Pickups for a Les Paul style / sound

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Offline Roadrunner

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Pickups for a Les Paul style / sound
« on: October 16, 2020, 10:18:01 AM »
Hi all.
I got this simple LP style guitar, weight relief chambered mahogany body, arched top with set-in mahogany neck, overall nice one but I'm looking for a set of humbuckers that will give it the ummmff and sustainthat its missing, simply more power.
Application is classic rock, fusion, classic heavy rock etc.
Important, would like to keep the LP style sound as much as possible.
Suggestions for a set?
Thanks

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Offline Aceman

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Re: Pickups for a Les Paul style / sound
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2020, 12:55:50 PM »
OK - to start with - there is no singular  "Les Paul" style sound.  There are literally dozens of classic LP kind of tones.  So, unless you specify a player, you'll get all sorts of answers.

Peter Green ≠ Billy Gibbons ≠ Ace Frehley ≠ Slash, yet everyone of them is a 'classic' Les Paul tone.

So, when I think Les Paul, I'm thinking gritty pushed lower mids and growl, with a warmer/warmish/fatter high end compared to say, a Strat.

However - for what you are talking about, I think that you might consider either of the following combo's.

#1. DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF set.  That is Larry's PAF sound, according to his ears.  Regular PAF, or whatever the latest incarnation is would be fine too.  Bottom line, it is the classic new production old Les Paul pickup.  But like I said - LP pickups varied widely in winds, magnets etc.  No two 59's were necessarily the same.

#2 Based on the classic rock needs (whatever that is, 60's 70's 80's now....) A SuperDistortion in the bridge and a PAF in the neck is just a fantastic set of all kinds of music.  That should handle any and every 70's rock guitar tone you'd ever need except Led Zeppelin, bass well as the Fusion stylings. 

I have 4 Les Pauls:  One with P90's, one with PAF/SuperD, One with a T-Top/Duncan Distortion, and one with just a SuperD bridge. 


Tell me about what Amp you have, and exactly what this LP style copy is though.  Might change my responses.  I have an LP copy with a Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge and DiMarzio PAF in the neck also...
« Last Edit: October 18, 2020, 12:58:16 PM by Aceman »

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Offline darkbluemurder

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Re: Pickups for a Les Paul style / sound
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2020, 08:17:13 AM »
Classic rock/classic heavy rock to me is 70s and early 80s. That was the time when everybody wanted more power from the bridge pickup - hence the classic combo PAF neck and Super Distortion bridge. For something less hot in the DiMarzio line up I would look at Norton (hotter PAF type) or, if you do not mind to have more midrange, AT-1, maybe AirZone (no personal experience with that one though).

Cheers Stephan
Area 67, Area 58, Area 61, VV Pro 54, Injectors, VV HB2, Virtual Solo, SDS-1, Area T, Area Hot T, Area T 615, Virtual Hot T, Chopper T, Bluesbucker, Breed set, Air Norton, Super Distortion, DLX+ set, DLX-90, DP240, DP198, DP168, VPAF b, AT-1, Mo' Joe, FRED, Super 2; GS b