Favorite Pickups for Les Paul Custom?

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jbru91
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Hey everyone,

Just got my first LP custom used. Nice ebony board, weighs about 10lbs. It has some custombuckers in it currently that are fairly low output (8.0K at the bridge). Thinking of maybe swapping them out. What's everyone's favorite set? I've never tried the 500T, 498T or 490R. I hear a lot on here about the Suhr Aldrich, ToneNerd stuff etc. but was hoping for some insight. I play a lot of stuff in the 80's and early 90's (hard rock to metal, nothing in heavy drop tunings). I definitely don't want to put something in that would be too muddy, I like to have the clarity shine through for lead playing.

Thanks,
Jesse
 
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Tonenerd pups are sweet. @scottosan Morning Wood set would be great. Open, airy, clear, with the right amount of output. Love em, and would happily install in one of my LPs.
His Psykes pickup would be great in the bridge for that 80s Whitesnake and Metallica grind.

I have and dig a set of Jim Wagner Godwoods in my LP Classic right now.
Had an Antiquity neck and Seth Lover (also Burstbucker 3) bridge before. Those were great for lower output.
Tried and did not like in same guitar: Whole Lotta Humbucker set, Railhammer set, Bareknuckle Holy Diver

The Burstbucker Pros in my other LP are nice for an early 2000s nu metal kind of vibe. Kind of scooped, but surprising grind for such low impedance numbers. Didn't like the Godwoods in this guitar as much. It's chambered and super light, compared to the LP Classic. I suspect the Godwoods would be great in your thicker and more solid Custom.

I despised the 496r/500t set that came in my LP Classic and Explorer. Getting rid of those was the best thing I ever did for each guitar.
 
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There’s much better options than what gets mentioned here. I’d recommend the following ‘80’s pickups (some late ‘70’s) : Dirty Fingers, Mighty Mite 1400, Schaller’s, Bill Lawrence 500L, 510L, L90, L100. They will make the other recent made stuff mentioned here sound comparatively sterile and boring/uninspiring. I’ve compared in the same guitars. I like also my old Jackson J90C

For lower output, the ‘70’s Hagstrom and Japanese humbuckers can sound great (paf inspired) and ‘70’s Gibson Tarbacks (Bill Lawrence design), but if you have the cash the ‘60’s and ‘50’s Gretsch and Guild humbuckers sound incredible, especially the Supertrons and Gretsch PAF’s. The recent made stuff most talk about on here pale in comparison to these in both tone quality and feel. You won’t be able to go back after lol
 
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braintheory said:
There’s much better options than what gets mentioned here. I’d recommend the following ‘80’s pickups (some late ‘70’s) : Dirty Fingers, Mighty Mite 1400, Schaller’s, Bill Lawrence 500L, 510L, L90, L100. They will make the other recent made stuff mentioned here sound comparatively sterile and boring/uninspiring. I’ve compared in the same guitars. I like also my old Jackson J90C

For lower output, the ‘70’s Hagstrom and Japanese humbuckers can sound great (paf inspired) and ‘70’s Gibson Tarbacks (Bill Lawrence design), but if you have the cash the ‘60’s and ‘50’s Gretsch and Guild humbuckers sound incredible, especially the Supertrons and Gretsch PAF’s. The recent made stuff most talk about on here pale in comparison to these in both tone quality and feel. You won’t be able to go back after lol
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For the most part I agree with this. However, there are a few exceptions. The Aldrich is a killer pickup and I think it would be perfect in your guitar for the types of music you describe. I have one and it slays. It has excellent clarity, too! It's hot, but it doesn't act like a hot pickup...itresponds like a PAF. Cleans up beautifully. Very unique pickup.

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/thre...ckups-question-for-those-who-use-them.235579/
 
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JohnnyGtar said:
For the most part I agree with this. However, the Aldrich is a killer pickup and I think it would be perfect for the types of music you describe. I have one and it slays. It has excellent clarity, too!
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That's great to hear. I haven't heard much about the Aldrich neck pickup. Have you tried that one?
 
JohnnyGtar said:
For the most part I agree with this. However, the Aldrich is a killer pickup and I think it would be perfect for the types of music you describe. I have one and it slays. It has excellent clarity, too!
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I respectfully disagree. While I understand the Aldrich I agree is a very good fit, I think you’d find if you directly compared it to some of the pickups I mentioned in the same guitars you’ll likely see what I mean in how comparatively it just would be sterile/2D, lacking feel and life vs the good olds pickups. These were at least my findings (again compare in the same guitars to make it apples to apples). Many other “great” recent pickups IME were put to shame in these comparisons for me including the Wagner Iron Man that many on here love. For recent pickups they’re good (not the best though ime), but they just imho really don’t hold up well at all vs a great vintage counterpart

I think in general when it comes to pickups, pedals and speakers most guys here should really explore more the good vintage stuff. They’re missing out on a lot more fun that could be had and I wasn’t even born yet when that stuff came out, so it’s not nostalgia or stuff like that clouding my view. Just my findings from my homework doing lots of comparisons. Most new gear just is pretty bland IME. As a passionate geahread always looking for the latest and greatest we really shouldn’t be satisfied with it imo
 
I run 498T with an A5 swapped 496R. I may swap the 498T magnet for a ceramic magnet and make a 500T. The 498T is definitely a lead players dream pickup - very liquid smooth with some aggressiveness but it’s not over the top. It’s well balanced but almost too balanced. Great for a bright guitar but it’s not dark sounding at all, just A5 alnico sweetness.

