Help me pick some pick..ups

[chiliphil1]

Alright, so some of you may have seen the thread where I was asking about getting rid of my '15 LP standard. Through your posts I have decided to keep it (I was really on the fence anyway) and so now in order to address the issues I am having which are, not enough output and too boomy sounding on the neck I am going to replace the pups. I am seeking your opinions on what to toss in there.

So, this guitar has the PCB in the cavity and the 5 (or6) plug connectors. The guitar is equipped with the coil split on both pups, phase reverse, and bypass, I would like to keep those intact if possible. I have found a guy on eBay who makes adapters so that I can take pretty much any pickup and plug it right in and keep all my fancy functions. So, what I need are your recommendations for pickups here, I'm looking for more output, more power, more distortion, without being too over the top. I would also like something that will fit under a cover, so no dimebuckers, invaders, etc.. I'm really looking more at Duncan, not so much Dimarzio and I don't have BKP money, so those are out too.

My other guitars are running EMG 81/85's. For this one I would like to have something that's different but will keep up, the BB pro's are just too vintage for me.

So far I have picked out (in no particular order) Gibson 498t/490r, Gibson 500t/496r, Duncan HR hum bucker set (jb/jazz), Duncan distortion mayhem HB set.. I thought about maybe doing the EMG 59/66 but I would loose all my coil splits and everything cause I would have to pull out the PCB. I also don't really want to convert to traditional wiring as again I would loose all my pull knobs and what not..

Any help appreciated as always, and I want to mention. I don't ask all these questions cause I am dumb, I do it because I respect the opinions here and I like hearing them before I drop my cash and end up unhappy which I have done countless times before.

 

[SonVolt]

Duncan Distortion, especially if you like hot tight gain.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Duncan Distortion, especially if you like hot tight gain.

Yup, I agree with this.

You might also like the 500T/490R set if you can find a really good deal on them. They're like Duncan SH-5 Customs with more output and compression. They're also what the PRS Tremonti pickups are based on. I personally woulnd't buy them new, only if you can get a REALLY good deal on a set. If you're buying new, definitely the Duncan Distortion set.

 

[SonVolt]

However, don't fall into the trap of chasing the same sound with every guitar. I've made that mistake in the past and you end up with the same sound in every guitar. Boring. Learn to appreciate what makes a Les Paul a Les Paul - play it exclusively for a week. Don't switch back 'n forth and get frustrated cause the pick attack isn't quite as sharp as those actives.

With that said, I pulled my T-tops out for Duncan Distortions 20 years ago and never looked back.

 

[paul-e-mann]

I'm a big fan of the BB1 and BB2 in my 57 RI LP. Go find a 57 RI to try them, probably in a 58 and 59 RI also. My friend's LP has BB Pros and mine blew his away, nice thick distortion and dials back to nice bluesy tones.

 

[neikeel]

It is hard to give absolute recommendations but I have a couple of Les Pauls and a couple of Martyn Booths and an ES335.
The 335 has '57 classics and they are just fine in there. The R0 has BKP Mules (wax potted) with 4 conductor wiring and coil taps (push-push CTS tone pots and Jensen PIO caps). The other LP is my son's. We put a SD Jazz in the neck, again with coil spits on push-push CTS tone pots and a Gibson BB3 in the bridge again split, I used sprague Black Beauties on that one.
The Martyn Booths are a cross between an SG and Les Paul tonally and both have SD Jazz neck pups, one has SD Screamin' Demon bridge http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/screamin-demon and the other a modded SD Antiquity. I found the JD bridge a bit honky but that is Martyn's default bridge 'bucker.
In Les Pauls I have tried the 490 and 500s (bit bland but decent output) as well as T-tops in my old '87 Custom and have x4 spare Burstbuckers and x2 SD Antiquities sitting in a drawer.

If you want the coil tap I would go SD Jazz neck and BB3 in bridge for a tight gainy sound that cleans up when you roll back but also holds up when you down tune too (my son uses 12s and is usually in E flat or C tuning).

