Supersonic Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Okay, my dad's 63rd birthday is next month and I'm thinking of buying him a new neck pickup for his Epi Les Paul. I was trying to think of a gift to get him and I remembered that he mentioned something a little while back about how it (neck pup) was too "dark" (I guess that means muddy?). He plays almost exclusively clean styles (lots of country) with no distortion. The GFS price range is pretty much my limit right now, so I was looking at maybe a Mean 90 for the neck position? I've never used or heard how GFS pups sound so I have no idea about them other than what the people on this forum have said. I would like to get him the best pup I can for clean, clear, defined sounds. Would the Mean 90 be a good choice or is there another GFS pup that would be more suited for this style??? :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookkeeper's Son Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 From direct personal experience, I say go with the Mean 90. Cured the muddy sound on my Epi, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 The Mean 90 might be a little agressive for his style, maybe a GFS vintage 59 alnico instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 From direct personal experience, I say go with the Mean 90. Cured the muddy sound on my Epi, for sure. Sweet! Does it sound pretty good in "clean mode"? The Mean 90 might be a little agressive for his style, maybe a GFS vintage 59 alnico instead? Haven't heard much about those Tweed. Are they better than the stock Epi pups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I have Vintage 59s in my Dot and Sherry and I love 'em. I found the neck 59 to be an upgrade from the stock Epi neck pup. The Epi neck pup was muddy, not so on the Vintage 59s. (Both neck and bridge pups were a definite upgrade, but you were asking about a neck.) I have no experience with the Mean 90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 I have Vintage 59s in my Dot and Sherry and I love 'em. I found the neck 59 to be an upgrade from the stock Epi neck pup. The Epi neck pup was muddy, not so on the Vintage 59s. (Both neck and bridge pups were a definite upgrade, but you were asking about a neck.) I have no experience with the Mean 90. Thanks JC. I guess I will be considering the 59 as well then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Sweet! Does it sound pretty good in "clean mode"? Haven't heard much about those Tweed. Are they better than the stock Epi pups? I played an LP with them in it and although I have not played anything with Mean 90s, I think the V-59s are pretty close to what you're looking for. And IMHO, are a step up from stock. By the way, cool idea for a B-day gift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookkeeper's Son Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I wouldn't categorize a Mean 90 as "aggressive" compared to a PAF-type humbucker. Matter of fact, it won't "push" overdrive as much as a 'bucker of comparable output. The Mean 90s compare quite favorably with other P90s I've played, like on a Casino or 330. Being single-coils, P90s are a tad more chimey than a 'bucker, though not so much as a Fender-type single coil. For cleans, P90s are excellent, and a neck P90 will complement a bridge 'bucker quite well, a popular combination which will give Dad's guitar a truly new sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 He plays almost exclusively clean styles (lots of country) with no distortion. The GFS price range is pretty much my limit right now, so I was looking at maybe a Mean 90 for the neck position? I've never used or heard how GFS pups sound so I have no idea about them other than what the people on this forum have said. I would like to get him the best pup I can for clean, clear, defined sounds. Would the Mean 90 be a good choice or is there another GFS pup that would be more suited for this style??? :unsure: My own personal experiences have been with the "Alnico FAT PAT Boutique Humbuckers". I think those will be wound a bit HOT for his tastes - I put a set in another Git, ended up with one that sounded exactly like Journey's Neal Schon. I'm planning on dropping a set of these in the Jay Turser I just snagged. Based on your "NEED" you'll want something that's wound to a lower Kilohm rating, aorund 8 or so. Only two I see may fit your bill: 1. GFS Classic II Alnico 2 Vintage Wound Nickel Humbucker. http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Classic-II-Alnico-2-Vintage-Wound-Nickel-Humbucker-_c_88.html "Bridge pickup wound to 8.2K, Neck to 7.8K. Smooth and warm enough for jazz playing, airy and transparent enough for convincing country pickin', big and FULL enough for classic rock." OR 2. Vintage 59 Nickel Classic Alnico V- Humbucker http://www.guitarfetish.com/Vintage-59-Nickel-Classic-Alnico-V-Humbucker-_c_169.html "Classic output levels- wound like a good solid set of late 50's PAF's- 8.5-8.8K for the Bridge, 8.0-8.2K for the neck. These have noticeably more bottom end than the big name brands. Our signature sound is crisp, clear and REALLY warm." Based on the above, I'm leaning torward #1. But that's just conjecture - my only experience is with the FAT PAT boutiques. Just my .02.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks for all of the great advice so far guys. Keep it coming! The more opinions/experiences/thoughts, the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongMan Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Okay, my dad's 63rd birthday is next month and I'm thinking of buying him a new neck pickup for his Epi Les Paul. I was trying to think of a gift to get him and I remembered that he mentioned something a little while back about how it (neck pup) was too "dark" (I guess that means muddy?). He plays almost exclusively clean styles (lots of country) with no distortion. From that description I would recommend to go for a P-90 style pickup. Had the same problem with my chinese made Epiphone Les Paul Custom: The neck PU was sounding too dark. Too much bass frequencies, no real clarity in the higher frequencies, especially when playing clean sounds. I changed the stock neck PU for a Gibson P-94, and this was exactly what the guitar needed. Same punch as before (almost more than the stock Epi Classic 57), but wonderful balanced tone. No more mud in the lower frequencies, and beautiful crisp high end. I always thought the full mahogany construction was responsible for the dark tone, but the P-94 cleaned that up nicely. The P-94 is a bit pricey, but I guess another good P-90 type pickup in humbucker format will serve as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 From that description I would recommend to go for a P-90 style pickup. Had the same problem with my chinese made Epiphone Les Paul Custom: The neck PU was sounding too dark. Too much bass frequencies, no real clarity in the higher frequencies, especially when playing clean sounds. I changed the stock neck PU for a Gibson P-94, and this was exactly what the guitar needed. Same punch as before (almost more than the stock Epi Classic 57), but wonderful balanced tone. No more mud in the lower frequencies, and beautiful crisp high end. I always thought the full mahogany construction was responsible for the dark tone, but the P-94 cleaned that up nicely. The P-94 is a bit pricey, but I guess another good P-90 type pickup in humbucker format will serve as well. Thanks. The only experience I have with P90's are with the ones in my Riviera so that's why I wanted to get some opinions about how one might sound in an LP. It seems that there are 3 GFS pickup choices mentioned in this thread that would improve the sound of Dad's git. Now I have to figure out which one to go with. Decisions, decisions.... BTW, I told him he should just get a Tele for the style of music he plays and give ME his LP, but he's stubborn. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I'd recommend a P90 too for the style of music he's playing, but rather than going for the more aggressive Mean 90, I'd go with the mellower Dream 90 instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 ^^^ KNOWLEDGE ^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedepi Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I'll go with RasTus on this one. The Dream 90 would be the better choice here. Faded.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I don't have either pickup, but this is from their website Think of the Mean 90's as a 4-10 Tweed Bassman and the Dream 90's as a Tweed Deluxe. The Dreams are more modern sounding and overdrive an amp with a decided CRUNCH- The Means are smoother- warmer, fuller and a tad louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 You might also consider the Retrotron pickups, either Liverpool or Nashville. These are low-output humbuckers more in the sonic range typically associated with Rickenbacker and Gretsch, and they excel at airy, well-defined clean tones such as is often favored by country pickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'd recommend a P90 too for the style of music he's playing, but rather than going for the more aggressive Mean 90, I'd go with the mellower Dream 90 instead. After much thought, I think I will agree. A P-90 style may be just the novel surprise called for, especially if he's not in possession of any. they ARE great pickups..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Then a Dream 90 it shall be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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