LP SPECIAL II pickups

[Erika Schroeder]

I am not a guitar player, but a retired dancer who needed some creative outlet now that I'm past prime age for ballet. I picked up a squire Strat from a pawn shop and when it cut out probably du to a short i thought I take the opportunity to see what was available used at my local guitar center. My last gibson was a The Paul i bought new in 1978/79 and of course i sold it when my dancing took off but not necessarily with a good pay check. I will get one again, but for now I paid 150 for a special ii. It feels great and I can have fun with it, but I was always fidgety with sound quality and tone. The 650R and the 700T sound ok, but I'm not sure what their target is.

 

I am not into metal or punk like i was as a young girl in 77-80, but want a good clean creamy tone. In 79 I added a third middle pickup a dimarzio dual tome that when split in combo with the Stock humbucker gave a tone I've never heard elsewhere. I guess I'm looking for some advice/input from another "clean freak" about my new guitar and what you've done to get the tone you hoped for.

Thanks!!!

Erika @>--->------>-------------------

[Whitmore Willy]

Welcome to the forum, E!!!

 

The 650R and 700T are economy pickups.

That, in itself, doesn't make them bad. For what you are talking about....they ain't gonna work!

 

Naturally distorted and totally undefined.

 

IF you want clean then you are looking for PAF style or P-90s.

 

Just my opinion,

Willy

[Erika Schroeder]

Welcome to the forum, E!!!

 

The 650R and 700T are economy pickups.

That, in itself, doesn't make them bad. For what you are talking about....they ain't gonna work!

 

Naturally distorted and totally undefined.

 

IF you want clean then you are looking for PAF style or P-90s.

 

Just my opinion,

Willy

 

hi Willy, Thank you for replying.

 

I have to admit that I know nothing about P-90 pickup. I thought that being a single coil it would suffer the same issues that a stock Strat would have; noise. Do luthiers install P-90's in an LP cut for standard humbuckers? If so how would they do it?

On the PAF style what sets them apart from the typical humbuckers? Is a PAF a Gibson only or are there other manufacturers. If so, who makes the cleanest P-90 style?

I did notice the distortion and had to cut the gain as low as possible to get most of the distortion out, but i still could not kill all of it.

I did expect to swap the stock pickups out after I got more used to the axe.

 

Advice appreciated Willy!

Erika @>------>--------->----------------

[Whitmore Willy]

Erica,

 

Where to start?

 

PAF (patent applied for) are Gibson. PAT# are Gibson.

As to PAF Style, most everyone makes one sort or another. Generally, they are a lower output, cleaner sounding humbucker.

That doesn't mean that they can't overdrive an amp. They can. Separately, you can add a overdrive or distortion pedal and rock out.

When playing clean they are just that...clean and clear.

 

There are many different grades and you pretty much get what you pay for.

 

Gibson Classic '57s are a good example. They are also quite expensive.

Epiphone Classic '57s are also PAF style pickups. (They have, for many years, been standard in most Epi LP's.)

You can buy a set off ebay for about $20-$30.

 

A cleaner version of the Epiphones would be the GFS classic '59s. (Also very reasonably priced.)

They are similar to the Epiphone but are much more clear and better defined. (strike a chord and you will hear the notes)

 

Anyway, just to get started....check these out. Read the descriptions. Start to get your feet wet.

We'll be here for further discussion. Just don't try to learn and "do it all" in one step.

 

http://store.guitarfetish.com/Humbucker-Sized-Guitar-Pickups_c_26.html

 

http://store.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Professional-Series-OUR-BEST_c_347.html

 

After that, we can always start to talk about other pickup brands and prices.

Everyone of those pickup styles is also made by Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio and about 1,000 other winders.

 

On the subject of P-90s:

Yes, they can have some 60 cycle hum. I've never found it to be a problem.

They make them in Humbucker size for use in stock Humbucker guitars.

P-90s sound different than Fender single coil. They are stronger. IMO. They also have a more rounded, "warmer" tone than

Humbuckers.

 

A very popular combination is a PAF style in the bridge position with a humbucker size P-90 in the neck position.

The Mean 90s from GFS (link above) are a good example.

 

Willy

[Whitmore Willy]

Here's a little kicker.

It's a Special ll that I fixed up for my Grandson.

 

Mean 90s and a homemade pickguard.

I wish I had put a Paf style hum in the bridge, but, he likes the 90s.

 

 

Willy

[Bluemans335]

The PU's in your guitar have ceramic magnets, which are made for high gain metal, and don't sound all that good clean. Ceramics have a harsher, stiffer, more sterile sound, and don't have the 'character' of alnicos.

 

For a 'creamy' clean sound, you probably want something with A2 (alnico 2) magnets. They're warmer with a more rounded high end, and have a good dose of mids. Lots of texture and dynamics. A5 magents on the other hand, have a sharper high end, with a lot of treble and bass, and scooped mids.

 

I get most of my PU's used on eBay, often for about half price. I mainly use Duncans, Dimarzios, Gibsons, and other American-made brands. They're not cheap, but they sound very good. You don't want to put more in PU's than your guitar cost. An alternative is GFS; I think they make an A2 PAF style humbucker. They're less expensive and a lot of players use them. Check out their website.