Wanted: Expert opinion on T-Tops!

[punkomatic78]

I recently bought a Gibson "The Paul" with stock T-Top pups, which I'd never heard of before. They seem to be relatively low output with a bit of a midrange honk (particularly noticeable in the bridge) - does that tally with other people's experience? I'm really looking for some opinions on what T-Tops are good for, and their weaknesses/limitations, etc. Any T-Top fans out there?

Also any thoughts on some BKP pups to replace them with for more sustain and hotter output, without losing the clarity? I bought The Paul to compliment my Strat (BKP Slowhands) which plays clean and crunch beautifully but lacks the grunt of an angry humbucker. When I replaced the stock pups on the Strat the result was it sounded the same in character but more tangible and effortless. I guess that's what I'm after with any worthy replacement for the T-Tops.

All words of wisdom gratefully received!

[FELINEGUITARS]

Riff Raffs, Emerald or Abraxas would all be good

[ericsabbath]

definitely riff raffs!
maybe vhII's

[darkbluemurder]

T-Top's positives: warm midrange colour, little bass which makes it good for overdriven neck leads
T-Top's weaknesses: low output (can be a positive depending on the application), absence of any glassy highs which does not make it the first choice for clean playing, little bass which can be thin in the bridge position.

Cheers Stephan

[punkomatic78]

Thanks all for your thoughts. Riff Raffs seem to be coming out as the favourite here. Ben from BKP recommended Rebel Yells or Nailbombs and listening to the clips the NBs don't sound so sweet when clean but the RYs sound great all round. Clips of the Riff Raffs sound maybe a tad weedier than I was looking for - but then you can't tell how the tone will change when loaded in your own guitar. Those who recommended Riff Raffs, was that specifically with The Paul in mind? The Paul is closer in build and mass to an SG than a Les Paul and I would be interested to hear of anyone who has tried any of the above pickups in a similar guitar.

Stephan, your description of the T-Top character matches my experience so that's really helpful to know I'm hearing them as they should sound through my amp! (Cornford Hurricane 1x12 combo). They do what they do well but I think they'll be on eBay pretty soon to fund a set of BKPs...

[darkbluemurder]

I don't have first hand experience with Riff Raffs or Emeralds but the Rebel Yell set is great.

Cheers Stephan

[ericsabbath]

don't remember if I ever played an actual t-top, since my '73 lp custom came without pickups, but I had the tim shaws and the modern 490t, which is a t-top with alnico 2 instead of alnico 5

as far as I can tell, the riff raff is the closest model to the t-top, but it seems to have a bit more bass and the highs are very glassy and present without any fizz
it has amazing clarity through gain and cleans tones are great

also, a full mahogany guitar like yours should benefit from its sparkly top end
if you wanted something nastier, then I'd recommend the cold sweat

someone here told me the VHII model sounded a lot like a hotter riff raff

[King IzzO)))]

A lot of players really like T-Tops, especially in the neck position, and they're highly sought after. They're also the basis for the Duncan Jazz neck pickup. They're a little too bright and thin for what I do.

Cool guitar "The Paul", had one once upon a time, walnut body if you didn't know that, so the usual "what works in mahogany" doesn't apply. Mine ended up with a SuperD and a Super2 in it, but I never really got along with it.

[punkomatic78]

Interesting... Yes mine is Walnut and has more middy bite/honk than you'd get in a mahogany axe - and I think this is accentuated by the T-Tops. That said, the neck pup is warm and jazzy when clean (rich but clear when driven) and I would consider keeping that and just swapping out the bridge, which is just too pokey on this guitar. Although that's a lot more faffy than just getting a matched set which is what I think I'll end up doing.