new pickups for my les pauls>>>

[turtle]

hey everyone im new here to the forum > i have a couple les pauls and im thinking about changing pickups>i have a LP standard and a LP classic antique> like most i did my research online and just got more confused then before> so i went to the local music store and played a LP 1960 VOS and a 1958 VOS the sound of these guitars were perfect for me > now they have a burstbucker 1 in the neck> should i get these pups for my LPs or will they not have that airy clean bite im looking for > when i picked up a standard at the store it sounded just like mine and was like ohhhh man > do i trade in the guitars to get a reissue or do i change the pups??? can anyone help me??? thanks for the time to write back

 

ps i understand the cts pots , bumblebee caps thing but i had the guitar cranked on 10 on all knobs> and personally i didnt hear a great range from the bumblebees anyhow> no offense>

 

thanks again > turtle

[ckledzepplin]

yeah if you like the bb1&2's get those, but i prefer bb pros they are a little more bassy and creamy sounding

[FennRx]

yeah if you like the bb1&2's get those' date=' but i prefer bb pros they are a little more bassy and creamy sounding[/quote']

 

interesting...BB Pros always sound brighter and more treble-y. never heard of them being more bass-y.

 

i am a huge fan of the BB1/2 combo. i dont think putting them in a Std will make them sound like a Historic- there are differences in wood and electronics. you should also look into the 57 classics or some PAF clones from boutique makers like Wolfetones and WCR or even Seymour Duncans.

[Murph]

I'm also curious about the difference in the 57 Classics and the BB's.

 

Murph.

[DoubleSixx]

If you crank the Tone knob to 10 you won't hear the BumbleBees.

[turtle]

thanks guys> yeah its not that the BB pros are to bassy its that airy woody tone im thinking that to me sounds clearer or something> maybe my words arent right> the BB pros are deffinately more gainy to me> the 57 classic and pro that are in my classic antique sound good too , good response ....very nice clean sounding guitar for sure> more quiet then the BB pros and not as gainy but the guitar is also chambered so that might make a difference> any more input would help me alot > how about the antiquitys or the alnico 2's from seymour? or the seth lover for that matter>or am i really better off getting rid of these 2 gorgeous guitars for 1 historic and satisfying my ears ??? > any more input would be very appreciative> thanks for the time again> turtle

 

what kind of wood would make the historics sound better too??

 

both my LP's have i peice mahog. 2 piece maple top > mahog. neck rosewood fingerboard>

thanks

[FennRx]

historics get the better tonewoods. there is a reason why a true solid body R9 weighs about 8.5-9 lbs and other weight relieved LPs weigh more.

 

it may be worth it to trade them. i never bought into the custom shop hype, but then i played my R8...it literally made my Studio, Classic and Standard Faded sound like crap.

[turtle]

fennrx > you are exactly on the same page as me as far as the tone of the historics> i thought maybe a different pickup would give me a little bit more of what i wanted> what do you think the improvement would be with the differnt pickup > thanks again > turtle

[FennRx]

it depends on how you feel about the guitar in general. if it sounds good now, then swapping the pickups and the pots/caps can make a difference. however, if it the guitar is a so-called "tone turd" no change will save it.

 

sounds to me like your axe isnt what your looking for...if you are the way i was, i would play as many Historics as humanly possible. i am not making this up, i KNEW my R8 was the one for me the second i hit the first chord. it was like magic.

[Tim Plains]

I just bought a set of Vitamin Q caps for my LP Standard. I like the way it sounds as is, but I want to improve it.

That's what I would do first, if I were you. It's much cheaper than buying new pups or even a new guitar.

...and the good thing is, you can put the original caps back in and the guitar is stock once again.

You can buy a set on eBay for $10...and if you're still not happy with it, then try something more drastic.

 

Historic pots don't have any range, it's basically on or off. Some are a little more sensitive, but nothing like a Gibson USA Les Paul. That's an upgrade many historic owners do, replace the pots with ones that have a taper. A RS kit is the one you hear most about.

[Tom99SS]

I just bought a set of Vitamin Q caps for my LP Standard. I like the way it sounds as is' date=' but I want to improve it.

That's what I would do first, if I were you. It's much cheaper than buying new pups or even a new guitar.

...and the good thing is, you can put the original caps back in and the guitar is stock once again.

You can buy a set on eBay for $10...and if you're still not happy with it, then try something more drastic.

 

Historic pots don't have any range, it's basically on or off. Some are a little more sensitive, but nothing like a Gibson USA Les Paul. That's an upgrade many historic owners do, replace the pots with ones that have a taper. A RS kit is the one you hear most about.[/quote']

 

+1 on the RS pots and caps (see sig). Also, try adjusting the pickup height as this will effect the tone of the guitar.

[turtle]

hey thanks again everyone for thier input> what does the standard sound like with the bumblebees and cts pots> im deffinately going to look at the historics a little more > any more pickup ideas anyone>

THANKS TURTLE

[Tom99SS]

hey thanks again everyone for thier input> what does the standard sound like with the bumblebees and cts pots> im deffinately going to look at the historics a little more > any more pickup ideas anyone>

THANKS TURTLE

 

Well I re-wired the whole thing. New toggle switch with braided wiring, new pots and caps but kept the output jack. Removed the metal grounding plate so the control cavity looks like they used to before the metal plate. Pots, caps and pre-wired toggle switch cost me less than $100 and I did the work myself and wired it '50's wiring. I hated the grounding plate as the whole unit needs to be removed to replace anyone of the pots. Pain in the a$$.

 

Totally different sound. The 500k CTS pots really opened up the pickups and with the Luxe Repro BumbleBees really gave it a fuller sound and smoothed the treble. I used to have Sprague Vitamin Q's but they sounded a bit too bright plus the tone knobs work better with the Luxe Repros. YMMV.

 

Finally I lowered my pickups about 1/32 lower from stock to about 3/32 for bridge and 1/8 for neck. I little lower sounded a little woodier but I lost some bite which I perfer so I found this height the best for both.

 

Again this is my opinion and suites the tone I am after.

[turtle]

hey thanks for the input again > this is a great forum to belong to > everyone is really friendly and helpful> i see they have the kits for the les pauls with the cts pots and bumblebee caps for around 110 fully wired> is it worth it ? to get for my other les paul as well

06 standard

07 classic antique

 

thanks , turtle

[Tom99SS]

hey thanks for the input again > this is a great forum to belong to > everyone is really friendly and helpful> i see they have the kits for the les pauls with the cts pots and bumblebee caps for around 110 fully wired> is it worth it ? to get for my other les paul as well

06 standard

07 classic antique

 

thanks ' date=' turtle

[/quote']

 

Depends? Can you solder? You are paying extra for them to solder the pot-to-pot grounding wire and the caps from the volume pot to tone pot. You still need to solder the ground wire from the TP Post, the switch and pickup wires, etc. The money you save buying the non pre-wired kit will more than likely pay for somebody to install the kit. IMHO

 

Try it on one of the guitars. If you like it install the kit on the other/s.