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Author Topic: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional  (Read 10205 times)

ericsabbath

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2013, 04:42:10 PM »
the dimarzio 36th anniversary is a great pickup, one of the few non-bkps that really impressed me, but it's far from the classic paf sound
it's considerably hotter and fatter than the original dimarzio paf from the 70's (which was actually a gibson t-top replica)
it's definitely hotter than a mule as well, bassy like the vhII and middy like the black dog, so it's hard to call it a real PAF
also, it's hard to beat BKP's clarity when you put some heavy gain
dimarzio, duncan and gibson pickups tend to distort and mud things up too easily

the riff raff sounds really thick in my les paul custom, but mine has a custom thicker magnet, so it's a little bassier than a common one
having it close to the strings really helps
my mule in a jap hurricane les paul copy doesn't sound that thick, but thick enough for me
it's the juiciest and most organic bridge pickup I ever played
when I need more push out of it, I just use some sort of booster (usually some maxon/tube screamer or my juansolo baby boobtube)
the vhII set also sounded great in that same guitar, but it's a punchier and more defined sound, clearer under gain, but not as sweet
I also have a black dog in greco lp std, which is quite bright and has a maple neck, and it makes it sound thicker and gainier than my lp custom, which is a naturally darker and bass heavy guitar

for early UFO, I'd probably pick the riff raff over the others, but all these options should work pretty well
I really like the subtle natural compression of the mule when you dig it hard
« Last Edit: January 10, 2013, 09:12:07 PM by Eric Hellstyle »
Riff Raff, Mules, Black Dog, VHII's, Cold Sweat

TheyCallMeVolume

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2013, 05:03:43 PM »
I have mine in an ash strat.

Van Halen tone???

Yes, it's a real good old school rock/hardrockpickup that nails the VH-sound, depending on the amps used.

Can't stress this enough. For some reason, more than any other pickup, people equate the VHII to give you automatic brown sound.

Telerocker

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2013, 05:24:34 PM »
Yeah, that's because of the name. I don't have a Marshall, nor do I play VH. This pickup sounds great on my Rockerverb though, for all kinds of rock.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

TheyCallMeVolume

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2013, 06:21:21 PM »
Yeah, that's because of the name. I don't have a Marshall, nor do I play VH. This pickup sounds great on my Rockerverb though, for all kinds of rock.

Yeah, sorry, that's what I was implying  :lol:

I don't find too many people saying the Holy Diver gives you automatic Dio tones or the Rebel Yell for Billy Idol tones.

nkay

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2013, 07:24:19 PM »
the dimarzio 36th anniversary is a great pickup, one of the fell non-bkps that really impressed me, but it's far from the classic paf sound
it's considerably hotter and fatter than the original dimarzio paf from the 70's (which was actually a gibson t-top replica)
it's definitely hotter than a mule as well, bassy like the vhII and middy like the black dog, so it's hard to call it a real PAF
also, it's hard to beat BKP's clarity when you put some heavy gain
dimarzio, duncan and gibson pickups tend to distort and mud things up too easily

Thanks! This is the info I was looking for. Of all the clips I heard of these pickups I've been checking out, the Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries sounded just like what I wanted. The other pickup I was considering was the Wolfetone Marshallhead which I've heard could also be compared to the Riff Raff tone wise, so it does sound like a Riff Raff is the way to go here from a BKP perspective. From my past experience with BKP, I do notice its qualities for handling extra gain and retaining clarity, whereas the Dimarzio 36th I'm not so sure.

HTH AMPS

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2013, 10:11:29 PM »
I used to have a pair of T-Tops in my Les Paul, they were 7.5k each, low output and not very ballsy at all.  Didn't last long in my guitar.

For what you describe an Abraxas would get you there.  Ignore the output (14-15k), it just sounds like a fatter PAF - it's got that kinda tonality of a PAF cranked up fat through plexis, but without necessarily having to have a rig like that.

Checkout the vids in my sig, loads of them are with the Abraxas in my Les Paul.

nkay

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #21 on: January 15, 2013, 11:38:27 PM »
I've been re-evaluating clips and reviews, and the sound I'm looking for, and I'm starting to think that maybe the Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries aren't quite what I want to do. I have a Super Distortion and PAF  Pro right now, and I understand how Dimarzio's are generally trying to help your guitar do something that it isn't already doing. I've heard a lot of people say the 36th anniversaries, sound great, but a little compressed, and that's something I want to avoid. They sure sound great, but I can imagine it's the same tonal imprint on whatever guitar it goes in, much like other Dimarzios.

So I'm thinking about the Riff Raff again. I have Holy Divers in my super strats, and I've really become accustomed (although it took me awhile to appreciate them from the Dimarzios I used before) to the organic, 3D sound of BKPs, and maybe the Riff Raffs aren't as bright and jangly as I initially thought they were. In fact, they actually do have a thick character once I explored some more clips and I think they would sound much more natural for my LP. Now I just have to decide whether to do the Riff Raff neck or Mule neck. I like a nice bright neck pickup myself, I don't like dark/muddy, so the Riff Neck sounds like it would be perfect.

Hammerheart

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #22 on: January 18, 2013, 09:12:41 PM »
I just replaced my 57 classics with mules because I thought they were too dark. They sound a lot more well rounded. They sound great with a lot of gain too. They are really versatile.
Gibson LP Trad 2011 w/BKP Old Guard
Gibson CME SG 61 Standard w/T-Types
Gibson SG 61 Standard w/61R/61T (yuk)
Orange 100w Rockerverb 100 mkiii
Laney Studio 3w Superlead
Marshall DSL100HR

ericsabbath

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #23 on: January 18, 2013, 10:02:38 PM »
both mule and riff raff will let your guitar speak for the first time
they're really transparent
the riff raff does add a certain spark and so does the mule, but they tend to balance well with mahogany
unless you have a really bright les paul, they will sound amazing
the mule is a little smooth and blends the notes just a bit under gain, but in a very natural and pleasant way
the riff raff is a bit clearer, so might be "better" for heavier stuff if you don't wanna lose a bit of attack
both are my favorite les paul brigde pickups ever and the neck mule is my favorite as well (didn't try the neck riff raff)
and I'm no classic rock player
I usually need lots of gain for what I play (modern rock with alice in chains, tool and soundgarden influences)
Riff Raff, Mules, Black Dog, VHII's, Cold Sweat

Telerocker

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #24 on: January 18, 2013, 11:09:45 PM »
both mule and riff raff will let your guitar speak for the first time
they're really transparent
the riff raff does add a certain spark and so does the mule, but they tend to balance well with mahogany
unless you have a really bright les paul, they will sound amazing
the mule is a little smooth and blends the notes just a bit under gain, but in a very natural and pleasant way
the riff raff is a bit clearer, so might be "better" for heavier stuff if you don't wanna lose a bit of attack
both are my favorite les paul brigde pickups ever and the neck mule is my favorite as well (didn't try the neck riff raff)

I like the descriptions, especially of the Mule bec I own a set. Spot on.  :)
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

Hammerheart

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Re: Hot PAF for Les Paul Traditional
« Reply #25 on: January 19, 2013, 01:04:49 PM »
Agree on the bridge mule. It sounds soooooo much nicer then the 57 classic. I hated that pup although I didn't mind the neck 57.
Gibson LP Trad 2011 w/BKP Old Guard
Gibson CME SG 61 Standard w/T-Types
Gibson SG 61 Standard w/61R/61T (yuk)
Orange 100w Rockerverb 100 mkiii
Laney Studio 3w Superlead
Marshall DSL100HR