Change Electronics on Historics or no?

[pippy]

So with that in mind, and your swapping out..............

What pickups? and What harnesses, has anyone had excellent experiences with.

As to what I would recommend it all depends on what music you wish to play.

Innards are easy enough. I have regular CTS 500k audio-taper pots and regular .022mF PIO caps wired-up '50s style in all my Les Pauls. It's simply how I like them.

 

Pickups? For British Blues Boom stuff my preference is for regular Gibson '57 Classics. For songs which needs more oopmh I actually like the oft-derided 496R + 500T ceramic pairing.

I also have a matched set of the highly regarded Seymour Duncan Antiquities in one LP which are great once dialled-in but there's a very narrow window between them being absolutely 'On Song' and completely 'Off Colour'. But, then again, it could just be me. Perhaps I just need more practice with them.

 

If you don't particularly like the BBs in your Historic you should check out (if you have not already done so) the 57 Classics.

I've heard many Boutique PAF clones but to my ear the 57s still sound closer to what I think of as the archetypal Les Paul / PAF sound.

 

Good luck and keep us informed of how you go.

 

Pip.

[MichaelT]

It's your guitar and you can do what you want. Personally, I wouldn't. I'd play with the volume and tone controls on the guitar and on the amp and see about dialing in the right sound, particularly since you've said that they all sound the same.

 

In any case, keep the original stuff just in case you want to sell it some day.

[justtryme]

As to what I would recommend it all depends on what music you wish to play.

Innards are easy enough. I have regular CTS 500k audio-taper pots and regular .022mF PIO caps wired-up '50s style in all my Les Pauls. It's simply how I like them.

 

Pickups? For British Blues Boom stuff my preference is for regular Gibson '57 Classics. For songs which needs more oopmh I actually like the oft-derided 496R + 500T ceramic pairing.

I also have a matched set of the highly regarded Seymour Duncan Antiquities in one LP which are great once dialled-in but there's a very narrow window between them being absolutely 'On Song' and completely 'Off Colour'. But, then again, it could just be me. Perhaps I just need more practice with them.

 

If you don't particularly like the BBs in your Historic you should check out (if you have not already done so) the 57 Classics.

I've heard many Boutique PAF clones but to my ear the 57s still sound closer to what I think of as the archetypal Les Paul / PAF sound.

 

Good luck and keep us informed of how you go.

 

Pip.

 

Thanks Pip

I think thats actually an great idea.

Back in the day I remember playing an LP some guy had and couldnt believe how the pickups sounded

I asked the guy and he said they were 57 classics

that sounded to me much more to a paf than any bbs Ive heard

Thx

[justtryme]

well we ALL do.. so nothing of a mystery there. We're all trying to achieve the sound that's in our head.. {As long as I can keep those voices quiet long enough... :unsure: }

 

Lol

[justtryme]

It's your guitar and you can do what you want. Personally, I wouldn't. I'd play with the volume and tone controls on the guitar and on the amp and see about dialing in the right sound, particularly since you've said that they all sound the same.

 

In any case, keep the original stuff just in case you want to sell it some day.

 

 

Yup

thx MT

[NighthawkChris]

FWIF, 57 Classics are great pickups. I have a set in my LP Custom 68 RI. Never tried out BBs before, but IMO, if you can't get the 57 Classics to sound good to your ears, there might be something wrong with your ears, haha! Just messing around. It all depends on what the player wants to do with their guitar to sound the way it should to their ears. I may not always agree with what they may or may not want to do, but it is not my guitar. Best regards!

[justtryme]

FWIF, 57 Classics are great pickups. I have a set in my LP Custom 68 RI. Never tried out BBs before, but IMO, if you can't get the 57 Classics to sound good to your ears, there might be something wrong with your ears, haha! Just messing around. It all depends on what the player wants to do with their guitar to sound the way it should to their ears. I may not always agree with what they may or may not want to do, but it is not my guitar. Best regards!

 

 

Well anything I have ever done to my guitars to adjust to my ears, the comments have been. How do you get that sound? I have the same guitar and it doesnt sound like that.

[Black Dog]

 

...I also have a matched set of the highly regarded Seymour Duncan Antiquities in one LP which are great once dialled-in...

 

Pip.

 

I'll second that.

 

I also have a set of SD Seth Lovers that are very good, very similar to the Antiquities. I also think both of those compare favorably to Custombuckers. Which they should because they are all underwound, unpotted PAFs.

 

 

 

[justtryme]

I'll second that.

 

I also have a set of SD Seth Lovers that are very good, very similar to the Antiquities. I also think both of those compare favorably to Custombuckers. Which they should because they are all underwound, unpotted PAFs.

