Hard Rock/Metal Gibson players.. Which Pickups for LP?

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jwhitman

jwhitman

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Once I get my damn'd Les Paul out of layaway, I'm going to re-do a bunch of things on her, including the pups.

With that said, what pups are you guys using in your Les Pauls? Mine's a standard, maple top, rosewood board. She's very evenly voiced, if not just a hair on the bright side at the moment. I'm looking for something thick and articulate for chugga chugga brootz with singing, round lead tones as well. Hell, I LOVE the demo tunes I've heard of the BKP Aftermath pickups. But I don't want to make an uneducated decision on a 300 dollar set of pups either.

So, to end the rambling, what are you using in your LPs? And PLEASE post clips of your suggestions, prefferably in a Les Paul, seeing as they tend to have a voice of their own in comparison to other axes.

Fodder for the LP lovers and payment for your suggestion.....
 

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I would strongly recommend Wade's Solutions for brootz. They are a tad bright
 
I stopped searching for pickups in my LP once I put in a set of Duncan Pearly Gates.
 
Nico":g3nghmyk said:
BARE KNUCKLE PICKUPS, they are the best!!!
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbsup:

You beat me to the punch...!!

Razor hard metal, the Painkillers.
Newer metal with a nice touch, Nailbombs.
High Gain Amp?? Go with a lower output pup like the Emeralds.
Soooooooooooooooo many options.

But BKP are da bomb!!

V. :D
 
+1 on the BKP's.

I have Warpigs in a couple of my Les Paul Customs and a Painkiller in another one. I used to have a Nailbomb and dug it, too.
 
LOL. All the BKP recommendations, I went ahead and just emailed Tim about what style and what I'm looking for.

@Casey, Thanks for the post! I don't know if it was the recording, or possibly just pups that aren't for me, but I didn't like a single one of those. Actually, I got to the point where I skipped through to hear pieces of pups and turn it off. Although, I might stir some fire up... I've never really been a Bogner fan either... The tones he was creating didn't have enough balls for me. I always pursue a tone that is THICK and powerful. To me, those pups sounded like the guitar's volume was rolled off or something.
 
Another +1 for Bare Knuckles.

I asked Tim for a hard rock pickup for my LP Classic to cover a style similar to new Whitesnake; Lynyrd Skynyrd on steroids with Guns n Roses gain type of thing.
Riff Raff bridge and The Mule neck.
I wasn't sure it would work at first or if the PAF nature would be enough to push my old Marshall 2210, so what about Rebel Yells etc. Tim said these will work best, and he uses this set in an Ozzy Tribute.
They are awesome. Even on heavier stuff when boosting with a Keeley SD1 they are fantastic.

I have an Aldrich set in a LP standard, but I prefer the RR/TM most of the time. The RR is crunchy and ballsy, but brighter- the Aldrich is a little thicker and more compressed.
Both neck pickups are great too, but the Aldrich is a bit hotter and smoother, whereas the Mule is clearer and with an old school mid range.
Both sets are great for hard rock, just depends on tastes.
 
The Luke":10snli4n said:
Another +1 for Bare Knuckles.

I asked Tim for a hard rock pickup for my LP Classic to cover a style similar to new Whitesnake; Lynyrd Skynyrd on steroids with Guns n Roses gain type of thing.
Riff Raff bridge and The Mule neck.
I wasn't sure it would work at first or if the PAF nature would be enough to push my old Marshall 2210, so what about Rebel Yells etc. Tim said these will work best, and he uses this set in an Ozzy Tribute.
They are awesome. Even on heavier stuff when boosting with a Keeley SD1 they are fantastic.

I have an Aldrich set in a LP standard, but I prefer the RR/TM most of the time. The RR is crunchy and ballsy, but brighter- the Aldrich is a little thicker and more compressed.
Both neck pickups are great too, but the Aldrich is a bit hotter and smoother, whereas the Mule is clearer and with an old school mid range.
Both sets are great for hard rock, just depends on tastes.
Click to expand...


I've got Riff Raffs... TOTALLY underrated pups. Soooooooo chewy and wicked sounding. Like I said many a time before, putting moderate-output pups through a higher gain amp is the shiznit. Seriously. I'm thinking/toying with the idea of retro-fitting some of my Lesters with the "Vintage" collection of pups by BKP. And these pretty well all go through hi-potency amps. RR's, Mules, or for a slightly higher output, Emeralds. Soooooooo tasty :yes:

V.
 
Ventura":1ynfpmkz said:
The Luke":1ynfpmkz said:
Another +1 for Bare Knuckles.

I asked Tim for a hard rock pickup for my LP Classic to cover a style similar to new Whitesnake; Lynyrd Skynyrd on steroids with Guns n Roses gain type of thing.
Riff Raff bridge and The Mule neck.
I wasn't sure it would work at first or if the PAF nature would be enough to push my old Marshall 2210, so what about Rebel Yells etc. Tim said these will work best, and he uses this set in an Ozzy Tribute.
They are awesome. Even on heavier stuff when boosting with a Keeley SD1 they are fantastic.

I have an Aldrich set in a LP standard, but I prefer the RR/TM most of the time. The RR is crunchy and ballsy, but brighter- the Aldrich is a little thicker and more compressed.
Both neck pickups are great too, but the Aldrich is a bit hotter and smoother, whereas the Mule is clearer and with an old school mid range.
Both sets are great for hard rock, just depends on tastes.
Click to expand...


I've got Riff Raffs... TOTALLY underrated pups. Soooooooo chewy and wicked sounding. Like I said many a time before, putting moderate-output pups through a higher gain amp is the shiznit. Seriously. I'm thinking/toying with the idea of retro-fitting some of my Lesters with the "Vintage" collection of pups by BKP. And these pretty well all go through hi-potency amps. RR's, Mules, or for a slightly higher output, Emeralds. Soooooooo tasty :yes:

V.
Click to expand...

Very underrated. People must think they are bright, perhaps on the thinner side, and for SGs to play classic rock. I did, and how wrong I was.
Tim said they are much fatter and richer than The Mule, which has a flatter response by comparison. The Mule neck is nice and open too.

I have also never understood the high output pickup in to a high preamp gain amp thing either. However, with my amp being lowish gain, I wasn't sure how low an output pickup I could get away with. Turns out pretty low, and Tim was right as he usually seems to be :) The man knows pickups, and can really rip a Les Paul through a JCM800.
 
I have a stock Gibson in the neck position and an Aldrich in the bridge of my 35th Anniv Custom. The guitar rocks as is. Actually the stock bridge was pretty good too, but the neck was overpowering it and it was a tad bright. The Aldrich just evens things out now.
 
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