more vintage-y, and I personally prefer them given the type of music I play, but if I were a guitar manufacturer, I'd use WLH's as my stock set. While they aren't as warm clean as the Seth's, they are pretty damn close, and they stay much tighter as the gain goes up.
I'd kind of put it this way: Seths for clean to modest dirt, WLH for anything higher. But again, I don't want to diss the WLH clean: they still sound very good.
The APII's I find somewhere in the middle. But I don't think they are as good clean as the Seth's, nor as good as the WLH dirty. And I find the neck/bridge better balanced in the WLH.
Really, though, all three are great pickups, more or less in the same ballpark.
voggin
New member
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
Mincer, you are right about the warmth with the AIIP's, they have a very smooth, creamy thing (esp. on the neck pickup). But I'll still go with the WLH's, because you can always roll off a bit of the highs with your tone knob, and that extra bit of highs on tap gives the WLH a little more variety for finding your place in the mix.
Mincer, you are right about the warmth with the AIIP's, they have a very smooth, creamy thing (esp. on the neck pickup). But I'll still go with the WLH's, because you can always roll off a bit of the highs with your tone knob, and that extra bit of highs on tap gives the WLH a little more variety for finding your place in the mix.
stevie_bees
Cat In The Hatministrator
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
I have the WLH set in my McCarty and they're fabulous. A little bright at the top end, but tamed by just dialling the tone back a little. They split really nicely too, and gives me a lot of versatility.
I have the WLH set in my McCarty and they're fabulous. A little bright at the top end, but tamed by just dialling the tone back a little. They split really nicely too, and gives me a lot of versatility.
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
I have 2 favorite bridge pickups these last few years. For a long time, as I like bright, crunchy sound, I have been using a
Seth Lover bridge with a roughcast A5 magnet I put in it. Long story short, it gives me what I want with my gear.
HOWEVER, I decided to try a WLH bridge, stock, and put it in my Les Paul Jr. My Jr. Is louder, Growls Beautifully, really cleans up, and is very responsive to my tone knob, which I use much more often with the WLH.
I really love that WLH. It will stay there forever. I still love my Seth Lovers, and they will stay where they are now.
Having said all that, go with a WLH, they even sound like an uncovered pickup with the cover on! Think Jimmy Page's first Les Paul with his bridge cover off and that gorgeous raw tone he got with that early double white (or cream) PAF bridge pickup.
Steve Buffington
I have 2 favorite bridge pickups these last few years. For a long time, as I like bright, crunchy sound, I have been using a
Seth Lover bridge with a roughcast A5 magnet I put in it. Long story short, it gives me what I want with my gear.
HOWEVER, I decided to try a WLH bridge, stock, and put it in my Les Paul Jr. My Jr. Is louder, Growls Beautifully, really cleans up, and is very responsive to my tone knob, which I use much more often with the WLH.
I really love that WLH. It will stay there forever. I still love my Seth Lovers, and they will stay where they are now.
Having said all that, go with a WLH, they even sound like an uncovered pickup with the cover on! Think Jimmy Page's first Les Paul with his bridge cover off and that gorgeous raw tone he got with that early double white (or cream) PAF bridge pickup.
Steve Buffington
Guitar Rod
New member
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
The WLH set was the first Duncans I tried. Put them in a Les Paul that I intended to try various sets with. They were the first set because they seemed to have all the bases covered. And they did. Never left the guitar. Depending on how you set them up, they can be warm, but I'd describe them as both bright and dark, but not to a bad extent either way. And they are aggressive. Can really grind hard, yet clean up to PAF style cleans. Prefer them to my 59/Custom or JB. If you lower them, they chill out a bit and become more PAF and warm. I do want to try other pickups in this guitar, but find myself not wanting to mess with something that works this well.
The WLH set was the first Duncans I tried. Put them in a Les Paul that I intended to try various sets with. They were the first set because they seemed to have all the bases covered. And they did. Never left the guitar. Depending on how you set them up, they can be warm, but I'd describe them as both bright and dark, but not to a bad extent either way. And they are aggressive. Can really grind hard, yet clean up to PAF style cleans. Prefer them to my 59/Custom or JB. If you lower them, they chill out a bit and become more PAF and warm. I do want to try other pickups in this guitar, but find myself not wanting to mess with something that works this well.
BlueSnMettle
Michaelewski
Re: Whole Lotta Humbucker opinions?
Another vote for the WLH's. Have them in my LP and love 'em.
A great rock pup. Great cleans and they split well is just
icing on the cake.
Another vote for the WLH's. Have them in my LP and love 'em.
A great rock pup. Great cleans and they split well is just
icing on the cake.