 

Curious Ive had many Seth Lovers. What is the difference that you hear between these and Antiquities. Always wanted a set, never got around to it.

[Black Dog]

Curious Ive had many Seth Lovers. What is the difference that you hear between these and Antiquities. Always wanted a set, never got around to it.

 

Sorry, when I said they sound very similar, I meant basically the same. I have the Antiquities in a Gibson '17 LP Tribute and the Seth Lovers in a Epiphone LP Black Beauty. So they are completely different guitars. That being the case, they each sound a little different (like all guitars) but the overall character of the pickups is the same. Chime-like, piano-like, harmonics that, to me, are very nice. Per the SD website the Antiquities are slightly hotter but, if I didn't know that, I don't think I could tell.

[pippy]

......Chime-like, piano-like, harmonics that, to me, are very nice......

...and I'll second that, Black Dog!

Your description matches my own observations of the Antiquities and I think you have posted a very succinct, very accurate appraisal.

I've not tried out a pair of Seth Lovers by way of comparison but I'm happy with what I've got.

 

 

Pip.

[justtryme]

Sorry, when I said they sound very similar, I meant basically the same. I have the Antiquities in a Gibson '17 LP Tribute and the Seth Lovers in a Epiphone LP Black Beauty. So they are completely different guitars. That being the case, they each sound a little different (like all guitars) but the overall character of the pickups is the same. Chime-like, piano-like, harmonics that, to me, are very nice. Per the SD website the Antiquities are slightly hotter but, if I didn't know that, I don't think I could tell.

 

 

Got it.

[JSW]

I hear ya, but what is the value of the guitar if he doesn't like way the way it sounds?

 

I know what your saying. I suppose I’d sell it and buy another. The original poster asked for thoughts. I just don’t like messing with Historics, hell I wouldn’t mess with my dot reissue and it’s not even from Nashville. Lol

 

-edit- he could do it himself though some folks will look in cavity or behind the pups, it is Historic. Maybe I’m just anal about such things lol

Edited March 1, 2019 by JSW

[pippy]

I know what your saying. I suppose I'd sell it and buy another...

If I didn't like my Historics exactly the way there already were I'd never have bought them to begin with. Crazy idea.

But then again; living in London I have a vast pool to choose from.

 

Pip.

[Black Dog]

I suppose I'd sell it and buy another.

 

 

 

If I didn't like my Historics exactly the way there already were I'd never have bought them to begin with.

 

 

I agree. If I already had it and decided I didn't like it, I'd sell it. Or, better yet, what Pippy said, don't buy a guitar you don't like.

 

But since he say's he otherwise likes it and doesn't want to sell it, then I say get out the soldering iron.

Edited March 2, 2019 by Black Dog

[justtryme]

I buy a guitar because I know what it it sounds like, will sound like, or can sound like.

I'm able to do that and it has worked every time.

I have a custom shop with burstbuckers that I could tell the guitar sounded good and the pickups were not to my liking.

Stuck in a set of WCR's and people keep complimenting that guitar.

 

I know someone that worked on the Sandy burst pickups. He said they were ****.

Not one burst was alike and not one custom shop is either.

[pippy]

Not one burst was alike and not one custom shop is either...

I agree 100%.

 

Pip.

[Col Mustard]

I'll add something here that no one else has said:

 

If you want a Les Paul for a mod platform, don't buy a Historic.

Buy something less expensive, and less specialized, and turn it into

exactly what you want. Then rock that sucker.

 

If a Historic isn't exactly what you want, don't mod it... Sell it unmodded

to someone who values it more than you do. Then use the money to buy

or create exactly what you want.

 

You'll get more money for your Historic if you sell it unmodded. A lot more

IMHO.

 

In addition to that, I don't think there's any reason that a set of burst bucker

pickups should sound too bright. If they do, I would look somewhere else in

your signal chain for the reason. What burst buckers are is accurate.

They produce highs, mids and lows. They are one of the best pickup sets

Gibson makes, (in spite of what some guys say) and you ought to be able to

get great jazz tones, great classic rock tones, great cleans in all frequencies

and great output for overdriving tube amps.

 

If you can't, I'd look at your signal chain critically, with the assumption that

there's nothing wrong with your guitar or your pickups. You could verify this

by simply asking an experienced guitarist to plug your Lester into his own

rig, and play it for you. Watch what he does as he finds his tone. If he can't

find his tone either, then maybe the p'ups or something else is at fault.

Listen while he tries to figure it out.

 

It's a good way to know what to do next.

[NighthawkChris]

I'll add something here that no one else has said:

 

If you want a Les Paul for a mod platform, don't buy a Historic.

Buy something less expensive, and less specialized, and turn it into

exactly what you want. Then rock that sucker.

