Les Paul Custom Pickup Guide

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mermer

mermer

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Hi all! I find the 498t sounding good in my Les Paul Custom, but not great, the top end is too raspy. I tried underwound custombuckers in another les paul custom, they were very low output being the neck dominating the bridge pickup all the time. I changed these pickups in that guitar to Arcane 13 these pickups felt great but they were smooth (my setup was also different that time). Still, 13 set was way more suitable for my taste and style.

Now I have another Les Paul Custom and would like to try new pickups in it. I will use that guitar in a Tool cover band mainly, so it will live in D standard. The guitar is very open sounding with presence acoustically. The go-to choice would be a Seymour Duncan DDJ but it might sound very harsh in this guitar. Besides I am not searching for something very high output, my favourite bridge pickups are my TTops and used to low output pickups overall. Still I would like to go with something medium output range in this guitar.

After some research initial option:
- Motor city 2nd Degree Black Belt
- Motor city Afwayu
- Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell
- Bare Knuckle Polymath
- Arcane 13

If you have any experience with one of these pickups, or any other pickuo that you like, in a LP Custom please let me know.

Many thanks!
 
I just put a BKP Rebel Yell in my LP standard and can't put it down. It is on the hotter side but not crazy. Did you consider the slash 2.0/3.0? I had the 2.0 in the LP before and love them.

@EGW-Eric is very pickup knowledgeable, he may be able to provide some insight.

For Tool, I know @Sixstringflannel has done a deep dive on Adam's tone. He might have some helpful thoughts as well.

Good luck!
 
I've had the mcp 2nd degree bb and the afwayu. Loved the 2nd degree but the afwayu wasn't my thing. I currently have a SD whole lotta humbucker in my custom and it's been one of the best pickups I've had in it. I would recommend considering it as a slightly hot PAF that does awesome.
 
I've got a BKP Rebel Yell in an LPC and it's great! It's hot without being too hot and cleans up nicely with the volume. It's not overly modern sounding, either. I can get really close to Sykes tone through a Mk III.

I have another LPC with an old SD Distortion. It actually sounds really nice, not harsh at all. I've got an SD Alnico II Pro in the neck and they blend really nicely. Maybe a touch more scooped than the BKP RY, and a different sound, but in the same vein.

Another thought might be doing a magnet swap in that Custombucker. I put an Alnico IV from Throbak in one and it's a monster. The stock A3s were an interesting choice. Not bad in the neck, but the bridge can be plinky through some amps.
 
mermer said:
Hi all! I find the 498t sounding good in my Les Paul Custom, but not great, the top end is too raspy. I tried underwound custombuckers in another les paul custom, they were very low output being the neck dominating the bridge pickup all the time. I changed these pickups in that guitar to Arcane 13 these pickups felt great but they were smooth (my setup was also different that time). Still, 13 set was way more suitable for my taste and style.

Now I have another Les Paul Custom and would like to try new pickups in it. I will use that guitar in a Tool cover band mainly, so it will live in D standard. The guitar is very open sounding with presence acoustically. The go-to choice would be a Seymour Duncan DDJ but it might sound very harsh in this guitar. Besides I am not searching for something very high output, my favourite bridge pickups are my TTops and used to low output pickups overall. Still I would like to go with something medium output range in this guitar.

After some research initial option:
- Motor city 2nd Degree Black Belt
- Motor city Afwayu
- Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell
- Bare Knuckle Polymath
- Arcane 13

If you have any experience with one of these pickups, or any other pickuo that you like, in a LP Custom please let me know.

Many thanks!
Click to expand...
Duncan Custom.
 
I have a 2nd Degree Black Belt in the bridge of my Heritage 150CM. I have the T-wreck in the neck. Awesome pickups!!! I will be putting a set in my Edwards LPC. I am a huge MCP fan!!!
 
ilikehats said:
I just put a BKP Rebel Yell in my LP standard and can't put it down. It is on the hotter side but not crazy. Did you consider the slash 2.0/3.0? I had the 2.0 in the LP before and love them.

@EGW-Eric is very pickup knowledgeable, he may be able to provide some insight.

For Tool, I know @Sixstringflannel has done a deep dive on Adam's tone. He might have some helpful thoughts as well.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
@Sixstringflannel suggested many stuff in the other thread, I really appreciate

metalmaniac93 said:
I have a 2nd Degree Black Belt in the bridge of my Heritage 150CM. I have the T-wreck in the neck. Awesome pickups!!! I will be putting a set in my Edwards LPC. I am a huge MCP fan!!!
Click to expand...

I’m very curious about Rebel Yell and most probably it is the closest to what I am looking for but heard great things about MCP pickups (maybe not the delivery time and customer service) as well. So I would like to give one of the pickups from MCP lineup as well.
 
Last edited:
Also very much suggesting Rebel Yell. I had the stock 498s and once I changed -- Wowza! The Rebel Yell bridge pickup is clearer, louder and straight-up better sounding. I'm now regularly looking for used Rebel Yells since I'd swap them for what I have.
 
mermer said:
Hi all! I find the 498t sounding good in my Les Paul Custom, but not great, the top end is too raspy. I tried underwound custombuckers in another les paul custom, they were very low output being the neck dominating the bridge pickup all the time. I changed these pickups in that guitar to Arcane 13 these pickups felt great but they were smooth (my setup was also different that time). Still, 13 set was way more suitable for my taste and style.

