Alnico Classic Pickups in the LP Standard

[Jeff Bostic]

Just wondering if anyone has made pickup swaps on a standard and wished they hadn't. I find mine a bit dark and am tempted to change them for something brighter. But with equalization I can get a better sound. Not crazy good, but better. Would I be chasing my tail to start down that road of searching for pickup holy grail, or is it better to stand pat?

 

Have you found something else that's way better and you'd never go back to the originals?

[gearhead]

My rhythm guitarist had an Epi LP with the Classics. Man it would feedback horribly at stage volume, unusable and VERY annoying.. Didn't sound good at all.

We swapped them for a set of SD Jazz & JB. So much better!

Since them he sold that guitar and bought the Prophesy with Gibson 489T / 490R pickups.

That guitar sounds excellent! I have a set of those in me Epi G400, no comparison at all to the stock pickups.

.

[mihcmac]

If yiou have the Epiphone Alnico Classic Humbucker neck and the Epiphone Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker bridge. Note that pups that chrome cover tend to be brighter/thinner sounding, while exposed coil pups tend to be fatter/dirtier/louder like the SD's.

 

Most of the current Les Paul Standards are using Gibson USA BurstBucker 1 neck and Gibson USA BurstBucker 2 bridge. These on Standards are usually covered hot pickups.

 

Humbuckers covered or uncovered or even double coil, coil tapping or single coil it all depends on what you want. If you want endless thick overdriven sustain... Uncovered humbuckers.....

 

 

I have a Custom Shop 56 Les Paul Standard Pro with Alnico P-90 Pro's that is like a whole other sound genre. But I use P-90's on all my guitars.

[Jeff Bostic]

My rhythm guitarist had an Epi LP with the Classics. Man it would feedback horribly at stage volume, unusable and VERY annoying.. Didn't sound good at all.

We swapped them for a set of SD Jazz & JB. So much better!

Since them he sold that guitar and bought the Prophesy with Gibson 489T / 490R pickups.

That guitar sounds excellent! I have a set of those in me Epi G400, no comparison at all to the stock pickups.

.

 

What do you think of GFS pickups? I may be wrong but its seems they have pickups comparable to the SD Jazz and JB. I'd like to

get those SD sounds but I'd like it better if I could pay lees to get them.

[Jeff Bostic]

If yiou have the Epiphone Alnico Classic Humbucker neck and the Epiphone Alnico Classic Plus Humbucker bridge. Note that pups that chrome cover tend to be brighter/thinner sounding, while exposed coil pups tend to be fatter/dirtier/louder like the SD's.

 

Most of the current Les Paul Standards are using Gibson USA BurstBucker 1 neck and Gibson USA BurstBucker 2 bridge. These on Standards are usually covered hot pickups.

 

Humbuckers covered or uncovered or even double coil, coil tapping or single coil it all depends on what you want. If you want endless thick overdriven sustain... Uncovered humbuckers.....

 

 

I have a Custom Shop 56 Les Paul Standard Pro with Alnico P-90 Pro's that is like a whole other sound genre. But I use P-90's on all my guitars.

 

I know a lot of guys love P-90's. Seems even Les Paul himself used them a lot in his Pauls. I've never tried them myself but I always wanted to just to see what the hub-bub was all about. Can you point me to a youtube where I can get a good idea of how they sound in an LP?

[mihcmac]

I know a lot of guys love P-90's. Seems even Les Paul himself used them a lot in his Pauls. I've never tried them myself but I always wanted to just to see what the hub-bub was all about. Can you point me to a youtube where I can get a good idea of how they sound in an LP?

 

The P-90 was designed by Les Paul used on the first Les Pauls in the early 50's. In 57 Gibson introduced the humbucker.

 

Epiphone uses primarily 2 different P-90's the "P-90 Classic" used on the 56 Les Paul Goldtop that has a D slim taper neck, that also comes in black. The "P-90 Pro" used on the 56 Les Paul Standard Pro that has the C rounded neck, which also comes in a Goldtop or black, blue or red.

