Members iivv145ceo Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 I have a les paul studio that I want to sound killer. I already swapped the electronics with an RS guitar works set. I want a set of pickups that are very diverse, because I play a wide variety of music (except metal). An important thing for me to have is a humbucker I can actually play clean rhythm on both pickups, which I don't have the luxury of doing now. Right now I have the stock ceramic pickups in, and I know I want something with less output, so I can get a more clean and articulate sound both clean and dirty. And I'm not trying to capture anyone else's tone i.e bonamassa, johnson, page, or any other player. I want my own sound, which will happen naturally. I play through a fender hot rod deville. I also dont want to spend over 200 or 250 on pickups. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 Right now, I have a set of Duncan Seth Lovers in one guitar and Gibson 57 Classics in another. I could happily live with either of those sets or the Duncan Antiquities or the Gibson Burstbucker 1 & 2 set (not the Pros, but the standard BBs) as my only set of humbuckers. For me, what really seals the deal is how the Seth Lovers sound clean on the bridge pickup. It can sound a bit biting, but not really as aggressive as the BB2, but when playing clean which I do most of the time, the Seth Lover bridge has a complexity and a fullness without ever sounding muddy that the 57s and the BBs don't quite have. Honestly, if I could only own one HB guitar, I'd keep the 57 Classic in the neck and a Seth Lover in the bridge but again, I rarely play with much gain. Think well below AC/DC levels of gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 ^^ I can't add anything to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 Duncan Sh-4/Sh-2 combo'Hotrodded Humbucker Set'you just can't go wrong with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ArmyGuitar Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 Shoot Bryan an email at http://www.norcalguitars.com/ Awesome guy to work with, I should have my set by months end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Quarter Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 Shoot Bryan an email at http://www.norcalguitars.com/ Awesome guy to work with, I should have my set by months end. Definitely give Bryan a shout, his winds never disappoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Philfixit Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 Duncan Sh-4/Sh-2 combo'Hotrodded Humbucker Set'you just can't go wrong with that. +1! These are very versatile and what I would put on MY guitar if I wasn't Jonesing so much for a P-90 neck pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikeman Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 I put in a SD Hot Rodded set of Jazz and JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 I put in a SD Hot Rodded set of Jazz and JB I have this combo in my LP and it sounds killer. Both PUPs clean up nicely when I roll down the volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ExiledCrow Posted December 7, 2010 Members Share Posted December 7, 2010 Shoot Bryan an email at http://www.norcalguitars.com/ Awesome guy to work with, I should have my set by months end. +1 for that, I'm also, personally, a bid fan of the DiM SuperDistortion family ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted December 7, 2010 Moderators Share Posted December 7, 2010 Definitely give Bryan a shout, his winds never disappoint. Custom winds Bryan is hard to beat, off the shelf, Seth Lovers and 57 Classics are unbeatable for what you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted December 7, 2010 Moderators Share Posted December 7, 2010 Duncan Sh-4/Sh-2 combo'Hotrodded Humbucker Set'you just can't go wrong with that. See for me this is probably the least inspiring combo Ive ever fitted in a LP, and two of mu customers agreed with me after buying this popular set, and have me fit them. The Seymour Duncan JB is possibly my least favourite humbucker ever, in its class, it can't touch the DiMarzio Super Distortion at cutting through a mix and then backing off to do decent cleans. But for sweeeeeeeeeeeet sweet cleans, and beautiful complex tones the Seth Lover is so difficult to beat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 Yeah, but the Seth Lover only comes in a 2 wire config so you can't split the coils. 4 wires have to be special ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 See for me this is probably the least inspiring combo Ive ever fitted in a LP, and two of mu customers agreed with me after buying this popular set, and have me fit them. The Seymour Duncan JB is possibly my least favourite humbucker ever, in its class, it can't touch the DiMarzio Super Distortion at cutting through a mix and then backing off to do decent cleans. But for sweeeeeeeeeeeet sweet cleans, and beautiful complex tones the Seth Lover is so difficult to beat +1 or +3 or whatever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreatDane Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 based on my experiences with Les Pauls and at the price range you're looking at, i highly recommend the BurstBucker 1&2 combo or the 57 Classics. both are just