Now I have another Les Paul Custom and would like to try new pickups in it. I will use that guitar in a Tool cover band mainly, so it will live in D standard. The guitar is very open sounding with presence acoustically. The go-to choice would be a Seymour Duncan DDJ but it might sound very harsh in this guitar. Besides I am not searching for something very high output, my favourite bridge pickups are my TTops and used to low output pickups overall. Still I would like to go with something medium output range in this guitar.

After some research initial option:
- Motor city 2nd Degree Black Belt
- Motor city Afwayu
- Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell
- Bare Knuckle Polymath
- Arcane 13

If you have any experience with one of these pickups, or any other pickuo that you like, in a LP Custom please let me know.

Many thanks!
Click to expand...
I like Planet Tone pickups in general and swapped a set into my LP to replace my 490R/498T set.

I do wonder if A4 magnets would help the Gibson set, and will swap some in there for fun in the future.

A5 magnets have that top end focus, and the 498T just has a bit too much, raspy, as you said. I think an A4 would help smooth it out and broaden the top end a bit.
 
If you want hot PAF's that are easily available.

SD 78 Model A2 mgnet 9.1K ohms
SD Whole Lotta Humbucker A5 magnet 8.9K ohms
SD Saturday Night Special A4 magnet 9.75K ohms
 
- Motor city Afwayu (very cool, I have a broken one right now lol)
- Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell (can't keep these around for more than a couple days)

I definitely think the Rebel Yell would suit what you're looking for. It's almost infallible. If you want to save a few bucks and place an order, let me know. Good luck regardless!

EDIT - I edited this post as an afterthought. The Duncan '59/Custom Hybrid might also be an exceptional choice for you. Certainly a less expensive entry but these almost can't sound bad either. A near perfect medium output pickup with exceptional mid-range.
 
Last edited:
Ignoramus said:
Also very much suggesting Rebel Yell. I had the stock 498s and once I changed -- Wowza! The Rebel Yell bridge pickup is clearer, louder and straight-up better sounding. I'm now regularly looking for used Rebel Yells since I'd swap them for what I have.
Click to expand...
EGW-Eric said:
- Motor city Afwayu (very cool, I have a broken one right now lol)
- Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell (can't keep these around for more than a couple days)

I definitely think the Rebel Yell would suit what you're looking for. It's almost infallible. If you want to save a few bucks and place an order, let me know. Good luck regardless!
Click to expand...

These really helped thanks! I found a good deal on Ebay (the seller was my old tech by complete coincidence) and bought a Rebel Yell bridge pickup. I will swap it and check for how it sounds, very curious and excited for it! Still, please let me know your further thoughts and experiences. I think Les Paul Custom is a wonderful base to try different pickups and sounds
 
Please let me know if anyone wants to get rid of their Rebel Yell neck, preferably in Nickel cover!
 
mermer said:
Please let me know if anyone wants to get rid of their Rebel Yell neck, preferably in Nickel cover!
Click to expand...
Don't forget that you can get whatever covers you want aftermarket and put them on. If you find an open faced you dig, grab em and put the covers on later is all I'm saying.
 
ChurchHill said:
I've got a BKP Rebel Yell in an LPC and it's great! It's hot without being too hot and cleans up nicely with the volume. It's not overly modern sounding, either. I can get really close to Sykes tone through a Mk III.

I have another LPC with an old SD Distortion. It actually sounds really nice, not harsh at all. I've got an SD Alnico II Pro in the neck and they blend really nicely. Maybe a touch more scooped than the BKP RY, and a different sound, but in the same vein.

Another thought might be doing a magnet swap in that Custombucker. I put an Alnico IV from Throbak in one and it's a monster. The stock A3s were an interesting choice. Not bad in the neck, but the bridge can be plinky through some amps.
Click to expand...

I have a Distortion set in my Edwards Sykes, sounds great and of course, YUGE.

I'm sure a Jazz would be very nice at the neck (a secret weapon for LPs), and will try it eventually.
 
The MCP 2nd degree is great. It’s one of my favorite low-med output pickups. It cleans up nicely and does great under gain. It has good aggression and bite without being too raspy or harsh. It can handle Tool stuff great with a few caveats.

It packs more punch than you’d expect, but there is a chance it may not satisfy that medium output level you're going for. IME, pickups in this output range are rather susceptible to either feeling spot on or undergained depending on the particular guitar.

It's also a very open sounding pickup with a hefty low end and stringiness to its character. It really has a killer character, but again depending on your guitar and/or rig there may be better choices for Tool.

Honestly, for Tool stuff I would lean towards the Garuda in the MCP lineup. It’s his take on the JB. It has that upper mid thing going on still, but it's less harsh, has slightly more lows that hold together better, and is juicier under the fingers while still tracking great. I have both the 2nd Degree and Garuda, and in most scenarios and rigs I find the Garuda more in line with Tool-esque tones both in terms of voicing and output. The Garuda sits in that medium to med-high output range; however, it's much cleaner sounding than either the JB or Distortion.

Hope that helps.
 
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