 

youtube videos

 

 

 

 

below is the Les Paul Standard I have...

 

 

P-90's aren't for everyone. I am addicted to the squawky tone they produce, now all my guitars have them.

[Jeff Bostic]

The P-90 was designed by Les Paul used on the first Les Pauls in the early 50's. In 57 Gibson introduced the humbucker.

 

Epiphone uses primarily 2 different P-90's the "P-90 Classic" used on the 56 Les Paul Goldtop that has a D slim taper neck, that also comes in black. The "P-90 Pro" used on the 56 Les Paul Standard Pro that has the C rounded neck, which also comes with in a Goldtop or black, blue or red.

 

youtube videos

 

 

 

 

below is the Les Paul Standard I have...

 

 

P-90's aren't for everyone. I am addicted to the squawky tone they produce, now all my guitars have them.

 

Thanks for the surprising (at least to me) history lesson. Les Paul designed the P-90? That's cool. Can't wait to check out the links you listed.

[Jeff Bostic]

The P-90 was designed by Les Paul used on the first Les Pauls in the early 50's. In 57 Gibson introduced the humbucker.

 

Epiphone uses primarily 2 different P-90's the "P-90 Classic" used on the 56 Les Paul Goldtop that has a D slim taper neck, that also comes in black. The "P-90 Pro" used on the 56 Les Paul Standard Pro that has the C rounded neck, which also comes with in a Goldtop or black, blue or red.

 

youtube videos

 

 

 

 

below is the Les Paul Standard I have...

 

 

P-90's aren't for everyone. I am addicted to the squawky tone they produce, now all my guitars have them.

 

Yeah, the

link was good for showing a direct compare to a HB guitar. P-90s sounded great. To have them both in the same pu I saw a guy reviewing them at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIZqqjdZ1Hw. The pickups are SD P-Rails. Sounded pretty good.

[mihcmac]

What do you think of GFS pickups? I may be wrong but its seems they have pickups comparable to the SD Jazz and JB. I'd like to

get those SD sounds but I'd like it better if I could pay lees to get them.

I have used GFS on a few of my guitars, but I have only used their P-90's. I used Humbucker sized P-90's on my Explorer and upgraded the P-90's on my Les Paul DC. In both cases they were very well made and I was pleased with the sound I get from them.

 

They have a wide range of selection on their Humbuckers, I would imagine the quality is very high and they primarily use Kwikplug wiring..

 

https://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Guitar-Pickups_c_7.html

 

 

[Jeff Bostic]

I have used GFS on a few of my guitars, but I have only used their P-90's. I used Humbucker sized P-90's on my Explorer and upgraded the P-90's on my Les Paul DC. In both cases they were very well made and I was pleased with the sound I get from them.

 

They have a wide range of selection on their Humbuckers, I would imagine the quality is very high and they primarily use Kwikplug wiring..

 

https://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Guitar-Pickups_c_7.html

 

I'm kind of thinking since you say the GFS P-90 HB sized pu's are good, I might just get one for the bridge and leave the stock neck pu in place. I really like it for jazzy stuff. Might be a good combo. Kind of like having a Tele stock bridge and a HB in the neck.

 

What about cap values for the P-90? I'd probably want something more appropriate. What's normal for a P-90?

[mihcmac]

Capacitor Can of Worms.. P-90 capacitor usage requires experimentation usually range from .022uF to .047uF, which can also be found used with humbuckers. A lower capacitance will have a slower finer reaction and higher will be more extreme with a wider range of effect on the tone. So when you are on "10" there will be no capacitance compared to full capacitance on "0". From what I have read Seymour Duncan recommends a .047uF cap and ceramic or foil makes no discernible difference.

 

There is also a "treble bleed circuit" which is a capacitor and resistor wired together in parallel. One of my Epi 61 SG Specials is setup this way from the factory with a one piece resistor/cap that works quite well, my other one has a fat cap.

