Pickup suggestion for LP Custom

[DLJR]

I have a Duncan JB bridge in my Les Paul custom. I kinda hate it. Really boxy sounding. Looking for a little bit higher mid clarity and punch. I was looking at Suhr Aldrich. Any suggestions?

 

[RockyStar]

Suhr Aldrich and BKP Black Dogs, BKP Rebel Yells have never let me down in any Les Paul type guitar.

 

[RedPlated]

I’ve got a BKP Miracle Man in my LPC. It just seems to work in that guitar. A lot of upper mid cut and good output.

 

[7 Stringer]

Suhr Aldrich.

Got 4.

 

[bubucci]

secret for using JB pickup in LP is volume on 8, still enough power and much better clarity and even EQ. It sound harsh and overly compressed on 10.
I also sugest Rebel Yell or Aldrich. RY is little bit clearer and tighter and DA is little bit beefier but both are in same ballpark.
If You want more dynamic and '3D' sound, You have to go for lower output pickups. More DC resistance, more boxy sound. I have Mules in LP and I was surprised that I dont have to touch my setting gain-wise after using RY in second LP.

 

[Zado]

Schecter SunsetStrip. Try tweaking the JB poles tho, works most of the time.

 

[romanianreaper]

I'd go with the Aldrich or Motor City 2nd Degree Blackbelt. I have a JB in my Charvel and 2nd Degree Blackbelt in my Les Paul. The 2nd Degree BB is less output but can do hard rock and metal with ease. Buckeyedog installed them for me years ago.

 

[napalmdeath]

I have a Duncan JB bridge in my Les Paul custom. I kinda hate it. Really boxy sounding. Looking for a little bit higher mid clarity and punch. I was looking at Suhr Aldrich. Any suggestions?

Duncan Custom. Done.

 

[RedB4Black]

I had an Aldrich in a LP Custom. Sounded pretty good, but was way too compressed. Changed it to a Bare Knuckle Emerald. Loved it. Check out that pickup...may suit your needs.

 

[harddriver]

While the Aldrich sounded good in Les Paul custom that I have played, they have this tightness and compression in the feel that I grew to not like.

Not sure how much output you are looking for.

Those new Friedman Classic's and Classics+ sound more open yet aggressive and raw check out the clip SFW did.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=212850

This might be a uncommon recommendation but I have really grown to love everything about my Duncan 78 model, it around 9K it's a hot PAF but it really doesn't sound or feel like an A-2 magnet, it is sort of open like a great PAF but has just the right amount of mid grunt overwound to 9k, I'd swear it was at least an A-4 maybe A-5. I like so much I have begun to consider swapping out my ole Duncan Custom in one of my other fave guitars for one. I tried an A-2 CC years ago and that pickup had no backbone at all, I'm not sure why the 78 model works for me.

The Duncan Whole Lotta Humbucker spec reads well too.

 

[dirtyfunkg]

If the JB isn't working for you, may the problem isn't the pickup...

 

[romanianreaper]

If the JB isn't working for you, may the problem isn't the pickup...

I don't know man, the JB can feel a bit "stock" when compared with other pickups. Don't get me wrong, I dig it for hard rock stuff and metal and use it quite a bit but there are tons of other great pickups out there that fill in the spaces that the JB can't fill.

You guys were talking about the Aldrich. I loved it when I had mine but it has been so long ago that I'm not sure how I would feel about it now. I'd love to hear the Friedman pickups. If I'm not mistaken, they are in the vein of the Motor City pickups but could be wrong.

 

[harddriver]

I'd go with the Aldrich or Motor City 2nd Degree Blackbelt. I have a JB in my Charvel and 2nd Degree Blackbelt in my Les Paul. The 2nd Degree BB is less output but can do hard rock and metal with ease. Buckeyedog installed them for me years ago.

The 2nd degree Blackbelt always sounded awesome in every clip I heard of it, pissed off aggressive nice PAF clank too. I kind of heard the Blackbelt P/U when I heard the Friedman P/U clips that SFW posted.

What magnet is in the 2nd degree bridge Blackbelt? I also thought Motorcity's Detrioter was a good sounding pickup

I had a set of Arcane PAF clones that I really wanted to install and hear but I sold my les paul so I just sold the set. Those were supposed to be as close to Tom Holmes PAFS as you can get.


I think Wagner WCR makes some killer Hot PAF's too.

I would say to the OP that he should really try a hot PAF type, then are more open, balanced, and I feel they grind better when you dig in, growl on rhythms. I forgot to add that I like all my pickups waxpotted and some of these unpotted PAFs would not pass the muster test for me. I know alot of people say they don't squeal but I had an upotted Dimarzio back in the day and it was horrible.

Carry on!

 

[SpiderWars]

Customs have had different woods used over the years, do you know what the woods are?

 

[braintheory]

I'd go with the Aldrich or Motor City 2nd Degree Blackbelt. I have a JB in my Charvel and 2nd Degree Blackbelt in my Les Paul. The 2nd Degree BB is less output but can do hard rock and metal with ease. Buckeyedog installed them for me years ago.

