Which ones and can i do it myself?

[trock]

Hi everyone

first post here.

I have a few guitars i love as stock from PRS, Gibson etc

i am looking at getting this les paul soon

http://www.sweetw@ter.com/store/detail/LPTAABLCH-13/



I love the guitar but also love some of the sounds i hear from BKP.

so that being said, from someone who has NEVER done more than changed strings can you tell me

1) can i install 2 new pickups myself? if so what do i need to know and what tools will i need? or should i have a luthier in town do it?

2) i love a great RAW, CHIMEY rock sound ala ac/dc thru some more modern slash type sounds. which pickups would be best for me? i love the riff raff ones (after a GREAT ac/dc song)

3) this les paul has coil tapping on it, does that affect how the install will go or how they are hooked up?

i also like the Mule and stormy monday pickups so far, do many of you mix and match?

thanks for any info on this

Tim

[Mr. Air]

Hi Tim and welcome to the forum.

Here's my take on your questions.

1+3: To instal ther pickups yourself you'll need a soldering iron appart from the obvious like a screwdriver. If you have no experience with soldering it might be worth having a "pro" install the pickups. It's not the hardest task to do, but it takes some experience to do a good soldering job. You also need to be able to read a pickup diagram which shows you where to solder the different wires. I'm no master in the latter myself and if I mess up I'm not always capable of finding out where I made a mistake. The complexity of the soldering task you need done is further increased by the, presumed, push pull pots for coiltapping. The good news is that it's very hard to mess up the pickup during soldering, but you can "easily" heat the pots too much and fry'em. I know from bitter experience  :)

2: If you want a raw and chimey rock sound I think you should look at the vintage and vintage hot selection. Riff Raff is defenitely a strong contender, but you could also considder VHII and Emerald. My advice would be to stick to a matched set of pickups.

[ericsabbath]

both riff raff or mule will do the job
both are bright and chimey
the mule is bit more organic and juicy and the notes blend a little nicer in the chords
the riff raff is more spanky and retains more clarity under gain, with more picking attack and string separation
you gotta figure out if you prefer the mellow midrange of the mule or the extra clarity of the riff raff
they both have a crystal clear top end that I never found in any other pickup

the vhII is little more aggressive and more focused, with a punchier low end and sharp top, like more powerful and slightly midscooped riff raff
its neck model also sounds really good in the bridge position, and its tone sits right between the bridge versions of the mule and riff raff

[Telerocker]

RiffRaffs or Mules. Eric described them. I have only experience with Mules, genuine 59 PAF's that can do nearly anything. I think they are more versatile then RR's and I especially like the full, almost 3D-tones that always have a lovely chime to them.

[Hammerheart]

You might want to check what kind of connections the les paul has behind the tone pots. Some of them have that solderless connection circuit board in them. You might be able to do a solderless connection.(not sure which models have it.. my traditional doesn't)

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Riff Raff will be great for this!

[TheyCallMeVolume]

And also, I would recommend not attempting installation yourself at this point. I just think too much can go wrong and with a great guitar and pickups like you have and are getting, you don't want to take your chances.

However, I recommend asking one of your local guitar techs, whoever you may go to, to be able to watch them install the pickups and maybe explain the process. I did this and it helped me alot in being able to do this myself. You can watch videos and read instructions, but it's entirely different to have someone doing it in front of you with your guitar and pickups, and being able to ask any questions you want. My .02