thinking about Crawlers...

[shaman]

ok..gettin' the itch-I have a Les Paul Custom that I think needs some Crawlers-I have played a HD and Mule in it, but I have moved them into 2 other axes and they seem to work better-any Crawler/LP Custom testimonials out there???all opinions welcome

[il˙ti]

I've got them in a LP Studio and that's a Custom without the binding.   Works great.

[Philly Q]

I have them in an Edwards LP which is closer to a Standard than a Custom.  

I like 'em, but I do find them a little dark.  They're staying put (especially since they're black/purple zebra so I can't use them anywhere else!), but next time I might go for something a wee bit more vintage.

[Lew]

I had them in a Hamer studio (same wood types as a lespaul stand) and it sounded amazing! Great clean too.

[Ratrod]

What kind of amp are you using?

I loved the Crawlers through my Hot Rod Deluxe but they're a bit dark and thick through my Engl Classic.

[carlaz]

-any Crawler/LP Custom testimonials out there???

Definitely.  I've got a Crawler set in my LP Std, and they smoke. They're like  hot PAFs with extra grunt in the mid-range, which works out to be very versatile: You've got plenty of power on tap without losing that vintage vibe.

IMO, unless you are looking for a more specific tones (e.g. MM's for Wyldian metal), you can hardly go wrong by putting Crawlers in an LP. (OK, you probably can't go wrong with Mules either, at least if you are after right-on PAF tones ... but if you want higher-than-vintage output, the Crawlers bring it home.)

There are various clips (of, erm, varying quality!) from my Crawler'd LP in the Players forum.

[Philly Q]

I've got a Crawler set in my LP Std, and they smoke. They're like  hot PAFs with extra grunt in the mid-range, which works out to be very versatile: You've got plenty of power on tap without losing that vintage vibe.

Grunt is definitely the word.  First thing I thought when I tried them is that you can almost hear a snarly "grrrr" sound from the bridge pickup.  It wasn't quite what I was expecting, I suppose because of the Geoff Whitehorn association - he's not a particularly aggressive player.

I'm thinking of modding my guitar to brighten it up a bit - a one-piece aluminium bridge/tailpiece for starters.  And I might add a coil-split, although I can't usually be bothered with push/pull pots.

[carlaz]

Maybe they should'a been named "Growlers" ... :)

[Antag]

I played Tim's 70s LP Custom with Crawlers at LGS '07.

My first impression (& playing through someone else's equipment in the din of LGS, it's no more than a hunch) is that the Crawlers are a touch darker than the Holy Divers, with lower output & just as much midrange.  Kind of a "halfway house" between the HDs & what I imagine the Mules to be.

What was better about the HDs in your other guitars? (& what woods/construction do the other guitars have?)

[il˙ti]

I played Tim's 70s LP Custom with Crawlers at LGS '07.

My first impression (& playing through someone else's equipment in the din of LGS, it's no more than a hunch) is that the Crawlers are a touch darker than the Holy Divers, with lower output & just as much midrange.  Kind of a "halfway house" between the HDs & what I imagine the Mules to be.

What was better about the HDs in your other guitars? (& what woods/construction do the other guitars have?)

Granted, I haven't played the HD(yet!), but as for all clips I've heard the HD bridge is darker sounding than the Crawler. The neck pickup is certainly warm, but actually seems to get brighter under gain.

[hunter]

Les Paul Custom = MiracleMan

[shaman]

I played Tim's 70s LP Custom with Crawlers at LGS '07.

My first impression (& playing through someone else's equipment in the din of LGS, it's no more than a hunch) is that the Crawlers are a touch darker than the Holy Divers, with lower output & just as much midrange.  Kind of a "halfway house" between the HDs & what I imagine the Mules to be.

What was better about the HDs in your other guitars? (& what woods/construction do the other guitars have?)

...that sounds spot on -I must be more specific..the HD went into both a Jackson PC-1 and Hamer Californian-both mahogany bodies(Pc has maple fb...cali has a massive ebony..)imo, it was the floyd rose factor...the hd sounded better in my Custom,but i loved the Mule in the Custom,so I sold the HD...now I like the Mule in the Jackson!!it is doin' exactly what I want in terms of that guitar-a VH-II sits proudly in the Californian(I have a standard with rebels...it is my fave, but I want each axe to be a little different)the MM is too much!my amps are monsters-Mesa Boogie Coliseum and IIB+....gain city(think Petrucci/Sykes)-thought I would try crawlers, but i would be happy with HD /rebs/mules...a touch darker than HD is what I am looking for,Antag(MR. HD himself..!)