 

If a Historic isn't exactly what you want, don't mod it... Sell it unmodded

to someone who values it more than you do. Then use the money to buy

or create exactly what you want.

 

You'll get more money for your Historic if you sell it unmodded. A lot more

IMHO.

 

In addition to that, I don't think there's any reason that a set of burst bucker

pickups should sound too bright. If they do, I would look somewhere else in

your signal chain for the reason. What burst buckers are is accurate.

They produce highs, mids and lows. They are one of the best pickup sets

Gibson makes, (in spite of what some guys say) and you ought to be able to

get great jazz tones, great classic rock tones, great cleans in all frequencies

and great output for overdriving tube amps.

 

If you can't, I'd look at your signal chain critically, with the assumption that

there's nothing wrong with your guitar or your pickups. You could verify this

by simply asking an experienced guitarist to plug your Lester into his own

rig, and play it for you. Watch what he does as he finds his tone. If he can't

find his tone either, then maybe the p'ups or something else is at fault.

Listen while he tries to figure it out.

 

It's a good way to know what to do next.

 

I agree man, why spend thousands of dollars to degrade its value immediately to make it a guitar you like... Why did you buy the guitar in the first place if you don't like the way it sounded? To me, I just cannot accept any argument why to modify a guitar that costs several thousands of dollars that will devalue it somewhat significantly when you start to undo the factory workmanship. I know you can go back and put the old pickups back in, but just why? Buy another guitar that comes with the stuff you like or as you suggested, buy a lower base model and mod it up. I suppose if you're filthy rich and want to start hacking stuff up because you just want to, sort of ridiculous still, go for it - not my money. But inevitably for me, a sad story to hear. Unless someone bought a modded Historic at a discount where some other goof messed with it, then maybe... Like I said, I think that it is ridiculous to go this route. I'd just find another guitar that I actually liked the sound and not guess what it "can" sound like based on some mysterious intuition... Not many people decide to do this stuff to their Gibson Historic LP... I have to think that there's a reason for this.

[Black Dog]

I have a different perspective. I agree that a modded historic will hold less value than a stock guitar. However, they all lose value. The exception may be some limited edition artist guitar perhaps. But even then, it will only hold value if you don't play it. If you do play it (I mean really play it), it's gonna show wear one way or another and the value goes down.

 

In this case the OP says he'll never sell this particular guitar (yeah, we've all heard that one before ). So, that makes the resale value argument irrelevant here.

 

And what about places like Historic Makeovers? They take a perfectly good historic, take it apart completely, strip the finish, re-carve the top and neck, change the fretboard and put it all back together claiming it's even more historic than when it was historic .

 

Of course, that was for the older generation historic's which were less historic than the current historic's. Nothing is more historic than the current historic's.

 

To get anything more historic now you'll need a time machine. Fortunately, by the year 2505 Costco will sell them.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Black Dog

[NighthawkChris]

To get anything more historic now you'll need a time machine. Fortunately, by the year 2505 Costco will sell them.

 

LMAO! Yeah, I want to buy myself a law degree there too - and don't forget to drink your electrolytes!

[pippy]

Not wanting to start a bunfight but, as far as modding an Historic is concerned, I'm absolutely with Black Dog 100%. No question about it.

If you can improve any guitar more to your liking - even one as superb as an Historic - then do it. An Historic is an even better platform to start from (IMO) than anything else because so much is already so perfect.

Just my tuppenceworth FWIW.

 

P.

 

[Black Dog]

 

An Historic is an even better platform to start from (IMO) than anything else because so much is already so perfect.

 

 

Exactly.

 

 

 

[NighthawkChris]

There's no bad blood here. I respect what others choose to do with their own possessions - and what others' opinions are on the subject. I am relating this conversation to what I would be comfortable doing to an expensive guitar of mine, and I tried to give the best advice I could based on how I would feel if that guitar in question was mine. I expected that there would be differing opinions here as there is no real right or wrong answer here what to do. Really the only trade-off I see with modding a Gibson Historic guitar is if the guitar was to be sold at some later date and it is some collector piece. But again, not my money, not my stuff. I will sleep fine tonight Best regards!

 

[Black Dog]

There's no bad blood here. I respect what others choose to do with their own possessions - and what others' opinions are on the subject. I am relating this conversation to what I would be comfortable doing to an expensive guitar of mine, and I tried to give the best advice I could based on how I would feel if that guitar in question was mine. I expected that there would be differing opinions here as there is no real right or wrong answer here what to do. Really the only trade-off I see with modding a Gibson Historic guitar is if the guitar was to be sold at some later date and it is some collector piece. But again, not my money, not my stuff. I will sleep fine tonight Best regards!

 

 

That's the thing for a question like this. There is no right or wrong answer. The right answer is the one that works for you.