Bridge Pickup for a Les Paul Custom???

[jabps]

I'll agree with the other 500T guys...for a Les Paul. Just something about 500T's in Pauls that work...for me.

I'm generally not a fan of ceramics...so when I got my LP, one had a 500T in there and it immediately came out and I did the pup dance...came back to the 500T and boom...everything I wanted. When I bought my next Paul...put a 500T in it...perfect. So both my Pauls have 500T's.

Now in my 2 PRS's singlecuts...the 500T doesn't work so well and I'm just not a fan of PRS pickups. So I'm looking at the MCP Torques/ Suhr Aldrich / Wolfetone Timber Wolf and may even give the ole Dimarzio Tone Zone a try.

 

[sebby123]

Another Vote for the BK Cold Sweat works amazing in les pauls!

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

H2+ is my favorite, i use the Aldrich is some guitars for the looks reason. like 2 out of 3 of my Aldrich are nickle.

or go for the H2+ and then swap the neck for and H1-!

 

[rupe]

I REALLY like Gibsons 500T...but that's in maple topped guitars...I don't have a Custom.

Customs have maple tops too, you just can't see them (though at some point in the 50's they were solid mahogany I believe).

the BBQ beats them hands down.

Tell me a bit more about this one. It works well for classic metal? (Ozzy, Priest, etc)

But, the next one I try will probably be the Bareknuckle Rebel Yell.

What makes you want to try that one over the other two you mentioned (those two are getting a lot of love in this thread)?

I have a JB in my 76 Custom, sounds great.

Is it a newer one or an old one? I had a very early JB in this guitar back in '91 and loved it...not sure why I felt the need to change it. I've tried several newer ones and they don't sound the same to me.

I've tried a TON of pickups. My 2 favorites for a Les Paul are the BKP Emerald and the WCR Godwood. They are very similar IMO. I do not like the Rio Grande BBQ at all

Can you elaorate on that a bit...what do your recommendations have over the BBQ?

Tell me more about the Aldrich...

High output, but still warm tone - nice present mids, not too much low end, still plenty of high end. Balanced, I guess... The thing I like about them is even with high gain, you can hear every note ring out when playing an open chord. Great clarity, sounds great with high gain or low gain amps.

Steve

Great description...thanks!

Have you tried Motor City pickups?
They look stock,but sound unreal.

I see that they have a bunch of models...is there a particular one that you would recommend for what I do?


Thanks everybody for all the recommendations...now I want to try them all

 

[Greazygeo]

I have a JB in my 76 Custom, sounds great.

Is it a newer one or an old one? I had a very early JB in this guitar back in '91 and loved it...not sure why I felt the need to change it. I've tried several newer ones and they don't sound the same to me.

[/quote]You probably started reading forums and finding out about all these $300 homemade garage wound pickups. The JB is a probably 5-8 years old. I have some 80's Duncans around (the Custom is one). The 80's JB's are very inconsistent. Some were nice and others super noisy. The ones in the last year or so are different construction and sound a bit different....like any pickup some work in some gtrs but not others.

 

[~Abstract~]

I REALLY like Gibsons 500T...but that's in maple topped guitars...I don't have a Custom.

Customs have maple tops too, you just can't see them (though at some point in the 50's they were solid mahogany I believe).

Then the 500T is even more applicable IMO.




But you'll need a 2 conductor (from a Guitar)...the 4 conductor (aftermarket) doesn't sound the same. So I've heard...I've only played originals.

 

[troublehead]

I REALLY like Gibsons 500T...but that's in maple topped guitars...I don't have a Custom.

Customs have maple tops too, you just can't see them (though at some point in the 50's they were solid mahogany I believe).

the BBQ beats them hands down.

Tell me a bit more about this one. It works well for classic metal? (Ozzy, Priest, etc)

But, the next one I try will probably be the Bareknuckle Rebel Yell.

What makes you want to try that one over the other two you mentioned (those two are getting a lot of love in this thread)?

I have a JB in my 76 Custom, sounds great.

Is it a newer one or an old one? I had a very early JB in this guitar back in '91 and loved it...not sure why I felt the need to change it. I've tried several newer ones and they don't sound the same to me.

I've tried a TON of pickups. My 2 favorites for a Les Paul are the BKP Emerald and the WCR Godwood. They are very similar IMO. I do not like the Rio Grande BBQ at all

Can you elaorate on that a bit...what do your recommendations have over the BBQ?

Tell me more about the Aldrich...

High output, but still warm tone - nice present mids, not too much low end, still plenty of high end. Balanced, I guess... The thing I like about them is even with high gain, you can hear every note ring out when playing an open chord. Great clarity, sounds great with high gain or low gain amps.

Steve

Great description...thanks!

Have you tried Motor City pickups?
They look stock,but sound unreal.

I see that they have a bunch of models...is there a particular one that you would recommend for what I do?


Thanks everybody for all the recommendations...now I want to try them all

The BBQ was way too thick sounding in my LP Standard. An overdose of mids and lows and hardly anything on the top. Just made everything muddy sounding to me. I feel the same way about "most" Dimarzios as well.