Just food for thought

 

[chiliphil1]

Duncan Distortion, especially if you like hot tight gain.

Right on! Sounds good to me.

Yup, I agree with this.

You might also like the 500T/490R set if you can find a really good deal on them. They're like Duncan SH-5 Customs with more output and compression. They're also what the PRS Tremonti pickups are based on. I personally woulnd't buy them new, only if you can get a REALLY good deal on a set. If you're buying new, definitely the Duncan Distortion set.

Thanks for the input, guess it's SD distortions! I can find the 500 and 496 sets for about $100 +/- on eBay but I think going with new Duncans may be the ticket. I've been doing some reading on the 500 and most people seem to say that's it's too much, ice picky and so forth, so may as well go with the tried and true on that one.

However, don't fall into the trap of chasing the same sound with every guitar. I've made that mistake in the past and you end up with the same sound in every guitar. Boring. Learn to appreciate what makes a Les Paul a Les Paul - play it exclusively for a week. Don't switch back 'n forth and get frustrated cause the pick attack isn't quite as sharp as those actives.

With that said, I pulled my T-tops out for Duncan Distortions 20 years ago and never looked back.

Absolutely, that is my goal. I want to have the LP sound like the LP, and the others sound like the others, a variety which I can use for different sounds when recording or performing. This is the main reason that I am not going with actives in this guitar, all my other ones have EMG's but retain their own sounds so I've got a good variety now. The main thing I want is for the LP to keep up with the others, not sound just like them but at least keep up, as it is now it's like a Yugo racing a corvette. I don't want 2 corvettes but it would be nice to have a Porsche to run with it..

 

[neikeel]

I would not go for the SH-5 in the neck tho' an SH-2 will be much more versatile

Edit- of course if you are going for coil spilts and want the Custom then SD recommends the hybrid59/Custom in the bridge and teh Jazz in the neck.

Have a read: http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/how-to-get-more-from-your-humbucker-coil-split

 

[chiliphil1]

Just ordered a used set of distortion mayhems! That with chrome covers and wiring harness adapters so that all my stuff still works, this should be goooooodddddd.

 

[SonVolt]

I've never heard a Duncan Distortion with covers. I wonder if it screws with the high-end?

 

[neikeel]

Just ordered a used set of distortion mayhems! That with chrome covers and wiring harness adapters so that all my stuff still works, this should be goooooodddddd.

 

[SwampThing]

I feel your pain my friend. I put a set of BB pro's in my 05 Standard and I've tried for the past month to like them and I cannot do it. WAAAY too trebly and when I roll off the Tone knob on the bridge it sounds like a Wah pedal is engaged with a low battery- squawky.

Good luck with your search!

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I've never heard a Duncan Distortion with covers. I wonder if it screws with the high-end?

I've seen them on Amazon and eBay. And the difference is so small you probably wouldn't notice it under high gain.

 

[chiliphil1]

I've never heard a Duncan Distortion with covers. I wonder if it screws with the high-end?

I guess we'll see. I hope not cause it would look a little goofy with black pickups but I'll just have to address that when I come to it.

 

[SonVolt]

Black pickups are never goofy.

 

[Moose Lewis]

Love the Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbucker neck pickup for driven leads and clean/clean playing. Price has dropped from when they first came out. Articulate, fat, but not muddy or too bassy like the BB II's... IMO.
Cheers

 

[neikeel]

I feel your pain my friend. I put a set of BB pro's in my 05 Standard and I've tried for the past month to like them and I cannot do it. WAAAY too trebly and when I roll off the Tone knob on the bridge it sounds like a Wah pedal is engaged with a low battery- squawky.

I had exactly that with the original BB in my R0, weird tones with the tone pot right off - I thought it was faulty hence the BKP Mules, was in 2 minds to send it back!

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Black pickups are never goofy.

Agreed. Open-coil black pickups can look badass on a Paul.

 

[SonVolt]

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I'll actually take that over the ones I posted above.

Although the Goldtop comes really, really close.