Which Gibson pickups to use?

[Whitestrat]

Ok... At the risk of sounding very newbie on this, I'll take the plunge and just ask. Which Gibson pickups do I get if I want these characteristics?

Neck
1. Clear, transparent even under gain
2. Big (no teeny weeny thin sounds please)
3. Honky sounding (vowel-like belltone)

Bridge
1. Biting (bright and chugga chugga)
2. Big (no teeny weeny thin sounds please)
3. Organic (dynamics, touch sensitive)

Do I go:
57 Classic?
Dirty Fingers?
Burstbucker 1 and 3 (or 1 & 2?)
Burstbucker pros?
Or AL 2 neck (BB1) and AL5 bridge (BB Pro)?

Any suggestions? Would like to keep this as completely Gibson as possible, but if there are better alternatives, lets hear it. Said guitar already has SD APH IIs. The neck pickup I find is a little too "full" sounding. Bridge actually is fine.

P.S. Anyone who suggests DiMarzios and/or Air Norton/Tonezone combo clearly has no clue of what I'm after. So please examine your own recommendations please.

 

[dudelove]

are u after something like a jimmy page tone? after seeing u like honkiness in the neck pickup. try something thats in the PAF camp. maybe the 57' classic PLUS or something like that. i'm not too sure either. burstbuckers could do good for ur bridge though, just not the 3.

u dont like the 490/6/8 or whatever pickups? mine is loaded with 490R and 498T and they've grown unto me

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

Dimarzio air norton tonezone FTW!!!

Oh, ok, wait, i didnt see the last line, pardon

anyway, i choose 57 with 1meg pot to go with. Reason being thats the only thing i knew off and i have absolute no idea what you are hearing could be on the same frequency wavelength as mine.

None the less, rock dahhh bro!!!

 

[Whitestrat]

anyway, i choose 57 with 1meg pot to go with. Reason being thats the only thing i knew off and i have absolute no idea what you are hearing could be on the same frequency wavelength as mine.

I'm damn tempted to try the 57 classics lei... But the burstbuckers I've tried are actually very clost to what I'm looking for. This was in an R9. BUT, I don't know if they are BB1, 2 or 3s... nabeh... Blardy Gibby site refuses to say...

 

[Whitestrat]

burstbuckers could do good for ur bridge though, just not the 3.

why you say not the 3??? This is what I'm asking for. The 490s etc etc re supposed to be modern tones. I want VINTAGE.:mrgreen:

 

[dudelove]

yeah but to me, the 490/8 do not have a modern tone. to me it was just a hotter vintage voiced pickup.

and it gives a pretty nasal tone. some players actually really like nasally tone, jimmy page for example had this huge nasally honk of a tone live, especially when he puts those pickups out of phase.

bursbucker 3 might be abit too high output already. i'm not a fan of high output pickups anyway and since u said vintage. anyway u should stick to the PAF section of pickups.. so the 57 or 57 plus will do for the gibson pickups

if dont want gibson try the bareknuckles black dog or riff raff. but i would choose the SD sh-1 59' for vintage tones

 

[taypeng81]

I'm damn tempted to try the 57 classics lei... But the burstbuckers I've tried are actually very clost to what I'm looking for. This was in an R9. BUT, I don't know if they are BB1, 2 or 3s... nabeh... Blardy Gibby site refuses to say...

the R9s should be loaded with BB1 and 2 combo. info is on www.gibsoncustom.com.

 

[ungauged]

Vintage go for 57's... you won't go wrong.... But they tend to be a bit muddy at high gain but they nail the vintage tone and vibe of a les paul, it's the legendary les paul sound. BB Pros tend to give a more modern tone while the BB 1 & 2 are more to the brighter side. Don't really know much about the BB 3 though.

You just got a new Les Paul Slash GT rite? I don't think teeny weeny thin sounds should be a problem for you. I've played the Aged Burst Slash Sig Les Paul and it sounds kinda bright due to the SD Alnico II pups (Slash wiring, caps, resistors and tone pots) so maybe u are having the same sound?

 

[leecs]

Dp233 & 103

 

[funktastic]

i feel so noob... i don't even know the pickups on my gibson. well it seems like my pickups suit what your criteria. just swap the neck and bridge around. i don't recall what pickups are on my lespaul but its a standard.
imo, they sound really fat and the neck is really really responsive like what you want in your bridge and ... you get the point.

 

[Whitestrat]

i feel so noob... i don't even know the pickups on my gibson.

A Gibson Les Paul Standard comes with burstbucker pros... I did like those when I tried them. But the bridge was not searing enough...

 

[funktastic]

i think if you swapped the pickups u might just find what you want.
the bride isn't as searing as the neck thats why i like it so much.
i don't know... personally preference?

 

[moo_5150]

Hi,

I prefer to put FRALIN UNBUCKER, u will get the nice clarity of old PAF and as raw as kinda growl tone.

put 7.5 or 8K at neck
and 9 or 9.5 K at bridge...

Very sweet sound but bit when meet OD...

 

[Whitestrat]

i think if you swapped the pickups u might just find what you want.
the bride isn't as searing as the neck thats why i like it so much.

erm... you're not making sense...

 

[Whitestrat]

Hi,

I prefer to put FRALIN UNBUCKER, u will get the nice clarity of old PAF and as raw as kinda growl tone.

put 7.5 or 8K at neck
and 9 or 9.5 K at bridge...

Very sweet sound but bit when meet OD...

I thought of Fralins... but I'm looking to preserve the guitar as a Gibson package. The ONLY things non Gibson in the guitar are the blardy Seymour Duncan APH IIs!!!!!

 

[ChanMin]

i think you should try a set of Burst bucker pros. Those are great... loved em in my Lp.

Im not sure if its 57s in my R7 now... but if they are , they are GOOD too... but BB pros are the sex through a loud marshall...

 

[Whitestrat]

i think you should try a set of Burst bucker pros. Those are great... loved em in my Lp.

That's what I thought too... But having tried an R9 with UNPOTTED BBs, whoa... those are NICE!!!

But your'e right... BB Pros ARE nice.

 

[funktastic]

in a standard. the neck and bridge pickups are the same? cos they sound really different and unique.

 

[Whitestrat]

in a standard. the neck and bridge pickups are the same? cos they sound really different and unique.

Burstbucker Pros are split into bridge and neck. The necks usually have a lower wind. The bridges are hotter, and more overwound. Both are usually assymetrically wound that make both sound usually slightly different than others. And no 2 burstbuckers are supposed to sound the same, because their winding specs are not consistent.

Having said that, putting a hotter pickup in the neck and a lower output pup in the bridge isn't recommended. Volume balancing would be difficult, and the guitar would not sound right.

Also, even if both pickups were of the SAME output, there would still be tonal differences because of their physical position differences. The bridge would sound thinner, and more searing than the neck.

I think you're confusing clarity and searing. Under gain, clarity can translate to articulation and high frequencies. It's not the same as blinding harmonically rich ear drum tearing tone.

 

[funktastic]

wow. i am really a noob.
well, the burstbuckers still sound really great. imo i feel it suits your criteria.
i for one haven't hear many pickups, and the best i've heard are still the burstbuckers.