Favorite Pickups for Les Paul Custom?

[LPMojoGL]

Wagner godwood, tonenerd Roxy for medium output

Tonenerd Psykes, Wagner ironman, vintage dirty fingers for high output

Wagner crossroads or Scott's A2 for neck

We could be pickup tone bros.

I never played T-tops that I liked, and remember when they used to be undesirable. Kind of like the Norlin era LPs that folks used to hate and sell for super cheap, but now are rare gems (wtf?!), the T-tops somehow became liked.
Funny how unobtainium turns yesterday's shitty into today's treasure.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

I never played T-tops that I liked, and remember when they used to be undesirable. Kind of like the Norlin era LPs that folks used to hate and sell for super cheap, but now are rare gems (wtf?!), the T-tops somehow became liked.
Funny how unobtainium turns yesterday's shitty into today's treasure.

This 100%.

Starting in the mid 70's, a lot of people couldn't yank T-Tops out of their Gibsons fast enough to slap some DiMarzios in there. LOL

 

[DanTravis62]

We could be pickup tone bros.

I never played T-tops that I liked, and remember when they used to be undesirable. Kind of like the Norlin era LPs that folks used to hate and sell for super cheap, but now are rare gems (wtf?!), the T-tops somehow became liked.
Funny how unobtainium turns yesterday's shitty into today's treasure.

I think part of it is that neither of us like floyd guitars, and our ears gravitate a similar direction because we like the same styles of guitars

 

[johnny q]

Despite being introduced in 1953, I always treat my LP Custom as my "modern" or guitar for higher gain Right now I have the venerable Duncan JB/Jazz in there - been that way for about 15 years. Prior to that, the best sounding pickups in this guitar were the Suhr Aldrich set and the Gibson 500T/496R combo. I can't say enough great things about the latter. I also had the Rio Grande BBQ bridge and Genuine TX at one point - that set made the guitar sound a mile wide but always bordered on a bit dark. The guitar shipped stock back in 1989 with the Lawrence designed "circuit board" pickups and honestly, those sounded really nice. But we all know how "upgrade-itus" goes

Incidentally, this is my only humbucker equipped guitar that sounds better with 300K volumes. This guitar is bright and has a really sharp attack. Problem is, the only ones I can find are the Gibson branded ones and most of mine measure around 270K and they are linear taper. Problem solved! The RS Guitarworks Long Shaft 280K Super Pots to rescue! I just bought a pair and they measure 310K

 

[anomaly]

I always go back to the Duncan distortion, and I like the JB as well. Another pickup that is quite unique sounding is the Bill Lawrence L-500L or L-500XL. Tom Anderson H3's are great too, they are really balanced sounding IMO.

 

[tallcoolone]

I love the Jim Wagner American Steele set in mine. If I got another Custom I would want to try the new Custombuckers—I REALLY like them in my new R8.

 

[jbru91]

OP here. I tried my LP Custom with the Custombuckers against the Gibson Adam Jones LP Standard. I was using both through my Friedman BE100 Deluxe and I have to say I liked the lower output of the Custombuckers versus the hotter bridge pickup in the AJ Standard (I think its similar to a Duncan Distortion). I thought the custombuckers had better clarity and string separation and a bit more bite ringing through what I was playing. Only at the highest gain levels on the HBE channel were where the extra output of the AJ pickup pushed it a bit further to get a bit more out of the amp relative to the styles I play. If I wanted to play heavier metal I'd just run the guitar through one of my heavier amps (Skeleton Key, Hermansson etc.). I'll keep a few of these medium output options in mind for now.

