Which pickups for my Les Paul Custom?

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First let me say, I really enjoy chatting about LPs and BKPs :-) Could do it all day long... hard enough to find people who share the same interest.

Sounds like your '08 LPC has similar character than mine - clear and punchy
When playing it I don't understand why the new Les Pauls do have a bad reputation.
Mine plays and sounds like a charm... even though you have to play a few to find the right one.

Did you have a chance to try different pickups in yours?
I would like to know how a C-Bomb and MM would work in it. I never considered a MM for a LPC but Tims recommendation made me curious (even if he thought the CS would be better for me)

[LP_LOVER]

 :)

Well, that 'bad reputation' mostly has to do with the non-custom shop models. All the noise started with the introduction of the chambered Les Pauls...since then a lot of the Les Pauls seemed to fall out of flavor by the die-hard Les Paul players that considered the chambered bodies as 'cheap toys'...and yes, they DO give a very different tone and vibe. Many of the new Les Pauls are poorly finished and I can agree with that. I'm glad that the LPC's are made in the Custom Shop and therefore have higher quality, selected woods + much better craftmanship. But even then you have to play a few to get the 'best' one in tone/playability. I've played a new 58' VOS reissue that felt like a toy and played like ****.

I can imagine that the C-Bomb and MM will be more towards 'metal', instead of straight hardrock.

[ericsabbath]

selected woods

I can't think of a better piece of honduras mahogany than the $600 SG Faded I had  :D

[ericsabbath]

unless you're playing a recto or something, the holy diver sounds fairly tight, just like every BKP I've tried. The highs are round in a good way, but not muffled or dark sounding. The cold sweat worked just as awesome in that same guitar too, but the sweat is like a brighter, slightly thinner and more sizzly nailbomb

The Holydiver bridge is awesome too, but it IS darker voiced. Sometimes it's just better to choose for a balanced pickup (not too bright, not too dark) if the guitar sounds fairly bright naturally...you know what I mean? It's like some guitars are meant to sound bright and cutting and for these (if they're Les Paul Customs) I'd go for the CS set personally. Very balanced set and I like the range of tones you get from the neck pickup to the bridge pickup and vice versa. It's just awesome. The HD bridge is definately less 'cutting'/'sharp' and therefore it will sound closer to the CS neck pickup...if that's what you like.

I agree with everything
but in my guitar both sounded equally awesome
the cold sweat was better for thrash metal stuff, especially Pantera (I had a cover band), and the diver was better for almost everything else, except maybe for raw 80's hard rock and classic metal

but you can't ignore the amps also
my '73 lp custom with the nailbomb sounds pretty good through my modded '77 JMP, and I bet the diver would sound even better
the other lp with the cold sweat didn't sound as good cause it's way too bright for this amp
so you gotta keep in mind that the whole equipment counts a lot
Tim usually doesn't recommend nailbombs for old les pauls cause he says they get too dark, but mine sounds exactly the opposite
very thick and punchy, but bright and not middy enough for my tastes
I'll probably buy another Diver or a similar pup (I'm thinking of a MC Afwayu) for this one and a Diver/Sweat set for the '81 Standard I'm waiting

[LP_LOVER]

I agree that you can't ignore the amp/equipment (and most important of all; the player), but a great guitar can sound great through almost any tube amp. Many times the player itself is the one that complains the most! 'I think it's too bright' or 'it's still a bit too dark for my taste, 'I need a different amp', 'Oh, I need to fix this first'  :)

The CS bridge has a real vintage character in my 08' LPC. It really has tons of bite in the higher mids (while still being 'thick') and it has a vocal scream. It's never harsh or thin and on the clean channel it's totally clean. It feels like a vintage/hot pickup (VH2) with added sizzle/push/thickness.

pop: I think the MM and C-bomb will turn your LPC in a metal axe (which often means darker, more bass heavy, smoother and less aggressive).

[IntenseJim]

CS is a great pup but to follow above posts, in my set up it was too bright:

• Les Pauls Custom R68
• Soldano SLO

The Crawler is tamed the high end and add the mids to cut throught the mix. I'm jonesing to try a Holy Diver or Painkiller in it or my '79 maple neck Les Paul Custom. I just have to wait; this exchange rate isn't my best friend.

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That's a lot of stuff to consider. I guess I will not find out before I tried the CS in my axe...

As far as the Crawler is concerned I have the fear that it might not be tight enough for my liking. Especially for lower fast palm muted stuff. Tim also confirmed that.

One more thing. If anyone has more information on how the C-Bomb compares to the CS I would be very thankful. I'm especially interested on how they compare in terms of mids.

[LP_LOVER]

Jim: I usually turn back the treble on any amp and play with the bass/mids settings untill the guitar sounds most balanced eq-wise. I always like a bit of 'edge' here.

I'm a true believer that one, same guitar can sound balanced on any amp. If it is still too 'harsh' then it's mostly a problem of the guitar itself (pots, caps, wood characteristics) or you're playing through a bad amp that isn't sensitive to eq changes.

