Pickup tone comparisons

[jimistone]

Whats wrong with the pickups that are in th guitar now?

 

[Mr. Moon]

Whats wrong with the pickups that are in th guitar now?

Just not quite "the" tone I'd like to have. I find then to be a bit "thin" sounding, especially when playing out live. If I tweak my amp to make the guitar sound really good when overdriven, it tends to have too much bass when I go to the clean channel ...gets all muddy and such. Wouldn't be as much of an issue if my amp had separate tone controls for each channel, but it doesn't, so both channels share the same tone settings.

-mr moon

 

[ocnor]

Just not quite "the" tone I'd like to have. I find then to be a bit "thin" sounding, especially when playing out live. If I tweak my amp to make the guitar sound really good when overdriven, it tends to have too much bass when I go to the clean channel ...gets all muddy and such. Wouldn't be as much of an issue if my amp had separate tone controls for each channel, but it doesn't, so both channels share the same tone settings.

-mr moon

It sounds like the amp is the problem and not the pickups.

 

[jimistone]

Just not quite "the" tone I'd like to have. I find then to be a bit "thin" sounding, especially when playing out live. If I tweak my amp to make the guitar sound really good when overdriven, it tends to have too much bass when I go to the clean channel ...gets all muddy and such. Wouldn't be as much of an issue if my amp had separate tone controls for each channel, but it doesn't, so both channels share the same tone settings.

-mr moon

Do you use any type of overdrive pedal?

I also use a tube amp.

Most overdrives suck the bass out of your tone when engauged. I just did a modification on a boss bluesdriver that solved that problem. When I set the tone on my amp for a clean sound it was fine....but when I click on the pedal to overdrive...it was thin sounding...when I set the amp to be thicker with the overdrive...clean was way too muddy. (that drives ya crazy)

If thats the case, it's not your pickups....it's the effects pedal.

After the mod...there is no noticeable difference in the tone, and bass response, from clean to distortion. Also, i have never had a pedal sound as sweet as this one since the mod.

Most les pauls have very good pickups and shouldn't need a swap IMO.

If this is the case....no pickup swap will help.
Plus, a good set of humbuckers will run you $200+ and a mod for virtually any stomp box will run about $60 if you send it to them and $30 bucks if you do it yourself.

(If you are interested in a pedal mod I can tell you where to download it from)

my 2 cents

 

[jimistone]

If its the amp....and you have a clean channel and an over drive channel that share the same tone controls.....does the drive channel have a pair of controls? A pre-gain (sets the amount of distortion) and a level (sets the overeall volume)?

If so, you can solder a 220 uf silver mica capacitor accross 2 of the 3 posts of the "pre-gain" pot.
problem solved

I just did that on my Fender Hot Rod Deville and the total cost was $1.15.

Do a web search for the model of amp you have with "modification" in the search.
Like "Marshall tube amp modification" and you will pull up several sites that discuss how to do that with your particular amp.

 

[jimistone]

If its the amp....and you have a clean channel and an over drive channel that share the same tone controls.....does the drive channel have a pair of controls? A pre-gain (sets the amount of distortion) and a level (sets the overeall volume)?

If so, you can solder a 220 uf silver mica capacitor accross 2 of the 3 posts of the "pre-gain" pot.
problem solved

I just did that on my Fender Hot Rod Deville and the total cost was $1.15.

Do a web search for the model of amp you have with "modification" in the search.
Like "Marshall tube amp modification" and you will pull up several sites that discuss how to do that with your particular amp.

I told you wrong....the 220 silver mica cap would go on the clean channel volume pot....it will brighten it up....the drive channel is already bright you said.

my bad

 

[Mr. Moon]

Thanks for the suggestions and everything, but rather than ripping into the amp, I think I'll just swap pickups first and see how that goes. The amp is a Marshall DSL100 with a 4x12 Mesa Recto cab. Frickin' thing rocks! And I love the tone with every guitar I own except for the Les Paul, which is the only guitar that I have this problem with. I don't have this problem when I use any of my other guitars with aftermarket pickups (SD and DiMarzio).

Anywho, getting late. Time to crash. Later!

-mr moon