 

[braintheory]

OP here. I tried my LP Custom with the Custombuckers against the Gibson Adam Jones LP Standard. I was using both through my Friedman BE100 Deluxe and I have to say I liked the lower output of the Custombuckers versus the hotter bridge pickup in the AJ Standard (I think its similar to a Duncan Distortion). I thought the custombuckers had better clarity and string separation and a bit more bite ringing through what I was playing. Only at the highest gain levels on the HBE channel were where the extra output of the AJ pickup pushed it a bit further to get a bit more out of the amp relative to the styles I play. If I wanted to play heavier metal I'd just run the guitar through one of my heavier amps (Skeleton Key, Hermansson etc.). I'll keep a few of these medium output options in mind for now.

I myself feel most at home with lower output pickups for the same reason, but still like them all. I feel a lot more nuances in playing can be brought out in them. My personal favorites have been '50's and '60's Gretsch, Guild, Baldwin, Hofner, Gibson Mini-Humbuckers, and DeArmond Gold Foil pickups. You will not find any pickups more nasty or snarly than those. They will make the other pickups guys talk about on this forum sound very polite/tame comparatively. I also myself have 2 Hermansson's, Friedman Marsha (with HBE/BE modes) among other amps

 

[harddriver]

OP here. I tried my LP Custom with the Custombuckers against the Gibson Adam Jones LP Standard. I was using both through my Friedman BE100 Deluxe and I have to say I liked the lower output of the Custombuckers versus the hotter bridge pickup in the AJ Standard (I think its similar to a Duncan Distortion). I thought the custombuckers had better clarity and string separation and a bit more bite ringing through what I was playing. Only at the highest gain levels on the HBE channel were where the extra output of the AJ pickup pushed it a bit further to get a bit more out of the amp relative to the styles I play. If I wanted to play heavier metal I'd just run the guitar through one of my heavier amps (Skeleton Key, Hermansson etc.). I'll keep a few of these medium output options in mind for now.

If you want to keep the pickups low to medium output per your above statement.....

PAF suggestions
SD 78 model 9K PAF plays and feels hotter than 9K, very PAF, think VHII
Arcane Triple Clone PAF, 9.25K Lots of clarity and string separation, I believe these are potted
Gibson Bustbucker 8.5 K not sure what magnet are in those A/3/4/5
SD 59B might be too bright but the mahogany should warm them up some, if too bright then look at the 78 model

Non PAF but still some PAF qualities
Mighty Mite 1400 9.5-10K, Super aggressive, very crunchy but still a little PAF spank
SD SH-6N 12-13K Like the SD custom but more open and PAF like less compression
SD SH-5 Custom 14K Duncan usually describes it as PAF on steriods, I'll add more mid emphasis and compression

I'm sure there other pickups close to these but these are the ones that stand out in my mind and most that I have played and liked. Caveat: I have not played the Arcane but alot of people speak highly of them.

 

[Fiesta Red]

A couple people mentioned the Custombuckers. I pulled those out of an R8 and tried other things for a few years. On a whim I put them back in, and they are not coming out.

Curious how they would sound in a LP Custom

 

[itsme]

Stock 490R / 496T.sound great

 

[braintheory]

If you want to keep the pickups low to medium output per your above statement.....

PAF suggestions
SD 78 model 9K PAF plays and feels hotter than 9K, very PAF, think VHII
Arcane Triple Clone PAF, 9.25K Lots of clarity and string separation, I believe these are potted
Gibson Bustbucker 8.5 K not sure what magnet are in those A/3/4/5
SD 59B might be too bright but the mahogany should warm them up some, if too bright then look at the 78 model

Non PAF but still some PAF qualities
Mighty Mite 1400 9.5-10K, Super aggressive, very crunchy but still a little PAF spank
SD SH-6N 12-13K Like the SD custom but more open and PAF like less compression
SD SH-5 Custom 14K Duncan usually describes it as PAF on steriods, I'll add more mid emphasis and compression

I'm sure there other pickups close to these but these are the ones that stand out in my mind and most that I have played and liked. Caveat: I have not played the Arcane but alot of people speak highly of them.