The unplugged tone tells you how the guitar is supposed to sound plugged-in (which means sometimes you need some help from different pots, caps, pickups to achieve that tone in its full glory). When I choose a pickup I only listen to what the guitar wants/needs (not what I want). I already have what I want, otherwise I wouldn't have bought the guitar; simple.

However, it's nice to hear that the Crawler tamed the high end for your R68. I've never found any problems cutting through a mix and certainly not with the CS.

The Crawler bridge is alnico V and therefore it will be less tight and less sharp compared to the CS with its ceramic magnet. An important thing to mention is that the CS sounds 'thick' at the same time. Seriously, with a Les Paul you shouldn't need to worry too much about 'mids'. Les Pauls have tons of mids already, that's why the CS set usually is a great match in many Les Pauls (because they're very well balanced pickups). This means that the CS brings out the naturel mids of your Les Paul. If you think the guitar needs (way) more mids to cut through, then it might be worth to take a look at the Painkiller (in your case) instead of the Crawler.

[pop]

You are absolutely right.
But as far as I can tell from the clips I heard, the PK would be a mid overkill in my LPC - eventhough I like its sound a lot. I just would want it to have slightly less mids.

But I guess I'm worrying too much anyway. It's just so hard to wait until the PUs arrive and not know how the guitar will sound like with the new BKPs...

[IntenseJim]

Crawler bridge definitely is less percussive or tight in the low end than the CS or RY bridge pup. That is one thing I miss with the Crawler. But it's so thick and full and rich.....like milkshake.

The CS cut through the mix but with more high end than I am comfortable with for my tastes.  No doubt that Les Pauls are full sounding guitars but the CS sounded to cut or void in the mids for what I like to hear in the mix ....with the particular guitar that was using.

[LP_LOVER]

pop:

If the unplugged tone from your LPC is great/very good (not dull or dead), then most likely you'll get a big smile on your face once you hear these pickups or there's something truly wrong with you  :). Of the four different Les Pauls I equipped with BKP's, three times I had a big smile on my face after the pickup changes. The only time it couldn't bother me that much was with my '89 LPC (which is the one with the worst unplugged tone as well). My 06' Studio (with BKP Black Dogs) sounds great; my 07' Standard Faded (with BKP Mississippi Queens) sounds great; My 08' Custom (with BKP Cold Sweats) sounds great. All for different purposes, but always with that recognizable BKP character. I love the pick sensitivity from these BKP's; so much better compared to the stock Gibson pickups. This is also the main reason why your guitar sounds more 'alive' with these pickups. Play it gently or really dig it, it's up to you. Whether you play clean or distorted, it's all up to the player what to do with the tone (which is why BKP's are so great).

You might need to get used a bit to the clarity/upper mid brightness from these pickups, but that's totally normal (as with any BKP). I find the CS set to have the perfect dark-bright balance in my LPC's. They'll outclass your stock Gibson pickups, that's one thing I know for sure .

IntenseJim:

yes, depends totally on the guitar/set-up/individual purposes. Like I said before I always like a bit of edge in my tone and the CS gives that without being over the top; it's definately thick and clear sounding and sometimes I'd even call it 'sweet', depending on the way I treat it. It can bite and scream like there's no tomorrow, but in a vocal way; never thin, scratchy or harsh.

[pop]

After reading your post I just had to pick up my guitar and play it unplugged.
It sounds the very opposite of dead - it is very very lively and ballsy sound. And it's definitely on the bright side.
And you were are right, there are plenty of mids there.
My ESP Eclipse sounds very dull next to it.


I just wanted to bring up another issue which is not directly pickup related: sting gauges

In the store I was told that the stock strings are 009-042 but I don't think that'S correct.
I guess they are 010-046.

Now that I'm playing tuned down by half a step (sometimes even to dropped C#) the strings are too flabby.
I can't decide if should order 010-052 or 011-048 Ernie Balls. I have no experience with LPs.
Any recommendations?

[IntenseJim]

It it were me and tuning down, then 12s.

 I have 10s and 11s on my LPs and never downtune. I prefer 11s for the feel by a long shot.

[LP_LOVER]

pop:

'Lively', 'ballsy' and on the bright side unplugged? Sounds like a good LPC!  :)

I play in standard tuning, with 10-46 gauge strings. 10's sound most balanced and clear to me on a LPC, in standard tuning.

However, for down-tuning on your LPC you might consider 11's or even 12's, depending on the set-up and playability of the guitar.

[BigB]

In the store I was told that the stock strings are 009-042 but I don't think that'S correct.
I guess they are 010-046.

Now that I'm playing tuned down by half a step (sometimes even to dropped C#) the strings are too flabby.
I can't decide if should order 010-052 or 011-048 Ernie Balls. I have no experience with LPs.
Any recommendations?

From my experience, LP-like guitars are better with at least 10-46 -and FWIW, I don't think any guitar sounds at it's best with 09-42 strings.

Now if you're down-tuning, you can certainly go for at least 11-52 (for the record, SRV played 13-58, half-step down-tuned) - but then you'll more than probably have to adjust the neck (or have the neck adjusted by a qualified tech).

My 2 cents.