For 80’s stuff I’d recommend a Dimarzio super distortion / PAF pro. Tried and true and on a lot of records.

If it’s an older LPC you’ll need to completely gut the wiring and redo it with 500k pots. Stock they come with 300k and you’re not going to get the 80’s high gain attitude with 300k pots in it.
 
jbru91 said:
That's great to hear. I haven't heard much about the Aldrich neck pickup. Have you tried that one?
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No, I haven't. I usually slap a Seymour Duncan Jazz neck model SH-2n in any guitar I own that's routed for a neck humbucker. I love the amazing clarity it has. The DiMarzio FRED is amazing in neck and bridge positions as well...and don't worry, the FRED won't make you sound like Joe Satriani. LOL
 
glpg80 said:
I run 498T with an A5 swapped 496R. I may swap the 498T magnet for a ceramic magnet and make a 500T. The 498T is definitely a lead players dream pickup - very liquid smooth with some aggressiveness but it’s not over the top. It’s well balanced but almost too balanced. Great for a bright guitar but it’s not dark sounding at all, just A5 alnico sweetness.

For 80’s stuff I’d recommend a Dimarzio super distortion / PAF pro. Tried and true and on a lot of records.

If it’s an older LPC you’ll need to completely gut the wiring and redo it with 500k pots. Stock they come with 300k and you’re not going to get the 80’s high gain attitude with 300k pots in it.
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Just a heads up, the 500T runs 3 ceramics. I'll bet a ceramic 498T would be great, though. Have you ever tried a 496R in the bridge? I wonder what that sounds like.
 
I had a vintage super distortion and it was a bit disappointing. The vintage X2N I had was even worse. The vintage mighty mites that were meant to be copies smokes them by miles imo (probably why they’re also worth more). Happy accident maybe lol. In general I don’t think Dimarzio’s or Duncan’s are that great even though I have a few left myself including an early ‘80’s JB/59 set. There are just much better options out there IME
 
glpg80 said:
I run 498T with an A5 swapped 496R. I may swap the 498T magnet for a ceramic magnet and make a 500T. The 498T is definitely a lead players dream pickup - very liquid smooth with some aggressiveness but it’s not over the top. It’s well balanced but almost too balanced. Great for a bright guitar but it’s not dark sounding at all, just A5 alnico sweetness.

For 80’s stuff I’d recommend a Dimarzio super distortion / PAF pro. Tried and true and on a lot of records.

If it’s an older LPC you’ll need to completely gut the wiring and redo it with 500k pots. Stock they come with 300k and you’re not going to get the 80’s high gain attitude with 300k pots in it.
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Thanks for that. It is a M2M from 2024 that the original owner flipped after a few months.
 
JohnnyGtar said:


Several more Aldrich/Les Paul videos:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=suhr+aldrich+les+paul

My favorite humbucker for a Les Paul is a vintage Gibson Dirty Fingers. They are #1 for me, but they cost so much nowadays. The Aldrich doesn't sound like the DF, but damn, what a great pickup!
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True, Dirty Fingers are more expensive, but imo worth it and it’s not like the prices are ridiculous yet (a bit more than a brand new iron man would cost, worse sounding pickup) and the vintage Bill Lawrence’s are priced about where the Aldrich would be, the Schaller’s less, the Might Mites just a bit more, but all of them to be are way superior to the Aldrich and these other ones mentioned (at least to me). An isolated clip of them imho doesn’t really tell much about them anyway IME without references of comparison. Of course it’s all subjective, but I’m just trying to cut to the chase. I just honestly don’t see guys choosing these pickups over the good vintage ones if properly compared. JMO, YMMV. IMO they’re cutting themselves short of more fun to be potentially had
 
braintheory said:
True, Dirty Fingers are more expensive, but imo worth it and it’s not like the prices are ridiculous yet (a bit more than a brand new iron man would cost, worse sounding pickup) and the vintage Bill Lawrence’s are priced about where the Aldrich would be, the Schaller’s less, the Might Mites just a bit more, but all of them to be are way superior to the Aldrich and these other ones mentioned (at least to me). An isolated clip of them imho doesn’t really tell much about them anyway IME without references of comparison. Of course it’s all subjective, but I’m just trying to cut to the chase. I just honestly don’t see guys choosing these pickups over the good vintage ones if properly compared. JMO, YMMV. IMO they’re cutting themselves short of more fun to be potentially had
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Well, I've and played both and I love 'em. Buying expensive vintage pickups isn't in the cards for me anymore.

The Aldrich works very well for me. I don't expect it to sound like a vintage DF. It's got it's own thing going on and I love that thing. LOL

The last vintage DF I had I found on eBay for $100 over 10 years ago. The seller didn't know what they had.
 
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