I had that model Arcane as well as many other Arcane's. For a recent made pickup they were pretty decent, not anything amazing imo and with his lack of communication you'd have to pretty much find them used. For current made PAF types the Tone Specific Bloombucker (or Virgil Arlo) is by far the best I've tried and for vintage made alternatives to real PAF's the best I tried were the '70's Shaw and Japanese PAF copies

I love my Mighty Mite 1400's, but don't really hear much PAF in them (they're also ceramic I believe?). I have a vintage Shaw PAF that reads ~16K. It literally is a very hot PAF sound. I think the Dirty Finger's in a way are sorta of like a ceramic, scooped, metal take on PAF, which I guess arguably is not a PAF sound at all lol, but I sort of somehow still hear it that way and the Jackson J90 kind of sounds like a toned down version of that to me. Also really good

 

[SpiderWars]

This 100%.

Starting in the mid 70's, a lot of people couldn't yank T-Tops out of their Gibsons fast enough to slap some DiMarzios in there. LOL

I think a lot of the T-top hate was the 300k; and sometimes 100k, pots that were in those guitars. My ‘80 Custom had 300k volumes and 100k tones and sounded like shit when I got it. I also felt I ‘couldn’t yank those T-tops out fast enough’ but before I did I changed to 500k pots and it sounded great.

It’s still a 7.7k bridge pickup so I put a Psykes in the bridge but that 7.7k pickup had a lot of crunch for 7.7k. If it were my burst LP Std I would have left it. That’s my ‘classic burst’ LP with PAF types. But a black LPC…that needed a Psykes.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I had that model Arcane as well as many other Arcane's. For a recent made pickup they were pretty decent, not anything amazing imo and with his lack of communication you'd have to pretty much find them used.

Arcane pickups are hit and miss, really. I'm curious about the new Tim Pierce set. They are supposed to be a copy of the Tom Holmes pickups that are so rare and expensive. I had a set of Tom Holmes pickups and they were great.

 

[braintheory]

Arcane pickups are hit and miss, really. I'm curious about the new Tim Pierce set. They are supposed to be a copy of the Tom Holmes pickups that are so rare and expensive. I had a set of Tom Holmes pickups and they were great.

I’ve had lots of different Arcane models and compared to other pickups in the same guitar they just weren’t as good as others I’ve in qualities like being tonally complex, organic or raw like the vintage pickups they’re trying to be like. The best I’ve tried for non-vintage paf style pickups have been Tone Specific and Virgil Arlo. Some guys I know who’ve tried both feel they’re better than Holmes or Ron Ellis. I’m lucky to have one real ‘50’s Gibson PAF (and many other good vintage pickups). It is quite special and 3D, but the Tone Specific Bloombucker for something current does a good overall capture of the sound, much better than the others I’ve had and I compared it in the same guitar I had the paf in. The ‘70’s Shaw and Japanese PAF’s I have also are imo excellent alternatives to PAF’s, much better than what’s available today IME

 

[braintheory]

I think a lot of the T-top hate was the 300k; and sometimes 100k, pots that were in those guitars. My ‘80 Custom had 300k volumes and 100k tones and sounded like shit when I got it. I also felt I ‘couldn’t yank those T-tops out fast enough’ but before I did I changed to 500k pots and it sounded great.

It’s still a 7.7k bridge pickup so I put a Psykes in the bridge but that 7.7k pickup had a lot of crunch for 7.7k. If it were my burst LP Std I would have left it. That’s my ‘classic burst’ LP with PAF types. But a black LPC…that needed a Psykes.

In my case I did controlled comparisons in a few of the same guitars (one of which being the ‘69 LPC it came stock in). It’s not that I think it’s actually a bad pickup, so much as there’s just many better sounding vintage pickups to me that also go for less money such as the Shaw PAF’s from the ‘70’s and some underrated ones too like the Hagstrom Humbuckers, Guild’s etc. They just aren’t the best sounding vintage pickups I’ve had, but certainly have that raw, organic sound you won’t hear in recent made pickups

 

[harddriver]

Arcane pickups are hit and miss, really. I'm curious about the new Tim Pierce set. They are supposed to be a copy of the Tom Holmes pickups that are so rare and expensive. I had a set of Tom Holmes pickups and they were great.