Most Duncans I've tried are just the opposite. The Custom and Custom 5 both sounded really thin and anemic with no body.

The BKP Emerald and WCR Godwood have plenty of high end as well as a full midsection...............but they NEVER sound gritty/harsh like say a Dimarzio Super Distortion. They are not super output, but have plenty of push for classic metal. My Emerald specs out around 14k. The Godwood is a touch less. But like I said, I find them very similar. I don't like anything above 15-16k and I HATE ceramic magnets.

A few others that I really like are the BG Bucker Dark and Smokestack. If you want Gibson, then the Classic 57 Plus does metal just fine (despite the A2 magnet). It has the tightness of an A5 in my opinion. If it weren't for boutique pups, this would be in my LP for sure.

As a reference..........a few others that I DID NOT like were the BKP Holy Diver, Motor City Afwayu (like a BBQ mud-wise and too tight for me), Duncan JB (nasal), and almost every Dimarzio I've tried except for the Breed.

 

[Strat+Marshall]

I have a Gibson '57 Classic + in my 1981 Les Paul Custom.

Sounds AMAZING!

This is it, I dig the regular classic too but you might want the extra push. Sykes was using a 57 classic in the bridge last I heard and his tone is as good as ever.

 

[James Lugo]

I've had more pickups in my Pauls then most, for classic rock you should try a Godwood. Do yourself a favor and take a shot, it's an amazing Les Paul pickup. If you want hotter try a Rebel Yell.

 

[RoidRage]

If you want a real organic full range sound, and let the amp do the distortion so you don't lose tone try a Burstbucker III...

Absolutely Awesome!

Roid RAGE

 

[Laura]

Tell me more about the Aldrich...

High output, but still warm tone - nice present mids, not too much low end, still plenty of high end. Balanced, I guess... The thing I like about them is even with high gain, you can hear every note ring out when playing an open chord. Great clarity, sounds great with high gain or low gain amps.

Steve

Thanks Steve. I am pretty sure I won't want that pickup as I like a little extra beef in the low end. The MCP, BK and BG stuff that I have tried has been great but I am converting from EMG85's which have great low end response in IMO. Some of the passives that I have tried did not quite cut it for me because of this.

 

[duesentrieb]

I like a little extra beef in the low end.

Why not consider a Duncan SH6/distortion then? I have them in my LPC '76 and like them.

 

[Laura]

I like a little extra beef in the low end.

Why not consider a Duncan SH6/distortion then? I have them in my LPC '76 and like them.

I have a Motor City Solution in both of my LP's right now and I am really happy with those. I was kinda curious about the Aldrich but decided to go the MCP way instead. After reading the review, I am pretty sure I went the right route.

 

[tonmazz]

I am in the same boat, will be looking forward to seeing what you end up with. I tried EMG, Suhr Aldrich and now the JB which as you said is pretty good. It just sounds so much better in the Charvel I have I find myself comparing the two. Let us know how you make out.

 

[reverymike]

The Rebel Yell just sounds like it is what I'm after. Open, hot, but not too hot, lots of mids, all around great 'rock' pickup. . .not metal.

The Aldrich is cool, but it's just not knocking me out.

The BBQ, I loved, but I had it in my guitar for about 4 years, recorded an album, toured the country, and felt like I wanted a change.

I'm 99% sure I'll be getting a Fender EVH Humbucker for my strat and a Rebel Yell for my Paul.

FYI, I have a Suhr, Anderson H2, Burstbucker Pro, and JBJ for sale in the classified section, I'll sell them ALL for $170 shipped!

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Lots of love for the 500t in here. IMO that's a great pup for a LP.

 

[blackba]

When I got my '73 LP custom, it had the stock T-top in the neck and a Rio Grande BBQ in the bridge. My particular guitar is very thick sounding and aggressive (compared to the 3 other LP's I have own/ed). The T-top didn't have enough high end or warmth, so I tried a SD Jazz I had around and really like that. For the bridge I found the BBQ too thick sounding and kind of fuzzy (I can hear this in Lugo's pickup shootout as it was my old BBQ he tested). It didn't have the clarity that I wanted. So I went with a Suhr Aldrich, which is high output, but very clear. It really improved my string definition over the BBQ. I also changed the tone pots to push pull so I could split the pickups. The Aldrich sounds great split, which is nice, when I don't want the guitar to be so thick sounding.

 

[mesanatic]

I've tried a TON of pickups. My 2 favorites for a Les Paul are the BKP Emerald and the WCR Godwood. They are very similar IMO. I do not like the Rio Grande BBQ at all

You find these similar. Good cause it's the two pickups I've narrowed my choices to for my Les Paul. Which one is a little better for leads? Looking at Van Halen, Led Zep, AIC, Sound Garden, Metallica, etc.. Basic rock mostly.

I'm guessing the BKP Emerald since it's hotter but, you would know first hand. And where do you suggest buying one?

 

[tnourse]

Duncan Distortion/Jazz combo kicks ass! Or the Aldrich set. That's what I'm currently using in my Les Paul.

If you want a 500T, let me know. I'm pretty sure I have one around here.

 

[thenine]

I am using the old stand-by jazz/JB combo in my custom. Very happy.