Bridge pickup for Les Paul

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I bought a bunch of pickup's for my Les Paul back in the early 90's trying to improve it's sound and after all the testing I ended up putting the humbuckers that came with the guitar back in .

Not sure what they are but the guitar came with Zebra's and on the back of the neck it says (Custom shop Edition) even though the guitar isn't a Custom shop model and came with no certificates . Cost $800.00 new back in 1990 at Sam Ash .
 
I really like the 498T in my LP Axcess a lot. Powerful yet vintage sounding if that makes any sense.
 
JohnnyGtar said:
The old L90's are amazing.
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All of his old pickups are killer IME, even his single coils. My personal favorites are the Tarbacks and L100’s, but the former wouldn’t be hot enough for the OP, but also great in LP’s. If others also tried them they would have no interest like me in the other stuff getting recommenced lol. The great pickups back from those days have took me outta the martrix since diving deep into it that stuff last year
 
JackBootedThug said:
I like the standard Gibson pups dude. Especially for what your doing. Is it an epi or a copy? I have gotten killer results with BB's, 57's and the 500 and 498(?)....been awhile since I've owned an actual Gibby though. Aftermarket pups for me-anything scottosan recommends....love a custom 5 but never tried one in a les paul, and emg's with the 24V mod....that mod makes all the difference on them imo...
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Gibson standard. Stock pickups were burstbucker 1 & 2. Sounded pretty good, highs a little harsh but nice grind to them. I have wolftone lengends in right now, fantastic pickups, very open and dynamic. I am boosting via a clean boost or sd1 style pedals and it gets me there for heavier stuff. But still I wonder, hotter pickup with no boost. Hmmm.
 
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ccn said:
I bought a bunch of pickup's for my Les Paul back in the early 90's trying to improve it's sound and after all the testing I ended up putting the humbuckers that came with the guitar back in .

Not sure what they are but the guitar came with Zebra's and on the back of the neck it says (Custom shop Edition) even though the guitar isn't a Custom shop model and came with no certificates . Cost $800.00 new back in 1990 at Sam Ash .
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Ha. Im trying different pickups, but it very well might be going back to the originals. At least its a cheap mod.
 
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motorboy1 said:
Ha. Im trying different pickups, but it very well might be going back to the originals. At least its a cheap mod.
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Depends how many pickups you want to try unless the place that you buy them from allows you to return them.
 
Emg77 said:
I have Tonenerd Whiskey in one of my Les Paul and love it. Its a little hotter than what your asking for, but its great.
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Hotness and DCR is not always face value. The wind count and magnet determine the output, the DCR is subsequential. The Sunset is 14k+ at 7000 winds of 43awg wire with an A5 magnet. The whiskey is 16k at 6800 winds of 44awg wire and the same magnet. The Sunset is actually higher output.
 
motorboy1 said:
What would you guys recommend for a medium/hot output bridge pickup for a les paul standard. I’m thinking 10 to 14k . Guitar currently has 500k pots and 50s style wiring. Has a 8.6 k paf style pickups which is great for 70’s stuff but I think I want to go hotter for 80s rock to 90s alternative. Don’t do drop tunings or chug stuff so what would you recommend ?
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BKP RebelYell
 
I have a Motor City BB2 in one that would fit what you're looking for. Another LP has a Duncan 59 that I'm actually quite surprised with how well it sounds
 
SoooRad said:
I've got a Duncan 59/Custom in mine, and its pretty sweet
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I think that's an underrated pickup, and even moreso at its price. A real nice choice of a higher output from the 59 family (read: no loss of clarity, etc.) yet, not getting into JB or even SD (SH/TB 12) territory. I'd rather have one (which I do) than a BKP Rebel Yell, but it's a personal preference.
 
High output pups have their place, but Les Pauls go downhill fast with anything above 9k if you are using a modern, high gain amp IMO. The heft of the guitar needs something more subtle and airy to maintain clarity and focus.

I have a Duncan custom shop WLH in my R9 and it will do any metal great aside from downtuned modern stuff. Other favorites of mine are the Marshallhead MKII and Duncan CS Pearly Gates (not production).
 
EyesOfTheSouth! said:
High output pups have their place, but Les Pauls go downhill fast with anything above 9k if you are using a modern, high gain amp IMO. The heft of the guitar needs something more subtle and airy to maintain clarity and focus.

I have a Duncan custom shop WLH in my R9 and it will do any metal great aside from downtuned modern stuff. Other favorites of mine are the Marshallhead MKII and Duncan CS Pearly Gates (not production).
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What's the difference between the Pearly Gates CS and the standard PG ?
 
ccn said:
What's the difference between the Pearly Gates CS and the standard PG ?
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The CS is wound a bit hotter and has more in the mids. It balances the treble sizzle that people complain about with the floor model. I’ve used both in an SG Custom….so no other variables.
 
Duncan Custom is very, very good in LPs. It's one of the few ceramic-powered hums that I've ever really bonded with.
If the guitar has a very midrangey voice, the Custom 5 is more scooped and has a bouncier feel.

They have the exact same wind, just with different magnets. Simply swapping mags can convert any pickup in the Custom family (Custom, Custom5, and CustomCustom) into any of the others. You could even say they're... Customizable. ? Sorry, I'll show myself out.
 
+1 on Wolfetone for great bridges in the vintage-plus output category.
I love the Marshallhead.
 
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