The 2nd degree Blackbelt always sounded awesome in every clip I heard of it, pissed off aggressive nice PAF clank too. I kind of heard the Blackbelt P/U when I heard the Friedman P/U clips that SFW posted.

What magnet is in the 2nd degree bridge Blackbelt? I also thought Motorcity's Detrioter was a good sounding pickup


I think Wagner WCR makes some killer Hot PAF's too.

I would say to the OP that he should really try a hot PAF type, then are more open, balanced, and I feel they grind better when you dig in, growl on rhythms.

Agreed on all. The Detroiter is a good pickup. I remember liking it just a bit more than the 2nd degree black belts

Wagner’s are great. My favorites of his are the Darkbursts and Iron Man if you want highoutput

In pretty much every pickup thread I say Wagner or Wolfetone are the best for the money and Tone Specific is my favorite of what’s currently being made, but a lot more money. All my keeper guitars have either Tone Specific or real deal vintage stuff. I’ve been deeper in the pickup rabbit hole than any other and all the other ones I owned are long gone

I find Bare Knuckles and Suhr pickups to be sterile and uninspiring personally. Bare Knuckle’s were my first taste of boutique/upgrade pickups, but once I got into others like Wolfetone, etc, it became clear to me that the tone was lacking life and richness and really aren’t at all very vintage or authentic sounding

 

[SpiderWars]

braintheory,
I believe you mentioned it before but did you try the OX4s? I can't remember.

 

[braintheory]

braintheory,
I believe you mentioned it before but did you try the OX4s? I can't remember.

I have not. I think Glipp may have though and he also has Tone Specific’s

 

[glip22]

braintheory,
I believe you mentioned it before but did you try the OX4s? I can't remember.

I have not. I think Glipp may have though and he also has Tone Specific’s

I have had six sets of Ox4 and currently have one in my R9. I always request a little higher DC on these. Low winds are great but I like mine about 8.5 neck and plus 9K on the bridge. I prefered lows to the Hot Duanne set but overall like the Higher winds.. They handle gain very well and do not squeal. You really cannot go wrong.
If I had to choose it would be my Wizz and my Bloombuckers but I still like the Ox4 enough to keep them in that guitar. All great really. Suhr, and Bare knuckles are not in the same ballpark. The above are PAF types. Bare Knuckles I have had too many from before they even had a dealer in the US. The earlier ones still were better but it could just be me.
Wagners are very good as well as Wolfetone Marshall heads. I like Tom Anderson over Suhr though. Teh best higher gain pickups are GNG but you cannot get them unless you buy a guitar. Don't know what Giulio does but they are killer. Not super high output either but the clarity and allowing he guitar to shine through is excellent. Higher than PAF's thouigh.

 

[braintheory]

braintheory,
I believe you mentioned it before but did you try the OX4s? I can't remember.

I have not. I think Glipp may have though and he also has Tone Specific’s

I have had six sets of Ox4 and currently have one in my R9. I always request a little higher DC on these. Low winds are great but I like mine about 8.5 neck and plus 9K on the bridge. I prefered lows to the Hot Duanne set but overall like the Higher winds.. They handle gain very well and do not squeal. You really cannot go wrong.
If I had to choose it would be my Wizz and my Bloombuckers but I still like the Ox4 enough to keep them in that guitar. All great really. Suhr, and Bare knuckles are not in the same ballpark. The above are PAF types. Bare Knuckles I have had too many from before they even had a dealer in the US. The earlier ones still were better but it could just be me.
Wagners are very good as well as Wolfetone Marshall heads. I like Tom Anderson over Suhr though. Teh best higher gain pickups are GNG but you cannot get them unless you buy a guitar. Don't know what Giulio does but they are killer. Not super high output either but the clarity and allowing he guitar to shine through is excellent. Higher than PAF's thouigh.

I think the majority of Bare Knuckle’s I had over the years were also from before he had any US Dealers. I don’t recall noticing much difference with later ones, but I do remember liking the Miracle Man best, which I got early and also the Aftermath and Painkillers I got early and liked them more than others. I liked them for a while since they were my first boutique pickups I had tried, but later discovered that there’s just much better sounding pickups out there

The Marshallhead was my favorite set by Wolfetone

I bet the GNG pickups are great, but I wonder how they’d really compare to other pickups since I’m guessing you’ve only heard them in GNG’s and those alone are unique guitars that may have a certain tone no matter what you put in them. Would be interesting how GNG pickups would compare to others in the same exact guitar. I’m guessing most other guitars would be too different from GNG’s to really have a solid idea how their pickups alone sound compared to others. GNG has been on my radar for a while. One of these days I’ll try one

 

[Mr. Willy]

A little off the beaten path, but I came across this guy a few months ago and rolled the dice. Talked to him on the phone about what I was going for. Ended up with an A5 13k for the bridge 8.4K Neck. I think they sound absolutely killer.

http://www.gravelinpickups.com/products/#guitar

Fair warning. I’m not a shredder. But here’s what they sound like.