Help! Make my Les Paul sound great! Pickups...

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EleKtriKaz

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I have a 2001 Gibson Les Paul Classic with the slim 1960s neck, and I love this guitar, but I really hate the pickups. They look great (their the black and white zebra ones) but they sound really shrill. It takes a lot of tweaking with the tone and volume knobs and at the amp to get them sounding good on clean. On distortion they really blur some of the notes when I play a lead or solo type part with higher registers. They have plenty of sustain and growl, which I like, but they're just too shrill and harsh.

I've checked out different pickups online, but all the descriptions sound the same...and it's like, "Well how are they gonna sound in my guitar?"

So, anybody changed the pickups in their Les Paul? Have any favorites? I know Gibson has a lot of different series of pickups that they put in their different guitars...which ones sound better? I'm not even sure which models are in mine. BTW I would like pickups that are versatile, good for rock, sound good on clean as well, and are not shrill or harsh. Hopefully I've provided enogh info.

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
What kind of music are you generally playing?

Maybe find a tone that you like from a professional, and determine the pickup and amp...
 
I also have a Classic I just bought recently...Nice guit! sh*tty pickups..I agree..One of the guys here{Thanks} steared me to Gibson "Burst Buckers"...Now it sounds as nice as it looks!They are the a little more expensive but well worth the price{about 100.00 per P/U}...if you go and play a Standard you will get a idea how they sound...Good luck
 
Henri Devill said:
I also have a Classic I just bought recently...Nice guit! sh*tty pickups..I agree..One of the guys here{Thanks} steared me to Gibson "Burst Buckers"...Now it sounds as nice as it looks!They are the a little more expensive but well worth the price{about 100.00 per P/U}...if you go and play a Standard you will get a idea how they sound...Good luck
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glad to hear you liked them. did you get the bb's that they put in the standards, or some of the other bb's? they put bb pro's in the standards, and they put bb 1's,2's, and 3's in the custom shop guitars. i think i forgot to tell you that.......the bb pro's are the highest output of the series. i think i actually forgot about them all together when i was telling you about them.
 
donkeystyle said:
glad to hear you liked them. did you get the bb's that they put in the standards, or some of the other bb's? they put bb pro's in the standards, and they put bb 1's,2's, and 3's in the custom shop guitars. i think i forgot to tell you that.......the bb pro's are the highest output of the series. i think i actually forgot about them all together when i was telling you about them.
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Hey Ben..I got a 1 in the bridge and a 2 in the neck...They are great!They even have the wooden shims like the old "real" PAF's.Thanks for stearing me in the right direction :) The funny thing is the the Guitar Factory{buiders/repair shop} said that I should save the original P'U's in case I ever decided to sell the Classic because sombody would want the originals..I find that hard to belive..LOL
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Those Burst Buckers sound pretty cool. Do they sound good on clean?

I think one of the issues with the pickups that they put in the Classics is that they're higher output than the ones that are put into the Standards.

I will definitely check out the BBs. Any other suggestions?
 
EleKtriKaz said:
Those Burst Buckers sound pretty cool. Do they sound good on clean?
Click to expand...

Yup, they sound very nice clean also..There are also EMG's for clean..I have some in a Strat..Nice P/U's also..They lack alittle personality..but one mans lack is one mans gain :)
 
Check out Carvin's C22B and N. You can try them and return them if they don't work out.

The song in my signature line was recorded with a Carvin guitar with a C22T, the forerunner to the B. The B is said to be smoother.
 
I just checked out the BBs...damnit why do they have to have those stupid shiny covers on them!

This is a pic of what my guitar looks like:
http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/lespaul/images/lpstransamber.jpg

Except my guitar doesn't have the pickup covers on it, and the fret markers and tuning pegs are kind of a faded green instead of the new looking white. It has the zebra pickups, and I think they look WAY better. Anyone know if you can get them with out the covers?
 
I found some BBs on Ebay for $85 ea. new, looks like a pretty good deal. I'm definitely leaning towards them. Thanks for all the replys. Anyone seen a better deal anywhere?
 
For myself, my favorite humbuckers right now are the Seymour Duncan Alnico II and the Pearly Gates, in the neck and bridge respectively.


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