Les Paul Custom Pickup Guide

[mermer]

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.

Thanks for the suggestion! I would like to try the MCP eventually but the infedefinite waiting time pushes me back a little. I heard about Garuda as well, I am sure it’s a killer pickup. I would like to try the Jerry Cantrell Horse Hog if I find a used one but it would have a different kind of voicing then what I am after for this project I suppose.

 

[Deleted member 77333]

My 1997 CS / 68 RI LPC has 57 Classics and they're a perfect fit. No pup swap needed.

 

[mermer]

My 1997 CS / 68 RI LPC has 57 Classics and they're a perfect fit. No pup swap needed.

It’s a killer looking axe. Enjoy it in good health!

 

[mermer]

I would like to wake this thread up. What are your favourite pickups in a Les Paul Custom?

 

[Findthetone1]

It kind of becomes a one trick pony, but OG Dirty Fingers in a Custom are my favorite. I don't have a true Gibson Custom atm, I have a Bacchus MIJ Custom and I put Wolfetone Greywolfs in it. I still my put my DF in.

 

[mermer]

It kind of becomes a one trick pony, but OG Dirty Fingers in a Custom are my favorite. I don't have a true Gibson Custom atm, I have a Bacchus MIJ Custom and I put Wolfetone Greywolfs in it. I still my put my DF in.

I tried 13 from Arcane Inc, spec wise they are similar as well, Dirty Fingers have a bit more resistance and Ceramic instead A8.

I remember Mike Sullivan from Russian Circles mentioned them one of the earlier Rig Rundowns as well. Then he proceed with lower output Lollar Imperial High Wind's and DiMarzio Fortitude most recently.

 

[napalmdeath]

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!

Believe it or not, the 36th Anniversary Dimarzios cover ALOT of ground. Not overly hot, and VERY balanced. I put a pair in my brother's '93 LP Studio about 6-7 years ago, (it's a good era guitar with a lot of mojo), and I just did a much needed setup after a few years of neglect. Those pickups did rock to absolutely punishing drop-D through my Engl. I forgot how great those pickups are. I had an ESP EC-1000T that came with them years ago and fell in love with them. They were an excellent choice in the LP. For a little hotter, do it all, you can't beat a Duncan Custom SH-5.

 

[Music&Chaos]

I stock a lot of my guitars with Planet Tone pickups pretty much, including my Les Paul. I dig em.

 

[reignman454]

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!

What is JB, I said it.

 

[SFW]

I’ve had the Afayu, Polymath and Rebel Yell in my LPC. They were all great pickups. The Afayu has been the one to stay. It just has something that makes my guitar really come alive. It’s warm but still cuts. It has enough heat to drive the amp without sounding overly compressed. I have clips of all of them on my YouTube page.

 

[mermer]

I stock a lot of my guitars with Planet Tone pickups pretty much, including my Les Paul. I dig em.

I see their name more frequently in Rig Talk. The prices are very reasonable. That's good that they are providing good service for reasonable prices while a lot boutique brands do exactly the opposite.

Believe it or not, the 36th Anniversary Dimarzios cover ALOT of ground. Not overly hot, and VERY balanced. I put a pair in my brother's '93 LP Studio about 6-7 years ago, (it's a good era guitar with a lot of mojo), and I just did a much needed setup after a few years of neglect. Those pickups did rock to absolutely punishing drop-D through my Engl. I forgot how great those pickups are. I had an ESP EC-1000T that came with them years ago and fell in love with them. They were an excellent choice in the LP. For a little hotter, do it all, you can't beat a Duncan Custom SH-5.

36th Anniversary PAF's are in my mind for a long time. I will try them out eventually. Thanks for mentioning.

What is JB, I said it.

For me the search is more general. I like Les Paul Custom's and try different pickups in different flavors. There are a lot of great pickups out there so there is no time to waste!

I’ve had the Afayu, Polymath and Rebel Yell in my LPC. They were all great pickups. The Afayu has been the one to stay. It just has something that makes my guitar really come alive. It’s warm but still cuts. It has enough heat to drive the amp without sounding overly compressed. I have clips of all of them on my YouTube page.