He supposedly worked for Tom Holmes at one time from what I gather. I had a set of Triple Clones for a Les Paul I sold so I never installed them to actually hear them, it was easier to sell the set as new, but I wanted to hear what they were all about.

With that said I'm still very happy with my Seymour Duncan 78 model for any hot PAF duties and nothing has dethroned that pickup in the PAF department not that there aren't other pickups I would like to test drive......because it's a sickness ya know.......

I may revisit the SD59B since it's been sooo long since I've played one, I remember it being bright and brassy and hard on the ears.......

 

[harddriver]

I love my Mighty Mite 1400's, but don't really hear much PAF in them (they're also ceramic I believe?). I have a vintage Shaw PAF that reads ~16K. It literally is a very hot PAF sound. I think the Dirty Finger's in a way are sorta of like a ceramic, scooped, metal take on PAF, which I guess arguably is not a PAF sound at all lol, but I sort of somehow still hear it that way and the Jackson J90 kind of sounds like a toned down version of that to me. Also really good

There is just a smidge of PAF clank and spank with my MM1400, but it's ceramic magnet just gives it that aggressive crunch, almost a fuzz like overtone on the distorted notes that let you know it's a high output pickup but still isn't as compressed with less mid emphasis as say a Duncan SH-5 Custom, which is mostly why I like it so much.

It just depends on how hot and aggressive he want's to go and how close to a PAF he wants to be.

Oh.... I almost forgot, to add to the PAF list I've heard some decent clips of the Fralin Pure PAF's, they have different levels of output PAF as well and they are potted. They have a standard PAF wind , then a hot wind and then a really hot wind

 

[braintheory]

There is just a smidge of PAF clank and spank with my MM1400, but it's ceramic magnet just gives it that aggressive crunch, almost a fuzz like overtone on the distorted notes that let you know it's a high output pickup but still isn't as compressed with less mid emphasis as say a Duncan SH-5 Custom, which is mostly why I like it so much.

It just depends on hot and aggressive he want's to go and how close to a PAF he wants to be.

Oh.... I almost forgot, to add to the PAF list I've heard some decent clips of the Fralin Pure PAF's, they have different levels of output PAF as well and they are potted. They have a standard PAF wind , then a hot wind and then a really hot wind

Hm I’ve gotten to compare 6 different real ‘50’s Gibson PAF’s in the same guitar (in 2 guitars), bought the one I liked most and didn’t hear anything clanky or spanky about them. I find them to be very round, sweet, fat, midrangey and bluesy and the good current made clones capture that part well I find. A lot of current made “paf style” pickups can sound that way like some by MCP, BKP, Wagner and others I’ve had, but IME they’re nothing like real ‘50’s Gibson PAF’s (not that it’s a good or bad thing)

Agreed. I personally don’t care about getting that accurate to a real Gibson PAF (I actually like my ‘50’s Gretsch PAF’s more) and usually in the bridge position at least want as aggressive of a sound as I can get while still maintaining good musicality

I’ve had the Fralin’s. They’re ok to decent, I guess similar level to arcane, but nowhere near as good to me as Tone Specific or Virgil Arlo and for a similar price can get some other vintage pickups that are a lot more inspiring like the ‘70’s Japanese or Shaw PAF copies that sound killer and more raw and organic than any pickup made in the last 30 years is capable of

 

[tallcoolone]

A couple people mentioned the Custombuckers. I pulled those out of an R8 and tried other things for a few years. On a whim I put them back in, and they are not coming out.

Curious how they would sound in a LP Custom

Me too…after playing through them for about 6mos I would bet fantastic