 

I have P-90 guitars setup with each of the above conditions, they react slightly different. I do like the wider tone range with the .047uF cap the best.

 

P-90's are loud and dirty when used at full volume, one of the tricks with them is to back off the volume and tone a bit to avoid 60 cycle hum. My Epiphone Blueshawk uses a hidden phantom coil so its P-90's have hum cancelling. Or you get a noiseless P-90 that has a secondary coil for hum cancelling making it a humbucker that reacts and sounds like a P-90. Like SD's P Rails.

 

The GFS P-90's can be bought in matched pairs where the neck pickup has a reverse wound coil so when your selector switch is in mid position you have hum cancelling. This is what I did on my guitars.

 

Sorry if I went off the deep end but there is no simple answer... :unsure:

 

 

Epiphone has 2 new Lee Malia models that use the phantom or dummy coil like the Blueshawk. Interesting the way they set them up using Gibson USA pickups, one with coil tapping.

 

http://www.epiphone....san-Outfit.aspx

 

http://www.epiphone....san-Outfit.aspx

[Revolution Six]

Gibson and Seymour Duncan make very good humbuckers , better than Panasonic/Epiphone humbuckers.

 

Epi P90 are not bad but not fantastic, Gibson P90 sound incredible,my favorite are LINDY FRALIN P90

[212West]

I had a Dimarzio Super Distortion along with an SH-2 in the neck in a 2007 Epi Les Paul

not a common pair but it worked great

 

 

Epiphones at the time needed about as much doctoring as you could give them.

[Jeff Bostic]

Sorry if I went off the deep end but there is no simple answer... :unsure:

 

Not at all, man. Good info. I appreciate it :).

[Jeff Bostic]

Gibson and Seymour Duncan make very good humbuckers , better than Panasonic/Epiphone humbuckers.

 

Epi P90 are not bad but not fantastic, Gibson P90 sound incredible,my favorite are LINDY FRALIN P90

 

Can you get a Gibson P-90 in a HB size? That might be the ticket for me in the bridge.

[Jeff Bostic]

I had a Dimarzio Super Distortion along with an SH-2 in the neck in a 2007 Epi Les Paul

not a common pair but it worked great

 

 

Epiphones at the time needed about as much doctoring as you could give them.

 

Seems like that would be a wicked combo. Love the avatar, by the way. Epiphone clipped ear headstocks rule. I call my standard a "Jazz Paul" .

[Jeff Bostic]

Hold the boat. I might just love the stock pu's after installing a new set of EL84 Groove Tubes in the amp. I had been hearing a low pitched bubbling for a while. It would come and go. Kind of driving me batty at times. Today I put in the new tubes. The bubbles went away and all of a sudden I got a really cleaned up sound on every pu position. Way more "alive" than before, actually almost acoustic sounding when played clean. Cheap production tubes I guess. It's a Bugera V22 Infinium.

[mihcmac]

Hold the boat. I might just love the stock pu's after installing a new set of EL84 Groove Tubes in the amp. I had been hearing a low pitched bubbling for a while. It would come and go. Kind of driving me batty at times. Today I put in the new tubes. The bubbles went away and all of a sudden I got a really cleaned up sound on every pu position. Way more "alive" than before, actually almost acoustic sounding when played clean. Cheap production tubes I guess. It's a Bugera V22 Infinium.

 

Nothing like a happy ending.....

[Jeff Bostic]

Nothing like a happy ending.....

 

[wildkat1]

Jeff....I rewired my Epi LP Standard Limited Edition (1998) and used pushback style braided wire from toggle switch right thru to the endpin jack. replaced all the pots, the toggle and the jack with high end parts. Sounds better to me and is clean as silk. It took a while but I love playing it now. I am not a fan of replacing pups because if your doing that why not just buy an LP with the right pups to start with??? BTW, are you the Jeff Bostic on TCM?? If you are...you're my hero!!!!