I watched them! I remember Polymath sounding darker them Rebel Yell, Rebel Yell was sounding lean and mean! Afwayu was the best sounding one among them for me as well, at least in your videos, which is a good comparison because the other factors (the guitar, the setup etc.) seems to be the same. I would really like to try some Motor City Pickups. Afwayu seems a bit too hot for me, I would prefer to stay in the medium output realm.

 

[DrewJD82]

I’m obsessed with the Mojotone Hellbenders-

No boosts, no Hot Mod, just a dimed 50-watt Plexi and some delay in the loop-


And into a Friedman BE-100-

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

It kind of becomes a one trick pony, but OG Dirty Fingers in a Custom are my favorite. I don't have a true Gibson Custom atm, I have a Bacchus MIJ Custom and I put Wolfetone Greywolfs in it. I still my put my DF in.

Dirty Fingers have a gnarly grit that I like. Makes your guitar a specialist for sure, but they have it.

I've only played old school DFs in a 1984 Explorer, which sounded awesome. I've heard people say recent DFs aren't the same, but I can't imagine paying $300-$400 for a single "vintage" DF pickup now. Stll, would love to have at least the bridge model for my Edwards Sykes.

 

[mermer]

I’m obsessed with the Mojotone Hellbenders-

No boosts, no Hot Mod, just a dimed 50-watt Plexi and some delay in the loop-


And into a Friedman BE-100-

They sound sick indeed! I think it’s a bit too much, my amps have already generous amount of preamp so something very hot might result a mud.

Dirty Fingers have a gnarly grit that I like. Makes your guitar a specialist for sure, but they have it.

I've only played old school DFs in a 1984 Explorer, which sounded awesome. I've heard people say recent DFs aren't the same, but I can't imagine paying $300-$400 for a single "vintage" DF pickup now. Stll, would love to have at least the bridge model for my Edwards Sykes.

I hear them a lot, if I find one give it a chance

 

[itsme]

I've had an Afwayu in one of my Paul's for ages. I occasionally consider swapping it out for something low output because that's what you're supposed to do. Then I play it and wonder WTH was I thinking?

 

[mermer]

I've had an Afwayu in one of my Paul's for ages. I occasionally consider swapping it out for something low output because that's what you're supposed to do. Then I play it and wonder WTH was I thinking?

what does the rest of your setup look like? do you use any boosts or all the gain come from the amp? The DC resistance makes me shy away from the Afwayu. Detroiter might be a starting point for me. Strange he does not offer any middle output 43AWG humbuckers

 

[johnny q]

Despite being introduced in the 1950s, I always considered my 1989 Les Paul Custom my "Metal" guitar! I yanked the original Bill Lawrence designed "circuit board" pickups out and had the Gibson 500T and 496R in there. Later I replaced them with the Rio Grande BBQ and Genuine TX set. Then, I had the Suhr Aldrich set. And finally, settled on the venerable Duncan JB/Jazz combo that has been in place almost 2 decades.

 

[Holy-diver]

JWP Godwood has been the best I have played/owned in LPC. It’s kind of mid output but just sounds and feels awesome.

 

[bennyslo]

This might be a bit left field, but the last time I had an LP, the stock pickups weren't hitting the spot and I ended up replacing them with a pair of WCR Icebuckers. Nice sounding pickups, lowish output and had a unique percussive attack. Not sure if they are still made since Jon Schaffer went ol mad dog but worth checking out

 

[itsme]

what does the rest of your setup look like? do you use any boosts or all the gain come from the amp? The DC resistance makes me shy away from the Afwayu. Detroiter might be a starting point for me. Strange he does not offer any middle output 43AWG humbuckers

No boosts. Strait into Friedman BE100, Bogner 101B, or Gower mod for live use. I do use an SD1 with my DSL20 at rehearsals, cause I prefer running the gain lower and boosting it.