great, toneful pickup models for the range of music you're looking at. if you want a pair of Burstbuckers, PM me- i have a few pairs kicking around the parts drawer that i could give you a fair price on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brewski Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 anything with alnico II's will sweeten your tone - also dial them lower than usual (screw them away from the strings) and that'll also help with the guitar being more diverse. As far as brands - it all depends on your preference. I am not a fan of Gibson pickups as they tend to sound a bit weak compared to aftrer market like SD, Demarzio and even GFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 ... Right now I have the stock ceramic pickups in, and I know I want something with less output, so I can get a more clean and articulate sound both clean and dirty. And I'm not trying to capture anyone else's tone i.e bonamassa, johnson, page, or any other player. I want my own sound, which will happen naturally... From what I believe, the pickups in a Les Paul Studio have Alnico 2 magnets in the neck position and Alnico 5 in the neck. On mine, which I used to play through a Blues Deluxe, it cleans up quite nicely by rolling back the volume controls - especially when blending both pickups - but it never cleans up as much as single coils. Maybe you should look at push pull tone controls that you could use to switch the coils in whatever pickups you choose. By putting the two coils of a humbucking pickup in parallel instead of series you can get close to a single coil sound without loosing the humbucking feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iivv145ceo Posted December 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 From what I believe, the pickups in a Les Paul Studio have Alnico 2 magnets in the neck position and Alnico 5 in the neck. On mine, which I used to play through a Blues Deluxe, it cleans up quite nicely by rolling back the volume controls - especially when blending both pickups - but it never cleans up as much as single coils.Maybe you should look at push pull tone controls that you could use to switch the coils in whatever pickups you choose. By putting the two coils of a humbucking pickup in parallel instead of series you can get close to a single coil sound without loosing the humbucking feature. I think at the time I bought my studio they were using ceramic pickups but I could be wrong. All I know is the pickups have to go. Also, I really like humbuckers, and I have a strat for single coil tones, If I need them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 I put a set of Classic '57s into a Strat and love 'em. Great cleans and plenty crunch for when the mood hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iivv145ceo Posted December 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 I think I'm going to try a seth lover in the neck, and something a little hotter and a little less bright in the bridge... Question how much gain do u need for the seth's to feedback since the are unpotted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members diceman1000 Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 Rose Pickups or BG pickups/thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 I had a Hot Rod Deluxe in my place for a while and it sounded great with a strat but muddy and even a bit ugly with the LP Studio. When I swapped it out for the Blues Deluxe, The Les Paul sounded a lot better and the strat, although nice and sparkly sounding, did not have enough output to really drive the Deluxe. Maybe you could try your LP through a few different amps before you decide - some of the muddiness you don't like might be from the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lincoln40 Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 seymour duncans all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funkwire Posted December 8, 2010 Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 AFAIK, Studios have never come stock with ceramic pickups. Before you go to the trouble and expense of replacing your pickups, lower the existing ones, and go to the MLP forum and read the thread on how to use the volume and tone controls on an LP. Especially since you've upgraded to the RS kit. You may find you don't need to swap out the pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iivv145ceo Posted December 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 8, 2010 AFAIK, Studios have never come stock with ceramic pickups.Before you go to the trouble and expense of replacing your pickups, lower the existing ones, and go to the MLP forum and read the thread on how to use the volume and tone controls on an LP. Especially since you've upgraded to the RS kit. You may find you don't need to swap out the pickups. I've definitely have experimented with the controls endlessly, but I just don't like these pickups. I don't mind the expense, cause I'm a gear head. lol. I take any excuse for buying new stuff. lol. But On the serious side, I've changed pickup height and messed with these pickups to no end, and they dont deliver what I want. They are not crisp, and clean sounding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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